Top 10 Gifts to Give a Coach: Beyond the Gift Card

What do you think happened to that thoughtful gift card to the hockey store you gave the coach last year? Well, the coach already has his own hockey gear and is not likely to outgrow it anytime soon. So the coach probably spent it on stuff for her own kid. Or he spent it on stuff for the team. You might as well have given the coach the little pile of cash you collected for all she gets out of it.

But, as the hockey season wraps up, you know somebody’s going to start taking up a collection. And there’s no doubt that coaches deserve gifts. They volunteer five, 10, 20 hours a week or more for a really long season—plus, they deftly handle kid and parent issues while teaching your kids about sportsmanship and hockey. (Don’t think so? Whether and how much you should contribute to a gift for a coach you don’t like is a conversation for another day.)

I talked to coaches from Mite to Midget about what they really like. Once you get past the obligatory “I don’t expect anything, I do it for the kids,” you get to the meat of what they really like. Read on for ideas.

About That Gift Card

No, they’re not all bad. If you have one of those young coaches with no kid on the team, for example, he might really appreciate a gas card, a grocery store card or even just the cash. But if your coach is, say, a former NHL player, a gift card is a little silly. And some gift cards are more thoughtful than others. A steakhouse gift card is a little nicer than a fast-food card and few female coaches are going to hate a spa gift card. As it turns out, male coaches might be into spas as well. Doug Fessenden, a Bantam assistant coach, says, “Oh…a  massage gift card to rub away the pains those little monsters—oops, I mean angels—caused us.”

Many coaches like gift cards to nice restaurants that are intended to thank both the coach and the spouse who has given up so much. (Choose a nice local spot and feed your local economy.) For coach-and-manager couples, common in the Mite world, a gift certificate for a one-night romantic getaway is not usually out of reach financially.

What do hockey coaches not want in a gift card: Starbucks. Nothing against the chain or coffee, but a Starbucks card is considered the ultimate in thoughtless gift-giving. (Eek, and I’ve given one before!)

Top 10 Gifts

Buy these gifts alone or in combination, depending on the number of coaches and the amount of your collection. Before you decide on a gift, arm yourself with size, dates and personal preferences garnered from a spouse or friend of the coach.

1. Something personal. Whatever you get for the coaches, have your player write a personal message to the coach—and maybe draw a picture—about what he or she learned from the coach that year. Coaches all say that means more than any plaque or gift card as it forces each kid to think about the time the coach devoted and what the coach had to offer. Coaches also like things signed by the whole team, such as a team photo, a T-shirt to wear or a jersey to hang on the wall.


2. Photo items and photo albums. A coffee mug or travel mug with a team picture is great for work—just remember that no adult is going to carry around a cup that says “World’s Best” or “No. 1” anything. Photo albums documenting the season—such as the ones you can make using iPhoto or www.snapfish.com and signed by the players are popular as well. “The best gifts are unique items, like when you get a team photo and each player signs it along with a brief note about what they liked best about the coach and/or the season,” says Paul Avant, a Bantam head coach. “Two years ago, one of the moms put together a photo album that had at least one picture of each player and coach and then had it bound into a nice book. That was really cool because it will last virtually forever.”


3. Framed pictures. Give someone an unframed picture and you know where it is years from now? Unframed in a stack of papers on the desk. Give them a framed picture, and it’s on a bookshelf at work or on the wall.


4. Logo items. A T-shirt, hoodie, jacket or hat from your hockey association. This works best for coaches of younger players who may not already own a hockey wardrobe. Or, look for clothing that is nice enough to wear even without the logo—a nice winter jacket, for example. Some coaches mentioned that they treasure a hoodie or jacket that commemorates a specific team or tournament.


5. Skate/golf towels. A skate/golf towel embroidered with the coach name, team name and logo give coaches a frequent reminder of the kids.


6. Coaching boards. Coaches say they love things that help them be a better coach. Try the Ultimate Playbook Dry Erase Portfolio, which combines a coaching board with a zippered portfolio so coaches can keep all their information in one place. You can personalize these so they don’t get lost.


7. Tickets. Tickets to a baseball game, concert, comedy show—whatever the coach likes. Just don’t get enough tickets for the kids to tag along.


8. Beeswax lotion bars. Mite coaches who are stuck tying skates all day like lotion bars that you rub into your calluses—preferably unscented and not-too-sticky. You can find these at artisan centers or order online (but then you can’t smell or touch).


9. Hockey ties. Choose tasteful ties with either your association’s logo or a hockey-themed pattern. These are great for coaches who seldom wear ties but want one with personality and for coaches who wear ties on the bench. (But don’t kid yourself—an attorney is probably not going to wear one to work.) This gift is a one-timer as nobody needs more than one hockey tie.


10. Jewelry. Many female coaches like Brighton, Silpada or artisan jewelry—something that generates compliments so they can brag, “I got this from my team.” A skate necklace? Not so much.

Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Kelly Anton for this article.

How to Treat Blisters from New Hockey Skates

As hockey parents encounter issues and ask questions, we provide answers to common concerns. What hockey player hasn't had a blister? Here is a reader question we recently received.

Question: Any great ideas on bad blisters from new skates?  We're using liquid bandage and tape, and wondered if there was another great product.

Answer: Funny you should ask that as I have a package of moleskin on my desk right now, ready to go out to the hockey bag. You can buy it in sheets (which my son cuts up and puts in a baggy) or precut. It's really more preventive, than a cure, however.

For blisters, the players tend to use those corn pads with a hole in the center. A parent on my older son's team, who is a pediatrician, does recommend the liquid bandage. (But as you probably know, it can burn!) Also, be sure the skates are tied tight so his or her feet aren't moving around a lot to start with.

Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Kelly Kordes Anton for answering this question.

What’s That Call: About Tripping

Everything you need to know about hockey calls but are embarrassed to ask.

Tripping: Watch — or play in — enough U8 games and you start to yearn for the days when the refs will call penalties. Because at some point, those little cuties go from accidentally falling and losing control of their sticks to purposefully diving and swinging their sticks in any direction that stops the player with the puck. But will this eventually generate a tripping call? Let’s see.

What you need to know about tripping: As it turns out, tripping in hockey is pretty much like tripping in real life. You can’t knock other players off balance with your stick, leg, foot, arm or hand. Tripping is signaled by the referee sweeping a hand past the knee. Usually, a tripping call results in a minor penalty — 2 minutes in the penalty box — leaving the team shorthanded. A tripping call during a scoring opportunity may result in a penalty shot (a shot on the goaltender with no other defenders).

What else is there to know? For example, tripping that causes an injury may result in a major penalty — 5 minutes in the penalty box — plus a game misconduct. You can find other details on pages 90–91 of the 2007–09 Official Rules of Ice Hockey booklet available at www.usahockey.com (pdf).

See it in action:



Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Kelly Kordes Anton for this article.

Total Hockey Review: Warrior Franchise Gloves

Overview: Warrior’s Franchise Gloves are what the pros wear. Very similar to other brands' “pro” gloves in comfort, weight and feel, the Franchise gloves are designed to be game-ready right off the shelf. Franchise is a high-end glove consisting mostly of nylon materials, which are very popular in the NHL because of their light-weight feel and easy break-in time.

Skill Level: Warrior Franchise gloves can be worn at any level, but are designed more for skill levels in the high school to NHL range.

Competition: Bauer Pro Roll, Reebok Pro Roll and Eagle PPF gloves all compare. All of these gloves feature pro-like qualities, like the Franchise gloves.

Video: The below video shows the Warrior Franchise Gloves:



Conclusion: If you want to have hands like the pros then you should consider putting your hands in what the pros are wearing.

Get It Now: Total Hockey is your source for all hockey equipment, including the Warrior Franchise gloves. With a huge selection of equipment from the world’s leading manufacturers, Total Hockey has it all. Visit totalhockey.net today. Total Hockey. We Don’t Do Anything Else.

5 Skate-Sharpening Secrets from a Seasoned Pro

Skate sharpening — an art perfected by pros over the years or a craft any teen at the rink can do? I’d never even heard of skate sharpening when my son started playing hockey. And several years into his hockey career, all I knew was that skates needed to be sharpened after skating on a pond (aka, outside). But I picked up a few things here and there—like it costs or and they need sharpened about once a month. I would just pop into the hockey store nearby, where we had a prepaid sharpening card, and wait for the teenager at the counter to run them through a machine.

But I started to notice that some people are really picky about skate sharpening. My son’s skating instructor sharpens his own at home. Some people hate the sharpening from the hockey stores, others hate the sharpening from this rink and some from that rink. A friend bought his own machine to sharpen his son’s skates. At Bantam tryouts this year, he said he was concerned he might be “holding his son back” because of the “radius.”

I didn’t know anything about the radius, but I scoffed at this. I was confident that my 8-year-old could outskate just about anyone with Kleenex boxes on his feet. (Like Bull Durham winning a golf bet while playing with garden tools, he’d been tearing up the ice for two years in skates handed down from his brother, his brother’s teammates, his brother’s teammates siblings…). Unfortunately, I soon found out that my little guy essentially was skating in Kleenex boxes.

In the last scrimmage of his U8-B year, he fell a lot. The coach mentioned his skates might need sharpened. A new pro shop had recently opened at our local rink—and this one featured a real pro with 20 years experience. Robert Hineline at the Skater’s Edge in Littleton, Colorado, took one look at his skates and said, “These have no rocker.”

If you looked at the profile of his blades, they were almost squared off in the front and back. Hineline demonstrated by trying to rock the skate from heel to toe on the counter. Without a rocker, he says, “It’s hard to rotate with so much blade on the ice, leading to falls during transitions.”

I had to believe Hineline—even though the rocker repair was . He has sharpened skates for many nationally ranked figure skaters along with the Los Angeles Kings. According to his website, “Robert is a machinist by trade. That skill makes his skate sharpening an art, and he is known for his precision.” His top skate-sharpening advice, with not too much jargon, includes:

1. Skates need to be sharpened after every eight to 10 hours of skating time. Depending on how many shifts you get and how long your games are, this might be after, say, four games and six practices.

2. The harder the ice, the sharper skates need to be. If a rink is known to have harder than usual ice for your area, let the sharpener know. If you’re traveling to Canada, the ice there is generally harder.

3. An unskilled skate sharpener can “thrash” skates, causing lasting damage to the blades. If the blades look brown, the sharpener is overheating the skate and taking out the temper (hardness) and the edge will only last for four hours. Plus, it will take five sharpenings for the skates to recover. If the blades look black, the edge will only last two hours.

4. To find an artistic—or at least skilled—skate sharpener, the best thing to do is ask around. Then test the sharpener’s work:

• Rocker: To check the rocker, stand the skate up on a countertop: Only 1/2″ to 2″ of the blade should touch the counter and the skate should rock.


• Hollow & Radius: The hollow is the groove between the two edges, the inside and outside edge of a skate blade. (Never noticed it? Get out those reading glasses). The hollow is measured according to the radius of a circle, with common hollows being 3/8″, 7/16″, and 1/2″. You can test the radius by placing a dime, quarter, or nickel in the groove, respectively.


• Squareness: To see if the hollow is straight, place a pencil on top of the blade. This should be square.

5. Only use a Sweet-Stick hand-held ceramic sharpener for taking the nicks out of blades; if you try to sharpen with one, you can change the entire shape of the blade and bite angle and could cause permanent damage.

You can learn far more about skate sharpening from Robert Hineline here. For more information, you can soon see videos of his work at www.skatersedgeco.com.

Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Kelly Kordes Anton for this article.

Parents and Coaches: What’s That Call? About Icing

Everything you need to know about hockey calls but are embarrassed to ask. Icing - “Ice it!” Spectators yell this all the time when the team just needs to get the puck out of there. Last year, this led my son’s PeeWee coach to give all the parents and players on the team a 12-page test on hockey rules and ref signals. Why? Because most of the time when you yell “Ice it!” what you really mean is “Clear it!”

What you need to know about icing: In short, icing occurs when a player sends the puck from one end of the ice to the other. What makes it icing, versus a clear, is when the puck crosses the goal line, where it often hits the board. Icing is signaled by the linesman, who raises one hand over his head to signal that icing is in play (as the puck heads to the far end of the ice). After the icing is whistled, he folds his arms in front of his chest.

When a team is shorthanded (aka, on a penalty kill), icing is not called and the play continues. At even strength, icing results in a face-off near your goalie, giving the other team a chance to score. Icing, therefore, is not a terrible thing to do while on a penalty kill—but is a bad strategy when you’re not.

*What’s a clear? Sending the puck as far away from your goalie as you can without icing it. Icing is not an effective clear because the penalty brings the puck right back to where it was.

What else is there to know? Well, for example, if the puck goes past the goal line and into the net, that’s not icing—it’s just a plain old goal. You can find other details on pages 73–75 of the 2007–09 Official Rules of Ice Hockey booklet available at www.usahockey.com (pdf).

See it in action:



Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Kelly Kordes Anton for this article.

5 Tournament Survival Secrets

Unlike MLB, the NHL doesn’t play double headers. Somehow, we don’t expect these professional athletes to play two or three games in a single day. Or six to eight over a long weekend. But hockey tournaments and jamborees often involve travel, fast food between games and endless games of hockey knee hockey. Meanwhile the parents are busy, stressed out, tired and over-caffeinated. Under these circumstances, how can you be sure players are physically and mentally ready to play, from the first game to the last, while still having fun?

1. Gear Up: Wash & Toss - A few days before the tournament or jamboree, hold your nose, get out your barbecue tongs and empty out your player’s hockey bag. Wash, toss, clean, repair and restock—whatever it takes to have all the equipment on hand and ready.  In addition, get skates sharpened, check the laces and tape the stick. Inventory everything as you re-pack the bag and pack the car. The last thing you want to do is buy a new stick, or even tape on the road.

2. Rest the Mind: Tunes vs. TV - Todd Smith, a Peewee coach in Colorado, says to rest the mind and body two hours before a game. “Video games and TV have the tendency to over-stimulate our minds and reduce our metabolism well below couch potato level,” Smith says. “Then, when the body is asked to do an extreme activity (hockey), the mind is exhausted and the body is shocked (like waking up after two hours of sleep to a fire alarm).

“If you want to be entertained,” adds Smith, “put on some music using headphones—music actually induces the production of endorphins.” Follow curfews imposed by coaches and, if possible, avoid sleepovers with teammates. Ask the coach for guidance regarding off-ice activities such as skiing, hiking and swimming.

Another coach warns that mental exhaustion can lead to injuries during tournaments. Rich Kennedy, a U8 coach, says, “Especially in tournaments with many games, players will let their guard down/lose focus in situations where they shouldn’t, and end up getting hurt. While coaches do their best to keep on players to not get lazy mentally, they have a lot going on and may miss signs that a player is mentally loafing. Mom and Dad can use their time between games to stress the importance of not losing the mental clarity.”

Kennedy adds that “In losing mental clarity, a player will be skating and working hard but putting himself in very dangerous situations because he is not thinking sharply. An example would be chasing a puck into the corner really hard and not thinking about an opposing player who his chasing and looking for a big hit. If the player is mentally sharp, they will judge all the dynamics correctly and protect against/avoid the hit. A mentally tired player misjudges the situation and ends up getting hurt.”

3. Fuel Up: Bread, No Bull - For out-of-town tournaments, nutritious food can be a challenge. To avoid the pizza/french fry/sugar overload that often results, try to pack fruit, sandwich supplies and low-calorie drinks. Coach Smith’s pre-game tips include:

• Stick with simple carbs (fruit), some complex carbs (pasta, rice, wheat bread) and protein (eggs, turkey).


• Stay away from dairy products and thick liquids.


• For a boost, stick to low quantities of sugar and little caffeine. “It’s been proven that Red Bull and kids don’t mix,” says Coach Smith. “Stay away from these drinks before a game.”


• Eat one hour (or more) before a game.


• Keep quantities of food low before a game.

After the game, focus on simple carbohydrates and lots of protein and lay back on sugar. “High blood sugar sends kids on a roller coaster ride of alertness and action/reaction,” says Coach Smith.

4. Hydrate: Stay Fluid - Theories abound on what and how much to drink before and after games. The consensus seems to be 16–24 oz of water before and a drink with electrolytes after. Coach Smith warns not to fuel up on water alone: “You need salt and potassium (bananas, etc.) to use water. If you drink a lot of water without these ingredients in your body, your body fills the void from cells in the body including organs.”

5. Have Fun: Watch & Play with Passion - Parents and players need to remember that tournaments, and especially jamborees, are for fun. They are great opportunities to get away as a family, see new places, bond with teammates and coaches, and play different teams. Tournament results do not count toward your team’s standings or individual stats.

Cheer with enthusiasm, play with passion and keep it in perspective. “Enjoy the time with your son or daughter. They'll be on their own before you know it and you’ll never get these times back” says Coach Smith, the father of four daughters and a son. “Spend it well.”

Editor's Note: Thank you to  Kelly Kordes Anton for this article.

What’s That Call? About the Slashing Call

What’s That Call? Everything you need to know about hockey calls but are embarrassed to ask.

Slashing - An opinionated former football player is constantly advising my son that he needs to “learn to hit people with his stick.” This man, who can’t seem to understand that he’s not watching lacrosse, needs to learn about slashing.

Here’s what you need to know about slashing: In hockey, the bottom line is you can’t go around hitting people with your stick. If a player is trying to hit something, it better be the puck. No hitting, or even swinging at, other player’s legs, arms, hands, or even the upper part of the stick. You also can’t hack at the goalie while the puck is caught or covered.

The referee indicates slashing with a chopping motion across a straightened forearm. (Demonstrated by Rob Shick of the NHL Officials Association to the right) Slashing earns a player a minor or major penalty, which means they will be in the box for 2 to 10 minutes, or worse. A slashing call leaves the team short-handed (on a penalty kill). And during a penalty kill, the team is more likely to be scored on.

Video: The following video demonstrates the slashing call in action.



What else is there to know? You can read the four-point description of slashing in the 2007–09 Official Rules of Ice Hockey booklet by clicking here (pdf).

Editor's Note: Thank you to Kelly Kordes Anton for this article.

Why Car Coaching Drives Kids Crazy

The following article talks about what players really think about your car coaching. Find out whether they’re rolling their eyes, taking it all in—or both.



The last turn to our neighborhood rink involves the longest red turn arrow in the history of traffic lights. A figure skater we know once confessed that her mother made her cry every morning before practice while waiting at this light. Hockey players dread this light, which always seems to be red, offering parents the opportune time to get in some last-minute car coaching.

But is driving in the car really the best time and place to offer your two cents? Consider this, you are engaged in driving, the most dangerous activity in the United States (statistically speaking). Additionally, ask yourself this question - would you like it if your boss gave you feedback through sidelong glances or comments tossed to the backseat? Learn to quiet the car coach, and you can simultaneously improve your driving and refrain from alienating your kids.

During a tournament/jamboree weekend, we conducted an informal and highly unscientific poll of players ages four through 18 from Colorado, Texas and Wyoming. In response to the question of “How do you feel about car coaching?” We got everything from blank stares to professions of vague tolerance. What we didn’t get was any level of excitement or enjoyment regarding a parent’s last-minute advice or post-game analysis. No matter how irresistible you find car coaching, consider these trends:

• U8/Mites: This group was most likely to not understand the question. With the USA Hockey ADM emphasis on skill building rather than scoring, parents rarely have a reason to engage in car coaching beyond “have fun” and “play hard.” Kids in this group who are car coached let the conversation go in one ear and out the other.


• Squirts: New to competitive hockey and score keeping, this age group absolutely hates car coaching. And, it is even worse when mom or dad is a coach on the bench and in the car. Sorry dad, but a Squirt’s universal survival strategy is to ride with mom whenever possible.


• Peewees: This group is experiencing checking for the first time, so their most common reaction to your advice is “easy for you to say.” When a parent says “be more aggressive” and “use your body,” many players in this age group are thinking, “I’m just trying not to get killed.”


• Bantams: Many of these players are resigned to car coaching. They have experienced few if any years of the kinder, gentler ADM and are accustomed to competition. Their primary concern is that what you say backs up what the coach says. Otherwise, you can end up in a big pre-game argument with a teenager.


• Midgets: A Midget with a driver’s license is often free from regular car coaching episodes.

So, is our advice not to talk on the way to and from games? Absolutely not says Todd Smith, a Peewee coach in Colorado. Provided you’ve mastered the art of driving while making supportive noises, as opposed to a big confrontation—you can have a productive conversation. Smith suggests the following:

• Don’t criticize: Most kids know better than anybody when they do something wrong, mess up or have a bad game. Listening is much more important than speaking. Additionally, active and empathetic listening will strengthen the bond with your child.


• Ask questions on the way to the rink: Ask what they are going to work on during the game. Don’t tell them what they need to work on – that is the coach’s job.


• Be quiet on the way home: Often players need to talk, vent, or sit quietly and think. Their cup is full. You really aren’t going to teach any lessons on the way home from the rink.


• Listen: Ask non-leading questions and let your player lead the conversation to and from the rink.


• Answer honestly: If your player asks questions, be honest and focus the probable consequences of each approach, but leave the decision to them. If you aren’t qualified to answer, suggest someone who they can ask or get the answer yourself and show them the source.


• Consider the teacher: Honestly, most parents know little about the game of hockey. Would you take a college class in debating from a person who has only watched debates? There is no doubt that parents pick up the game, but this is only the tip of the iceberg.


• Don’t blame a bad game on anything: Hockey is a complex and fast game; blaming the refs or coaches or another kid reinforces the view that others control their destiny. This is the number 1 bad lesson in life and in hockey. The kids do control themselves and this lesson will help them deal with self-imposed stress.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to  Kelly Kordes Anton for this article.

What’s That Call? About the Off-Sides Call

What’s That Call?  - Everything you need to know about hockey calls but are embarrassed to ask.

A friend once told me she couldn’t understand off-sides in any sport—because, she asked, “Isn’t that the whole point of the game? Passing ahead and scoring?” My seven-year-old, who is  facing the enforcement of off-sides next year, doesn’t get it either. My husband told him something like, “You can’t cross the blue line ahead of the puck in the attack zone.” Well, when you’ve been playing half-ice and cross-ice, you don’t even have a blue line. And when you’re seven you don’t know what the attack zone is.

Here’s what you need to know about off-sides: A player skating the puck up the ice to score can’t pass to a teammate who is already on the other side of the blue line (for example, parked right in front of the net). In fact, the player can’t even skate the puck past the blue line if a teammate is on the other side of it. When this happens, the linesman (the official without the orange arm bands) raises a hand straight above the head and blows the whistle. The game stops and there’s a face-off in the nearest neutral zone spot. (The neutral zone is basically the middle area, the space between the two blue lines.)

What else is there to know? You can read the two-page description of what constitutes off-sides (skate positioning rather than stick, crossing two lines, etc.) in the Official Rules of Ice Hockey booklet by clicking here (pdf).

Video: Here is a great video that demonstrates the off-sides call in action.



So, in answer to my friend’s question—yes, passing ahead is key to scoring. The problem comes when you pass too far ahead. Then passing ahead becomes more like cheating.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Kelly Kordes Anton for this explanation of the off-sides call.

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