"How to... with Hayzee" Part 1: Dressing Your Child

How many times would you need to do something to consider yourself an expert? 100? 1000? 5000? 10,000?

In the popular book "Outliers," author Malcolm Gladwell teaches us that the key to achieving true expertise in any skill is practicing it the correct way for 10,000 hours. If you have this book in your library, go grab it and flip to page 16 for me. Give it a read. See if there is anyone familiar quoted there. 😉

I have been doing some Western Hockey League math here as I type this and "guesstimate" that I, Darrell Hay, have put hockey gear on about 10,000 times in my life. I began learning to skate at 3 years of age. Started playing organized at 5. Started junior hockey at 16. Professional at 20 and played my last game pro at 36 in England. Add up all the practices, pre game skates, games, playoff games, summer skates, beer league games and you get my drift. I have become quite proficient at putting hockey gear on. If going by Mr. Gladwell's claim- I would say I am an expert.

One thing that gives me fits is trying to get my son dressed for hockey. As the saying goes, "it's like herding cats." My son Jax is a nightmare to keep on task. He has the attention span of a lady bug. His bones are made of jello and when playing the "statue" game, usually loses seconds after we commence the competition. He's a 6 year old little boy who is constantly moving, bouncing, twirling, somersaulting, shaking, jumping or spinning. Why? Wish I had an answer for you. He just does. That's who he is...the "season" he is in. His "era" as T. Swift would say.

Getting him dressed has proven to be a bit of a challenge. Even with my so called level of experience and the number of reps I have amassed. I thought it would have become easier by this point. Maybe some part of me believed he would be some sort of wunderkind and just do it all on his own. "Wish in one hand." 

 So that gave me an idea. To write out and illustrate how I get my little guy ready for his time on the ice. Welcome to the first edition of "How to...with Hayzee."

1. Putting on the base layer: when I was growing up I wore old pajamas that I was starting to outgrow or this set of baby blue thermal long underwear my mom picked up at Zellers. Nowadays I see every different type of clothing. Tee shirts, sweat pants, shorts and even the odd pair of blue jeans. Everybody has their own unique set of "undies" they like to wear before the gear up. Jax has shown a liking towards 32 Degrees kids heat set from Costco. It's breathable and wicks the sweat away from his body, just like the higher priced dry fit fabrics I wear under my gear. Pair that with his soccer socks that pull up to his knees and that's what we call his "ninja suit."

2. The second step in our dressing ritual is to protect his "private parts" with a cup. Times have changed since I grew up and the upgrades in fabric and fit have helped evolve this piece of equipment. I found Jax' lower body protection on Amazon for about $15. He loves these and they are like putting on underwear. Very simple, fit close to the body and keep his "goods" safe.

 3. The next piece of equipment is a piece that I believe is the unsung hero of hockey gear. The garter belt. This is something I rarely see people use here. They opt to use sock tape to tape the hockey sock onto the thigh area. A theory I have some serious issues with. The tape stretches, it gets loose, it slides and now the upper leg above the shin pad is exposed. This is why the garter belt was designed. If you have never seen one, here is a spot to take a look at Bauer's version of the garter belt. I may be a little old school but this is my method of choice when it comes to keeping my socks up.

 Another option players use if a garter belt isn't your thing is the combination shorts. These shorts combine both the protection of the private areas with the hockey sock management system. Younger players enjoy the ease that Velcro provides. Combine that with socks that come made with the opposite piece of velcro and the whole combination is slicker than freshly cut ice. Here is a link to the combination cup/garter shorts and a picture below.

4. Shin pads or knee pads are next on my list. These are pretty straight forward. Usually with a velcro loop closure built into the pad itself. This closure self secures the pad to the lower leg of your player. If you don't have this option, a popular method is to use sock tape. It's the clear, plastic, stretchy version you see at hockey pro shops everywhere. Jax' shin pads have 2 straps we use to secure the pad to his leg. One just below the knee cap that wraps around the back part of your knee and the other that covers the calf to bring extra stability to the pad. Anyone that has ever had a shin pad slide on them, then fallen on their knee understands the amount of pain this causes. Knee pads usually come with a big "L" or "R" stenciled on the pad. That directs you which leg it is supposed to be placed on. If it doesn't, which isn't a big deal for introductory players- strap those babies on either leg and call it a day.

 5. The next item on the list is hockey socks. These come in a range of styles and colors. "Game socks" usually have a similar color palette to the team sweaters that players wear. "Practice socks" can be of a singular color to match a team's practice sweaters or at a lower level, old socks that can take a little wear and tear. Growing up my old man never let me wear my game socks for practice. Couldn't risk getting holes in them. Our appearance when representing Kamloops and the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association had to be on point. As it was a "privilege" to wear that sweater and represent those colors. My father always made sure I had some old socks in my bag for practices. His choice was always black. "It hides the puck marks," he would say as he loaded them into my hockey bag. Times and materials have changed the composition of the hockey sock over the years. The invention of the velcro shorts as fasteners for these socks has also brought change to how these items are produced. I just ordered Jax some Champro hockey socks from Amazon as he had worn out and outgrown his previous ones. He picked out the navy blue color to "match his jersey" and they work with either fastening system-the velcro shorts or the garter belt.

6. Hockey shorts/pants/breezers. Whatever you choose to call this piece of gear is fine with me. I call them pants myself while a popular nickname they have here in the Treasure Valley are "Breezers." The key to this is having the right size. Having them sit around their waist and using the belt and lacing system to secure the pants to their body. I suggest looking at getting suspenders if your pants are a little big. That way the weight sits across your shoulders rather than cinching the belt around your waist. If they start looking a little snug like the picture of Jax below-may be time to size up.

7. 🚨🚨 IMPORTANT-PLEASE READ 🚨🚨 Neck guards are now mandatory per USA Hockey. This is a new rule this year here in the United States. I grew up in Canada where we were wearing neck guards since I was a kid. This is a step in the right direction for the safety for our athletes. I look at this from the viewpoint as a parent. My kid falls a lot as a newbie and so do other players. When they fall, there are skates galore down on the ice and I don't want my kid accidentally falling on a skate or getting stepped on. Especially on an exposed part of their bodies like his neck. Last year in England, Adam Johnson- an American player tragically lost his life when a skate made contact with his throat. Here are some options for neck protectection if you haven't got yours yet.

8. Shoulder pads are next on the list and if you purchased a bib neck guard like the picture above, it will help secure that piece of equipment to your player. Shoulder pads help protect the top half of the players bodies-especially the shoulders, sternum and spine areas. Having these sized correctly provide the most safety and mobility possible. I remember when I was a kid going into hitting hockey and my dad swapped out my small shoulder pads with minimal protection for these "Legion of Doom" style ones that were supposed to protect me from body checking at the bantam level. Those old Easton shoulder pads made me look like Bobby Boucher in "The Waterboy." Gigantic shoulders with this itty bitty head on top. They were uncomfortable and way too big. Fortunately they did protect me and I eventually grew into them. Those shoulder pads carried me all the way through the WHL before they finally kicked the bucket. That's a heck of a ride for a piece of equipment. 

9. Elbow pads are up next and they are very simple at the younger ages. Most times they can go on either arm when they are young so you can't really screw it up. As you get older, the pads become specific and they are clearly marked with an "L" or "R". My youngest thinks he's The Macho Man Randy Savage coming off the top rope chucking elbows whenever he puts on his pads for Learn To Play. That's how we test to make sure they are on properly. Throw out the "Gordie Howe Salute."

10. The last piece on the list is your hockey sweater. Like any shirt you have ever put on, you put your head through the head hole and your arms through the arm holes. Remember to keep the logo on the front and the number on the back. 

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Here are some other things that I like to do with my kid's gear that can hopefully help you and your child going forward. 

Jersey too big/long? Roll up the sleeves and tuck the back of the jersey into your "Breezers." Wayne Gretzky made the jersey tuck famous. He started it as a youth because he was playing up an age group and the sweaters the group had were way too big for The Great One. Hence the jersey into the side of his pants that created his signature look.

When I get Jax dressed I like to put his shin pads over the tongues of his skates before I tie them. My father did this as I was growing up and it was how I wore my gear through all of my playing days. It adds an extra layer of protection to the player's ankle area and has helped save my feet and ankles from a ton of pucks.

Here is the finished product when the skates are tied and the player is ready to take the ice. Everybody will have a personal preference in how they wish to wear their gear. Experiment in the younger years to find out what works best for your player. "Best" meaning a mixture of protection, comfort and mobility. Styles and fads come and go. Tongues in? Tongues out? Top eyelet tied? Top eyelet left undone? Everybody is a little different in how they do it. 

People ask me how I use tape on my son's socks to help secure the shin pads to the legs. I use a single wrap just below the knee cap turning the tape so the pad pulls to the inside of the leg. This helps keep the shin pad from rotating out. If your child is like mine and spends a lot of time on the ice (usually doing snow angels) this is a safeguard to add an extra layer of protection. It keeps their gear where it is supposed to be. Nothing can turn a child off from this game quicker than getting hurt where the equipment was supposed to protect them.

If you have followed these steps you are now ready to step on the ice and play hockey! 

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I sincerely hope it helped. Below is a checklist I made for my wife to help her dress our sons when I am not there. Please use it at your convenience or email me and I can send you the PDF.

Thank you to my amazing model Jax. You keep me on my toes kid. Love ya! 🏒

About the author: Darrell Hay is a hockey parent trying to juggle two sons in the early years of their hockey journey. Both boys love going to the rink (usually to put money in the Pokemon ball machine) and have become quite the little hockey fans. He hopes articles like this can help you sort things out as you navigate the hockey world. Please feel free to reach out to Darrell at [email protected] with any questions or advice that you think would be helpful on the next "How to... with Hayzee" article. Thanks for reading!