The best way to build a backyard rink that will give you the most skating time, and require the least amount of maintenance is to basically build a temporary above ground pool. The basic components you need are brackets, boards, and a liner.

Brackets and boards can be purchased from a backyard rink company (more expensive, but easier in the long run), or improvised from your local hardware store. The liner should be purchased from a backyard rink company as quality does matter here. Of course you can forgo the liner, however this will cause a lot of headaches in climates that don’t see consistent below 0 temperatures until January.

Where to buy Backyard Rink Supplies

Some of the most common supplies for a rink are brackets, boards, a liner and a handheld “Zamboni” to flood the ice. I have included two good resources below

• YardRink – A new entry to the backyard rink market and they are coming in with some smart changes. The liner goes OUTSIDE the boards to protect it from tears, give better board play, and reduce waste (the liner can be re-used every season). This also means more savings (you don’t need to buy a new liner every year) and much less plastic waste. Check them out here and if you’re looking for a discount code use Yardrink coupon code JEREMYTEN for 10% off (can be combined with other coupons!)
• EZ ICE RINKS – By far the easiest rink kit, a single person can build the rink with no tools in under an hour. If you use the EZ ICE RINKS promo code HOWTOHOCKEY you can save 10% and get free shipping
• Iron Sleek – They’re a 1 stop shop whether you want to build your own rink and order their brackets and liner, or get a full kit. They just released their drop-in rink kit that is easy to assemble. Use the iron sleek coupon code COACHJ for 5% off and a free shovel!
• HockeyShot.com Backyard rink kit – You get the brackets and liner for a 20ft x 40ft rink, you will need to purchase boards (plywood can be used). The rink can be expanded later with more brackets and boards and a bigger liner. Use our coupon code  HOWHCKY001  for $10 off
• Nicerink.com – You can buy everything you need
• The article below – Joe provides very good instructions on how to build your own rink, and has a lot of good knowledge to pass on. He also has links to his store where you can purchase supplies

Thanks to Joe from backyard-hockey.com for writing this guest post

Building your own backyard hockey rink

For a quick explanation we have shot two videos below. You can also read the article below for more details

As any hockey player knows, having an open sheet of clean ice is a rare and beautiful thing. I can remember back in high school, our team practiced right after school ended each day. As seniors, we’d set up our class schedule to have the last period free, meaning we could get to the rink with a full hour to go before practice officially started. To be the first one on that perfect afternoon ice was to have heaven all to yourself — to breathe in that beautiful rink smell, to feel the cold air sweep by your face, to be the first to carve ice with steel. In those solitary minutes, everything was right in the world. Before long, the ice was crowded with teammates and coaches, the structure of another practice in full swing, the perfect open ice gone for another day.

I didn’t build my first rink until I was 28. I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing, and I was a bit nervous, but when the boards were up and the liner was in and the water truck was parked in front of my house, I knew it would be incredible. And it was. A few days after we filled, the ice hard and my two-year-old son asleep, I turned on the floodlights and snuck out back, Bauers slung over Sher-Wood. I tied the cold laces and stood up. For the first time in a decade I felt the rush of clean, smooth, untarnished ice, the same feeling that had me sprinting for my car each afternoon as a teenager. The ice was mine and mine alone, just as it was then.

Building and maintaining a backyard rink is hard work, and nobody who has done it will tell you otherwise. But I’ll stop short of saying it’s difficult — and there is a difference. Chopping firewood and shoveling snow is hard work. Calculus and brain surgery are difficult. That’s to say that with proper planning and good instruction, everyone reading this can build a rink in their backyard. You just need to do a bit of homework first.

For all intents and purposes, a backyard rink is nothing more than an above-ground swimming pool, albeit one with only a few inches of water. When it comes to how to build it and what to use, there are literally thousands of variations, each rink as different as the person who builds it. But each one shares three common (and mandatory) components: boards, bracing, and a liner. Some folks in very cold climates will pack down snow and flood it, using snowbanks as boards. I don’t live in a climate that supports that, so I won’t be talking about that here. But what I will give you below is a rough idea of how most people I know build their rinks – me and my customers included.

Before we get into the materials, you’ll need to determine if your yard is suitable for a rink. I wrote a post on this process recently, but I’ll summarize it for you. The way to do this is by using wooden stakes, string, a line level, and a tape measure to determine your yard’s slope. Start by staking out the four corners of your would-be rink, visually determining which of these four corners is the high point. This will be the corner of your rink with the least ice thickness — we shoot for 4″ at a minimum. With your string tied to this stake 4″ off the ground, run the string to a different corner, attaching your line level to the middle of the string. When the string is level, measure how far off the ground the string is at the second stake. If your high corner is 4″ and the string is at 10″, then you know you have a 6″ slope and that your ice will be 10″ thick at this corner. Repeat these steps for the other two corners, making sure to write your numbers down. Once you know your water depth around the entire rink, you can move on to the rest of your build. (Note: many new rinkbuilders opt to skip this step, often saying “my yard looks level”. I hear this every year, and many of these people are surprised when the water is running over their deep end boards while the shallow end has exposed liner. Don’t be one of those people — they tend to have angry and disappointed kids.) Need more detail? Here’s a blog post on the process.

The Boards

For the most part, you’re looking at using one of three options: plywood, two-by lumber, or backyard rink specific boards like the thermoplastic pieces made by Nicerink. Which option you choose depends on things like budget, availability, and the aforementioned water height. For example, if your water height is 25″ in your deep end, then you won’t be able to use the Nicerink boards (which are 18″ tall) or 2x lumber. But if you’re lucky, and your yard cooperates, you have a choice to make. The Nicerink boards, part of a collection of Nicerink products made specifically for backyard rinks, are the best money can buy, and will last decades. But they’re not cheap, and so many rookie rinkbuilders opt for plywood or 2×12 lumber. The 2×12 (or 2×8, or 2×15, or…) lumber is thick and sturdy, but is heavy and not easily stored in the offseason. The plywood is inexpensive and easy to cut into strips, but tends to flex more and won’t last as long. So while all three kinds are viable and used throughout the backyard rink community, one may suit your yard, budget, and needs more than the others.

The Bracing

A rink is only as good as the bracing used to support it. In general, water HATES being confined inside a backyard rink, and so when you fill your rink, that water works hard to push your boards outwards. It’s the bracing you use on the perimeter of your rink that keeps the water in and allows it to freeze. What you use to brace your boards is a function of the board material you chose, your slope, and your budget. Nicerink makes a triangular bracket with 6″ spikes along the bottom which are great because they accept Nicerink boards and 3/4″ plywood. Others have used wooden stakes, rebar, homemade triangular brackets, 2×4’s pressed up against the boards at a 45-degree angle, or even fence poles. A search online will yield dozens of designs, and it’s impossible to rank one over the other. For the most part, we advise that you put your bracing every four feet around the perimeter of the rink unless your water is more than a foot deep. If it’s deeper, make it every two feet. But there’s a rule I subscribe to, and that’s that there is no such thing as too much bracing. There IS such thing as too little. So err on the side of caution, particularly in your first year, and brace the ever-living crap out of your rink. It beats the alternative.

The Liner

The third component of your rink is the liner. I sell Nicerink liners (and use them on my own rink), but I’ve found that most communities will have a handful of places that sell tarps or sheeting suitable for rinks. The important things to note are thickness (thicker is better) and color. Ideally you want white or clear, because anything dark (like those blue tarps) will attract the sun and impact your ice quality.

Everything Else

As I said earlier, the boards, bracing, and liner are the three most important things you’ll need to build your own rink. But there are dozens of accessories available to enhance your experience. Most of my customers opt for yellow foam bumper caps, which help keep the liner in place while you fill and provide a soft, safe surface atop your boards. Lighting is another thing to think about, and it doesn’t have to be fancy. I have three work lights (the same kind you get at a home improvement store) attached to 2×4’s. You may not think you’ll skate at night, but the lights certainly help when it comes time for resurfacing. And that’s another thing you’ll want to think about getting: a resurfacer. Nicerink sells one (of course), and it’s a beauty, but there are instructions for building your own on my blog for a fraction of the cost. Regardless of which one you choose, using a resurfacer is the best way to get indoor-quality ice.

The Build

When I build rinks for my customers, I break my services into three visits, and they mimic the work you’ll need to do each season. The first is the frame build, which you’ll want to do before the ground freezes. This is because you’ll want to make sure you can pound your bracket of choice into the ground. Many people do this step between late November and early December.

The next step is the liner placement. You can’t really schedule this step, as it’s entirely weather dependent. You’ll need to look at the long-range forecast for your area, and target a cold snap that is 20 degrees(F) or colder at night and 32 degrees (F) during the day. Then, and only then, will you unroll your liner, carefully position it within your rink, and start to fill. Some tricks for this step:

-When you unroll your liner, make sure it’s flush against both your boards and the ground all around the perimeter. If it’s not, the water pressure could tear the liner as you fill. Order a liner large enough to drape over the outside of your boards, allowing for plenty of slack as you fill.
-Don’t EVER staple your liner to your boards before you’re completely full. Uuse the bumper caps, or inexpensive spring clamps, to hold the liner in place on fill day.
-Have some extra board material and bracing on hand the first time you fill. In subsequent years you’ll know what to expect, but whenever I build a new rink, I keep extra brackets or wooden stakes on hand in case I notice any board flexion as the water level rises.

The last step is rink teardown, which you’ll want to do as soon as the last bit of ice thaws. This is a sad but necessary job, particularly if you have grass underneath that you want to grow. Some people will roll up their liner and reuse it the next year. I’m partial to buying a brand new one so I don’t have to worry about holes when I go to fill the second season. It gives me peace of mind.

So while it would take me 10,000 words to tell you all I know about backyard rinks, this is a good summary that will work for just about every yard and budget. I have also summarized the tips below

Ten Tips for Having the Perfect Backyard Hockey Rink

DIY backyard rink vs Backyard rink kit

If you don’t have a lot of time, tools or handyman experience you can always pick up a backyard rink kit. These kits come with boards, brackets, and a liner, so all you need to do is assemble and add water.

The easiest rink to build that I’ve tried is the EZ ICE RINK, you don’t need any tools so it doesn’t take much effort, and you don’t need to hammer every steak in the ground so set up is very fast (under an hour). You can use promo code HOWTOHOCKEY to save 10% on your order

Some other options are NiceRink and IronSleek (Use the iron sleek coupon code COACHJ for 5% off and a free shovel!). NiceRink has been in the business for years, their bracket anchors into the ground giving a lot of support to the boards. Ironsleek has a bracket system that can be used with plywood which is more cost effective and just released the drop-in rink system.

How to build a backyard rink (2020 edition)

Looking for a way to keep your kids busy playing hockey on your new backyard rink? Check out The Pond. The Pond is our all in one hockey training platform designed to continually challenge players and keep them busy. We provide members with the most efficient path to improve the skills they will use the most in actual games. Use coupon code TRYOUTS to get your first month 100% free!

We’ve added a lot of new designs that will keep you warm on the pond and in the hockey rinks. To look great, stay warm, and help give back visit our shop and pick up some merch!

1. Hockey Monkey – coupon code BLACKSAVE25 for 25% off
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7. Goalie Monkey – 25% off clearance items with code BLKFRDY25
8. Sparx Sharpener – coupon code Sparx25off for $25 off (not a black Friday deal, just a regular coupon code)
9. Pure Hockey – Advertised 30% off and some big sales, coupon codes advertised on their homepage
10. Hockey Sauce Hockey – 15-20% off sitewide
11. www.Prostockhockey.com/
12. Howies hockey tape –
13. Don’t miss my top gifts for hockey players list with new and updated deals and products.

download Now

We wanted to make it easier, more fun, and more motivating for players to track not just how many shots they’ve taken, but how many of each type of shot. We even included some free lessons on shooting right within the “Learn” tab of the app.

To download the 10,000 Shots app click the download button below.

A few tips to get you started

While working on your shot, it’s important to focus on the fundamentals, that way you’ll get the most out of your practice time. Be focused, and put in a good effort and you’ll see big improvements. Here are some tips for your wrist shot

Tips for your snapshot

We have more tips inside the app, it’s 100% free and made to help hockey players improve their skills. There are no ads, and no in-app sales, Haden and I created this to give back to our fans and help anyone, anywhere get better

Pre-Game Dynamic Stretching / Warm-up

We get it, the only warm-up most beer league players do is running through the parking lot and arena lobby because they showed up 5 minutes before the game was supposed to start. Minor hockey players usually warm-up with their team, or are naturally warmed up by playing before their games. If you feel aches and pains after a hockey game, these dynamic stretches should help, and may also increase your performance on the ice. Start with just a few, and if you like them, add to your routine.

Post-game Static Stretches

After a game your muscles may start to seize up (especially if you’ve been sitting at a desk all day doing nothing) To combat this I recommend static stretches. Below are a few really simple ones, in the video they use a stretching band, but I’ve used a towel, or a pair of jeans and that works just fine. This is a simple 3 minute routine, but you could add more stretches to this if needed. I always feel so relaxed after doing this.

If you need more stretches to add to this look for IT band stretches. Here are a few you can do with a band

Hydration + Nutrients

You will need to hydrate before, during, and after a game. Poor hydration can lead to cramping and muscle soreness. On top of this the proper nutrients also help. Chug some water before your game to pre-hydrate. Sip water after each shift, and then get some more water in you when you get home.

I like to also eat healthy foods like vegetables and fruits (bananas really help after a game) to provide more hydration, as well as the nutrients and electrolytes the body needs. Another benefit of eating fruits is the glucose in fruits helps restore the glucose in your muscles that was used during game play (in turn reducing lactic acid build up that causes soreness)

Cool Down / Cold Showers

There is a reason NHL players ride a bike and take an ice bath after games (In fact Marleau takes one between periods!). The bike keeps their muscles moving and helps stop lactic acid from building in their muscles. The ice bath gets blood flowing to the muscles which also helps clear out lactic acid. Most of us don’t have ice baths and exercise bikes at home, but a quick walk and ending your shower with cold water for a few minutes will have a similar effect.

Myofascial Release / Rolling out the Muscles

NHL star John Tavares was asked what he always travels with, and his answer was “Ipad, Snacks, Foam Roller” A foam roller is a device a lot of NHL players use to reduce muscle soreness after workouts or games. You are essentially giving yourself a massage using either rubber balls, or foam rollers. Here is a master class in foam rolling

That pretty much wraps up how you can reduce aches after hockey ( also known as DOMS or delayed onset muscle soreness). If you’re just learning to play, or want to improve your hockey skills we’d love to have you join us on The Pond. Our courses will walk you through all the major skills with easy to follow step-by-step instruction.

Isolate the Upper Body

If I was to simply tell you not to use your legs on your next wrist shot, you probably still would. It’s a natural feeling when you want power in your shot to use your legs, but I want to talk about isolating your upper body so that you can see just how much power you’re actually getting from up there. To do this, we’re going to actually remove your legs from the shot. How you ask?
Kneel.
No, seriously, kneel down. You might think I’m crazy, but this way you can see just how much power you’re actually getting from the snap of your wrist. Now, you’ll notice once you’ve taken a couple shots like this, that your power isn’t exactly where you thought it would be. That’s the point! You’re used to using other parts of your body to gain power from a shot, but by isolating your upper body, you can train yourself to always be putting the maximum of upper body strength in every shot, when you’re standing and using the other parts of your body.
If you’re finding that you have next to no power from this stance, then it’s time to work on your shot a little more. I have another video that goes over the building blocks of shooting that you can watch here.

Feel Uncomfortable

I also hope you noticed how weird, and uncomfortable it felt shooting from that kneeling position. When we’re training normally, we set up right where we want to, and we have the perfect conditions for shooting. We’re training ourselves to only be able to shoot in an ideal situation. This helps train your mind to shoot from different angles, which is a benefit, even if you never find yourself shooting from your knees in the slot like Crosby…
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe4ckWvZdmg[/embedyt]
 
If you’re finding it too difficult to do this on two knees, there are a few more ways to isolate the upper body while shooting.

1. Shoot from one knee
2. Sit on a chair

Either of these options are sure to give you a very similar feeling to being on your knees.