As an ice hockey mom of 2 boys, who actively play and played ice hockey, there are ice hockey mom bag essentials I’ve needed to survive the chaos and fun of ice hockey both at home and away!
My free printable ice hockey list is FREE and will help you stay organized even through those 3 day hockey weekends that then lead into 2-3 days of ice hockey practice!
As ice hockey moms we know ice hockey is relentless and that when you travel to those remote areas (which ice hockey games are infamous for) you need to be prepared for all the little ice hockey equipment things that unexpectedly creep up and need to be dealt with there and then so your son or daughter can play!
Your ice hockey mom bag essentials list will help you to stock those items that are needed when your player is on or off the ice. You can make your own bag or teach and provide your ice hockey player with the necessary components.
Table of Contents
What’s In Your Kids’ Ice Hockey Bag?
Grab your child’s ice hockey bag, toss out the dirty water bottles, the chip wrappers, wads of ice hockey tape, snack bar wrappers, and all the other garbage they toss in there, and really see what they have in that bag.
Ice hockey bags are meant to keep your player’s items, pads, gloves, skates, helmet, etc. housed while traveling and it is also a sanctuary of hockey funk (that stench smell of hockey that makes you want to pass out when you initially open the bag) and ice hockey must-haves.
If you are just starting out, most likely another ice hockey mom will take you under her wing (initially until she finds out your kid gets placed better, just kidding, or am I? ) and share some things you might want to pack up your child’s ice hockey bag with.
As an ice hockey mom, I’ve learned it is essential to have those ice hockey bags stocked and stashed with helpful ice hockey stuff to mend, repair, and keep on playing because a lot of the hockey rinks are in remote areas, understocked, understaffed and don’t have pro shops!
So what is in your child’s ice hockey bag?
The Free Ice Hockey Mom Bag Essentials Printable List
A little further down, I will share a printable ice hockey bag printable essentials list that is FREE to download and use.
This list is for every mom that needs a bit of help to overcome those challenges we face while driving to all the rinks!
You can print my list. I suggest laminating it. Use it for every ice hockey tournament you pack for and hand it to your kids to follow.
Now go ahead and glide through the season organized.
WHY DO YOU NEED AN ICE HOCKEY MOM BAG ESSENTIALS List?
One of my dear friends, another hockey mom was stuck on a closed highway in an ice storm for over 6 hours and as we hockey parents know, ice hockey goes on no matter the weather, we play and we are all crazy enough to drive for it!
Her car was stocked with drinks, blankets, shovels, and battery chargers and the exit was over 20 miles away, so she and her hockey player were stranded as was everyone else on the highway until they could get the roads open and passable!
Survival during ice hockey travel is key. I am hoping my list will inspire you to plan ahead!
We have been in so many different situations on the road and I learn more each time we travel.
Moms and Dads pack up their kids, hit the road, and then we all share things when someone does not have what they need.
This Ice Hockey Bag Essentials Post for Moms (and Dads) Is NOT
I am not suggesting you stand on the benches, call out the plays, tell your son or daughter how good or bad they played, or stand there and watch their every move.
Rather this is your chance to SUPPORT your player and teach them through, show and do methods, what they will need, and hope that they take the lead. Support means providing essentials that will help them through mini hockey equipment malfunctions as well as support their time before, during, and after hockey games and practice.
I want to be very clear, in the intent of this article, is not to hover or helicopter-parent your ice hockey player, but rather, to share with them an initially organized bag, with the components that they need, “in case of…” and I can promise you, once their stocked ice hockey bag saves them one time (broken mask, etc) they will pick up the lead and let you know when they need to be restocked.
You’ll initially help out your youth ice hockey player and then as they begin tying their own skates, and dressing you will just need to make sure that the bag is stocked (or that you keep a stocked ice hockey bag) in your vehicle at all times.
As of about age 8 or 9, the players are fairly independent and they will begin to ask you to get their skates sharpened or toss in an extra pair of laces or tell you what type they prefer, and so on and suddenly that mini-training you provided alleviates the continual need to help, instead you will just support the players with your ice hockey mom bag essentials.
Finally, you’ll find out that you will save money and frustration if you share with your ice hockey players how to keep a stocked ice hockey bag that supports their playtime!
Why Would I Use An Ice Hockey Mom Bag Essentials Post?
- to print the free list for stockinging an ice hockey bag
- to share with your player so they can begin stocking their bag or tell you when they are out of things
- to make sure you have everything you might need with you instead of finding out later you don’t
- so your ice hockey player can gain independence and stock their own bag eventually.
Hydration and hockey Funk
Hydration and hockey funk actually are a catch-22 and totally part of the game.
Wet hockey clothing creates a funk beyond anything you have ever experienced and you probably already know this
.
It’s kind of a catch-22, you keep them hydrated and they sweat, and then you need to kill that moisture that comes from playing hockey out of the clothing.
Don’t worry, that hockey STANK is gonna get derailed, and your kids will be well-hydrated after every game.
Beverages Count – ice hockey mom bag essentials
When the ice hockey players are done, thirst is one big area we tend to overlook.
You can’t always count on a rink to have more than a water fountain. Nor can you count on drinks to not be sugar-laden.
- keep your car loaded with a case of water and hydration drinks
- for water keep hydration powder packs, these are our favorite and recommended by one of the trainers
- We’ve also kept these tablets for hydration in our ice hockey essentials mom bag too they work but don’t taste as delicious
- an extra BPA-FREE Squeezes water bottle for practice in case they forgot theirs for on-ice we love these!
Often rinks have Gatorade at the vending machines and while that is practical, if you are traveling a lot, the price starts to add up, and if you travel with a case of it in the vehicle during tournaments or weekends with multiple games, your player will learn to grab their bag and one or two bottles to go! A nice subtle hint that they should take drinks with them!
Load up on thirst-busters and do realize that water will freeze in cold areas, and in the summer I toss a cooler in the cargo area of the car and load it with drinks so nothing is warm because that is gross.
Not only is rehydration for sports players in every sport super important, but the beverage of choice they are rehydrating with is also important, so as a support staff (lol) to your player read the labels and see what fits best into their lifestyles (sugars, carbs, salt, etc)
What’s That SMELL? – Ice Hockey Mom Bag Essentials
Ice hockey moms and dads know that infamous stench of wet, ice hockey gear that can take even the toughest of parents and drop their asses to their knees with one wafting sniff!
The hockey smell is made worse when driving home with the heat running because it is cold outside and inside the car but when the hockey bag is hit with a heat vent in the vehicle it circulates and makes you want to vomit!
What the eff is that smell? It’s not the kids, it’s not the ice, it is the player’s equipment and it aids and abets the hockey funk beyond anything you’ll ever experience and the smell is criminal!
Oh my Stankiness! Beyond putrid, and sweaty, just dirty, and ripe like B.O. gone rabid. How do you stop that freaking stench?
Use Your Stocked Ice Hockey Mom Bag Essentials To Block The Stank
Grab these sticks to rid the smell, and have your ice hockey player place them in their ice hockey skates any time they use the skates!
In your ice hockey mom bag essentials keep a spare set of refills for when these stop working (you know after they absorbed so much smell they can’t absorb any more!)
When your kids have bags that smell like body odor on steroids this is a helpful solution, but you are not treating the bag, you are treating the pieces that bring the smell into the bag.
- gloves
- boots
These are deodorizers so they are helpful but may not totally cure the issues, but repetitive use will definitely help you part ways with some of the biggest odors so that they are not overpowering and stifling.
The GLOVE STIX is what makes their hands not smell like melted plastic, mixed with bergamot, and sweat, with rotting pine needles. You know the smell.
Don’t judge me and those descriptions because if you say your kids’ hands don’t smell or their hands, then your nose is broken!
All ice hockey bags, and equipment smell. Even once treated there is still gonna be some hockey funk smell, but this gives you a fighting chance.
Grab The Sticks To Rid The Glove and Ice Hockey Skate Stank Because…
- eliminate most of the odor
- inhibit odor-causing bacteria
- absorb moisture
Mouth Guards Belong In Ice Hockey Mom Bag Essentials
To be short and to the point, keep an extra mouthguard in your player’s bag or in your own ice hockey mom bag essentials.
This is a SPARE mouth guard, not one that has to be boiled and shaped, it is meant to keep your players in the game in the sad chance they forgot theirs, lost it, forgot it, you know, you’ve already had this happen.
Sometimes rinks have mouthguards in a vending machine but some rinks don’t even have vending machines!
Clear Tape Fixes Everything… Well Almost
There’s ice hockey tape and then there’s ice hockey clear tape and that shit fixes everything (lol).
- ripped gloves
- hockey sox falling down
- shin pad issues
- gear issues
- marking winning pucks
- it’s not for friction so don’t use it for that!
Screw That…Ice Hockey Helmet + Cage
Always have the ice hockey helmet and cage tool kit packed up because it will save your player over and over.
From the cage being loose to a new strap being attached, an ice hockey helmet and cage repair tools are a necessity and your player will know that.
Free Printable Ice Hockey Mom Bag Essentials
Print. Laminate. Keep.
Make sure to print out this Free ice hockey bag must-have printable for every hockey mom (and dad) and use it to be ready for every ice hockey situation!
I believe you NOW have a way to conquer that funk and keep your kids hydrated the 4 key components to any ice hockey mom bag essentials.
Good job Ice hockey MOMMA! You are smooth as ice now you can hit the stands and cheer your player on while cursing out the side of your mouth at the other parents on the opposing team! AMEN!
Advanced preparedness saves both time and money. ~Dana Vento XO
