Coaching Education Program Changes
Dear Minnesota Youth Hockey Coaches:
USA Hockey Body Checking Rule Proposal Background
The proposed rule change will move the age of legal body checking in games from 12U to 14U. The body checking discussion is one that has been going on for a long time within USA Hockey. This is a complex and emotional issue and is being looked at from many angles. Although safety is obviously a huge concern, we didn’t approach this initially from the safety side of the equation. We began by looking at how players develop their hockey playing abilities. Over the past two years we began to evaluate how Squirt and PeeWee skaters play and react in similar on-ice situations. We observed that Squirts tend to be more aggressive, and emphasize skills (skating, stickhandling, passing and body positioning) in an attempt to make plays. The conclusion was simply that players at the Squirt level attempt to play the game in the correct manner. However, in the same situations many PeeWee players react differently. What was observed was that players at the PeeWee level tend to either let the opponent get the puck first so that they can initiate body contact or they lay off so that they don’t get hit. Although this may not be true for every player, we have found that it is common and prevalent at all levels of PeeWee hockey throughout the United States. With this being said, we do know that physiologically (and most importantly), players at this age are in their prime “window of opportunity” to acquire sports skills. The current rules we have in place hinder our children from acquiring these skills at the highest possible level.
10 Myths About the American Development Model
I realize any change—good, bad or indifferent—is still a change and can be difficult for people to accept. So I started to collect a few of the negative comments I have heard about the American Development Model (ADM) with regards to cross-ice play, all in the hopes that I can dispel these myths.
Total Hockey Volunteer of the Month Award Announced
The Total Hockey Volunteer of the Month recognizes the many wonderful off-ice volunteers that are so vital to the success of a hockey association. Ice Scheduler, Team Manager, Tournament Director, Mites Coordinator, Recruiting Chairperson….the list is endless! Total Hockey and Minnesota Hockey want to make sure that the time and energy these volunteers selflessly dedicate to hockey is properly acknowledged.
Minnesota Hockey Coaching Representatives attend International Youth Player Development Symposium in Chicago
USA Hockey hosted a youth player development symposium in Chicago in November. The three-day event focused exclusively on the development of 8U, 10U and 12U players. There were about 100 youth hockey directors and hockey program leaders from all over the country in attendance. There were lecture presentations as well as on-ice and off-ice hands-on demonstrations by some of the world’s leaders in youth athlete and hockey development. Five members of Minnesota Hockey’s coaching leadership group were in attendance.
ADM: The Healthy Meal vs. the Dessert
In today’s version of youth sports we have a very unhealthy ratio of practice to games. In many youth hockey associations the practice-to-game ratio is 1-to-1 or 2-to-1. To me practice is the healthy meal and the games are the dessert. What would serve our young athletes much better would be a healthier ratio of 3-to-1.
Locker Room Supervision Policy
The new USA Hockey rule requiring locker room supervision is unfortunately timely. The high school football team hazing incident, however, is only the most recent of such events in Minnesota. And hazing is not the only locker room concern. Innocent rough-housing and verbal abuse can be just as damaging to the players. Indeed, some innocent shoving in a New England youth hockey locker room resulted in the player losing his thumb when he grabbed the door to catch his balance. The heavy steel door closed on his thumb.
USA Hockey: Locker Room Alert
To all USA Hockey Local Programs: This is to alert you of a security issue regarding locker room activity involving youth hockey players that happened recently. A man in his 60s was able to enter locker rooms when players were changing and showering. He asked them questions and attempted to collect contact information. In addition, it appears this man entered other locker rooms while the players were on the ice and may have taken identification information from clothing. He claimed he was an equipment supplier agent, which was a ruse to get information from players. Police were summoned; the man was questioned, photographed and escorted out of the facility. Read more
10 Ways to Celebrate Hockey Weekend Across America
Hockey Weekend Across America will take place this coming weekend, Jan. 29-31, 2010. The effort is aimed at celebrating the game of hockey and all involved in the sport and providing opportunities for those who haven’t played hockey to try it. The following article offers 10 great ways to celebrate the event.
How to Try Hockey For Free
One of the largest barriers to growing the game of hockey is making it cost-effective and convenient. To demonstrate how to overcome these barriers, Saturday, January 30th, of the 2010 Hockey Weekend Across America, USA Hockey will promote a nationwide free trial of hockey.
