Hockey Expansion Faces A Long Up Hill Battle In Southern
California
The following is the text of an email that was sent to
After The Whistle by Sharon Keeney, a parent of a 10 year old goalie who
plays as part of the California Waves Hockey Club in Anaheim. She
identified some of the main issues facing minor hockey in that area of the
continent. As you will see, many of the issues are common to other
locations, but the geographical factors coupled with the tremendously high
cost of playing this sport will have a huge impact on slowing the growth
of the development of hockey in the United States. We thank Sharon for
being so candid and for providing the rest of the readers of this web site
with some excellent insight into her situation, which should help us
appreciate our own. For the full
story>>>>
The Third Team On The Ice - The Game Means Just As Much To This Team This is a story about the "third
team" on the ice during the opening game between the Manitoulin Wild
and the Northern Michigan Black Bears of the Northern Ontario Junior
Hockey League. The third team traveled over 140
kilometers one way to take part in the game, and in some ways, it is the most
important of all teams on the ice. This is a story about the officials.
For the full story >>>>
House
League or Rep? Where Will Your Child Play? Our 8 year old plays in-house hockey
and has for almost five years. We've thought about travel hockey but
the parents scare us. He loves it so much I wouldn't want to expose
him to something like that and make him loose his love of the game.
I sent this letter on to the other parents on our in-house team.
It's a sad commentary on what parents do to their kids, supposedly
in their best interest. For
the full story >>>>
Physical
Size or Skill? What Will Win Out?
Does physical size take precedence over skills and
skating ability when entering the peewee level? I know every coach
would love to have the best of both worlds, but what if 2 players
were competing for the same spot on a team. The smaller player is
far more skilled than the larger player, but the larger player
handles the body checking with much more aggression. Which player
do you think would or should get picked? For
the full story >>>>
CHA Campaign Designed To
Reduce Parental Pressure
The Canadian Hockey Association introduced a
public-service campaign in November 2002 entitled, "Relax, It's
Just A Game". The campaign was designed to raise awareness and
end some of the inappropriate parental pressure toward young hockey
players in Canada. For the full
story>>>
Mentorship Program To Be
Implemented in 2003-2004
Once again the Canadian Hockey Association may be
about to embark on a much-needed initiative to help improve minor
hockey across Canada. The National Official Mentorship Program is
something that has been considered long overdue and should be
well-received by all minor hockey associations. For
the full story>>>>>
What
Happens When Volunteers Have Had Enough? A Greater Sudbury Area minor hockey association
demonstrated what can happen when volunteers feel that their safety
is being compromised by abusive people and destructive criticism. It
is an issue that all of us who are interested in the future of minor
hockey must be aware of in order to ensure that the people who are
responsible for organizing hockey programs are doing so for the
right reasons. For
the full story>>>>>
"If
You Don't Want To Follow The Rules, Then Get Out Of The Game!"
See how the Nickel District N.O.H.A. Executive
has given a clear message to players and coaches. The three-penalty
rule demonstrates that anyone who is on the ice to consistently
break the rules and ruin the enjoyment of the game for others will
be severely disciplined and ejected. For
the full story>>>>>
Rink Rage - Enough Is
Enough! It's Time To Draw The Line
The line has been drawn! It appears as if all of the public service
campaigns, fair play clinics, certification programs, posters, etc.
are failing to curb the increasing incidence of violence. There is
only one thing left to do! For the full
story>>>
Is There A Place
For Body Checking In Minor Hockey?
The sooner we eliminate body checking from all play below the Midget
Level, the sooner we will see an improvement in the game of hockey.
There is no other way to go. If we continue to allow players to
receive their satisfaction from "hitting", they will never
learn to develop the true skills of the game. For
the full story>>>>>
In a written submission to the BC
Amateur Hockey Association, a group including Dr. David Brooks, a
Sports Medicine Physician of Summerland, B.C., Paul Weed, a Master
Course Conductor with the Canadian Hockey Association's National
Coaching Certification Program and the BC Amateur Hockey Association
Coach Coordinator for the District of Vancouver Island based in
Comox, B.C. and Chuck Blanaru, lawyer and President of the Nanaimo
Minor Hockey Association, call on the BC Amateur Hockey Association
to revoke its decision to permit bodychecking at ages below the
Bantam division, age 13. For
the full story >>>>>
Should A Coach Have The
Right To Withdraw A Team For Safety Reasons? Tim Gmeinweser, coach of the Knights of Columbus
Sabres Bantams is being considered a hero by some, but is being
condemned by others. The Sabres are based in Edmonton. During the
Christmas Holidays he pulled his team off the ice because he was
concerned for the safety of his players. What is your opinion on
this situation? For the full
story>>>>>
Should House League
Players Have The Right To Choose Where They Play? Rep players have had to deal with geographical restrictions
forever. If a player wishes to transfer to a team in another jurisdiction,
he is required to get a release from his home organization. In some cases,
the home organization refuses to grant the release and parents have been
forced to either move to another city or threaten legal action. Now the question is being put to House League Associations, especially
in small rural communities where declining registrations are impacting on
the number of hours of ice time they are allotted for practices and
games. The issue came to the forefront in the City of Greater Sudbury at the
beginning of the 2003-2004 hockey season. For
the full story>>>>
