Three Ways to Warm Up after a Hockey Game

#1 – Fog up that car

As soon as you break from the game and hit the bitter cold outdoors that is somehow, impossibly colder than it already was in the rink, you’re going to want to dash for your car as quickly as possible.  It may take a little while to heat your car up, particularly if it’s winter time in the Northeast (you’ll have far less to worry about if you’re playing hockey down in Florida).  However, after a few minutes of running the internal heat on high and keeping those windows closed shut, you should stop shivering and start to notice that feeling’s coming back to your hands and feet.  Granted, should anyone drive by your car while you’re doing this, they’ll probably think you’re in the middle of a fiery make-out session, but it’s better to be embarrassed than it is to freeze to death.

#2 – Sit by the fire

After getting pounded on the ice all night by other gear-laden players, you probably wish you had a flamethrower at hand so you could melt the ice from right beneath their feet.  You may not have an actual flamethrower or illusions of ever using one, but if your home or a friend’s home has a fireplace, you should certainly take advantage of it.  Though artificial heating has its benefits, there’s nothing as immediate and as fulfilling after being out in the cold than sitting by a warm, crackling fire.  By the time you’re done sitting around it, you’ll be ready to go back to the ice again.

#3 – Wrap up

When artificial heating and actual fire won’t even get the job done, you’ll have to turn to extra clothing layers to bring your body heat back up.  If your clothes are damp from all your work on the rink, you’ll want to change out of them and into something dry as quickly as possible.  Try using a large, plush bath robe if you have one available.  A bath robe works well because it typically is well-insulated, absorbs extra moisture, and best of all, is cozy to be in.  Nothing better than that after a long session on the ice!