The Best Sound In Sports Is The First 20 Shots Of A Hockey Warmup All Drilling The Glass
The best sound in warmups is that extra crispy bardown "ping" coming off the pipe. It hits a certain note that just sends a shiver down your spine and directly into your plums. But it takes expertly precise placement and velocity to attain that perfect "ping". It's much easier to just rip a few shots off the glass, which is the next best thing.
That's what warmups are all about, especially if you're playing in an empty barn. The acoustics are out of control. You rip a few off the glass and all of a sudden it sounds like you are firing off some 100mph bullets. You don't get the audio feedback from hitting the back of the net. The other team down at the opposite end of the ice isn't going to hear it if you drill the back bar. But when they have to hear the constant smattering of the glass? At the very least, they know they aren't going to want to block your shots during a game. Because clearly you have no idea where it's going, but you're mostly shooting high with a ton of speed. Sounds like one that maybe you should just leave for your goalie to deal with.
Realistically, any great warmup starts with your first 3 or 4 shots drilling the glass. Maybe you could mix in one that hits the crossbar and deflects over the netting. That's also pretty cool. Just means less pucks you need to pick up at the end of warmups, too. But if you're not hearing that sweet sound of vulcanized rubber smattering against plexiglass for the first couple of minutes you're out on the ice, you're doing warmups all wrong.