Summer is finally here! School is out, pools are open, and summer sports are in full swing (pun intended). Whether you’re playing organized hockey or not this summer, summer is also a great chance to work on your skills and show off your latest threads. Thus, we proudly present our carefully curated list of top-10 must-have summer hockey products.
First, outdoor training products. Who doesn’t love combining sunshine and hockey?! So carry that ODR goal to the driveway, text the neighbor kids, tell your little brother to put down the video game controller, and head outside for some street hockey, along with these great products:
- Stick blade protectors – we love the Hockey Wraparound product! Simply throw around your stick blade, cover with tape, and you’re ready to play street hockey, stickhandle, or rip shots in the driveway without damaging your stick. Products are Made in USA and available in black or white. Note: Hockey Wraparound also has great social media posts, videos, and podcasts that cover addressing broader topics throughout hockey and sports in general, and definitely worth a listen while on the beach or doing yardwork.
- Shooting Pad – if you want to rip shots in your driveway or backyard, the best tool is the handheld shooting pad from Sniper’s Edge. Available in three different sizes, Made in USA, highly durable HDPE with slick surface, and can be easily carried to training site and stored away.
- Sauce Toss – whether at the beach, backyard or tailgate, playing a game of sauce with your friends is simply the best. Lots of great options exist here to choose from, such as the Original Sauce Kit (co-branded with Bauer). Don’t own one? No problem…simply stomp on a soda can (or adult beverage can of your choice) and test your sauce skills into a cooler, trash can or hat.
- Pucks/Balls – lots of great options to take your game outside. We like the street hockey balls from Mylec, which are available in multiple fun colors and in come in combo packs since you will inevitably lose balls in the bushes. The Original Green Biscuit is great for stickhandling or sniping when on solid hard surfaces, as is the ProPuck street hockey puck by ProGuard, but if your surface is bumpy or has gravel then both of those pucks will start to wobble or flip. Nothing wrong with using a tennis ball either. For any of these scenarios, use a shooting pad or Wraparound under your stick to make sure you don’t chew up that expensive stick.
- Shooting Targets – when a goalie is not available, it’s great to take driveway or street hockey shots with a target in mind. The Top Shelf Targets have highly durable products, available in bright orange, green or purple, easily connect via magnets to a metal goal frame, and give you the instant satisfaction of nailing and knocking down the target. Alternatively, new in 2021/2022 are hockey targets from Sniper’s Edge that are easy to carry along, attach in seconds with bungee cord, and can be adjusted to your ideal height.
Next, whether you’re training or hanging at the lake, everyone wants to rock the latest summer hockey styles, so we compiled our top-five ideas for summer swag below.
- Sandals – the Summer Skates company provides awesome hockey-themed sandals and beverage holders (or “coozies”, as we call them in Minnesota). Products come in standard colors, NHL teams or players, or can even be customized.
- Sunglasses – why not pair your new Summer Skates with some sweet hockey-themed sunglasses? TeamClix (f/k/a Blade Shades) provides some seriously stylish specs, featuring your favorite team colors and either detachable or non-detachable hinges. Also available in options featuring blue light blockers, prescription, custom designed, and/or other sports, if you’re into that.
- T-shirts – lots of great options, but the two companies that continue to come up with fun patterns and colors are Howie’s Hockey and Warroad. Perfect for a pontoon ride, sauce toss, or bevvie’s on the patio. Warroad has also added some awesome new moisture-wicking performance underlayers, some of which are even cut-proof. Sniper’s Edge is also showing up this summer with its new collection of retro logo t-shirts available in royal blue and charcoal, and for the kids a Sniper Sam t-shirt in retro red (and soon to be available in purple and neon as well).
- Hats – impress your friends with a vintage hat from Minnesota-based Northern Lids, which specializes in hand-stitched hats featuring custom patches. The patches range from unique and vintage (think: Nordiques, Cleveland Barons, KOHO) to custom hats for teams. Your stylish headgear will be the talk of the tailgate.
- Hairstyle – just let it flow. Manbuns, mullets, braids, beards…all are welcome this summer. Want to add lemon juice for sun-kissed tips? Why not. Want to buzz it all off before next year’s playoff push? For sure. Accessorize with sunglasses or hats to help with flow control.
Any other great ideas that we missed? Please tell us what you think on social media and your comments below.
