Preparing for a Hockey Tournament

Hockey is an important part of our Family, as such going to Hockey Tournaments is a common occurrence and being prepared is a necessity. Not all the places you go for Tournaments have the best facilities so arriving without being prepared can be a recipe for disaster.

Pre-Tournament Prep:

• Skate sharpening – Get your skates and any spare blades sharpened right before the tournament by your go-to skate sharpener. When you are at the tournament and realize you need them sharpened, you’ll be at the mercy of available time and nearest location of skate sharpening if one even exists.
• Clearly label your equipment – At every hockey tournament, there are tons of hockey sticks, skates and water bottles. Hockey players are not always the most careful about keeping their equipment safe and organized in the locker room. So, before the tournament, label everything! That way in the locker room melee of packing up gear, your hockey equipment is easily identifiable. Personalized grips on your hockey stick can make your stick easy to spot in the hockey stick pile.

Home & Away Packing List:

• Any piece of hockey equipment you think you could possibly need - And backups, whenever possible. See Player Equipment List.
• Lots of clothes for your player – Remember that clothes and socks will be wet and smelly after each game and therefore not re-wearable. Also, bring a garbage bag for sealing up those dirty clothes and their accompanying aroma for the ride home.
• Extra small towel for your skates – When packing, make sure to include and extra small towel for drying skate blades. 
• Things to do for downtime – Although downtime is limited, there is always some over the course of the tournament weekend and not all tournaments are in a spot with something to do locally, so bring some stuff to occupy the time: gaming handheld, headphones, a deck of cards, books, homework etc.
• Electronics -  Load a tablet/phones with movies, shows and games. Car rides can be long. Make sure you bring chargers for all the gadgets.
• Bring Your Own Snacks – For before/after the game and back at the hotel room in the evenings, you want to bring a ton of snacks and drinks so you are not paying exorbitant prices at rinks.
• Emergency Travel kit -  Bandaids, antibacterial wipes, neosporin, instant ice packs and more for cuts and scrapes. Also medicine for stomach issues and headaches. 
• Hand Sanitizer - Lots of grimy kids, usually during cold and flu season… take it seriously!
• Baby Powder - for drying out helmets, skates and gloves between the games during the day.
• Febreze - Can of Febreze for hotel room and/or car, I mean your sleeping and driving with the smelly equipment nearby!
• Disinfectant spray - Lysol or something, for disinfecting equipment and other stuff. If your child wears the equipment direct on their skin, make sure you go lightly as to much can irritate the skin.

• Toiletries – Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, backup deodorant, etc. These may seem obvious but are the most likely to be overlooked.
• Towel for the hotel swimming pool – If the hotel has a pool. It is highly likely that they will run out of pool towels. So, when packing swimsuits, don’t forget to pack towels for the pool.
• Flip Flops for heading to/from the pool – If the hotel has a pool that is open pack flip flops for your hockey player, you don’t want them walking with wet feet through the hotel lobby and possibly slip and fall.
• Bring Your Own Breakfast – Not every hotel has breakfast, or sometimes it's not open for the early games. If there are a lot of hockey players staying at the hotel, expect breakfast to be busy. Pack something for a quick breakfast: cereal, cereal bars, fruit, oatmeal, milk, juice, bagels and cream cheese, etc. Check with your hotel to see if your room has a mini fridge, microwave, and coffee maker (and coffee).
• Laundry - If the hotel has a laundry facility, bring quarters and laundry detergent to do laundry. Less smells is a good thing.

Player Equipment List:

• Labeled Water Bottle (and optionally a spare refill bottle for behind the bench during a game).
• Skates & extra backup laces incase a lace gets cut
• Game & practice hockey socks
• Athletic socks (multiple)
• Undergarments (multiple)
• Jockstraps (multiple)
• Shin pads
• Hockey pants 
• Hockey Pant Shell (if applicable)
• BOTH  jerseys
• Shoulder pads
• Elbow pads
• Neck guards
• Mouthguards (multiple and make sure you fit them before you leave)
• Helmets & cages
• Hockey gloves
• Sticks (2-3 or primary and backup)
• 2 Rolls of Stick tape 
• 2 Rolls of Hockey tape
• If you have replaceable blades, a spare set of blades.
• Skate sharpeners (if you have one)