Skates: Rob Kennedy, assistant equipment manager for the Tampa Bay Lightning, has one piece of advice that applies to everything you’ll need, but especially to skates: “Make sure it fits properly. Go into the local pro shop and try on the skates with the same socks you’ll be wearing when you play, and try on different brands and sizes.” He goes on to say that getting skates “baked” (or molded to your feet) cuts down the break-in time. That being said, Kennedy also strongly suggests getting them baked in a pro-shop oven designed for skate-baking, and not to use the one in your kitchen (at the risk of ruining a brand-new pair of skates).

Stick: “For someone who is stepping on the ice for the first time, it’s important that the stick feel good,” Kennedy says. “Figure out whether you’re more comfortable left-handed or right-handed.” Whether you’re right- or left-handed in other sports is immaterial; there are hockey players who shoot lefty and do everything else right-handed, so don’t base your choice on how you swing a golf club. The length of the stick is also important, and the rule of thumb is actually the rule of nose: Standing on end, the stick’s butt-end should come to the tip of your nose when you’re standing flat-footed, and to your chin when you’re on your toes. However, Kennedy explains that stick length is very much a matter of preference and position: “Marc-André Bergeron [of the Tampa Bay Lightning] is a vertically challenged player, but as a defenseman, he uses a longer stick to compensate for his lack of reach. Martin St. Louis’ stick is much shorter. The shorter stick allows him, as a forward [for the Lightning], to handle the puck in the corners more effectively.”

Helmet: Everyone’s head is different, and there’s a helmet for everyone from peanut- to melon-heads. Kennedy’s advice: “The safest helmet is the one that fits best. You could get the top-of-the-line model, but it’s not going to do any good if it doesn’t fit.”

Gloves: Picking out the right pair of gloves is often difficult for beginners because all gloves fit differently. The trick, according to Kennedy, is to find a nice balance between “protection and comfort.” Kennedy adds, “Make sure you try the gloves on in the store and handle a stick,” which is important because every glove/stick combination has its own unique feel.

Foot socks: “Cut-proof socks are a big new market,” Kennedy says. If you’re playing a less intense game, a good pair of tube socks will suffice and keep your toes warm. That being said, though the lower-level player might think he needs less protection, it’s important to remember that the more you fall, the more likely you are to take a skate to the back of the leg. Kevlar lining has become a staple in hockey socks.

Tape: JR Boucicaut, moderator and equipment-tester for ModSquadHockey, says to “make sure you tape and untape [the blade of] your stick, because a stick left untaped can become waterlogged, and that damages performance and longevity.”

Puck: “A puck is a puck.” —JR Boucicaut

For the Competitive/League Player

Shin pads, pants, shoulder pads, elbow pads: Kennedy’s key recommendation about helmets holds true for these four pieces of equipment. “Proper fit is the most important aspect,” says Kennedy. “If [equipment] doesn’t fit, you’re more likely to get hurt.” The only difference between a helmet and these four pieces is that a helmet only needs to fit on your head, whereas these four pieces all need to work together to effectively protect the rest of you. “It’s all about eliminating gaps,” Boucicaut says, which means the shoulder pad should overlap a little with the elbow pads, and the pants should come up high enough to meet the bottom of your shoulder pads and low enough to lie over half the kneecap. As far as how each individual piece fits, Kennedy recommends consulting your local pro-shop expert to be fitted while making sure all of these pieces are tried on at once.

Socks: Whether you get the new-school NHL-style nylon socks or the old-school cotton socks is more of a style choice than a performance choice, but each style still has its own upside. “The nylon socks are now thicker and more durable, but the cotton socks keep you warmer and are cheaper,” says Alan Vanzalkenburg, general manager of the Ice Sports Forum Brandon pro shop in Tampa, Florida.

Jock/Garter: “A combo jock is what I recommend,” says Boucicaut. The Velcro straps on the shorts are there to replace the traditional garter belt, which is more difficult to attach to the socks and more likely to let your sock fall in the middle of a play, which is embarrassing.

Mouthpiece: Boucicaut highly recommends a fitted mouthpiece, saying to “either boil it, or get one custom-made by a dentist.” This way, it’s more protective and less likely to fall out of your mouth while you’re calling for a pass.

Slash guards: “With gloves nowadays having short cuffs for maximum mobility, the wrist is exposed to slashes and skate-cuts,” Boucicaut says. Slash guards allow you to pick the pair of gloves that feels best, rather than having to consider a glove with more wrist protection.