Time to change Jr. Gold's image!

Discussion of Jr Gold (HS Aged Teams Sanctioned by USA Hockey)

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Charliedog
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Joined: Sat Jun 24, 2006 12:55 pm

Time to change Jr. Gold's image!

Post by Charliedog » Wed Sep 26, 2007 4:28 pm

I think it is time to change Jr. Gold's image. These teams are filled with kids who for whatever reason did not make their HS team or chose not to try out. But.....they are still kids who came up through their local associations, whose parents pay taxes and who are chosing to play a winter sport instead of just sitting around.

The current stereotype seems to be a team full of "hacks". Why not make the "A" team a group of kids who are still serious about hockey and who will be dedicated to the team and the coach. Let the "B" team be all about the kids who are just want to mess around, not always show up, or want to go after blood.

When I look at the successful Jr. Gold teams they seem to have one thing in common. The coaches are either paid positions or have at least been interviewed and selected by the board. These are coaches who WANT to coach. This adds a great deal of credibility to the teams. A lot of the associations have dads coaching and some (not all) are only doing it because no one else will. This is really a hit or miss because not all fathers and/or ex hockey players are good coaches.

Some of the JR. Gold kids go on to play on their high school team and some go on to play college hockey. Why you ask should the associations only concern themselves with a small amount of kids. Because.....a) these kids deserve a chance to succeed and to be respected. b)the A bantams teams basically exist for a small number of kids so why not give the same weight to Jr. Gold?

The Jr. Gold skaters can do a lot to improve their image and so can the league by changing the handshake back to the end of the game.

Thanks for listening.

Neutron 14
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Post by Neutron 14 » Wed Sep 26, 2007 5:25 pm

Great post Charliedog. =D>

Pops
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Post by Pops » Thu Sep 27, 2007 11:08 am

Charliedog
the way to change the image of JR. GOLD is to educate people that it has already changed into a great level of hockey.
the so called hack league image is what uneducated poeple assume is what the legue is like. I don't know a whole lot about the B-level, but at
the A-level there are alot of great coaches and players that have turned
this level of hockey into a great place to play and coach.
the Metro hockey league and all involved have done wonders in improving the quality of JR. GOLD.
I believe associations could do a better job of exposing the good things that happen to help expand on the efforts already made.
I also think if associations get to involved without a full understanding of this age group; they could create more problems for there teams.
there is a fine line that has to be fallowed for this to work, teams must feel they can compete; there has to be accountability for all players and coaches and most of all the associations have to put trust in there coaches to make difficult decisions within the teams. (at least coaches with a proven track record)

I am glad to hear people talking about improvments for this age but would like to hear more about what has been accomplished already.
look at what has been done and build on that.

just my opion!

hockeymom1430
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Post by hockeymom1430 » Thu Sep 27, 2007 8:11 pm

I also agree. I asked a board member to think about changing the handshake to after the games. He said they vote on it every year and each year it gets voted down. I know many parents would like to see it change back. I'm disappointed in the board.

greybeard58
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Post by greybeard58 » Fri Sep 28, 2007 4:17 pm

Before you get to critical of the before game handshake, go to a youth or girls game and closely watch their shaking hands if you would call it that.
As for a hack league that was over 10 years ago, the calling of penalties does not create a hack league.
The quality of the coaches: there are a great number that have been coaching at this level for 20+ years, and quite a few more with over 10+years.
Maybe a question you should ask is why most High school coaches treat most of the players they cut like a piece of ____ instead of encouragement to keep playing a game.
As for the competitive level of the Jr. Gold A, there are a number of high school teams that would loose to the top A teams using the USA Hockey Rules. Jr Gold A teams from Wayzata,Edina, Eden Prairie and White Bear Lake just to name a few.
I would be more informed before jumping to your conclusions.
Last edited by greybeard58 on Sat Sep 29, 2007 4:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Charliedog
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Joined: Sat Jun 24, 2006 12:55 pm

Post by Charliedog » Fri Sep 28, 2007 10:24 pm

Greybeard,

I agree with most everything you are saying. If you re read my post you will hopefully find that I was not being critical of Jr. Gold players, but rather suggesting that the IMAGE be improved and the STEREOTYPES be changed. Pops had a great point when he suggests that we focus on the positive aspects of the league.

I did say that there are some kids who want to mess around. I guess that was a bad cholce of words. I should have said there are some kids who want to play for fun. (but there still is a handful who want to fight and I don't think we should allow the behavior of this small group to dictate that the handshake remain at the start of a game).

As I said......I believe these kids should be given the respect they deserve and a good effort should be put forth by ALL associations to find quality coaches.

greybeard58
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Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:40 pm

Post by greybeard58 » Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:55 am

In International Hockey either gifts or a handshake is common before a game, in professional how many times do you see them shake after or before a game? Usually they shake hands after a playoff series is completed.
Before the pre game handshake was started(by the way this came from the coaches) lets just say that "good game" were not the words being said and due to the intensity of some games this also caused quite a few altercations. This still sometime happens in regional and state tournament play. The other was the addition of the DQ after 3 penalties or for detrimental behavior. Both of these have gone a long way and along with the dedicated coaches have cleaned up the level.
The perception is still being stated by people who are not informed, one problem is with a number of associations is that hockey ends with bantams and girls 14. Another is that if you are not on the high school team for any reason you do not count.
How many A or B Bantam coaches tell you about how many of their players made the Jr. Gold A team(they will let you know about the high school player) from the association or how many know the level is there? How many games are there when a youth coach has practice after a Jr Gold game and you hear their comments like "these are the losers or these are the hack players who can't even make the JV". You have high school coaches calling them druggies and dummies and in one case the coach had a team while good in their small world never had a team that could beat the top 8 Jr Gold A teams and he also had 3 players that he kept playing even though they had problems drugs and grades.
Enough of the negative maybe it is time for the high schools to follow the example set by the Edina High school coach who invites the Jr Gold coach to be on the ice during the try outs and is also introduced at the beginning and players are encouraged by him to keep skating no matter which team they make. I can not thank the coaches at this level enough for all of their time and dedication for these players. These coaches are there because of their love and respect for the game and for this age group and a lot of the youth and girls coaches could learn a thing or two from them.
The actual image of this group is fine what needs to be changed is the attitude of most high school coaches and associations toward this group, they are still hockey players wanting to play a game!!!
PS. Do not forget the Girls also some of them are also being left behind.

theref
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Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 4:52 pm

Post by theref » Sat Sep 29, 2007 3:43 pm

So I just thought I'd throw my two cents in on this one. I've been reffing for 13 years and only recently did I start working JR Gold games, as we did not have that level in the area I was previously working. I have also worked High School for several years and here is what I have found.

I was told that JR Gold was a hack league that was full of terrble kids. I have seen the occasional knucklehead as you will on any team and the atmosphere is definately more laid back then High School, but I wouldn't say that JR Gold is a hack league. There can be tendancies, but it all depends on the coaches. If the coach has control, the kids are no problem. Same with high school.

I would have to say that while JR Gold games that I have seen do have some talented players, I would bet that the winner of the state championship for JR Gold, probably wouldn't be able to compete with any of the teams at the state tournament.

Just this guys opinion. Oh, and I'm glad that kids choose to keep playing hockey if you get cut from a high school team. It's alot better than then them doing drugs.

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