Talent-balanced pick-up hockey whenever you want. Did we mention the 2 goalies and full benches? ❤️🇨🇦🏒
The Challenge
Skipping the gym, a run or a rec hockey game because you're too busy or tired? Maybe your game is on Tuesday, but your spouse has plans and you can't find a sitter. Whatever the reason for bailing, missing hockey sucks.
The Solution
This Hockey Nation (THN) is a community where hockey players can easily set-up, plan or join well-attended, talent-balanced pick-up games that fit around their schedules.
If LinkedIn and Facebook had a hockey baby, it'd be THN.
I) Your home page
Your home page is your hockey HQ
From here you can grab a snapshot of what's been happening in your hockey world. View and rate past games you've played in, see updates, post pics/videos and quickly access:
- 💯 Your current THN rating
- 🏒 Join upcoming games
- 👀 Check ice availability
- 🚨 Get alerts about your MVPs
- 💠 ...and much more!
📅 Play when you want
II) Find a game
Had to miss Tuesday's game, but free every other night? Make up that missed ice!
You can Find A Game currently looking for players, or let THN connect you to your local rink's last-minute-ice schedules so you can check ice availability.
III) Book Ice
- 🤨 Not feeling the vailable games?
- 🕹 Become "The Commish", customize your own game
- 📨 Invite your linemates and MVPs
- 🦓 Add a ref option for authenticity!
Date and time secured! Ready for a competitive well-balanced game?
🙌 2 full benches + 2 goalies - EVERY. TIME.
Let's be frank, hockey isn't the same without 2 goalies. THN automatically alerts all goalies in the system of your game and only after two have confirmed their attendance (goalies always play free!) will your game become "live".
It then builds attendance in the community of players who express interest in joining, but also match the game's demographics.
Your newly created game is now live on user's homepages and via the Find A Game section. The homepage card allows them to quickly access the following to determine if they'd be interested in joining or perhaps share it with a friend.
- 📍Game location
- 🎛 Game type (Co-Ed, Mens 50+ etc.)
- 🥇 Talent level
- 🌡 Attendance status
Get a jump start on filling your bench by inviting linemates or MVPs from your own network!
IV) Linemates or MVPs?
Linemates
Players (aka connections) you've played with before from time-to-time or maybe friends of friends etc. Basically anyone that you'd like to have in your THN community.
MVPs
These are your favourite folks to play with. You can promote linemates to MVPs or demote MVPs to linemates any time. These are personal settings and the status is not disclosed to your network.
It is simply a method to favourite those whom you'd be most interested in playing with. Choose to be notified any time one of your MVPs joins or starts a game.
Never miss a chance to lace 'em up with them!
As players start to join a game, their share of the ice rental fee is earmarked in their THN wallet. Once 2 goalies and 20 skaters have confirmed their interest to play, the payment is fulfilled and the ice is booked.
V) THN Wallet
So yeah, ice costs money💰
For too long some poor schmuck has had to put his/her credit card on the line and chase down folks for their $20.
At THN we say "No more!" We're all adults here (kinda) and we need to be responsible for our actions.
- 🏧 Deposit cash into your wallet via PayPal or credit card
- 🔒 As you join games, 1/20th of the ice rental fee is held in escrow
- ✅ Once the game confirms each player's share is combined to pay for the ice
- 👍 Game on!
💪 Games are talent-balanced
With the THN anonymous rating system, each user receives a THN rating from other players to help ensure the same calibre of players are joining a game. When setting up a game 'The Commish' can set parameters around gender or co-ed, age, skill level etc. to tailor the games.
There's nothing worse than showing up to a game that either isn't competitive or that you can't keep up with.
Upon signing up THN each user answers a series of questions to help determine their rating. From there, the rating morphs organically based on other player's rankings of you.
For example, someone may sign up as a 9 but after lacing them up with other 9s might consider themselves a 6. They likely didn't have much fun if they couldn't keep up with the game.
Your rating is front and centre on your homepage so you can always see how much you are improving.
Our system is designed to encourage skill development and gradually increase a player's competence thus it will only allow a player to join games +/- 2 points from their THN rating. Therefore a rated 9 player can't show up to a level 6 game, but a level 3 player could join a level 5 game to test those (frozen) waters.
VI) Chirps and banter
In-app messaging is baked in so you can keep all your primo chirps in one convenient location. Come on, we've all sent that "Oops, wrong person" text. 😂
Young, old, bad, good, great no matter where you are in your hockey journey, we encourage you to get out there and...
