Shinny has no referee, no standings and no coach. What keeps a drop-in game fun, safe and full every week is a shared set of habits. If you are heading to your first session, or coming back after years away, here is how a typical game works and how to fit in.
Before the game
- Read the session rules. Check the age range, whether you need to register or book online, and the equipment requirements. Many sessions require a CSA-certified hockey helmet with a face guard or cage, and some require full equipment.
- Arrive early and be dressed on time. The ice time is short; nobody wants to wait for the last player to tape a stick.
- Bring a light and a dark jersey, or one of each colour, so you can switch teams without fuss.
- Pay or check in first, the way the arena asks.
Picking teams
The classic method: everyone throws a stick into a pile at centre ice, and someone splits the pile into two, one stick to each side. Your stick decides your team. In other games, players simply split by jersey colour. Either way, the aim is two even teams. If one side is clearly stronger after a few minutes, it is good form to move a player or two.
The usual rules
Every session can set its own rules, and posted rules always take priority. The common ones are:
- No body contact. No checking, no hitting, no rough play along the boards. Players range widely in age and skill, and nobody wants to miss work on Monday.
- No slapshots, and often no raising the puck, especially when the goalie is not in full gear or when there is no goalie at all.
- Offside and icing are relaxed or ignored, unless the group agrees otherwise.
- Change lines often. Shifts are short, usually a minute or two. Watch the bench and come off when your replacement is waiting.
- Pass the puck. Shinny is a team game. Skating end to end every time you touch the puck is the fastest way to be the player nobody passes to.
Playing with mixed skill levels
Drop-in games bring together former competitive players and people who learned as adults. The best players adjust: they pass to weaker players, they do not deke the same beginner three times in a row, and they save their hardest shots for when they are needed. If you are the newer player, do not apologize for being there. Skate hard, make simple plays, stay in position and get off the ice on time. That is all anyone expects.
Goalies
Goalies are what make a shinny game possible, and many sessions let them play free or reserve a few spots for them. If you are a skater, treat them well: no shots at the head, no hard shots during warm-up when they are not ready, and no crashing the net. If you are a goalie, let organizers know you are coming if the session asks for it, since goalie spots can be booked separately.
When there is a problem
- Someone gets hurt: stop play right away and get the attention of arena staff.
- A disagreement: a quick word on the bench usually settles it. There is no referee, so the game depends on players letting things go.
- A player keeps playing rough: tell the arena staff or the session organizer. Repeated rough play is what gets sessions cancelled.
After the game
Clear the bench and the dressing room of tape and water bottles, and thank the goalies. Then add next week's session to your calendar: regular players are what make a drop-in game good, and the same faces every week quickly become a team.
Rules, fees and equipment requirements vary from one arena to another. Before you go, check the session details on the arena's official page, linked from every arena on this site.