“You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” —Wayne Gretzky

Fairfield is a great town for youth sports ranging from the traditional (basketball and baseball) to the more offbeat (skateboarding and disc golf). But in the throes of winter, it’s the cold, hard ice that beckons many Fairfielders to put on their pads, lace up their skates and play some hockey. Why is hockey so popular? Well, first of all, it’s a sport that requires tremendous skill, guts and commitment to play. Hockey also has its own language and nuances—blue lines, red lines, stick checks, hat tricks, toasty posts, sweeps, slappers and penalty boxes. And, most importantly, it’s a blast to watch, fun to play, and great exercise for kids.

But, it might not be for everyone. Unlike the game of soccer, for example, there’s a perception that hockey is a brutal sport, rife with fighting and high-sticking…and missing teeth. Rodney Dangerfield used to joke: “I went to the fights the other night and a hockey game broke out!” However, if parents look beyond the stereotype, they’ll find that the sport is incredibly exciting, fast-paced, extremely healthy—and surprisingly safe—for your children.

According to one sports therapist at Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine in Fairfield (therapists for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers hockey team), injuries are fewer on the ice than on the gridiron. And the kids couldn’t be more fit: Games comprised of three twenty-minute periods (60 minutes total) of full-speed skating in cold temperatures tend to keep bodies in very good shape. Hockey also involves teamwork and strategy. With all of the positive aspects of hockey, it’s easy to see why so many kids in town are joining the game.

getting started
Before the children can play the game, they’ve got to learn to “walk the walk.” In other words, they need to learn to skate. Most local rinks, including the Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport, the Rinks at the Sports Center of Connecticut in Shelton, Longshore in Westport and the Darien Ice Rink, have beginner skating lessons and programs to teach the basic techniques of skating. These programs can help kids build skills for hockey or figure skating.

According to Betsy Day-Francis, director of skating at the Sports Center, their facility offers Intro to Skate programs as well as Mommy and Me and Daddy and Me groups that are specifically designed to promote confidence and skating skills, while “alleviating s the separation anxiety of young children by providing an atmosphere where mom and dad skate alongside their children.” Day-Francis’ advice is to get children on the ice early—“the younger, the better. Overcoming fear at a young age is easier than at older ages.”

Most area rinks also offer beginner hockey programs like Bridgeport’s Micro Hockey program for ages four to nine and the Sports Center’s Hockey 101 and 102 programs where children continue to build skating and hockey skills. Children as young as age two can even find a program such as Bridgeport’s Little Rangers, a series designed for children ages two years old to six years old. These programs are run at convenient times on weekends or, for the preschoolers, weekdays, and the fees are right in line with the costs of other youth sports programs. (Be warned, however, that children playing hockey do need full equipment, and it can cost a bit to get your child outfitted the first time, as high as $400. Fortunately, the pro shops at most rinks will let you trade in old equipment as your child grows, so subsequent purchases won’t be so hard on the wallet.)

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