I thought that might catch your attention.
I just spent my first week assisting BC Hockey run the Hockey Coach 2 Certification for recreational level and new hockey coaches. Within minutes of participant introductions, I was hooked, inspired, motivated, and frustrated. I’ll get to the frustrated part in a second, after I tell you why I think we need to make a Swedish American Canadian Hockey Coach.
Part 1: Swedish:
A colleague of mine, Faez Kanji, returned from coaching youth hockey in Sweden a few months ago, and shared his experience. He was very impressed by the involvement of the Federation in all youth hockey. Innovative and age appropriate ideas on skill development flow like water, and coaches are mandated to follow them. We have so many incredible ideas/people in Hockey Canada and our Provincial bodies delivering great hockey philosophy and coach materials, I just wish youth coaches in Canada could execute it as efficiently as the Swedes without bending to external pressures!
Part 2: American:
Spending my first few years coaching youth hockey in the States (New York and Maryland), I had the priviledge to see how many innovative steps USA Hockey has taken to improve skill development and participation in the States. My brother is the Hockey Director of the Baltimore Stars hockey program so I hear about it weekly as well. Mandatory cross ice, lighter pucks, smaller nets, station based skill development, small area games, and statistics based research backing up all the above are just a few areas USA Hockey is taking bold action despite criticism from some people. Does anyone know if Massachusetts Hockey still disallows penalty killers from icing the puck (by blowing it down as icing)? I heard that once, and thought it was an incredible tool to force players to make more creative decisions with the puck. Why should you get to slash someone, then kill 2 minutes by firing it off the glass?! I was very happy to see the initiatives recognized in our Coach 2 program this past weekend.
Part 3: Canadian:
I was hooked the minute the coach participants openly shared their stories. Their lack of coaching experience, but desire to learn from other coaches and make a real difference in the lives of young hockey players was a true inspiration for me, and a reminder why I focus our business on coach mentorship and player skill development. We have passion, enthusiasm, cultural ties to the game, and to be a Canadian in hockey is something of which I am truly proud.
I was frustrated because I realized that coaches are getting the right information. The BC Hockey course material was full of great ideas to teach skills, have fun, and put the positive experience of the kids at the heart of everything we do as coaches. This was awesome. The opportunities for learning are there. The green passion of the incoming coaches is absolutely brilliant. BUT: Somewhere along the line coaches feel pressure to depart from their core values and bend to pressures of external influences (desire to win at all cost, reduce any risk of failure/mistakes, parents, etc).
My 3 Questions for You:
- So why do the minority of aggressive parents have such a strong voice? Why do they demand age inappropriate training? (“My 7 year old should play 12 months a year, and needs to work on the breakout a lot more. He also needs to play more games than practice.”)
- Why do 50% of young officials quite within 1 year of officiating?
- Why are so many parents so focused on keeping score in games on big rinks where 90% of the kids don’t even touch the puck?
To every new coach with green passion and your heart in the right place: Don’t let the haters get you down! Do what you know is right. There is a wave of change coming, and I think your timing to ride that wave is going to be perfect.
[button link=”www.howtoplayhockey.ca” size=”medium” variation=”orange” bgColor=”#000000″ textColor=”#ffffff” align=”left” target=”blank”]Learn with us.[/button]Please comment below…
Hello Nate,
I have done some coaching and I have et those parents- we also owned and arts school for kids and they have hockey parents too (dance moms)… same thing in youth groups.
Recently I had an email from a “AAA” midget’s DAD- advocating shall we say for his son- a mistake to be sure.
Kids in general should be allowed to grow, as opposed to be grown, by their parents-
‘Let go and let God’ my mom used to say.
Focus on the kids- avoid their parents!!
Best wishes.
Great post, I love the thought behind it, and the different angles! I have dual citizenship as a Swede and American, grew up in the States playing and then coaching, and have since moved to Sweden to coach. Just missing the Canadian aspect!
We have that great coach this year. Connor made the MD team. The coach is focused on teaching skills and not systems until the boys are ready. He put us in an early tournament to bond and play hockey not win. (We made it to the semis) He has set up training with a specific goalie coach. AND this guy does not have a kid on the team. He is coaching because the boys needed a coach and he loves it.
We are going to have a fantastic year!
I very much agree with your statements. European programs are gaining strength as an example of proper structure based on fundamental learning skills. One of the underlying issues is that minor hockey is looking more and more like a runned business rather than a learning experience and athletic development. Kids need to follow the proper curve based on age and personal ability.
Kids want to play, literally have fun. And if they can learn a skill or two along the way, those experiences could be used long after the game is over.
1. Those are the parents are SURE their child is the next Sydney Crosby. So, the more he learns, the faster he progresses, the higher he goes, the more they feel fulfilled, that’s what they are aspiring to. Why? They have chosen to make their child’s successes their raison d’etre (reason for being). They use their child to create a social life, a reason to brag. Oops, gotta go, football in 15 minutes, 5 suburbs away! Yup, I’m the cool parent. 12 months a year? – they’re uncomfortable without having a focus to guide their hours. Some of the best players I’ve seen spent a LOT of time off the ice perfecting skills. Garage doors, pond hockey, lacrosse, golf,
2. Coaches and parents. The above, who are experts in every nuance of the game, especially from 50 feet away. treat young referees any differently. They have to develop either a tough skin or a “whatever” attitude pretty quickly to survive.
I was the athletic trainer for a collegiate hockey team whose locker room was in the Blackhawks old locker room. It opens directly onto the benches of the rink. With a thin wall of concrete block between the locker room and the bench, I could hear coaches screaming, swearing and berating their players. Opening the door to see who it was, I saw with 8 year olds. Or 9 or 7 year olds. If these men don’t care enough to treat their players better, why would they treat young referees any differently.
3. Good question. Because they don’t know any other way to watch. Without scoring, it’s like a cliffhanger book. Well, how did it end? Memorize this people – “ah, it doesn’t matter, the kids had a good time.”
As an athletic trainer for junior and collegiate hockey, I came across 3 Swedish players. The one thing that stood out from the other players was fundamentals. They knew the fundamentals and could play any position. And never complain about it not being “their position”.
Hi Karen,
Thank you! I just came from a day helping a coach certification program for BC Hockey, and we watched a very impactful video on youtube called the “Power of Words” from Tedx talking about the impact we as coaches have on the entire 80 year future of a child, based on the words we choose to use with them. Thanks for sharing your vast experience with the readers. I am sure as a trainer you have seen and heard the best, and worst, of our sports.