Okay, I have to start with a huge smile here, because I’ve just finished browsing through some old notes reflecting back on what I’d call — for the lack of a better name — a “tryout” I ran a few years back for a new 5- and 6-year old team coming from my winter Learn-to-skate/Learn-to-play…
Number one, just because this piece centers around young hockey players doesn’t mean those dealing with older players aren’t going to gain from it. With that, I recently received a great question via social media. And, since it seemed something worthy of most parents and coaches of very young kids, I asked the writer if…
Let’s say some prayers: I lot of years ago, Red Gendron and I sat together on a coaching roundtable at the Hockey Coaching Journal’s seminar in Connecticut. We were both on the young-ish side way back then — and he was younger than I, so I’m saddened today to hear of his passing. More…
We’ve all been stung by some awful hockey advice during our years in the game, and more often than not it came from someone who swore up and down he (or she) knew exactly what was wrong and exactly what to do. Am I striking a chord with anyone? I mean, whether in your capacity…
While I studied long ago in the old USSR, I found it interesting that their coaches used a lot of activities for training that we’d have defined as schoolyard or playground games her in the states. Perhaps what I found most interesting was the fact that we North Americans had abandoned many of those physical…
The teams are disappointed, the players are upset and the fans are left waiting for more. The SJHL did what it could to save the 2021 season, but without proper approvals, the league’s elder statesmen are saying goodbye to their junior careers without a proper send-off. More…
This article was inspired by a TIME article I’d read long ago, that written by Jon Wertheim and Tobias Moskowitz, and titled “How Sports Can Help Your Kids Outsmart Everyone Else” (I’ve linked that so you can read it for yourself). I probably like the subtitle even more, though, as in “The playing field provides the ideal…
Not everyone realizes there are discrepancies in the way various athletes move in a straight line, and it just so happens that there are also differences in the biomechnics applied in the three skating sports. It would be helpful for hockey coaches, parents and adult players to understand a few things — as they plan…
One of the most helpful new NHL draft scouting events of the past decade has been the annual All-American Prospects Game and we now have rosters for the 2021 edition, which will be held at USA Hockey Arena in Michigan on April 7. More…
The Prep Hockey Conference is launching for the 2021-22 season, bringing together six elite programs in North America: Shattuck-St. Mary’s School, St. Andrew’s College, Northwood School, Culver Academies, Mount St. Charles Academy and South Kent School. All six programs have developed NHLers and top-end NCAA players throughout their histories. More…