Choosing what to wear under ice hockey gear can be a hassle for newbie ice hockey players. The truth is, making the right call can be daunting when you’re completely new to the sport. Luckily, you don’t have to sweat it because I’ve put together this comprehensive guide to help you get started.
Under your ice hockey gear, you should wear breathable, comfortable, and moisture-wicking compression and base layer garments. These comprise socks, shin guards, long pants, long shirt, shoulder pads, and Jock shorts/cup, or Jill pelvic protection. Overall, the best underwear garment should enhance your performance at the rinks.
This is only the tip of the iceberg. I cover in detail what to wear under ice hockey gear in the rest of this blog. You don’t want to miss out on this. So, I urge you to read on to the end. Let’s get to it!
What to Wear Under Ice Hockey Gear
A complete ice hockey gear comprises accessories, goalie equipment, gloves, helmets, hockey jersey, hockey skates, skate guards, hockey sticks, and protective padding. These are what you see on the surface, but that’s not all hockey players wear.
That being said, hockey players wear undergarments to enhance comfort and increase their performance on the rinks. Below are the different undergarments ice hockey players should wear under their gear.
1. What to wear under Ice Hockey Skates
The most important piece of hockey gear is ice hockey skates. The best one is a snug fit for comfort and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. However, you need to wear hockey socks under your ice hockey skates for maximum comfort and notch performance on the rinks.
The socks help a great deal with reducing friction between your inner feet, ankles, and inner skate walls. Therefore, you need hockey socks under your ice skates to prevent blisters and ankle pain. Moreover, the right socks absorb excess sweat and help keep your skates smelling nice.
Some ice skates can be molded for your feet, meaning you can use them without wearing hockey skates. Nonetheless, you still want to wear socks to help soak in the sweat from your feet while playing. While you can use ordinary socks, using special hockey socks, go a long way.
Why is that so, you ask? Special hockey socks have more padding around the toes and ankles. Most importantly, they help reduce excessive rubbing, which can hurt your feet and ankles. Also, you can go with the tall, medium, and short socks depending on your preference.
But since it’s ice hockey we’re talking about, the tall socks will go a long way. The ice rinks are often cold, so you need to keep warm by wearing long socks.
Choosing the right ice hockey socks for you need not be a brainer. Below is a quick rundown of what to consider when buying ice hockey socks. These recommendations are based on the Rockie Road ice hockey socks buying guide.
- Types: can be knit or performance
- Material: can be cotton, polyester mesh, or Velcro
- Brands: can be Bauer, CCM, or K1
- Durability
- Cost
- Size
That being said, be sure to check out these amazing ice hockey socks on Amazon. You have every reason to get a pair if you want comfort and notch performance while playing ice hockey.
- EALER HS100 Series Team Color Dry Fit Ice Hockey Socks
- EALER HS400 Series Stripe Dry Fit Practice Ice Hockey Socks
- TronX Solid Color Knit Hockey Socks
2. What to wear under Ice Hockey Socks
Now that we know you should wear ice hockey socks under your hockey skates, what should you wear under your socks? That’s what you’re about to find out! You should wear high-quality ice hockey shin guards as protective gear under your ice hockey socks.
Ice hockey sometimes gets messy. When it does, you want to ensure you’re adequately protected. You can get accidentally hit in your shins by a hockey stick or fall on the hard ice rink. The worst scenario is a fight, which is pretty common in ice hockey.
When any of these happens, you want to have proper protection around your shins. That said, ice hockey shin guards can snuggly fit your shins, which is why you need to wear them under tall hockey socks. That way, they won’t be all over the place, allowing you to concentrate on the game at hand.
Choosing the right ice hockey shins guards can be daunting, especially when you don’t know what to look for. But, you don’t need to sweat it because I’ve got your back. Below are the things to consider when buying ice hockey shin guards.
- Size—should protect the knee down to the lower leg.
- Material—made from sturdy plastic shell, foam padding, liner, and connecting straps.
- Brands—some cool brands are Bauer, Easton, Reebok.
- Weight—should be neither too heavy nor too light.
3. What to wear under Ice Hockey Pants
Falling is inevitable when playing ice hockey, which is why you want to ensure you have adequate protection. This is where ice hockey pants come to the rescue. They play the crucial role of protecting the butt, the spine, hips, waist, kidneys, and thighs.
That said, you should wear base layer pants and Jock shorts/cup or Jill Pelvic protector under your ice hockey pants. What is a base layer pant? You’re probably asking. According to Chicago Now, a base layer pant is the garment you wear under your hockey gear for comfort while playing.
There are two types of base layer hockey pants to consider. The long pants extend down to the ankles and the short pants that reach the knees. The best part is, some come already fitted with an athletic cup, eliminating the need to wear jock shorts and cups.
Also, shin guards can be pretty uncomfortable on your skin. The best way to avoid this discomfort is to wear them on long base layer pants.
4. What to wear under Ice Hockey Jersey
The ice hockey jersey is one of the most important elements of hockey gear since it’s used to identify players. You should wear a base layer shirt, shoulder pads, and elbow pads under your ice hockey jersey. Base layer shirts are more comfortable than ordinary t-shirts, which is why you want them.
They’re also available in two types—long and short-sleeved. You can, therefore, go with either a long or short-sleeved base layer shirt depending on what works for you best. The long-sleeved base layer shirt goes a long way, especially when you don’t want to experience discomfort from your elbow pads.
How to put on Ice Hockey gear?
The best way to put on ice hockey gear is to start with the base layer and compression garments like base layer pants, base layer shirts, Jockstrap, shoulder pads, and elbow pads. Lastly, wear your hockey pants, jersey and shin guards, and skates, and you’re good to go.
How to Care for your Ice Hockey Gear
Ice hockey gear can be pretty expensive, so you want to take proper care of them. Below are easy-to-follow tips on how to care for your ice hockey gear.
- Wash all your base layer garments to remove the sweat after every game.
- Allow the base layer garments to completely dry under direct sunlight. The last thing you want is to play in wet undergarments.
- Keep your base layer and compression undergarments in a dry place. You should avoid wet areas because moisture can destroy hockey gear.
- Ensure the undergarments don’t wrinkle because they can be uncomfortable on your skin when you wear them.
What to Wear Under Ice Hockey Gear? Commonly Asked Questions
1. Do you wear anything over hockey pants?
It will be best to wear compression shorts or Jock shorts over your hockey pants. They help keep hockey pants in position when playing and helps players maintain focus on the game.
2. What do you wear underneath goalie pads?
You should wear base layer undergarments like base layer shirts and base layer pants underneath goalie pads. Base layers are a crucial part of ice hockey goalie equipment because they enhance comfort, allow free movement, absorb sweat, and keep the goalie warm.
3. How do hockey players stay warm?
Hockey players dress in layers to stay warm while on the ice rinks. This includes undergarments like base layer pants and base layer shirts. They also wear long socks and gloves to keep their feet and hands warm. Lastly, they cover their heads with ice hockey helmets to keep the head warm.
What to Wear under Ice Hockey Gear | Final thoughts
Knowing what to wear under ice hockey gear is priceless. However, some people still get it wrong, especially those new to the sport. As a rule of thumb, the main clothing to wear under ice hockey gear is long socks, shin guards, long or short base layer pants, long or short base layer shirts, shoulder pads, elbow pads, and Jock shorts/cup or Jill pelvic protection.
That’s it! I hope you found this guide helpful. Cheers!
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