Playing Time: 25 essential maxims for hockey coaches
Playing time. Without a doubt, these are the two most charged words in youth sports, generating more positive and negative emotions among athletes, their parents…
The Hockey Dad
Hockey Dad: 5 thoughtful, well-executed approaches for playing time
In response to my last column, where I listed 25 maxims for coaches about “playing time,” several parents wrote to me with stories of coaches…Read More
Making the cut: The harsh realities of tryouts
The end of the hockey season also means the beginning of the next one, as club team tryouts are held the week after the final…
‘Hockey is a great metaphor for personal improvement’
My 16-year-old son, Ben, started playing hockey at age 9. This past year, he played on his high school’s JV hockey team, as well as…
Hot Shots: A different way of developing youth players
Imagine looking forward to hockey practices and games with the same enthusiasm normally reserved for Christmas morning. Imagine standing along the boards, stick in hand,…
A sports childhood worth reflecting on
My 18 year-old son, Robert, caught the "sports bug" in 2004, when he was 5 years old. Since then, he has played sports non-stop —…
Backyard rink pointers: Know before you build
I built my first backyard rink in 2010 when my kids were 11, 8, 6, 4 and 3, and today they would tell you that…
Winning’s the goal, but it isn’t the point
Of the 50 to 60 youth sports teams I have coached over the years, a handful made it to the championship game and won it…
Three rules to coach by
Looking back over 27 years of coaching young athletes, the most valuable piece of wisdom I’ve gained is the necessity of setting team rules at…
Cheering at youth hockey games: A primer
As hockey parents, we all know that there are as many different styles of cheering at youth hockey games as there are brands of hockey…
How to raise a kid who loves sports
The joys of summer
It’s August. The kids’ hockey bags, which cover one-third of the living-room rug from September to April, are stashed somewhere in the basement. (When we…
Scoreboard unwatching
The year my daughter Charlotte played goalie, there was only one time she was in a cheerful mood following a game. Can you guess what…
