To say 2020 has been a weird year would be an understatement. It’s been crazy, scary, infuriating, sad, frustrating, and so much more. It is a year that we would all like to move past as quickly as possible but will never forget.
We all did our best to make it through this tumultuous year. Stores were closed, restaurants were closed, most people’s offices were closed, and many rinks were closed too. We were stuck at home with nothing going on.
But then, an interesting thing happened. Many people took 2020 as an opportunity to throw themselves into the things they love the most. For some, it was baking sourdough bread. For others, it was starting a new project around the house. For many of you in the Snipers Edge community, it was finding a way to go beyond the rink and play hockey at home.
Shutting down hockey
In early March of 2020, the unthinkable happened. The NHL, the biggest hockey league in the world, announced it was pausing its 2019-2020 season. College hockey’s Frozen Four was canceled shortly thereafter, and within a few days, end-of-season youth tournaments around the country were also shut down.
Going to the rink, practicing and playing with teammates and coaches, hanging with other hockey parents, even watching hockey on TV – all the things that were a huge part of everyday life for people in the hockey community – just stopped. At a time where hockey lovers needed hockey most, it seemed like it was gone.
Hockey goes beyond the rink
The thing about hockey players though is that they are tough. And not just normal tough. We’re talking take-a-puck-in-the-face-spit-out-your-tooth-get-stitches-in-the-locker-room-and-be-back-for-your-next-shift tough. No one gets the best of hockey players, not even a global pandemic!
What did hockey players do in the face of this adversity? They got creative, they got resourceful, and they got down to business. They doubled down on hockey in these challenging times. They said to themselves, “I may not be on the ice now but when I get back, I’m going to be a better player”.
Hockey players from Boston to British Columbia and everywhere in between took out a few tennis balls, taped out a goal on their garage, and started firing shots. A few weeks (and a few scuff marks on the garage – sorry mom and dad!) later, we heard from so many hockey players and their parents who were ready to upgrade their hockey at-home setup.
Hockey at home
As the year wore on, we all got better at playing hockey at home. We got new home training equipment (from SnipersEdgeHockey.com, of course!), we learned new drills, we practiced new trick shots, and we developed the skills that will help us when we get back to the rink. We took hockey beyond the rink and made hockey at home a real thing.
We’ve seen hockey at home throughout 2020. Whether it is driving around the neighborhood and seeing the hockey nets in driveways or checking out all the amazing participation in the Snipers Edge Ambassador Search on Instagram, hockey at home has become a big deal in 2020 and we’re happy to play a small part in that.
2021 is here
We are now ready to leave 2020 behind us like a flat-footed defenseman on the break. The NHL has announced their new season starts on January 13, 2021, and hockey at all levels is starting to come back where it is safe to do so. As 2021 goes on, we will all get back to normal and that means early ice times, locker room tape ball fights, and lighting the lamp against your rival team.
This year, out of necessity, you’ve mastered hockey at home and taken your training beyond the rink. You now see the results in your passing, your shooting, and your stickhandling. Training beyond the rink has paid off in huge ways and 2021 is the time to show these new and improved skills on the ice.
Keep grinding
At Snipers Edge, we want to encourage you to KEEP TRAINING AT HOME in the new year. Even though ice time will take up more of your time in 2021, hopefully this year has helped you realize what an important aspect of the game training at home is. The improvements you have made in 2020 should be proof that the more you invest in hockey at home, the better the results will be on the ice.
For our part, Snipers Edge will continue to be there to encourage hockey at home even as we get back to the rink. In addition to providing the best home hockey training equipment on the market, we will be here to support you in other ways as well.
We promise to do our best to help keep you motivated and excited to challenge yourself while training at home in 2021 and beyond. Keep an eye on our site and our social media feeds for more fun challenges and contests in the Spring and Summer of the coming year. We will do whatever we can to make sure you, your friends, or your kids can get the most out of hockey from home and always #SnipeWithAPurpose.
Happy New Year!
The Snipers Edge Team wants to wish you and yours the very happiest New Year! We know 2020 has been challenging but we want to salute all the players and players’ parents who contributed to the amazing amount of hockey at home in 2020.
We also want to thank each and every one of you that has visited our site, bought Snipers Edge Hockey training products, and interacted with us on social media and elsewhere. We hope we have made your Hockey at Home year a little easier and a little more productive and we look forward to helping you train beyond the rink in 2021 and beyond!
Happy New Year!
- The Snipers Edge Team
