
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any questions at all about any of our Canadian Beer League programs that aren’t answered below, please write us directly and we’ll be happy to help! You might even get your question added to this FAQ list and become a friggin’ legend.
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Beer League Hockey Practice and Canadian Beer League participants will be issued a jersey for them to keep forever and ever! If you’re joining Shinny please bring a white and dark jersey with you. If you need one, let us know and we can help! Below is a list of the gear you’ll need to have ready yourself:
Skates
Helmet with cage or visor
Shin/ knee pads
Hockey socks
Jock or Jill
Hockey pants
Shoulder pads
Elbow pads
Gloves
Stick
Water Bottle
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Our friends at Hockey Stick Man provide all our Beer Leaguers with a 10% discount on purchases in store and online using code CBL10. There are some great options here for used and new gear, including some pro stock items from CHL, NCAA, NHL and PWHL teams! Of course if you need a stick we recommend the Pro Blackout. It’s a great quality stick with no fancy bells or whistles and the price is nice. Visit https://www.hockeystickman.ca/ to check them out!
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If you’re new to the sport, Beer League Hockey Practice is the program for you. All you need is a good attitude. Many players have joined Beer League Hockey Practice completely new to the sport. The coaches, the organization, and your fellow Beer Leaguers are all very welcoming to players of any skill level. Following BLHP, you can get yourself into some low-stakes game action by joining a Shinny program, and then when you’re ready you can join Canadian Beer League. We welcome lower level players to CBL but count on them having the basic fundamentals down pat before entering a “competitive” environment.
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Injuries suck because ouch, and also because you can’t hockey. Sometimes there are other things that come up and get in the way, too. If you’re going to have to miss a week here or there, then you’re just gonna have to shed a tear, crack a beer, and wait until you can get back at it. If you have to forfeit the remainder of your season, we can replace your spot with someone on the waitlist and partially refund you for the remainder of the season. Your refund will be for the value of the remaining skates minus a jersey fee, and a transaction fee. If you’re withdrawing more than a week before the season starts, we can waive the jersey fee. If you’re withdrawing mid season, you’ll be refunded for all remaining skates that are scheduled following the next skate on your schedule after the date of your request and onward (we need time to to replace you with someone on the waitlist), minus your jersey fee and transaction fee. Our goal is to make it so you leaving means we’re not losing any money, but we’re also not gonna make any extra money from it either. You can reference our terms and conditions for more details!
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In the majority of cases there will be a screen in the arena lobby showing what rink your program will be on, and which dressing rooms are designated for us that night.
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We recommend the full cage because it’s just objectively a good idea, but if you’re just not a cage person then you’ll at least need a visor. Please protect your blinkers!
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In most cases there will be three coaches on the ice with your group. Generally there’s a head coach, with assistant coaches supporting them (and you!)
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The coaches will take each group through a series of drills and exercises to work on the fundamental skills necessary to improve your game. Sometimes the classes will be split into smaller groups to rotate through stations set up on the ice in different zones, sometimes you’ll pair up, sometimes the full group participates in drills as a full unit. All the drills and skills our coaches will run you through are the same types of exercises the pros have done their whole lives (maybe yours will be done at a slightly different pace, though). We also make sure to incorporate small area games and the occasional shinny to make sure you’re applying what you’re learning in a competitive, yet friendly environment. Follow us on social media and you’ll see lots of pictures and videos of what our environment is like :-)
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Our Code of Conduct.
We have a very strict "No Jerks" policy.
Canadian Beer League is a fun and friendly co-ed hockey league for grown-ups. In our leagues, practices, shinny, and all other programming we expect our participants to be respectful of their fellow participants, officials, rink staff, and just pretty much everyone in their lives in general.
Usually we’re pretty good at attracting the right type of people, but sometimes a bad apple makes its way into the bunch. To the best of our ability they’re swiftly removed before they’re able to spoil things for everyone else. -
You can find the rules for Canadian Beer League linked HERE