2009 Caribou Coffee Classic Tournament Update

[Doglover]

This looks like a great tournament - especially for the first year. The Icemen are - and have always been - a quality club and it's obvious from the AAA club teams they were able to attract to compete in this tourney. The team entry fee is reasonable and it should be a great weekend of hockey. Maybe they can have a trumpeter there that can play taps for the death of the Alliance!

Good points about sponsorship as well - excellent discussion. I'm looking forward to my cup of joe (Caribou Joe that is!) at the games.

The only huge exception is of course the posts by Fantasycamp. Give me a break. Someone sure has their breezers in a bundle (or their jock strap on too tight) and the grammar...just plain painful.

[silentbutdeadly3139]

This looks like a great tournament - especially for the first year. The Icemen are - and have always been - a quality club and it's obvious from the AAA club teams they were able to attract to compete in this tourney. The team entry fee is reasonable and it should be a great weekend of hockey. Maybe they can have a trumpeter there that can play taps for the death of the Alliance!

Good points about sponsorship as well - excellent discussion. I'm looking forward to my cup of joe (Caribou Joe that is!) at the games.

The only huge exception is of course the posts by Fantasycamp. Give me a break. Someone sure has their breezers in a bundle (or their jock strap on too tight) and the grammar...just plain painful.

Agree, generally speaking it looks like good competitive tournament and iceman seem to be good people/club.

[hockeydad11]

A lot of you must be on the iceman payroll, because this is a very week field. The only reason the Blades are in it because Tony Br___ let them in for free. He was hoping that it would draw some of the better teams. One can always hope. If there are any of those fantastic player gift bags left over can I have one?

The Blades will win every game by 10 goals and you will not see them next year.

There will be some good games among the other teams. If you put two average teams on the ice it will look like a good game and they will look like good teams until they get to the Blades.

The same thing is happening over at the Easton Cup. The St. Croix Mavricks beat one of the Easton teams 7 - 2 last night. Bernie and his 99 Machine beat the St Croix Mavricks 24 - 0 The Mavricks were coached by the shooting wizard Scott Bjugstad.

Just to many AAA teams. It is kind of a joke, except for the boys on the team that got smoked. These poor kids still have to live with their crazy parents after a loss like that. Ouch! What can be learned or gained in lopsided games like these?

[Doglover]

First, the Icemen are a non-profit club, unlike some of the other AAA teams - particularly the ones playing in the Easton tournament/Alliance - so therefore none of us can be on their payroll. Second, there are many quality teams in addition to the Icemen and the Blades, including the LSS and some of the other teams in this tournament may just surprise you as well.

The growth of AAA hockey increases opportunities for more players to play at a higher level. Some of these teams will probably not be able to compete and they will probably not return to this tournament next year but the Icemen have had a strong reputation as a quality club (long before the boys in orange showed up) for many years and that's what draws other strong/quality teams to their tournament. The price is very reasonable and the gifts/welcome packets are just a classy touch. Just for the record - I've never had a player on the Icemen but that doesn't mean I can't recognize a quality organization when I see it!!

[skilldevelopementguy]

First, the Icemen are a non-profit club, unlike some of the other AAA teams - particularly the ones playing in the Easton tournament/Alliance - so therefore none of us can be on their payroll.

Hmmm, why then does Fairview, which is a non-profit, pay management 6 and even 7 figures a year?

As a matter of fact, distributing compensation through payroll is a key way that non-profits avoid showing a profit.

[hockeydad11]

It is funny how these people think that they are anointed ones because they are "non-profit" but still take that paycheck. How much money was Tony Br___ paid from that non-profit bank accont.

Non-profit really means "hide the profit"

AS far as the quality teams go...who? the couple of out of town teams that were in it pulled out at he last minute. Why? Because it is a lot of money and time to come to Minnesota to play lower end teams.

The teams are fine they just are not very strong, playing other teams that are not very strong. In the end it is the same local teams playing the same local teams because out of town teams want to play in the better tournaments.

[gotothenet17]

The Icemen and The Blades are both non-profit corporations filed in the State of MN. They have certain requirements they have to meet. They both charge about the same but rates vary depending upon the amount a particular team is going to travel. The Blades use the SuperSeries to generate Cashflow to support their organization and how they use the money is up to them. The same for the Icemen - they are using a tournament to generate cash (since it is their first tournament positive cash flow is not guaranteed) and how they use their surplus is up to them as long as they stay within the guidelines of a nonprofit.

If you don't want to support the Blades than don't play in the SuperSeries. If you don't want to support the Icemen than don't play in their tournament. Not that complicated.

As far as some of the posters on here, I would echo some of the comments made by the "seasoned veterans" in that 95% of the comments on here are conjecture at best.

For the people that run the organizations, regardless of profit or nonprofit status, thank you for providing an opportunity to let the rest of who are not involved have a place for our kids to play.

[stupidiswhatstupiddoes]

First, the Icemen are a non-profit club, unlike some of the other AAA teams - particularly the ones playing in the Easton tournament/Alliance - so therefore none of us can be on their payroll.

Hmmm, why then does Fairview, which is a non-profit, pay management 6 and even 7 figures a year?

As a matter of fact, distributing compensation through payroll is a key way that non-profits avoid showing a profit.

so nice to hear from the close observer of the Monoploy program! Do you think we are all idiots? For someone that claimed the Legacy was writing FICTION I would suggest you follow your own advice and stick to writing stuff you know about as facts.

With your position in the AAA hockey community, I would think you would have risen above making comments like this but it does go to show that your program and you have some room to mature.

Don't get me wrong, I applaud your efforts in building the Monopoly program - just stop acting like a goofball and start acting like a leader.

[Dave's a mess!]

A lot of you must be on the iceman payroll, because this is a very week field. The only reason the Blades are in it because Tony Br___ let them in for free. He was hoping that it would draw some of the better teams. One can always hope. If there are any of those fantastic player gift bags left over can I have one?

The Blades will win every game by 10 goals and you will not see them next year.

There will be some good games among the other teams. If you put two average teams on the ice it will look like a good game and they will look like good teams until they get to the Blades.

The same thing is happening over at the Easton Cup. The St. Croix Mavricks beat one of the Easton teams 7 - 2 last night. Bernie and his 99 Machine beat the St Croix Mavricks 24 - 0 The Mavricks were coached by the shooting wizard Scott Bjugstad.

Just to many AAA teams. It is kind of a joke, except for the boys on the team that got smoked. These poor kids still have to live with their crazy parents after a loss like that. Ouch! What can be learned or gained in lopsided games like these?

Hey HD11, or should I say Karnak (you seem to be able to predict everything) - few things:

• The Caribou is a FIRST YEAR TOURNEY and the field isn't any weaker than what they have at the Easton right now or at any of the other local toruneys that have been mentioned in this discussion. All the local tourneys are very similar as far as the level of play is concerned - a couple top teams here and there and that's it. If you want truly top competition you have to go to the Subway in Winnipeg.

• Whether the Blades got in for free or a reduced rate wouldn't be a unique thing. I think they call it MARKETING. I'm pretty sure Tony wasn't just thinking about this year but maybe, just maybe, he was looking to build it for future years? Crazy isn't it?

• No, you can't have a gift bag because we weren't able to produce any extras since the Blades and so many other teams were given discounts just to fill the tourney.

• Thanks for the insights on the Blades - I'll let Tony know next time I see him that he can take them off the schedule for 2010.

[hockeydad11]

What ever I can do to help.

[skilldevelopementguy]

First, the Icemen are a non-profit club, unlike some of the other AAA teams - particularly the ones playing in the Easton tournament/Alliance - so therefore none of us can be on their payroll.

Hmmm, why then does Fairview, which is a non-profit, pay management 6 and even 7 figures a year?

As a matter of fact, distributing compensation through payroll is a key way that non-profits avoid showing a profit.

so nice to hear from the close observer of the Monoploy program! Do you think we are all idiots? For someone that claimed the Legacy was writing FICTION I would suggest you follow your own advice and stick to writing stuff you know about as facts.

With your position in the AAA hockey community, I would think you would have risen above making comments like this but it does go to show that your program and you have some room to mature.

Don't get me wrong, I applaud your efforts in building the Monopoly program - just stop acting like a goofball and start acting like a leader.

I guess the context of my post may have led to your response, but I think you may have overreacted.

My point was that doglover had clearly implied that non-profits cannot have people on a payroll. Maybe it is obvious that isn't true, but I mentioned it wasn't true as nobody else had.

It was not supposed to be a shot at the Icemen... I have no knowledge of how their revenues flow.

I have made no bones about the fact that I am a cheerleader for the Monopoly program. I think you should direct your applause of the efforts to build the program to people who deserve it though.

[My_Kid_Loves_Hockey]

Skilldevelopmentguy, evidently you are not very skilled in public relations. Taking shots at other programs while trying to build your own is not a very wise move.......your program is better off trying to persuade the Rogers Hockey Association that CE can help them build their program(Which is a whole different issue for many since so many of your "people" are involved in the RHA as coaches/coordinators etc)

As stated many times before, hockey let alone summer hockey is a very small community and word gets around quickly.

Your program pays coaches (this I know for a FACT).I have yet to ever receive a paycheck from the Icemen in my 2 years of coaching nor have my other coaches who volunteer thier time with our team. In fact we have a goalie coach who has no kids and volunteers his time.

One team that I know of actually went out an hired a non-parent coach......is there anything wrong with that? That team splits his pay amongst themselves and is not funded by the "club".

HD11 have you ever organized a tournament before? We have learned a few things this year and feel this is a good start. We had interest from teams from FLA, Indiana, Illinois, Winnipeg etc but most of those places have already started school and did not want to take kids out in the first couple weeks of classes...........
Your many indepth post are a tribute to your extensive hockey knowledge and for that I thank you for showing many many people that you are a NHL GM in the making!

By the way since you like to use peoples names on here so much,why don't you let us all know who you are.

[skilldevelopementguy]

I must be terrible at public relations as I continue to be amazed at the response my post has received.

Two things that are apparently not getting through...

1. I merely wanted to point out that non-proftits can still provide huge compensation to employees and I meant that to stand alone. I mean to imply nothing about how this may or may not apply to the icemen organization.

2. The Monopoly is not "my program". Apparently by coming on here and being a cheerleader for a program that is lead by friends of mine I can receive credit for what they have built.

Also, you seem know more than me about whether or not the Monopoly coaches are paid coaches. I don't know one way or another.

[surehockey]

I thought this thread was about the Caribou Cup, not who pays who what or who doesn't pay (nonprofit etc). So what if a coach gets paid, association hockey does the same thing now. We as parents and adults, we make the decsions on where money is spent and if we choose to send our kids to a program that pays its coaches so be it and if not so be that as well.

I think this should be a pretty interesting tournament. I have not seen all the teams mentioned, but I have seen a majority of them play. II think that some of these so called "nonquality" or "AAA" of teams might surprise you. I think we must all realize that these are mostly 9-11 (98' 99') KIDS. The tournaments that they play in are for THEM. Not US. Should we tell them if they win the tournament not to enjoy it because there were not any "quality" teams in it?

ps is there spell check on this

[old goalie85]

there was a scrimage against the iceman and RBK Nationals at the 98 level. Score 1-0 Icemen. Icemen split with Blades this year, also took 2nd at Chi Town Shuffle in Chicago. Probably more quality in this tournament than you "experts" think.