Tournament Time for The Puck Hog

We welcomed Cy to The Puck Hog Team

The real Sophia signs copies of The Puck Hog

Sophia and I enjoyed meeting everyone and signing copies of The Puck Hog this weekend at the Center State Mite Jamboree 2012. Great turnout and a great discussion about children's youth hockey experiences. "We had a puck hog on our team," said one little boy, " and he really made it stink!"  He sounds like one of the characters in the book!   Hopefully the message will sink in and we can all work at putting fun back into the fundamentals of youth hockey!

Elbow Pads for Youth Hockey

Click on the video above for advice on picking the right pads for Mite, Squirt or Pee Wee hockey players. Below for your high school hockey player.

McKie Sports Shop

1005 State Fair Blvd.

Syracuse, New York 13209

(315) 487-2010

Sometimes Grandfather Knows Best

We weren't on home ice, so I expected to see unfamiliar faces in the locker room for the Saturday spring hockey clinic that we decided to give a try. Making a slow entrance into the locker room was an elderly gentleman, one fist clenched around a handle as he wheeled an overstuffed hockey bag behind him. A young hockey player, I'm guessing around 7 years old, flew past him and picked a spot on the bench right next to us. As I laced up my daughter's skates, the elder man settled the bag near ours, and eased his way down onto one knee, slightly moaning under his breath...'hang in there knees.' Unzipping the hockey bag unleashed that familiar, foul smell. "Ah," he said, " Some things never change."I laughed as I turned to him and asked, " Is this a second generation of smelly hockey bags?"

"Oh, yeah," he said, "...had three sons go all the way up and even play some hockey in college. Been around it, a long time. Feels good to be back in the locker room with the grandson. Doesn't smell too good, but it feels good. Brings back a lot of memories."
I thought for a moment, about all the memories he most be holding on to...all those heartbreaking losses and hard-fought wins those twinkling eyes must have witnessed. Got to treasure these times, I thought to myself.

I was impressed by how quickly he got his grandson suited up, while I was still struggling to press those stubborn snaps together on my daughter's helmet. (Reminds me, one of the snaps is about to snap off again) His grandson was obviously eager to beat everyone else out of the locker room, and onto the ice. Before making his mad dash, he made a bold prediction, as his grandfather struggled to get back up on his feet, using the hockey stick as a cane. As he handed the boy his stick, the child blurted out, "Get ready to count all my goals grandpa, 'cause I bet I can out-shoot any one of these kids."

Grandpa took the stick back and said, "You're not getting this back, until I hear a promise from you." "Whaaaat grandpa,"as if he's heard a few lectures from grandpa before. " I would be more impressed to see assists out there young man. So let's see you work on your passing too. Got it? Never cared much for puck hogs."

"Ooooh....kay...," he said with his head down, as the stick was returned to his glove. The grandfather smiled,turned to me and said..." I guess there are some other things that never change. Had to give that same lecture to his dad, 'bout the same age. Took awhile, even took him out of a few games because of his pork-chop attitude, but eventually he learned. In high school, he made team captain and the coach said he was the heart and soul of the team. Proud moment for me,as he choked up and smiled at his young grandson. Hockey gave me a lot of proud moments. "

I bet he'll have many more with his talented grandson, who made a point of passing the puck to my daughter, when he could have easily scored himself.

Another Season of Hockey Ends

by Tammie Vivlamore

The Off-Season Begins
Which means parents can breathe for a moment and catch up on all the things that they tend to put aside during the games, practices and travel of hockey season. A season that cost us all time, energy and precious sleep. Wow, you actually get to see your spouse for more than 30 seconds at a time! The end of the season means your kids are a little stronger, a little taller, and a little less hungry (or not)! Not much winter cushion on a hockey player!

Time for an Ice Break?
Nothing wrong with that! It’s okay to play a little hooky from playing hockey. You should not extend yourself and your pocket book trying to find ice time or a summer league if your child really doesn’t want to keep skating. A break from the ice can be a good thing. Whether you know it or not, a lot of non-hockey games are excellent for postseason conditioning.

Conditioning is Key
Conditioning is physical and/or mental activities that prepare an athlete for an upcoming season or performance. It is primarily done by serious athletes that have a specific goal they are trying to reach such as the Olympics, NHL, college, juniors, high school, etc.

Specific conditioning is generally not stressed until an athlete is at or close to high school age and that athlete has a specific goal in mind. “Strides” is a popular conditioning program for hockey, soccer and lacrosse. Strides is held at the CNY Family Center on Jones Road in Baldwinsville as well as other locations. ESL Arena in Rochester offers a skating treadmill and various off-season conditioning programs. The results of these programs vary especially for the younger athletes.

Get Down with Down Time
USA Hockey recommends down time for all hockey players especially young hockey players. Down time is simply time away from a sport or activity. Down time gives the muscles (including brain) a much needed rest from the sport or activity. It also is a good way to prevent burnout. Down time allows the player to pursue other interests, activities or just take in a little rest and relaxation.

Scoring Off the Ice
USA Hockey and many NHL players (current and past) recommend playing other sports or doing other activities though out the year. For the younger hockey players, this is all the conditioning they really need for next hockey season. Many coaches and talent scouts believe that athletes that participated in more than one sport before college make better athletes in their chosen sport in college.

Different sports work different muscles and promote thought and creativity which can be carried over to hockey season. If young athletes choose to play soccer, lacrosse, baseball, football or any combination of sports, they will be learning maneuvering, body contact, positioning and team play as well as strengthening their muscles, lungs and heart. Whether they know it or not they will be conditioning themselves for next hockey season.


Musical Scores
Some athletes such as Ryan Miller and Henrik Lundqvist believe that music and art can be excellent conditioners. Both Miller and Lundqvist are guitarists in bands. Miller’s band has played in Rochester and Michigan in past off seasons. Both goalies believe that playing the guitar has a calming effect, clears the mind and helps increase dexterity and reaction time. Does this work? Check out their stats on NHL.com

Still Itching for Ice Time?
After all these activities if your child still wants to get on the ice to improve or get a better shot at making that travel team, a clinic or two might be a good option. Clinics generally focus on skating or a specific area of hockey. For parents, there's plenty to consider when weighing options including cost, location and scheduling.

Top Notch Skating Clinic
Maximum Development, www.mdhockey.com, is being held at Greater Baldwinsville Ice Arena in August. MD focuses on skating. They break it down and really stress stride and proper skating mechanics.

Specialized Clinic
Turcotte Stick Handling, www.Turcottehockey.com, will also be held at Greater Baldwinsville Ice Arena in August. They are a specialized clinic focusing strictly on stick handling. They teach the skills that can be worked on in the yard or basement. (You don’t need ice to practice stick handling). Most hockey practices do not focus on stick handling. Coaches expect players will work on those skills on their own time.

Finding the Right Fit
A week is too much ice time for your child over the summer? No problem. Check your local ice hockey association or ice rinks websites. Coaches from different organizations hold week night clinics through out the summer. Some charge for a certain number of clinics (one a week for six weeks or so). Some charge for only what you attend ($10 an hour, for example).

Greater Baldwinsville Ice Arena will hold Sunday clinics again. Check out their website for details, http://www.bvilleice.com/. They have even added a peewee/bantam session this season.

Your child wants to just play and have fun without concentrating on …huh…skills?
Some of the year round ice rinks offer youth summer hockey in some form. Cicero sometimes holds youth summer hockey. These are usually no contact games that happen once or twice a week. Greater Baldwinsville Ice Arena has held 3 on 3 leagues. These are fast paced cross ice games of 3 skaters aside. Check out the rinks websites to see what they have in store for the summer. Check them regularly, they change frequently.

OMG! Enough hockey!There are many options for conditioning. If you and your children do nothing else this off-season, enjoy your “no hockey” time and stay in contact with the friends you made during the season. Next season will surely be more fun as a result.

New In The Net

THE ULTIMATE DEFENDER

by hockey mom Dawn O'Neill

Let me introduce myself...I'm the mom of a first-time goalie (now 7). I would like to share some of my journey, as we wrap up our first season in our newly found world of youth hockey.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

It all started last December, when my then six-year old son, begged me for weeks on end to take him skating. It came as a bit of a shock, since he NEVER strapped on a pair of skates in his life! I finally succumbed to his begging and pleading. One Sunday afternoon, I took him to our neighborhood ice rink in Radisson. Being ill-prepared, I dressed him just in jeans and a coat. I slapped on a pair of rental skates and got him laced up for what would be a really rocky first start. During our first 30 minutes of "open skate" as we now know it, my son fell nearly 100 times. With each fall, came the tears and I could see the "Mom, I want to go home now" coming my way. Not being a quitter myself, I encouraged him up again and again. To my surprise, by the end of the hour and a half, he was running across the ice and I could barely keep up. It was this day, that our hockey journey began.

THE BIG REVEAL

We continued to skate every Sunday for the next few months, and then that fateful, exuberant phrase was spoken, "Mom, I want to play hockey!" Before I go on, I need to share something with you. There were two sports that I did NOT want my sons playing and yes you guessed it, HOCKEY was one of them. (the other was football)

If you could see the love in his eyes when he exclaimed to me his desire to play hockey, you would understand why we mothers do what we do....we forfeit our nights and weekends for our children's' enjoyment in all that they love to do. As we continued our new venture into this very unfamiliar sport's territory, I reached out to people I knew and found good contacts in the Lysander Youth Hockey Association. So, we started taking those Sunday skating clinics to strengthen the skills of this new, young player. THEN came the most exuberant claim from my little guy, "Mom, I want to be a GOALIE!" I thought to myself, "Oh, my goodness, it's bad enough he wants to play hockey, but now he wants to be goalie?" So, not only does he want to play a sport that requires a lot of time and money, but now he wants to play THE MOST EXPENSIVE position. Yikes!

SIGNING UP

So off we went. He began taking goalie clinics. He did all the formalities of registering for the league. Then came the tryouts, where he declared his intent on being a goalie, but he tried out for player as well. To our surprise, he stepped right over the Mite C level and into Mite B. So far, so good. Then came THE big day, our first game in Geneva and he was starting goalie. Now, if that doesn't put a lump in your throat and triple your heart rate, I don't know what will! While we have all watched our kids "perform" either in a play or a concert, there is NOTHING like being a goalie mom and watching from the stands as your six-year old gets "shot on" and "poke checked" with the whole intent of breaking him down and finding his weak spot or that open "5 hole." Being a goalie (like it or not), means you take the weight of the whole world on your shoulders! Looking into a son's heart and soul after a loss (and a win) will bring tears to your eyes! Whether the team played as a team, failed to defend, or simply got out-played, he feels the defeat into his core. Or, the time when he played one of the best games of his life with a 1-1 tie with 15 seconds left, only to see the other team "stack the line" and poke at him until they wore him down and jammed the puck in with 7 seconds left. Ouch, that one hurt! I never sit down during a game and have an extreme level of nervous energy the minute he steps out onto the ice until the final buzzer. Nonetheless, I am the proudest mom in the stands when they skate off the ice. I give him my hugs, win or lose. I always tell him how very proud I am of him for always playing with heart.

NET GAINS

When I look at my son and when he asks, "Mom, will you shoot on me?" (24/7) or when he says, "Mom, I just wish I was in net today!" Or, "Mom, I'm going to be the next Ryan Miller and play for the Sabres, "... I know in my heart of hearts, this is worth it! And...he's good. (Well, what mom doesn't think that?)

Being a goalie is like no other position on the team. For a goalie mom, the ups are the most exhilarating sight to see, as the team piles on your son mid-ice because he made all those saves and they got the win. Or, when you get told, even after a loss, that your son just broke a record with 31 saves! The downs will tear at your heart as he feels a complete let-down to the team. But, in most cases, it's short-lived and often fixed with a trip to Friendly's and he's back at it with the same yearning passion the next time around.

I proudly wear my "Goalie Mom Badge of Honor" and as we finish this first season. I can't wait to see my son "IN NET" again next year, with the same lump in my throat and sense of deep pride every time he skates onto the ice to take his position as the Ultimate Defender.

The Great Outdoor Adventure

Outdoor Hockey Spectacular Under the Lights
by hockey mom Amy Colclough

Spectacular in so many ways! Who had more fun…the players or parents??? Picture a comfortably cold (is there such a thing) evening…snow packed bleachers …thermoses of hot beverages to keep parents and spectators warm. The ice was smooth, the lights bright, the players frisky – coaches in their best winter hats. The first puck drops…the snow begins to fall slowly and steadily. No score sheet, no scoreboard, just kids having fun! The phrase “push the puck” took on a literal sense. The snow was starting to stick – making it…well…sticky to play! During period breaks, players grabbed shovels and helped to clear the ice. Referees were dumping snow into the penalty boxes!
A few exciting breakaways by both sides were combined with sporadic snow angels – making for a truly unique game. As if it’s not enough to be a goalie and have pucks and sometimes bodies coming at you at a bazillion miles per hour, factor in snow and low visibility. All the goalies rose to the occasion making some great saves!

What else could make this game even more spectacular you ask? How about a 2-team bantam pile up at mid-ice for a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity? WAIT…was that a SNOWBALL flying into the stands from the ice? Hence the start of a spectator vs. player snowball fight – personally, I think the spectators won… This was, by all accounts, a spectacular hockey event we did not want to end! Thanks to everyone for making it happen.
Photographs by hockey dad Steve Ratliff

And here's to the frozen fans in the stands!

In two days our kids get to be the spectators at the Fairgrounds to see how the pros play hockey on the race track turned ice rink. Onondaga Couny Executive Joanie Mahoney has declared Saturday hockey day in Syracuse.

Perfecting that Practice

I don't think anyone would question how important practices can be, but maybe you're questioning whether your kids are getting the most out of their practices. Here's some inspiring advice, that just may help get your youth hockey player jacked up for stops, passes, drills and naturally a few spills. The advice comes from Kim McCullough, a former Division I captain at Dartmouth. Kim played in the National Women’s Hockey League for six years and is considered a top expert in the development of aspiring female hockey players. She's the founder/Director of Total Female Hockey and the Girls Hockey Director at the PEAC School for Elite Athletes in Toronto.


Kim's Keys to a Successful Practice

By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

We’ve all been at those practices where no one can make a pass, the goalies can’t stop a beach ball, no one looks like they’re trying and the coach is ready to pull all their hair out. While every team knows that every practice is an opportunity to take your game to the next level, all too often players are guilty of just showing up and going through the motions. There is nothing more frustrating to a coach, parent or player when no one can seem to do a single thing right out on the practice ice.
That’s why I created a 5 Point Practice Performance Plan that will help to keep players focused, coaches sane and teams on track as we start into the busiest part of the season.

1. Finish Every Drill To The End: This is a huge pet peeve of most coaches. There is nothing more frustrating than watching you work hard for 95 percent of the drill and then slowing down or giving up right at the end. Why? Because it’s that last 5 percent that you don’t think matters that really counts. Most players will let up right before the end – and that’s the most important part. Be different. If your coach tells you that the drill finishes at the goal line or on the whistle, go hard until the end. This tells your coaches and your teammates that you are willing to go the extra mile.

2. Play Every 1-on-1 Battle Like It’s Your Last: In games, you will do anything to win a race to the puck or win a battle along the boards. Why don’t you do the same in practice? Coaches like to say that you have to “practice like you play.” Think of it this way – if you don’t go hard on every 1v1 battle in practice, how are you making your teammates better? When they have to face a “real” 1v1 battle in a game, they won’t be prepared because you took it easy on them in practice. You have to want to win every battle – whether it’s a game, tryout or practice. This tells your entire team that you are determined to make yourself and your teammates better.

3. Talk: This is by far the simplest thing you can do in practice to make yourself and your teammates better. It drives me crazy to watch practices and games where players aren’t calling for the puck. I have a rule with my team that if you don’t call for the puck, I won’t pass it to you. It might make players look foolish when they skate past me without a return pass, but they get the message very quickly. When I watch games as a scout and coach, I guarantee you that I will always notice the players that are talking out on the ice. If your goal is to get noticed, this is a no-brainer. This says that you are confident in your positioning and abilities.

4. Follow Your Shots: This might seem like a really small detail – but it’s a huge deal, especially in girls’ hockey. Far too many players take their shots and then practically skate themselves into the corner on the follow through. GO TO THE NET! I am not telling you to run the goalie over, but you would be shocked at how many more opportunities and goals you will get by following your shots. Start programming yourself to do this automatically by stopping in front of the net after every shot you take in practice. Once you get into the habit, you’ll see a huge increase in your opportunities to score.

5. Stay Positive & Help Your Teammates Do The Same:
We all have days out on the ice when we feel like we can’t do anything right. The easy choice is to put yourself down, slam your stick against the boards when you make a mistake and apologize to your teammates for being “so bad.” Don’t make the easy choice – make the hard one. Choose to stay positive even when things aren’t going your way. Don’t apologize for making a bad pass - decide to make the next one better.

These 5 points may seem small but they will make a big difference in how you practice and play.

Get complete access to articles, videos, interviews and advice on how to take your game to the next level at http://www.totalfemalehockeyclub.com/.

Download Your Free Copy of The “7 Point Practice Performance Plan” by clicking on the link below:
http://www.totalfemalehockey.com/practice_performance_plan.shtml