It’s the kind of sport you expect to be brutal and aggressive with padded bodies slamming into each other, j-shaped sticks cracking ankles and shins, circular pucks smashing into helmets. Whereas this might be a little bit of an exaggeration, all forms of hockey aren’t without their risk of injuries. Ice-hockey especially is swift, accurate and fierce. There’s no messing around in this game, which probably explains all of the protective gear you need in order to play it, so if you’re a little afraid to get a bruise or two, this isn’t the sport for you and as it does require so much padding, it can get quite expensive, too. Helmets, pads, face shields – you’re going to need them all if you don’t want to end up with broken bones. If your interest lies with the chillier of the two hockey types, you’re also going to require a decent pair of skates, not to mention hockey bags, hockey pucks and hockey sticks for both. This isn’t a sport to go into light heartedly.