Oftentimes, the best ice of the year is the first ice, which comes to Canada and the northern United States in late fall and hasn't been marred by snow. It is clear and smooth, so much so that on most bodies of water you can see right through to the bottom. This is known as black ice, and it's as good as anything you'll find in a hockey rink. Actually, it's better.

Black ice lasts only for the early stages of the outdoor hockey season, however, and after a while the skating surface gets whiter, thicker, and in most cases rougher. Most amateur hockey players don't have Zambonis to resurface their ponds and lakes, but many times you can try the next best thing -- hauling buckets of water out to the ponds, which you can pour down on the ice at the end of the day, or running a hose out there. The idea is to use the water to clean off the excess snow from all the skating and put a new layer of water on the surface, which will freeze by morning and make your makeshift rink good as new.