Being a Hockey Parent

Reading about all your different rnks and practices and games all year kind of makes me glad my kids don't play. I admire you all, and their dedication to the game! And secretly, I wish I had played when I was a kid (I know, strange for a native Minnesotan to have never played organized hockey).

[Ahbroody]

Uggggggh had to order skates today. $130 for the skates shipped for a little kid.

$600 for 2 weeks of hockey camp 4 hours at the rink each day.
Debating a 4 day skating clinic by Robbie Glantz for $270 that we got a discount code for because hes skating with a club. 2 hours a day for 4 days. Dont know if he will get enough out of it as its designed for older kids.

Mike as Al, EJ, Scott and others will say its funny but while some mornings its a pain once you see your kid on the ice smiling and going for it everything seems well worth it. The game to most is the ultimate team sport and you see it from an early age. My son played his first season of Tball this year. What a friggin disaster compared to hockey. Kids not listening, crap behavior, no sense of teamwork. Basically Same age group kids in hockey are passing to each other, giving centering feeds, diving to block shots (laugh my arse off at that), communicating to each other and generally way better behaved.

[Ahbroody]

Originally Posted by Ahbroody

Uggggggh had to order skates today. $130 for the skates shipped for a little kid.

Fak so I call Brunos hockey and ask if the skates have shipped. Nope he doesnt have them. I ask if he can get them. He will let me know. I call in the afternoon. He acts like hes getting them but upon further questioning I find out its the 301 not the 370. I had to repeatedly say no and I just wanted a refund.

Had to order westside skate in NY cost me 20 more and a weeks delay. I have talked to bruno before and he seems like a great guy, but this is two times I have had this happen. Apparently Graf youth skates ship once a yeat from china in august and once they are gone they are gone.

[Ahbroody]

http://www.usahockey.com/Template_Us...2_03&id=305004

This was not unexpected and I am wondering how long it will last, but USA Hockey approves checking change.

[Eleven]

Originally Posted by Ahbroody

http://www.usahockey.com/Template_Us...2_03&id=305004

This was not unexpected and I am wondering how long it will last, but USA Hockey approves checking change.

I think this will hurt USA player development significantly. Most of Canada, except Quebec will now be checking 2 years before any USA youth hockey player.

Although I don't have a dog in this fight any longer (my kid plays Bantam Minor this come year), I am saddened by the decision. I doubt USA Hockey will reverse this change any time soon, the only hope for parity is to convince the rest of Canada to make the same change.

On a side note, does anyone have experience with Selects Hockey? We screwed around this year waiting on another family to confirm their kid as a roommate for my son at Kent State's hockey camp and we submitted the app too late. My son is on a waiting list, but I didn't want to leave that to chance.

I was talking with another parent about camps and he told me about Selects Hockey's Elite Camp. I contacted them and they had a spot and approved my son, so we're happy he has a place to go, but I was hoping to get some feedback on them.

[Ahbroody]

I doubt Canada will change its mind.
I had always heard the Quebec Peewee tourney was the best of its kind?

Are most EU teams checking at Peewee?

[E.J.]

A few photos from tonight.... Photos 3 & 4 are sequence of her breaking out with the puck. They look almost exactly the same, but think they are like 2 strides apart? Anyway, she was able to get a little separation, angle at what would be the end faceoff circle(they were playing cross ice), shoot and score.

She then got crushed as she celebrated(not looking where she was going) and a kid on her team skated without looking where he was going....

[E.J.]

Boom! Notice, celebration doesn't end when she hits the ice, she's holding that stick out, just like she was when she ran into that kid...

[Ahbroody]

That black and white photo came out very cool.
14 thought she had some candy thats all.

Hawks skate


apparently this went off his stick and in but no one noticed till in the net


Cougars today wife and girls came and mom worked the camera


Chicks dig the flow.

Originally Posted by E.J.

AWESOME pic, EJ!

Originally Posted by Ahbroody

Chicks dig the flow.

...and I dig the jersey.



Hope you guys don't mind that I comment and follow what you go through with your kids and hockey, even though mine don't play. It's a religion here in MN, and I guess I'm raising heathens. At least when we took them all to the WCHA Final Five title game, they loved it.

[E.J.]

Originally Posted by Wanger

AWESOME pic, EJ!



...and I dig the jersey.



Hope you guys don't mind that I comment and follow what you go through with your kids and hockey, even though mine don't play. It's a religion here in MN, and I guess I'm raising heathens. At least when we took them all to the WCHA Final Five title game, they loved it.

I appreciate the comments Mike...

[Ahbroody]

his cheer team


Him in this kid in the orange had a little thing going today.




trying to keep him outside


Friday he will play in a mite scrimage between the blackstars and tri valley. This will be his first competitve travel scrim against mite kids he doesnt practice with. He will be playing for the Stars I did some schedule swapping and dad will be there to cheer him on. will take some photos and maybe a video clip if he doesnt stink up the joint. 5.5 years old so expectations are low.

[E.J.]

Look at that flow.... Serious hockey hair going on there! Pic of the girls(Micah's cheer team) is great...

Seeing the Cascade M11 reminded me that we have a kid, possibly the best kid on the team, who was out for the remainder of our playoffs last year with a concussion. He then got dinged again first game of Summer and has not played since. Anyway, I noticed that his little brother was wearing a new Messier helmet yesterday at the JV game. I would be interested to hear if his old helmet(CCM) was just "old" and needed to be replaced, or if the decision was made due to the stated protection difference. I would guess when the older brother starts playing again, he will have one on as well(he wears some form of Bauer).

[E.J.]

The Little Man played really well last night, but the JV team was CRUSHED again. They play in the Adult Summer League & were competitive last year, but have been moved up to Division III. The majority of these 14-17 year old kids just are not there physically. Even the ones that can skate, they are generally so much smaller, it takes 2 strides to one when they are trying to get anywhere. I shouldn't even say the majority, all these kids are not there physically.

That doesn't mention the higher level players(D2 guys) on each team, that just smoke the kids.

I can tell Jackson is getting pissed off and was involved in a minimum of 4-5 dust-ups last night and was also involved in a matching 5M roughing major, trying to protect his goaltender. He was getting the chit beat out of him and kept it up all night long.

Admittedly, I was heated inside, knowing that it was a bunch of grown men beating on a 14 year old kid(not during play, but after the whistle stuff). But he was giving as much as he was getting, he just doesn't have grown man strength.....or weight.... I know that he cannot dish out, without getting back....even if it is man against boy, that is the game. Still doesn't mean I don't get a little bent inside, being he was usually the one on the ice a few seconds after the whistle.

All the work paid off in the locker room, when he was rewarded with some praise from the coach who stated something to the effect of "Good job, Jackson. I know I have one guy who will take care of Devin(the goalie)."

Didn't even take the camera, shooting through the net at the Olympic Oval is worthless... I may shoot through the glass a few games...but it is not as fun and results are spotty.

P.S. I should not exaggerate, he'll be 15 tomorrow...

[Ahbroody]

Thats weird they are allowing that. Around here that would not fly. Maybe in roller leagues, but ice I just cant see them allowing it. Beer league guy can go Game7 guy at any time. You can get full blown brawls and some very dangerous hits.

As to the concussion thing there are so many arguments both ways on the helmets and the checking age. Some argue as Al start them early when they cant hurt each other. The argument to that is kids lack self control at that age and you could see a ton of boarding and blindside hits as kids at that age dont care. This also raises the cumulative hits argument on the brain and increasing susceptibility as the years grow. Much like a boxer.

What I have found interesting is many people who kids play around here who are from Canada and grew up playing have no issue with it. A few reference childhood incidences where kids got destroyed the first year checking was introduced. Many left hockey some never wanted to play again or it took years to want to.

I am starting to think the model may work with increasing body contact starting in mites. The thing many have missed is that in majority of European countries hitting is not allowed until the 13 age also. With that they are like the US is hoping to do force kids to use their feet and skate to out play the other player. Europen players if nothing else are often the best skaters. I dont know if eithet is right, but I am now willing to see how this works out and do see some serious upside if it works. It will keep more house kids playing longer as well. Where it will be interesting is in the travel enviornment and when kids head to Canada for tourneys. I think it could be horrible and may result in a stopping of travel north of the boarder till Bantam. Then you got to wonder because many argue they are the ones turning into the boards. When I think of a lot of the crushing hits of recent time it was not a euro getting smoked but a canadian or american.

[E.J.]

FRUSTRATING Mike... Did the same thing with Jackson's last skates.... IMO no reason with todays tech anyone shouldn't have up to date invo online....or at least 24 hour update the buyer.

[Ahbroody]

This weekend went from low to high.
Fridays development scrim was a joke. Without getting into particulars I will just say the teams were supposed to be b squad b goalie, a squad a goalie. This didnt happen. The boy was very frustrated at the end of the game. I think playing against a boy possibly 2 who will be squirt in the fall when your playing mite b squad in a dwvelopment game will do that.

Today was awesome though. The skated on line 1 during sprints and kept up with qnd beat some kids. Scored a nice hustle goal in the scrim driving the net. Dad got a fat had when one of the coaches thought he was a late 04 and was suprised to find out he was a late 05. The coach was talking about Micahs drive and lack of fear and hustle. He let him double shift multiple times stating it was more important that he wanted to do it and was trying then the fact he was running out of gas at the end of the shift.

The high point for dad came in the locker room after the practice when the head coach was talking to some parents about issues with some boys maturity and acting like 5 year olds. I dont know whatvboys he was referencing or if it was just boys in general. He then stops himself and address Micah infront of everyone and says how its actually not fair to say 5 year olds because there are 5 year olds like Micah who play like responsible 8 year olds. He said "Micahs all business out there on the ice." Its nice when your kid gets noticed for the right reasons and just a touch sweeter when it happens on fathers day.

While he wont make the Hawks in the fall its nice that they have clearly been very positive about him and it seems when hes mite age level next year he should have a good chance of making the club. Fridays game really jelped me decide he should play for the Cougars mite club this year and not the Stars based on talent of the kids. He should have a more positive experience.

[E.J.]

Originally Posted by Ahbroody

The high point for dad came in the locker room after the practice when the head coach was talking to some parents about issues with some boys maturity and acting like 5 year olds. I dont know whatvboys he was referencing or if it was just boys in general. He then stops himself and address Micah infront of everyone and says how its actually not fair to say 5 year olds because there are 5 year olds like Micah who play like responsible 8 year olds. He said "Micahs all business out there on the ice." Its nice when your kid gets noticed for the right reasons and just a touch sweeter when it happens on fathers day.

THAT IS AWESOME! Good stuff and it is not only a positive reflection for Micah, but telling of how you have raised him, Mike.

[Ahbroody]

Well we have been in a bit of a mouthguard exploration period. Trying a couple of different mouth guards. I have wanted to try one of these. http://www.protechguard.com/Default.asp based on a review by hockeyus on youtube. Anyway today found a working 10% off coupon and bought a double pack. Coupon code is JRDERBY. Will report back how it goes. He was playing with the brainpad and really liked the feel, the issue was and is drinking and speaking is impossible with it. Everytime he wanted a drink hes pulling off the cage and its a pain.

[J0eybb]

Originally Posted by Ahbroody

Well we have been in a bit of a mouthguard exploration period. Trying a couple of different mouth guards. I have wanted to try one of these. http://www.protechguard.com/Default.asp based on a review by hockeyus on youtube. Anyway today found a working 10% off coupon and bought a double pack. Coupon code is JRDERBY. Will report back how it goes. He was playing with the brainpad and really liked the feel, the issue was and is drinking and speaking is impossible with it. Everytime he wanted a drink hes pulling off the cage and its a pain.

I stopped using my mouth guard. I am to vocal. Let me know how it goes.