The locker room is more than just a place to get change. It becomes a home away from home for hockey players. They spend hours in that room a week just from being on the ice. It usually comes pretty equipped like your family’s home too with TV, surround sound, and a fridge. Team’s build so much chemistry just from being in that one room, it’s unbelievable. It’s where teammates usually grow stronger and closer together. This one little room holds so much sentimental value than you’ll probably ever realize.
With that said, just like how most families have rules at home, most hockey teams do as well. Most hockey players can agree that there are Do’s and Don'ts in the dressing room that should go without saying.
Here are the unwritten rules of the dressing room:
DON’T STEP ON THE MAT
Let’s get one thing straight. Your team’s logo is a sacred piece of art and should never be stepped on or touched. It doesn’t matter if you need to throw some equipment on it because you don’t have enough space, and it definitely doesn’t matter if you stepped on it by accident. Believe any superstition anyone tells you about stepping on the mat and take it seriously. It’s an old tradition that has been along for years. The last thing you want to do is curse your team for the rest of the season. Respect the logo.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE ROOM, STAYS IN THE ROOM
We all know locker room talk is a thing. Your teammates are supposed to be good outlets, there’s nothing wrong with that. These conversations can be private, serious, funny, or even just a form of venting. Regardless of what it is, respect others' privacy and leave the conversations in the room.
VETS FIRST
The veterans of the team have earned the right of going first by being with the team the longest, so naturally, it’s their way or the highway. When you’re a vet, you get the right to pick your stall first, shower first, play music first, anything you want to do first. It’s the royalty of paying your time and dues. Don’t worry rookies, you’ll get your turn one day.
MUSIC FLOW
First and foremost, if you’re not on the aux, don’t touch the playlist. More importantly, don’t be that person that hits next when the song is half-way through, unless everyone agrees. You’ll ruin someone’s pre game song for sure.
CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF
Stop leaving tape around the dressing room, we’re not in Novice anymore. Someone eventually will have to clean it up and it’s just extra, unnecessary work for them.
BUY YOUR OWN TAPE
There’s nothing more annoying than that person who always asks you for tape. At the end of the day, everything adds up. Your teammates shouldn’t be supplying you tape for the entire year. Just buy one of those 5-in-1 packages and throw them in your bag for the season.
SHOWER ETIQUETTE
First person in, last person out. Majority of the time, the showers in hockey arenas are usually pretty weak. If you’re the first person in the shower, please turn on all of them. Your teammates will thank you when it’s nice and warm for them once they’re ready to hop in. The same rule applies for leaving the shower. When you’re done, just turn off the showers for everyone since no one needs them anymore.
