Making Plays vs. Playing It Safe
Safe hockey—a method of playing the game focused on giving youth teams better chances at winning—sounds like a good thing, right? Unfortunately, what safe hockey amounts to is simply playing it safe. In this “game of territory,” coaches discourage players from making hockey plays for fear of losing the puck and potentially getting scored against. Instead, players are encouraged to dump the puck in the offensive zone as opposed to trying to make a play on the initial rush. As a professional coach and player, I believe it is the biggest inhibitor of development that exists in youth hockey. Read more
How to Prevent Tetanus & Bacterial Meningitis
Get cut by an ice skate blade and the first thing you’ll hear is “When was your last tetanus shot?” No matter how careful you are, players, coaches, parents and siblings can be vulnerable to skate cuts — particularly when you spend a lot of time in crowded locker rooms. While scheduling physicals for back-to-school and/or back-to-hockey, find out if you and your kids need tetanus shot boosters. Kids generally receive tetanus immunization with the DTaP vaccine at 4 to 6 years and 11 to 12 years. Tetanus shots require a booster every 10 years. For more information, visit the Children’s Medical Center. Read more
Glossary: The Plus/Minus
In school, did you want to see a B+ or B– on your report card? You probably wanted a B+ and so did your parents—because everyone knows getting a “plus” is better than getting a “minus.” The same goes for hockey. Much like academic grades, the plus/minus system in hockey is a basic way to rate each individual player’s performance. When an even-strength or shorthanded goal is scored, every player on the ice for the scoring team is rewarded a “plus.” Every player on the ice for the team scored against is given a “minus.” A player’s overall total is calculated by subtracting the minuses from the pluses. (Note that power play goals — during which one team is shorthanded — do not count toward either team’s plus/minus.) Read more
Breaking (Up) the Ice
Playing hockey on a cross-ice or half-size “rink” seems to make sense for the 8 and under crowd. All other youth sports—football, basketball, baseball, soccer—reduce the size of the playing area. But since this spring, when USA Hockey announced it as the official new norm for all 8 and under players, you can’t go to a rink without overhearing plenty of chatter, questions and complaints on this topic. We asked a USA Hockey representative for help with parents’ biggest concerns. Read more
