Making a hockey goal in China

This is part 3 of my Hockey in China series.  I want to give you a quick look at how I made the net.

PVC pipe from the local hardware store

As with most things in my life, I looked to the Internet for guidance.  I knew that people had made their own goals as a way of saving money, but as far as I can see, never out of necessity like I've had too.  The main thing that people are using is PVC pipe, and since that is commonly used here for the heating systems in most apartments, PVC pipe is easily accessible.  The store is a 5 minute walk away.

The frame

The Internet provided me with a lot of designs, but I disliked all of them since most of them were more of a triangle rather than a rectangle.  Basically, I like the depth at the top of the net that I made.  What can I say, I've got to teach these Chinese guys 'top shelf', right?

So, the above is my design.  It is regulation size (6 x 4), and it stands pretty sturdy.  That being said, it's still a little wobbly.  I probably could have gone with thicker PVC.  I think I used 1 1/2 inches.  Should have gone to 2 inches.  The PVC pipes and connectors cost me 200 RMB, or about 31 bucks.

Once again, my faithful father-in-law sent out the actual netting.  Though, I am sure that I could have used fishing net.  Either way, it's pretty easy and simple (and fun) to make a hockey goal here.

As you can see, the net takes up a lot of space in my little office space.  Thankfully, once I take it down to the University, I will have a place to store it.  It would be a pain to carry that thing back and forth every time.  Not to mention all of the curious looks I would get.

cracked

Of course, the connectors are crap.  At least one of them cracked while I was assembling things.  In the end, I used duct tape (also sent out from Canada) around all of the connections.  I figured that it made things a little less permanent than if I had used glue.  If I need to tear it down at any time I can do it pretty easily with the tape.  So, that's about it.  Pretty simple.  Lacing the netting around the pipe was tedious, but not too bad.  

This past Tuesday was a holiday here in China (Tomb Sweeping Day) so we'll have to wait until next week to use the net.  I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

As far as the NHL playoffs go, I am going to be rooting for the Senators.  Not because they're Canadian but also because they are.  Basically, they are a rebuild team that rebuilt in 10 months.  Someone should tell the Oilers that you don't need to wait 6 years before you can actually win games.

Also, gotta love Alfredsson!