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.
Minnesota Hockey Recreational League begins second season
The Minnesota Hockey Recreational League (MHRL) kicked off with a series of player and coach clinics on Dec. 4. The clinics provided an opportunity for Minnesota Hockey instructors to introduce USA Hockey’s American Development Model drills to eager participants. Coach-run stations were set up in each zone to maximize ice use and keep players engaged and active. The clinic ended with a scrimmage, in true MHRL fashion. “There were lots of smiles on the ice,” said Tom Mickus, MRHL Director. “Kids were happy to be playing hockey and parents were excited to find an option for their kids that allows time for other activities. It’s truly a win-win.”
10 Ways to Prevent Volunteer Burnout
When my son was in grade school, I switched all my volunteer activities to Scouts rather than PTO—because the Scout dads were just glad I showed up while the PTO moms preferred to micromanage and criticize. And nothing can make you more bitter and burned out than being criticized for volunteer work.
Minnesota Hockey: Pilot Reading Program
What do hockey players of all ages enjoy doing off the ice? Reading! That became very apparent during the successful launch of a new recruiting and retention program initiated by Minnesota Hockey. The program was established in conjunction with Minnesota’s designated “I Love To Read” month, February 2010 elementary school initiatives. Senior high hockey players introduce elementary kids to the joy of reading by going into the classrooms and reading books from the popular “Brady, Brady” series of books.
3 Keys to Improving Player Stickhandling
One sentence introduction/overview about the three keys…
Explain the three keys (explain in one or two paragraphs)
