ice times magazine

“Keep your kids out of hot water, put them on ice” DECEMBER 2009 PRICELE$$

INSIDE For The Good of the Game / Life Lessons on Ice / Blade Babe / Cornerstones of a Complete Athlete / The Messenger / MHOA / Behind the Bench

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2 Keep your kids out of hot water – put them on ice! icetimesmagazine.com

Jr. Texas Bahamas win the Canlan Classic AAA Tournament Championship in Las Vegas in last minutes to beat the Vancouver Thunderbirds Midget Team.

www.polaricehousegrapevine.com

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888-878-8465 Keep your kids out of hot water – put them on ice! 3

The Ice Jets Mites – Higgins team traveled to Oklahoma City for the Oktoberfest tournament where they went undefeated and came in first place.

The team scored 35 goals in just 4 games led by Payton Carter and Dawson Bradford. The strong offensive performance was enhanced by the play in the corners and in front of the net by Cade McClain, Evan Paquette, Hunter Berry, and Connor “Bull” Carlisle. The team also only let up only one goal during the entire tournament. Shut outs were registered by goalies Noah Singleton and Austin Compton. The defense controlled the games and pitched in on scoring also led by Shane Weatherly, Ryan Robinson, Peter Adams, and Stephen “Higgy” Higgins.

Hockey meets elegance... Rhile Woertink (DPSC Stars Select Plano - Squirt McBey) has great

moves and techniques!

Connor Clay scoring a hard fought goal.

Cody Arnove (DSS Euless #14) battles for the puck against the Texas Aces.

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Carson Loos, Cooper Hatton, and Alex Evanyk (DJHA Mite Prep Black) celebrate a win.

Brendan Szeremet (DPSC Stars Select Plano - Squirt McBey) taking the puck to the net against

the Penguins.

My First GoalMy name is Hunter Miller and this year I scored my first goal on the Polar Ice House Grizzly Bear Pee-Wee team on an exciting pass from Kaleb Croft. I took the puck to the right hash mark and shot it top shelf left side for my first score with my new team. I was so excited and my whole team cheered.

Traffic Jam!! Lance Szeremet (DJHA Mite Prep Black) collides with Alex Smith

(Texas Aces Mite Prep).

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Keith Andresen, Senior Director,

Hockey Programs

Dr Pepper StarCentersDallas Stars Hockey Club

For the Good of the GameBy Keith Andresen

It’s OK to Dream

Dreaming of being a professional athlete, or having some other

glamorous, high profile career is only natural. This is especially true with children who still have the innocence to be able to dream about having a career in any number of areas such as sports, music or movies. As adults we have to guide our kids and make sure they have the necessary tools to be able to become contributing members of society. At the same time we must try and help each child realize their dreams. There are statistics that will tell you that the chances of a young player making the NHL are extremely slim at best. The Dallas area has produced many fine young hockey players over the past 15 years, but I think we can all agree that, to this point, DFW is not a pipeline to pro hockey. I’m sure there are kids playing right now on DFW area teams that will make it to the NHL, but not many. However, that does not mean the dream should be ignored. There are many levels of hockey before a player reaches the NHL that offer players the opportunity to grow as players and young men and women. When I was playing youth hockey in the Chicago area in the early/mid 1970’s there were nowhere near the number of opportunities to play at the next level. Most pro players came from Canada while NHL players from the United States and Europe were few and far between. The players that did come from

the US were from either Minnesota or the Northeast where hockey had been played for generations. The dream of playing in the NHL seemed unattainable and distant because there was nothing in between that a player in my area could reach for. Today, here in Dallas alone we have any number of great youth programs. From learn to play, recreational and travel/select hockey, all the way through Junior A Tornado and CHL Americans and Brahmas right up to the Dallas Stars, there is a place that you can take your game to the next level if you have the skill and desire. Even if you don’t have the ability to make it to the NHL there are any number of Texas universities that offer hockey programs for students. UT, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UNT, Baylor and SMU all have club teams. Players can focus on education and still enjoy playing at a more competitive level. In order to reach your potential as a player and grow as a person I suggest the following be considered: Set Realistic Goals - If you’re a mite don’t worry about the NHL. Focus on having fun and learning skills. This does not mean playing on a Mite AAA team, as most of the players playing at the high mite and squirt levels are not the high level players by the time they reach bantam and midget. One Step at a Time - Take it slow and have fun. Enjoy and embrace each season. Learn from every coach and

experience and focus your energy on the season at hand. Education First - Nothing replaces a good education. Even the most skilled players can get injured and there are no guarantees. Make sure you prioritize your education and make time for study each day. Never stop learning!! P lay Multiple S por ts and Participate in other Activities - Try to participate in multiple sports in order to grow as an athlete, The skills it takes to place baseball, soccer or football are different from those that it takes to play hockey. However the athleticism and hand-eye coordination developed by playing multiple sports will be invaluable when the time comes for you to concentrate on one sport. Take time for other activities at church, school and in the community. You never know when you’ll find something you will enjoy. Have Fun - If you’ve ever read m y c o l u m n before you know that I believe that FUN must be a part of everything we do. Keeping a positive attitude in your heart and a smile on your face will certainly help you achieve any goal you set. This is the season for dreams, and I hope all of your families Holiday dreams and wishes come true. Happy Holidays and peace to all! ■

Want Do Be An Ice Hockey Official?

New Officials Information Meetings - Fall/Winter 2009-2010 Season

If you are interested in becoming an ice hockey official, Metroplex Ice Hockey Officials Association (MHOA) will be conducting two informational meetings (December 21st and 22nd) to address the commitment, skills and criteria required of the candidates and answer any questions. Candidate officials enter MHOA’s Mentor Program, a training program focused on the initial skill development of new officials. For more information about the meetings contact Bob Williams, Mentor Program Director, at [email protected] with questions or for additional information.

www.mhoa.org

On the CoverDecember 2009Now In Our Fourth Season!On The Cover:Clinton Huffty, Odessa Jackalopes Midget Major A makes a save. Photo sent in by Randy Huffty.

Want to be our next cover shot? Visit our website at www.icetimesmagazine.comand click on “send pics.”

Cover Shot Contest! PARENTS: Send in your picture and if it makes our Cover Shot of the Month you will win a gift certifi cate to

YOU SHOOT. YOU SCORE… THE KEG!

Monthly ColumnsFor The Good of the Game . . . . . . . 5Life Lessons on Ice. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Blade Babe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Cornerstones of a Complete Athlete . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Metroplex Hockey Offi cials Assn. . . 15The Messenger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Hockey From the Neck Up. . . . . . . 18Behind the Bench. . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

WIN A PRIZE!!Find Dorightsomewhere in the magazine. It’s not easy. Email us his location to [email protected] and be entered in for a drawing for a prize.

November’s Winner wasAlaina FaustoCongratulations! Contact us for your prize.

Ice Times Magazine is published monthly by Tink Ink Publications, LLC & distributed free of charge at ice rinks and pro-shops. Copy and Photographs are welcome and must be submitted by the 20th of the month prior to publication. ITM reserves the right to edit, reject or comment editorially on all material contributed. Reproduction in whole or part without express written consent of the Publisher is prohibited.

Kim Tinkham, [email protected]

Publisher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tink Ink PublicationsSpecial Thanks to Connie Holubarfor lending us a hand in the Editing Department

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It takes more than a goalie to defend the net.

Dallas Star Selects celebrate after a goal against McKinney.

Plano West players Eric Stockley, #74 and Brandon Lowery #82 work the puck up the boards against two Jesuit players Michael Mersch, #8 and Garrett Finney, #56.

Joseph Halford #44 away Captain for Rockwall ice hockey varsity team. Joseph was the iron man of the game last night playing 35 minutes of a 45

minute game with one shift being ten minutes straight on defense!A little mite player, Zach Miller (Texas Aces) handles the puck.

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Life Lessons On Ice by Kim Tinkham, Editor

It’s holiday, hockey, and FLU season! This time of year lends to traveling for family celebrations as well as hockey tournaments. With the swine flu and H1N1 virus scares, everyone needs to take precautionary measures. The virus has already affected National Hockey League teams. Detroit Free Press sports writer, Helene St. James wrote “warding off H1N1 is a team effort for the Wings. The Red Wings made sure every player had his own

water bottle and towel all in an effort to ward off the H1N1 virus that’s making the rounds in the NHL.” Some of the 97/98 Dallas Scots Pee-Wees have already been following the Wings example by bringing their own special bottles filled with healthy water to practice and games.

Hockey Wellness – by Lita Regala

97/98 Dallas Scots Pee Wees - Huston Svondrk and Landon Lloyd showing off their “special “bottles

97/98 Dallas Scots Pee Wee- Ricky Regala strength training at Workout 101

For more information about the Scots “special” bottle and liquid nutrients contact Lita Regala, Herbalife Independent distributor 1-888-238-2591 or e-mail: [email protected].

Keeping their energy throughout a game is difficult for many young hockey players, especially during that all important third period and overtime. To attain staying power, players need to develop both upper and lower body strength. During the Christmas break Workout 101 will be holding speed, agility and strength training sessions for all youth hockey players.

Make an appointment now: Call Coach Dan at 214-405-6017, Email: [email protected] or visit us on Face book: workout 101 llc

The other day I ran into a rink to get something and saw several hockey

moms watching their kids practice. It brought back so many memories for me. I wrote this years ago about my feelings about being a hockey mom. Things

haven’t changed.

Wondering and WatchingJ.K. Tinkham

Have you ever wondered what we do this for?The early mornings, the late nights,

the rushing around packing hockey bags and loading them into cars that now smell like old French fries and hockey skates. My friends that aren’t into hockey really don’t understand. There aren’t many of them left. They fell by the wayside when I didn’t have time to do things with them. I just didn’t have time for that sort

of life anymore. I was doing something really important. I was helping my son live out his dream. Or was it his father’s dream that was passed down to him? He wanted to play ice hockey. From the first moment we tied on his first pair of skates he had the ice in his veins. You could see it in his face and hear it in his voice when he said, ‘mom, can we go to the rink?’ At first I wasn’t for spending time and money doing something that I was certain would be short-lived. But as weeks turned into months and the months turned into years. I resigned myself to sit back and watch. I have been watching ever since. I have watched him learn to skate. I have watched him celebrate wins. I have watched teary-eyed losses and I have watched him sacrifice what I thought would be his childhood to play this game.

Have you ever wondered what we do this for? The early mornings, the late nights, the rushing around packing hockey bags and loading them into cars that now smell like old French fries and hockey skates. We do it to watch …Little boys grow into young men. Young men who know the difference between just living your life and loving your life.

Editor’s note: My little boy is now 21 and playing goaltender for the University of Wisconsin-Superior … and I am still watching. ■

IceTimesMagazine


Dylan Johnson #39 races the puck down the ice as his team mates cheer him on.

All Texas hockey fans are encouraged to visit USA Hockey’s website at

usahockey.com/adm to learn about the American Development Model and

Long Term Athlete Development.

All Texas hockey fans should review the weekend event schedule below and come out

to support their favorite local hockey team or player at an upcoming event. The action

will be non-stop, so come on down! Visit the TAHA website for more information.

2010 Planned Events

Jan 30 TAHA Winter Meeting (Dallas)

Jan 29-31 Hockey Weekend Across America

Feb 18-21 States: Tier I (Dallas)Feb 26-28 States: Tier II (Dallas)Mar 12-14 Districts: Tier Girls (Dallas)Mar 12-14 Districts: Tier 1 Youth (AZ)Mar 19-21 TAC Boys/Girls (Dallas)Mar 26-28 Texas Cup HS States (Dallas)Mar 26-28 Nationals: Girls/Womens (WI)

Apr 7-11 Nationals: All Youth (varies)

Apr 14-18 High School Nationals (IL)Apr 14-18 HS Showcase (Pittsburgh)May 6-9 RMD Player Dev. Camp (SLC)

USA Hockey has set January 29-31, 2010 as

“Hockey Weekend Across America”

to celebrate our great game and all who play it. This will also provide some awesome opportunities to those who

haven’t played before. More info is available at

www.usahockey.com by clicking on the icon in

the lower right. Please join TAHA and all USA Hockey members by wearing your

jersey to school Friday, bring a friend to the rink Saturday and honor your

hockey heroes on Sunday.

www.tahahockey.org

IceTimesMagazine


Blade Babe By Scarlett Chambers

If you want to contact Scarlett please email her at [email protected]

Jacie Acker was just a baby when her grandfather introduced her

to gymnastics. As an employee at Pennington Field in Euless, he had the right connections to get her started early. Now a 13 year old student at Hardwood Junior High, she manages to get in three hours of gymnastics practice after school, every Monday thru Friday.

In gymnastics, athletes work out as a team but compete individually. In a way, the same could be said of goalies. Jacie is also a goalie for the Keller Prep team based out of Nytex in North Richland Hills. Both of Jacie’s older brothers; Chris, 18, and Garrett, 16, played hockey growing up. She always wanted to play too but her dad was afraid she would get hurt. “We always played street hockey together. I liked being in the net. When they hit me in the head my dad would go after them.” A small player at only 4’8, it ’s understandable that her dad would want to protect her, but eventually he finally gave in and let her play. Jacie says that at first the boys gave her a tough time, but after some practice and hard work, she earned her teammates respect. Being a gymnast has strengthened her skills with flexibility and quickness, and Jacie says her goalie coach, Billie Pye, has taught her the rest. “Billy is nice to me. He has taught me just about everything,” she says. Jacie is easily recognizable on the ice, sporting as much pink as possible: sticks, socks, laces, jerseys, you name

it. In fact, her pink jersey was custom ordered in honor of her favorite hockey hero, Avril Lavigne. For those who do not know (I know I didn’t), “Avril is a Canadian who was a gymnast and played goalie, too. AND she is only 5’2.” For Christmas, Jacie says she would like to get a kitten but after a “dog meets hamster” mishap last week, she doubts she will find a furry gift in her stocking. “That’s okay. Juicy Couture would be nice, too.” Merry Christmas to all my North Texas Hockey friends and family! ■

Jacie Acker

All High School, Travel and Adult League Teams Contact Us And Try RapidShot Learn more about the latest in Learn more about the latest in hockey technology for shooting accuracy and development. Contact us and learn how.CALL TODAY! 972.679.4203

Attention All Adult League Goalies The Dallas Scots are offering you an The Dallas Scots are offering you an opportunity to work out and use our Boni Goalie Trainer machine. Need to practice or just want to get better? E-mail us and find out how we can [email protected] www.dallasscots.com

ATTENTION: CongratulationsTo all of our teams for continuing toplay with heart and determination

Keep It Going!!!

GO

www.dallasscots.com

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www.KatherineRobertsonPhotography.com

The Cornerstones of a Complete AthleteBy Kellie Schriver

Kellie Schriver L.C.D.C, A.A.C.Substance Abuse Prevention

Specialist &Board Certified

Christian Counselor

The Cornerstones of the “Complete Athlete” is composed of three foundational dimensions: Mind, Body, and Spirit.

During this Christmas Season, I want to focus on the Spirit of the Athlete. The Spirit is defined as the heart, power and drive within the athlete. A strong, connected spirit enables the athlete to be passionate, focused and determined to reach the identified goals they have set for themselves. Our beliefs and attitudes have an impact on how our spirit

feels. We are all born with the need to be touched, loved, connected, and to have a sense of belonging. We all need human touch, and just as important is our need for spiritual touch. I believe we are spiritual beings, having a human experience. We have spiritual footprints left on our hearts that can be comforting, supportive, loving and safe. However, we can allow our spirits to be negatively impacted by the choices we

make, what we do, and how we live. We can also be influenced by what others say, do, or believe about us, if we allow it. Thus, it is important to keep our Spirit healthy by connecting to a God of our understanding, the Holy Spirit, a spiritual truth that feeds our souls. It is true that we feel lost and alone when we do not have human touch and connection, the same is true for our Spiritual connection. Having a healthy spirit enables the Athlete to make sound choices, by living a connected life style and making wise decisions that are based on a solid spiritual foundation. ■

www.tornadohockey.com

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Battle of the Stars - Ryan Machos (#24 DSS Euless) challenges DSS Farmer’s Branch goalie.

Celebrating a goal with a team mate... Sebastian Hale and Alex Evanyk (DJHA Mite Prep Black).

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Midlothian Panthers Varsity Silver wins 1st Place at the Dallas Stars Selects 2009 Fall Round-Up Midget Major Gold.

Texas Aces #4 Grant Kelly speeds to a loose puck.

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# 66 Garrett Philips netting his 5th goal of the night giving Rockwall varsity ice hockey team a win over Grapevine.

www.stonebriarice.com

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Metroplex Hockey Officials Association

Ken ReinhardPresident, MHOA

Local Area Supervisor of Officials, North Texas

USA Hockey

McKinney Bantam goaltender defending against a wrap around.

“Lonely End of the Rink” - Ryan Nicks (DJHA Mite Prep Black).

“I’m baaaaaack”, those famous words uttered by Jack Nicholson in The Shining rang true for me in

November. I returned to working games on ice after my little procedure ( I had a surprise Chanukah present, quadruple by pass) last December. I was cleared to skate in June and OK’d to start working games again in mid August. I waited until November for a lot of reasons, most of all I wasn’t completely comfortable with my physical conditioning to work games. My recovery, per the doctors, has been right on target. Be-ing some what of an athlete, I wanted it to go faster but you just can’t rush Mother Nature. Before stepping out onto the ice, Kathy, my ever supportive wife, nervously waiting near the official’s hallway, grabbed Bob Watkins ( Bob was the referee on my “last game” and a great friend) and told him to look out for me, that if looked woozy or at all in any trouble to stop the game and get me off the ice. Bob promised, just like a big brother, he would take care of everything. I extended my skate out on the ice on Nov 12th. Mike Kelly, Head

Coach of Flower Mound HS greeted me with a big Irish hug and Laddy Tressel of Grapevine extended his hand and told me it was good to see me back. I am usually nervous before any game, but this time more so. I didn’t know how I would perform. What was skating in public sessions, now had to change to “officiating skating” and that means quick transitions, stops and starts, recognizing situations, getting to and being in position and making the call. During the course of the game, I noticed my USA Hockey crest had come loose

from my sweater. I patted down the crest over the left side of my chest and scared the heck out of Becky, the scorekeeper (sorry Becky). It all went well and things settled into normalcy. Since that night, I have worked a number of games and been welcomed back by many of you. Let

me tell you all, it is good to be back on the ice but most importantly, it is good to see all of you too. Happy Holidays. ■

IceTimesMagazine


Plano West goalie Brendan McLean #76 keeps his eye on the puck while Patrick Snell #34 defends against Jesuit player John LeFlore,#6.

Kyle Tonoli racing to the Puck!

www.playersbench.com

IceTimesMagazine


Mike Schwarz, Team Manager, on the outside, will always be a goalie parent on the inside.

The Messenger: Tales of a Team ManagerBy Mike Schwarz

Austin Roadrunners Goalie #33 Denver Coddington making a save in route to the Fall Roundup Championship. Vili Lappalainen looks for the puck.

Last weekend I went to the great Northwest to visit Goalie Son at

college and got to see him play in a couple of games. It had been about seven months since I’d last seen him in net in a game. I was so looking forward to it. Sure enough, I learned a great deal at college. When it comes to Goalie Son’s school, Gonzaga University, you can’t get there f rom here, well almost. The airway to Spokane runs through Denver, Minneapolis or Salt Lake City. Month’s ago I picked the SLC route, and good fortune had me traveling up north on the eve of the UTEs visit to Amon Carter in Fort Worth. The plane was full of red sweatshirts and UTAH alums heading out of Cowtown. (They must have known.) On the flight, I got to play passive aggressive and whined that I hoped their alma mater would be gentle on TCU the next day. (They certainly were.) Dang, I so wish I could have been with all those same folks on the flight back on Sunday! My son plays for the GU club hockey team. No, it’s not NCAA, but that didn’t seem to matter to the teams on the ice. They were still competing on a rink, and they had the name of their schools emblazoned on their jerseys. How cool is that? I arrived at the rink earlier than most fans. Goalie Son went without me to the rink with his team, so he was already in the locker room getting ready. I sat in the stands marveling, as I always do, at

the apparently infinite number of ways a building can be built around an ice rink. Not all rinks look like the Dr Pepper Star Center cookie cutter. I clicked off all the differences from our North Texas home rinks. The most obvious was the fact that the benches were on opposite sides of the ice! Maybe this barn was designed by a football player? The game was scheduled to start at 10:30pm, which in and of itself I found amazing. Dusting off the cobwebs, I tried to imagine what I would be doing in college at that time on a Friday and Saturday night. Suffice to say, organized sports wouldn’t have been on any of my to-do lists. I say the start time was “scheduled” because the visiting team, Boise State, arrived fifteen minutes late. Seems as though their scheduled 8-hour car ride was interrupted by 90 minutes on the side of the road to let a snowstorm play on through! I share these details to highlight just how much these kids have to wanna play the game. They all must go through a great deal just to get to the puck drop. The single moment I had been anticipating for months was every bit as special as I had imagined. Goalie Son led his team out of their locker room, onto the ice. It was one of those very special Kodak-moments, which will be etched in my memory for a very long time. I wished I had one of those fancy cameras, with the mega- lenses, so that I could have a photo for my desk, next to all those other hockey photos. Did

you know that you can’t see the face of a goalie in a game photo!? I got to refine the vision twice more, as they have an intermission between periods, so that the ice could be zammed. Their periods are twenty minutes long, which my son warned me, made the game very long. Indeed, at that time of night, everything seems slow. With the drop of the puck, the game of hockey returned. There was a bleacher full of some GU students, who cheered at goals, but clearly didn’t understand the rest of the game. I sat on the other end of the rink, the home (defensive, of course) end, with a girlfriend of one ZAG and another set of parents who had flown in from Flagstaff. Well, truth be told, I did slip down to the other end of the rink in the second period, to get a better view of Goalie Son. Some habits die hard. The game was enjoyable although it didn’t go the ZAGS way. I enjoyed watching all the saves, not so much the goals. But it was a different game, with son in goal, unlike watching the games for the team I manage. These games were personal, which I guess is why we parents are so involved in youth hockey. Here’s a hint: even when it’s not “youth” anymore, it’s still special seeing kiddo do his thing. Funny though, there were no stomach knots for this netminder parent anywhere during these games. Perhaps, distance and time between game views makes the goalie dad’s tummy grow fonder? I waited for Goalie Son after the

game, as we agreed that I would, to take him to campus. What is it with goalies? Some things never change. He was still the last one out of his locker room. And, as I waited in the lobby and looked at my watch, I saw 2:20am. Wow, with the time zone difference I had been awake 24 hours. Deja Vu: I pulled an all-nighter at college. No wonder I was falling asleep. We drove home to the dorm, and it was just like all the previous post game drives. Each goal was reviewed, and he even ‘fessed up to couple that may have been a bit soft. And, he still hates losing. But, I guess that’s the secret ingredient. After all, without that deep, competitive spirit what could possibly drive him and his teammates onto the ice at 10:30pm on a weekend night?

To be continued… ■

IceTimesMagazine


In the 1998-99 hockey season the legendary NHL head coach Roger

Nielsen invited his teams’ sports psychologists to one of his Philadelphia Flyers team meetings. During the meeting an informal show-of-hands team poll was taken by the sports psychologist asking one simple question. “What percentage of the game do you think is mental?” An interesting if not intriguing question-don’t you think? I am sure percentages will vary greatly from person-to-person while each of you tries to make up your own minds concerning this question. While some may believe this poll is relatively unimportant; author Saul Miller believed itwas important enough to include it onpage 3 of his book Hockey Tough. The results of the Philadelphia Flyer team poll can best be told by quoting the following excerpt from Miller’s book: “Raise your hands when you get tothe percentage you think is the best answer.” According to Roger, no one raised his hands at 30%, 40 percent or even 50 percent. A few hands were raised at 60 percent and a few more that 70 percent, but most of the players raise their hands at 80 percent. After reading the results of this impromptu polling question, your response is probably much like my own after reading it for the first time. I was surprised, to say the least. But after pondering it for a while it became apparent to me that the results weren’t as extraordinary as I initially thought. This is because there are so many extraordinary abilities, both physical and mental, that are needed to play professional hockey at the highest level. Ice hockey training today has evolved considerably over the last four decades. Ever since the Summit series between the NHL and the Russian National team in the fall of 1972, the North American hockey game has evolved into a hybrid of

old time, hard-hitting, Canadian theory combined with an increasing emphasis on the European game. While I believeEuropean training has made the game better and more fun to watch overall, I feel it has changed our overall method of training, which may be well suited to European hockey needs, but I believe leaves gaps in our own training procedures here in the United States. As in many other aspects of our lives, hockey training has becoming more specialized, concentrating on specific weaknesses and deficits of our players. Unfortunately, these areas of specialization tend to overwhelmingly focus on the physical aspect of the game, not the mental aspect of hockey. And if you think about it for a second or two, isn’t it the mental understanding of the game of hockey that truly makes us hockey players? It is, and always has been, the mental understanding of the game of hockey which separates the above-average hockey player from the above-average pond skater. When coaches and scouts are evaluating hockey players of similar physical abilities, it is the player who has a better understanding of concepts, systems and tactics, as well as a greater understanding of “reading and reacting” to each and every play, who will usually succeed. And who would know better how important the mental aspect of the game is than NHL players who have reached the pinnacle of their sport. While this obscure pole taken by the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team may be considered unscientific, don’t you think it says something about the importance that these particular players put on the mental aspect of the game. If we can assume that these players were all being truthful when giving their responses, what should their answers tell us about our current youth hockey training practices with respect to including the mental aspect of the game as part of a

training curriculum? Over the past two decades a hockey skills cottage industry has emerged, supplementing individual players training and skills. It’s not very hard nowadays to find hockey skills classes to shore up a player’s deficiencies and improve their physical skills. On-ice as well as dry land sessions abound,in the hopes of improving perceived deficiencies such as strength, speed, quickness, stride, stick handling and shooting. But when was the last time you saw a hockey class or clinic being advertised that could help improve your hockey player’s ability to read and react, understand hockey concepts, or improve their knowledge of team skills or tactics. D uring a recent telephone conversation with USA hockey’s Ken Martel, director of the American Developmental Model, I asked him, ” At what point during a players development does the mental aspect of the game become more than 50 percent of their game?” Martel’s belief is that the mental games “tippingpoint” should happen at the high school and midget levels. My next question is to the hockey community at large. If more than 50 percent of the game of hockey becomes mental sometime during high school and midget years, what percentage would be appropriate for hockey’s movers and shakers, who make the decisions on our training practices and procedures, to start emphasizing the mental aspect of the game more? Many of the decision-makers of hockey training, in our country, believe the “Magic bullet” to creating a better hockey player is to embrace the European method of training. For decades the proverbial “European training tail” has been wagging the “American hockey dog.” We follow the European’s training lead because of the phenomenal success they have had elevating their players to the NHL ranks. But is the answer

to America’s diverse training needs solutions that have been developed for small countries with an abundance of ice slots? The European method of training is much more closely scrutinized and controlled there than here in America. Coaches’ training is considerably more rigorous and extensive in these small European countries; and I doubt many organizations in the US could match the 3 to 1, practice-to-game ratios that are common in countries such as Sweden. Dry land strength and quickness training is a part of the European training regimen, just like it is in the United States. But the vast majority of the game is learned through tightly controlled and coordinated on ice practices, with challenging drill progression that not only teaches the physical aspect of the game, but through continuous repetition and evolution, eventually elevates a player’s mental understanding of the game as well. This wouldn’t be possible except for an extremely well-organized country wide coaching effort, as well as an abundance of ice time to meet theirtraining goals. In many instances the European training we use here in the states can significantly improve our player’s physical skills and hockey abilities. For the most part our use of the European model is meant to improve the player’s individual physical hockey skills. I’ve come to the belief while observing many of these on ice skills sessions throughout the years that while they can significantly improve a hockey players physical abilities they unfortunately bring little to the table with respect to the mental aspect of the game. The mistake that we make here in the United States is that we believe that by following the European model of skills training, we will naturally elevate a “greater majority” of our players “overall” hockey skills. Unfortunately

Ice Hockey From the Neck Upby Paul O’Donnell

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Paul O'Donnell currently writes for the Hockey Stop Magazine. He has been coaching in the Chicagoland Area for the past 25 years. Paul grew up in The Greater Boston Area in played college hockey for Salem State College in Massachusetts.


Graham Horrocks (#31 DSS Euless) rises to the challenge of #9 DSS Farmer’s Branch.

without a greater overall coordinated coaching effort, as well as more ice time for players at every level, I fear we will only elevating a “greater minority” of our players “physical” skills. Due to the sheer size of our country as well as the vast numbers of hockey players that we have in the United States, I doubt we could ever reach the level of cooperation or the abundance of ice time to which our European neighbors are so accustomed. So, why is there little or no interest in developing a training regimen that focuses on an aspect of the game, that one of the leading training authorities in the country agrees, becomes more than 50 percent of the average hockey players game by the time they reach the high school and midget levels? Is it a lack of knowledge, caring, understanding or a combination or some combination of all three? Maybe it’s none of these things; maybe it’s just unexplored territory that many coaches haven’t thought about or contemplated as a viable coaching tool. Whatever the reasons are, it is my intention to shed some light on this

Nice catch by Reid Robertson (DPSC Stars Select Plano - Squirt McBey) against DJHA.

little-known aspect of hockey training. This column will be dedicated to the pursuit of exploring the mental aspect, of the game of hockey. My intent is to educate readers on aspects of the mental game such as the nomenclature, hockey concepts, systems and tactics, as well as the processes that make the difference between “a real hockey player” and “an above average pond skater.” I hope you’ll find these future columns interesting and informative, but most of all educational between “a real hockey player” and “an above average pond skater.” I hope you’ll find these future columns interesting and informative, but most of all educational. ■

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BEHIND THE BENCH By Mark Dyslin

Mark Dyslin has been coaching youth sports for over 15 years and coaching youth hockey since 1999. He is currently one of the coaches for St. Mark’s Junior Varsity Hockey Team.

Plano West players Eric Stockley, #74 and Brandon Lowery #82 work the puck up the boards against two Jesuit players Michael Mersch, #8

and Garrett Finney, #56.

Zachary Taylor (#4) of the Houston Hitmen Mites.

Houston Hitmen won the Silver Stick Mite Division

Tournament this year.

Coaching high school teams over a long period will produce predictable

and unforeseen events. Not the least of which is actually growing to like these kids. It’s amazing watching them trans-mogrify into men over a four year span. We have seven seniors this year. This group has been challenging (read: pain in the butt), determined, and enter-taining. Five months from now they’ll be college boys and out of my life; and just when they are getting interesting! I’ll go to their graduation and sit in the back so they can’t see me getting misty. If I’m lucky I’ll see a couple of them a year from now; but that will probably be the last time. What I will always have are the memories (at least for as long as my three remain-ing brain cells continue cogitating). I have been writing this column for

almost three years. Since the first issue Matt Miller has been bugging me to write about him. For nearly three years I have put him off. But a few months ago I agreed (I wasn’t really paying at-tention and absent mindedly mumbled some sort of positive sounding acqui-escence). My pact with the devil was registered. I was on the hook. Actually, what I really was my editor won't print. I have fretted about it ever since. Then it struck me like a puck between the eyes: recall how each senior brought something special that forged the team's personality. Individual traits that, as coaches, we try to take advan-tage of for the benefit of the whole. So here are my class of 2010 memories: Ar ya: You work hard every shift, every practice and are so dedi-cated, but capiche that this is a game.

Connor: Wicked humor and equally wicked tenacity; never quit “cam-paigning” and seeing the greater good. Elliot: Mom thought you were too small, but you play like you’re 6’4” and you wear your love of hockey like a medal. Matt: Watching you play, the phrase “just enjoy the game” is no longer cliche’ (and thanks for bugging me to do this). Peter: Hated that you played football, but love your determination. Tom: You play and lead this team with passion; don’t forget they’ll be watching for mouth guards. Web: I'm so glad you decided to play hockey again, that you wanted to have fun doing it, and you found it here. Thank you boys, I am proud of you all! (Now leave me alone, Matt.) ■

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Texas Aces Goalie Luc Boulanger stretching to make a save.

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Bulldogs Win Midget Minor Platinum DivisionReggie Hall’s U16 Midget Minor Bulldog team defeated the Dallas Stars Elite

95 Tier 1 today 5-2 to claim the Midget Minor Platinum Division title in the Dallas Stars Selects Texas Shootout.

Dallas Scots PW 98: Colin Brignola (23) and Stanley Liu (16) clearing traffic in front of Goalie Landon Brower.

Maksim Watton, Penguins Mite Black vs Texas Aces Mite Prep.

Kyle Mills and Rafael Praysner hustling after the puck.

Jordan Cloud (#16) faces a group of McKinney opponents at the new McKinney DPSC at Craig Ranch.

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