Youth Hockey Podcast

We are always looking at new technology for spreading the word about hockey to the kids and parents. Today we interview a Dallas dad who has come up with his own solution.

What does it take to run a rink? How can you get ice for your own club? These are questions we take on with a veteran of the ice hockey ups and downs in Las Vegas. Get all the answers without having to pay the luxury tax, or the resort fee.

What do you do when your local rink closes? Is it time to move? I'm joking of course, but many parents have been through this. Right now it is happening in the Valley at a rink both of my sons played for. They almost closed my home rink during Covid. The emotions run high.

Is there anything more sad than a family wandering around a rink without purpose? That's what happens my friends when the kids grow up. It's sometimes harrowing, but it does give the whole community some perspective on what it is like to step away from the ice as a player and as a fan.

How does that work?Lance talks about how scouts have guaranteed him that points don't matter then in the next comment let him know that a point a game is a must.

The merry band of podcasters discuss the merits of leaving a team. It's not always cut and dry, but there are signs. Read the signs and save your family some frustration. Ice is hard.

Corwin wants to know what event produced the happiest moment for each of the podcasters this year.Lance is big on college hockey prospects.Randall loves talking about his daughter, but realizes that it's unhealthy to stack that much pride on top of one 15-year-old girl.Corwin matches them both with enthusiasm and the insight of someone who has been around the sport all his life.

Thanksgiving. Is it a time for quiet reflection on the things we all have to give thanks for, or another opportunity for your kid to skate?Christmas. We all love it. Is there time for hockey AFTER it?

Lance talks about his costs now that youth hockey is over.Corwin talks about the accountability of players and how that shifts in circumstances.Randall talks about how hockey world builds better people (not the parents, the kids).

Randall talks about getting kids to start being critical of their own games.Corwin talks about how watching hockey makes a better hockey player. Lance talks about the balance of hockey and summer.

Randall knows his Canadian TV. He brings up the idea of hockey levels and parent satisfaction.Corwin loves the idea of coaches being one of the barometers of success.Lance doesn't understand what it's like to have his kids on anything less than AAA.

Lance wants to know why people are so violent in the stands. The anger that is in the sport is perhaps growing.Corwin talks up the social media winners.Randall wants to know why his parents never came to his games. Wasn't he special?

Coach wants to talk about how one gets into coaching in the US. The steps are really interesting.Lance wants to know if systems are part of hockey coaching training.Randall shows his love for Canada by responding to the new information that Canada day is being celebrated all over the 49th parallel.

Corwin talks about puck possession and how it applies to strategy.Lance wants to know more about how kids learn how to make good decisions on ice.Randall runs the numbers for the Nation Women's teams of Canada and US.

Out of order, but still just as fun. We had to post our nationals podcast early.Lance talks about the smartest way to end a game.Corwin gets into the safety of kids on the ice. How the coach has to be the final say.Randy gets into the tactics of hockey. He loves it when a plan beats up brute force.

Randall thanks a special fan of the podcast. It's so cool meeting people who love the podcast. We were at nationals and we had the warmest welcome.Lance explains how to get noticed at tryouts.Corwin gives the coaches' experience watching a tryout. First to the puck is his motto.

Playoff hockey in the youth world. Everything is coming down to spring. Lots of new things for a young hockey player.Lance talks about how different coaches (on the same team) managed games. When one coach was missing, the style of play changes. The favored players changed. It was a chaotic mess and he loved every minute of it. That's my take. :)Corwin talks about how teams see each other in the playoffs.

Randall looks into a few flashes in the pan who were aided by early maturity. There are kids who will appear at 12u and just rocket past the kids. Are they benefiting from a mirage? Lance has several examples of how kids have been pushed to the top by growth spurts only to come back to the pack later. Corwin amplifies this with talk about hockey birthdays.

Lance talks about the 10-7 rule in college hockey. He knows about how to get your kid ready for college with course choice preparation in high school. Corwin talks about the Canadian college process. Randall has a game relating to world juniors. Corwin knows the kid who helped put the US on top this year.

Lance got an email about a five-year-old hockey player. The question was: how do they start out and then get to where his kids got? Corwin talks helmets and kids. Randall talks about how the fit of the skates makes all the difference.

Randall goes through the reporting on the top twenty youth hockey scandals as presented by AI. Corwin has a more personal approach. Lance thinks that every team his kid played on were choirboys and the other teams are filled with thugs.

Lance talks about how people are quitting hockey in their teens. Corwin is a bit shocked by the number. He talks about how it might be part of the lower levels. Randall makes a point about AAA girls teams.

Club envy. So many people go there. Is it the best place to vacation? Does your kid get lost in travel because of swaps? Lance knows how to get from one club to the next. Corwin thinks that San Diego needs more clubs to jump around to.

Lance talks about how reputation shapes a season. There are kids who get a lot of attention because of who they are. Randall gives some much needed perspective on how Lance's kids were perceived. Corwin knows how to put all the pieces in place for the players who have a reputation regardless of level.

Randall tries to get to the bottom of why people are so committed to their ideas in youth hockey. Don't try to get people to listen to yours. Corwin keeps us balanced by noting that kids need to be able to grow into their talents. Lance tells the podcast audience how frustrated he was with waiting his turn.

Corwin takes on the topic of travel. What are the rules in stay to play? How do the decisions about tournaments get made? Will anyone be happy with a decision that is not their own? Lance went across the country several times for his kids. Driving. Flying. Walking. Running. Waverunning. Randall notes that there is often issues with hotels with all of the different families. It's still been pretty chill for most of the hockey time.

Randy smells the panic in all the teams who are just about to begin their seasons. It is so desperate, and fun. Lance reports on crazy parents, refs and rinks. Corwin thinks that refs should throw more people out of the arena. OK, that's not true.

Lance talks about a cold rink in Simi where his kids frustrated him by alternatively loving and hating the ice. Corwin talks about San Diego ice which is made from pure champagne. It's true. Look it up. Randall had a Groupon. Yes, a Groupon set him head first into a life of cold mornings and parking lot altercations (watching, not participating).

Lance used to pay for a newsletter that ranked all of the hockey players in North America. It was the best money he ever spent. Randall likes to think about how rankings push the buttons of other parents. Good to keep them on their toes. Corwin talks about how Canada keeps track of players. And there are a lot of them.

Randall answers questions from listeners. There are so many good questions coming in the mail Corwin gives a coachie perspective and breaks the hearts of parents that think that winning is everything. Lance reflects back on his journey when answering a question about his boys.

Corwin Talks managers. He has important criteria for a team manager. Lance talks fundraising. Randall updates the podcast on the top talent meeting in Chicago last weekend. Man could those CCM 68 bantams put the puck in the net.

Lance has a theory that coaches and how much they matter in the development of a young hockey player. Randall has his own take. Corwin talks about player buy in as an important part of the player coach relationship.

Corwin talks about equipment and how to know when it needs to be replaced over the summer. He also peppers Randall and Lance with trivia. They underperform on most questions.

How do you get your kid promoted to a better line? It's something every hockey dad has thought about. It has kept them up at night. Randall has some stories on how he's seen the promotions play out over the years. Lance takes it to another level. Corwin looks at it from the perspective of a coach. It's pretty informative.

Randall sets the tone with some tough love on parents who stalk the sidelines with outbursts during the game. Take some allergy medicine and sit. Corwin talks about the constant critics that can get in a kids head. Mistakes are part of the game, bringing up each one does not need discussion. Lance has the stats on the best goalscorer of all time in Squirt hockey. Hint. It's a Canadian.

Coach Corwin talks about how stars of the game are always chosen from one kind of player. Where is the love for the support players? Randall talks about how violence in the sport is not uniquely Canadian or American. There is something else that determines how much blood will be on the ice. Lance talks about some of the barns that his kids have played in.

First notes on how hockey teams are built in the offseason. Coach Corwin knows what makes the best captain. He lets the kids vote, but then uses his own judgement. Lance talks about the elements of his best season and how he participated in it.

Corwin has tips for your kids over the summer. How do you get them advantages going into the next season. Lance gets his kids on the ice in Las Vegas. Family fun that ends in hitting the tables. Randy remembers how Lance got his kids on a Canadian team, thus bringing everyone together in their love of hockey, Canada and Vegas.

Randall talks to short dad about why his kid is not on the first line. Lance talks about the years of cutthroat competition and where it got the kids who participated. Corwin knows how to balance lines. He talks about how it looks on the bench.

We have a Canadian. We have reached the point where Canada itself has come to the aid of the podcast. We are so proud. Corwin Nicolochat is a bona fide coach and player of the game with insights that Lance and I are in awe of. Randall talks about tryout frenzy. It's the glorious time of the year when rumors are more important that truth. Relationships are strained between neighbor, brother, sister and dog-walker alike. Nobody can breathe until the list of who made the team is posted. Lance talks a bit about how his kids were recruited over the years. It's pretty cool when the coach is reaching out and making you feel special. That's what I've heard at least. Lance says it's great. We really don't like Lance. Corwin introduces class to the podcast. We're not sure if we like it or not. We definitely like him.

Special Announcement from the YHP gang.

What is the worst thing that someone on your own team has said to you? I can tell you that the nastiest comments come from your "friends" in the stands. Rolly has some history with parents who have tried to get him banned from a rink. Rolly! The nicest guy around. Lance is pretty well known all over the country for the skirmishes with parents on his own team

Lance has a great topic. How do you deal with the outcast on the team. Is there a way to draw them in? Is it better to leave it alone or rally to a cause. Rolly talks about how friendships are not formed under duress. Sometimes kids need be left alone in dealing with roster issues. Randall talks about parental friction. Hint. There is lots.

Rolly knows stuff. He shows it in this episode. He takes on the profiling of skates and how that effects a skater and what they can do on the ice. He mainly sticks to two of the systems for profiling skates, but he gives great advice for those in the market to do some aftermarket upgrading of the blade. Randall talks about how he always trusts any skate shop that employs a guy named Doug. Doug knows how to sharpen skates. Lance asks questions about when skate profiling should be on the agenda for a young skater. He also manages to make us all laugh twice.

Randall has a story from his kids playing league hockey. One kid was getting a beat down and the other came to the rescue. It's not fun to get in a fight, but a brother can sometimes be good at having your back. Rolly has insights on teams that have multiple returning players and those that are fresh starts for everyone. The chemistry is different. The culture is sometimes different. Lance loves the ducks. He credits them for the formation of ice in So. Cal. A duck could crap in his path and he would shine his shoes with the droppings.

Rolly talks about some of the meager options to watch your kid play hockey at tournaments and local rinks. New Youtube options are especially interesting to the crew. Randall talks about hockey for girls. His daughter is currently playing. The landscape is interesting and the rules are different (just like in the game). But in the end, the sport is a great one for the maidens of mayhem (a real team in Iowa). Lance is so checked out that when I listened to this, I took a shot every time he talked. Stone cold sober at the end.

Lance does not like the new numbers for youth sport participation. He remembers some things that pushed his kids away. Rolly thinks that coaches need to modulate their approach to the younger groups. Randall thinks that the phone somewhat is replacing the kids' enthusiasm for activity. It also is replacing other parts of the growth of some kids. Kathy joins the podcast with invaluable insights on how a kid views hockey. And how a mom views hockey through their kids' eyes.

The podcast talks about how teams sometimes fold in the middle of the season. It's something that seems like it's an extraordinary circumstance, but it happens more than people think. Lance talks about how both his kids were pushed up on the same team then treated less than generously when the season ends. Rolly gives us a cautionary tale about sandbagging.

Randall takes a listener's email on tournaments and turns it into a frenzy of conversation. Rolly talks about the Boston tournaments that only have two periods for the regular games and only one period for the semifinals and finals. He also has a take on the Brick tournament in Edmonton (in a mall). Lance talks a little about Quebec peewee tournament.

Randall decides that the idea of cuts should be part of the stands. Cut the parents. Not the kids. Just kidding, but sometimes it seems like kids are best off on their own. Rolly reports on the Californians on the national team. There is some good news. Kids from the coast are scoring and winning medals. Lance talks about the camps that lead to the national program. His kids kept going to the camps and having great memories of hockey glory.