Hockey Liquidation

Probably the main reason that hockey has never really taken off in the States as a central lynch pin sport (you know, aside from the fact that there isn't ice like, ever, in the southern half of the country) is because of the high prices of equipment.  Equipment has a tendency to be pretty pricey, and since most high schools within the United States don't have a paid-for full-time team, the students are made to buy their equipment, rather than like in football, where the equipment, equally expensive, is paid for by most schools.  So since high school students are usually dirt-poor mouth-breathers, they have a tendency to not be able to afford hockey, which, due to its combination of speed and brutal  full-contact, should be a massive sport within the United States. 

So the key is to find cheap hockey liquidation rate equipment.  Hockey liquidation isn't TOO hard to find, but you're probably not going to get it by trolling through your hometown and waiting for Dick's Sporting Goods to close down.  This just isn't going to happen.  A good place to look for a hockey liquidation is online.  Hockey liquidation is going to be easy enough to find on eBay or various sporting good sites or any place that sells discount items for cheap.  Hockey equipment, you should remember, tends to be used when it's sold at low prices, so buy a can of disinfectant and shell out the extra few bucks for your jock strap.  There are a couple of mainstay pieces of equipment that one should shell out for when looking for hockey equipment, and anything that touches your privates counts as one of them.  You're also probably better off paying for your own helmet, just for safety and qualities sake.  Everything else can be gotten for cheap hockey liquidation prices, however. 

The typical equipment is this:

Hockey Stick - this is the mainstay of the hockey equipment treasure chest.  You can play hockey with nothing else, but you need a hockey stick.  If you don't have one, you're more less kicking things or playing broom-ball.  And broom-ball is not hockey.  It's a much more full-contact, hardcore sport.  Anyway, the typical hockey stick is long with a curved up end, usually made out of wood or some sort of nylon plastic.  Get one that feels comfortable on you.  They are cheap and everywhere.

Helmet - This can come with a number of different features.  For anyone who is not a goalie, typically, this includes a mask that covers most of the head, and then maybe a visor or a mask.  Truth is, the protection afforded to most hockey players is relatively weak.  In your career as a hockey player, you should expect to get one or two pucks in the face.  If this happens, you'll be getting a black eye or a broken nose, maybe a few lost teeth.  Don't worry, man.  Chicks dig scars, and chiclets can replace teeth. 

Mouthguard - Speaking of teeth, you're going to need a mouthguard.  And don't buy this second hand.  Hockey liquidation prices do not apply to things that go in your mouth.  A typical mouthguard has this feature where you can put it in boiling water for a few minutes, and then place it in your mouth and suck the plastic around your teeth to mold it to your mouth specifically.  This makes it stick to your upper teeth easier, and it allows you speak a little bit better if you need to be shouting something to a team mate.

Skates - Ice skates, yeah, those are important too.  These are different from the figure skates because they've got rounded edges, making them less dangerous for potentially stabbing someone in the face, meaning the line in Happy Gilmore where he said, "I've got two records:  most time in the penalty box, and I was the first guy to take my skate off and try and stab someone with it," not really possible unless he was playing with figure skates.  Anyway, I digress.  Skates are important, so pick ones out that fit your feet well, and if you can, try them out a little bit ahead of time.  Most sporting goods stores aren't attached to a hockey rink, I know, but you can get an idea of what works for you at the rink before buying them.  You're looking for stability in skates.

Various Pads - This is a good area to skimp, because as long as it's a pad, who cares?  You're looking for a few different things, mostly shin guards, shoulder pads, a neck guard (if you're a total pansy who doesn't think they can take a puck to the throat), and hockey pants, which have a bunch of thigh and ass pads in them. 

There are a bunch more pads and whatnot for goalies.  They are relatively easy to find as well, but as they are huge, they will probably cost you more.  Good luck hockeying, it's one of the truly awesome sports left.  And good luck finding a decent hockey liquidation site.