The Inside Post

Hockey as we know it was born in the great outdoors, on countless frozen lakes and ponds across the northern hemisphere. From playing pickup games in the backyard to watching the pros under the lights at the NHL Winter Classic, there’s simply something magical about outdoor hockey than an indoor rink simply can’t replicate. See our picks for top-5 outdoor rinks in this week's article. 

The winter break and new year provides not only opportunity for rest and recovery, but an opportunity to reflect on your season thus far, and whether and how to realign your goals for the remainder of the season. For many, the solution is to re-commit to handling and shooting pucks at home to develop muscle memory and confidence to help your team in the second half of your winter season. 

Outdoor hockey season has arrived in north, and ushers more incredible opportunities to have fun, make memories, and get better at hockey. Whether you skate on a pond across the street, community park or backyard rink with boards, playing outdoor hockey with friends in a non-structured environment is not only great fun for players of all ages, but offers tremendous benefits for hockey development between the extra skating, puck touches, and decision-making in tight spaces. We dive deeper into what makes outdoor hockey so magical in this week's article. 

While we revere the elite players for their physical traits, the truth is that these same athletes work tirelessly both during the season and offseason to develop and refine their skills to help elevate their game and remain competitive. While not everyone is destined to be a professional hockey player, we can learn from those six common characteristics that are shared by the elite players, which we dig into deeper in this week's article. 

Thanksgiving is a great holiday and provides an excellent opportunity to celebrate with friends and family who travel near and far to gather. For hockey families, Thanksgiving is also a big tournament time as youth hockey teams participate in tournaments that often provide some great bragging rights for the season. Here are 3 great ways to help your team take home the turkey trophy!

Looking for the perfect hockey gift for the aspiring D1 player in your family? We have a range of products for all ages, and for all budgets. As the 20-year market leader in home hockey training, we pride ourselves on offering products that are durable, provide great training benefits, and are simply fun to use. 

The leaves have fallen, days are shorter and temp is colder, and the time for outdoor hockey is fast approaching! In this week's article, our veteran backyard rink builder David Shuler breaks down the critical factors you need to consider before tackling your backyard rink this winter.

Whether you serve as captain on your team, or are a third line grinder, everyone has the ability to apply leadership skills to positively influence team culture and level of play of those around them in a positive way. In this week's article, we dive deeper into five such leadership characteristics that are common of great hockey leaders.

Hockey is a game of possession. A considerable amount of practice time is dedicated to passing and puck control, which is important to be sure. But nearly as important for many players is knowing the best ways to take the puck away, and the tilt the time of possession back in your team's favor. We review four top techniques to steal the puck in this week's article.

Alongside skating, puck handling is one of the base skills in the game of hockey. While mainly overlooked by shooting or stickhandling, puckhandling is at the core of all of...

Training on synthetic ice has many benefits to players. In addition to having a slick surface with superior puck glide, for beginning players synthetic ice helps them work on edges, stops, turns, and develop ankle strength. For more-advanced players, the benefit is both being able to perform drills while moving, and doing so while elevated on skates (improving your hand-eye coordination from that level). Learn more about why synthetic ice is an essential training tool in this week's article.

Playing on the team that is right for you can be the difference maker in your development. You want to play at a level that is competitive and challenging, but also where you can touch the puck and improve your skills. There are valuable life lessons to be gained by reaching a top team, as well as when being a leader and building more confidence if playing on a lower team.