“Up The Boards, Johnny!”

This is obviously an older video, but it was inspired by my ongoing conversations with a sport psychologist many years.  She was a coach and college professor, and she specialized in parent-athlete communications.  And, we surely hit it off when I told her about my experiences in that area.

Now, I’ve pretty much described the problems players face when they’re confused by parents yelling from the stands.  However, what I failed to mention is the likelihood that the parents’ advice could be way off base.  

I’m sure those who have been around the game for awhile know what I’m referring to here, because blindly tossing the puck “up the boards” to get out of trouble is not exactly what a coach wants to see (while it might be exactly what enemy forecheckers are hoping for).  No, a player with the puck back in his or her own end should have the eyes up and be looking for an open teammate.

Now, I know member coaches can’t show this video to their team parents.  However, I would suggest this topic be included in an early season team meeting.

Questions or comments?  Please drop me a note down below.