District 5 Hockey

[TriedThat2]

What is going on out west? Buffalo at it again? Very reliable sources say that five teams from d-5 are going to skip the league in the ever-so-strong district 5, and run an independent schedule?

[elliott70]

So they are giving up post-season?
They may not get registered.

[InigoMontoya]

Isn't the affiliate agreement with the district, which in turn has an agreement with Minnesota Hockey? Doesn't MNH frown upon MN association playing games and tournaments against non-MNH or USAH registered teams? Would these teams play each other, plus the fire, and maybe Shattuck for the older kids? Would they accept kids from other communities and school districts? Would other associations find this to be a pretty sweet gig, as well? Would they be the founding 5 of the AAA system in this state? Would there be anarchy?

[TriedThat2]

Mark,
It sounds like the leadership is willing to pass on post season. (I don't know about the membership.) They seem pretty confident that MN Hockey would have to register them.
I just heard that the DD has now pulled the plug on a region hosting assignment to one of the five. The natives are not very happy.

[Chuck Norris Fan]

Mark,
It sounds like the leadership is willing to pass on post season. (I don't know about the membership.) They seem pretty confident that MN Hockey would have to register them.
I just heard that the DD has now pulled the plug on a region hosting assignment to one of the five. The natives are not very happy.

Of course they are willing to pass on post season... that is like the Raiders passing on postseason, or the Royals Passing on post season.... it is not going to happen anyways!

[My_Kid_Loves_Hockey]

Or kind of like the chances of Chuck winning an Emmy

[InigoMontoya]

The district tourney and regional tourney would be considered post season. Without looking, there are 2-3 teams from D5 that will advance to regionals.

If Buffalo is really one of the associations, it can't be because of a feeling of superiority; they barely had enough kids for 2 bantam teams, finishing middle of the pack in D5? If one coach has a problem, it's probably the coach; if one association has an issue, you can still blame it on that association; when half of the associations of a district decide to give up district and post-season tournament games, perhaps MNH should ask a question or two about what the heck is going on with the leadership to the west.

[elliott70]

The DD has the ultimate power in what they do within the confines of MH and USAH.
Why 5 assn would want to go elsewhere is beyond what I currently know, but I will find out (true, false or partially so).

Buffalo tried this a few years ago.

Perhaps they are tired of waiting on redistricting, but that is set to happen next season.

I do not know what if any involvement Mike M in Buffalo has with any of this, but seems strange for him to be involved with his involvement with MH and USAH.

I guess we have to stay tuned.....

[My_Kid_Loves_Hockey]

Why 5 assn would want to go elsewhere is beyond what I currently know, but I will find out (true, false or partially so).

Tough economic times, maybe they don't want to drive to Hutch/Willmar/Litch/Paynesville/Riverlakes/Sartell/Cold Spring for games when it could be Rogers/Elk River/Wayzata/Maple Grove/Armstrong/Champlin Park?

Seriously, this would be tough to sell to the parents, spend your money with no possible end prize.

[elliott70]

I have been told they did not want to make the long(???) drive to Willmar.

Maybe 70 miles????


Hard to understand that being from Bemidji. That is the shortest drive for A level game and it is not even a district game.

[puckeyone]

True econonic times but if your kid is hockey and from Mound I doubt the ecomonics are the reason for this, wasnt gas last year close to and above $4.00 per gallon.
But get the redisterdicting donw for everyones sake, Eliiot that means no cheap talk form outside the DDs I beleive you guys have the best interest not some one whos time has come and gone

[InigoMontoya]

You should come up with a better smelling pile of horse crap than that.
1) gas isn't $4/gallon THIS year
2) it is 193 miles from Faribault to Luverne in D4
3) Mound PWA finished 8th in D5, what does that equal in D6

[VicKevlar]

I know both Mound Westonka and Minnetonka approached D3 early last summer about joining. The six (used to be 9 only a couple of years ago) associations in D3 seemed ameniable at that time.

I'm no longer on the D3 board and haven't bumped into Scott D anywhere over the summer to see if it's going forward or not. It may be like Champlin two years ago, getting close to joining D3 and then bailing.

[My_Kid_Loves_Hockey]

Sarcasm is hard to put in a post sometimes.......

Remember the post about redistricting where the talk was how far they (Buffalo) had to drive........well as Elliott points out it is pretty common for associations not in the Golden Loop.

How will you feel if your kid make one of these 5 teams and your then told "hey since D5 blows, we're not playing the district schedule so we can play better teams (oh yeah if we do that, there's no regions or state possibilities either)"?

[inthestands]

Each time I see a thread like this one, it smells of "politics".

It's unfortunate that "politics" play such s big role in youth hockey, but it does.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could get back to the days of the kids walking to practice at the outdoor rinks, getting the three handled shovel to clean off the ice before practice or just an outing wtih friends?

Today we have the stands full of people thinking they got screwed somehow.
The coaches didn't treat their kid fair enough.
The referee's are picking on their player or team.
The association doesn't have a decent try out process.
The player development program doesn't teach the kids good enough..

Wait a minute, this is all directly related to the adults? Where do the kids get to come into play?

I guess those days are long past. Now ever parent has the next Gretzky, and they darn well better get treated right or they're going somewhere else.

It's too bad that in the end, the people suffering are the players. You know, the ones that get to make no decisions just play the game. Although they'd all like to win, it's less important to the players than it is to the adults.

For the most part it's not about driving distance, gas prices or any of that. It's someone mad about something, getting anyone else they can to make a stink. One poster said it best, "it would be a tough sell to the parents"...

[puckboy]

i dont get it- except for squirts due to the game limits if these teams want to play better teams- just schedule the games with the teams you want to play and play your district schedule

[InigoMontoya]

we're not playing the district schedule so we can play better teams

A problem with that reasoning is that if they wanted to play better teams, they could play at the tournaments run by the better teams, however, those teams won't allow them in their tournaments, and I highly doubt they'll be lining up to schedule games with those 5 teams.

Play the D5 schedule with an hour drive (the same drive the other team makes when they play at your arena, ya big whiners), schedule scrimmages against good teams 10 minutes away, don't beat those crappy out state teams in the district tourney, and therefore don't play much post season anyway.

Unless the real issue resides in whom is running the district and how they're running it; and not the drive which everyone else makes, and not the competition which beats you as often as you beat them.

[greybeard58]

Vickie
Just what were the conditions that the D3 associations wanted Champlin Park to do before they were to be admitted. From what was told to me by a person close to the project D3 didn't exactly welcome them with open arms. Using the term bailing might not be the best term, maybe staying where they were welcomed would be better.

[h20]

Ive heard this competion stuff before , just 3 years ago Bufflao told that district they wanted to play tougher competition and singled out 3 associations that they didnt want to play , just happnes that 2 of those three finsihed higher in the standings than Buffalo at both bantam levels this last year
I agree if you want play tougher schedule then get off your but and schedule those communities that you want to play, most peewee and bantam teams are playing 40-50 games it seems like and your district schedule is probably not even half of that,,,, But to play that many games you are going to have to TRAVEL anyhow so quit the wining.
Seems like when Moorhead, Alexandria, Duluth, Roseau, Rochester want to play tougher teams out of there district they find a way to do it,
The 5 associations in D-5 wouldnt have to travel as far as these 5 associations to find a tougher schedule

[RLStars]

The 5 associations in D-5 wouldnt have to travel as far as these 5 associations to find a tougher schedule

Very reliable sources say that five teams from d-5 are going to skip the league in the ever-so-strong district 5, and run an independent schedule?

Five teams or five associations? Which teams or associations are talking about not participating in the district?

[a1puck]

Each time I see a thread like this one, it smells of "politics".

It's unfortunate that "politics" play such s big role in youth hockey, but it does.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could get back to the days of the kids walking to practice at the outdoor rinks, getting the three handled shovel to clean off the ice before practice or just an outing wtih friends?

Today we have the stands full of people thinking they got screwed somehow.
The coaches didn't treat their kid fair enough.
The referee's are picking on their player or team.
The association doesn't have a decent try out process.
The player development program doesn't teach the kids good enough..

Wait a minute, this is all directly related to the adults? Where do the kids get to come into play?

I guess those days are long past. Now ever parent has the next Gretzky, and they darn well better get treated right or they're going somewhere else.

It's too bad that in the end, the people suffering are the players. You know, the ones that get to make no decisions just play the game. Although they'd all like to win, it's less important to the players than it is to the adults.

For the most part it's not about driving distance, gas prices or any of that. It's someone mad about something, getting anyone else they can to make a stink. One poster said it best, "it would be a tough sell to the parents"...

Very well said.

Another reason some associations my look to bail from the Minnesota Hockey, USA Hockey nest is the ever growing pile of BS that you have to do just to play a kids game. I know that all of the rules are well intentioned and a result of many years of incidents, but if we had to start all over, would we really put in place what we have now?

The meetings start in July, Presidents meeting, Tournament Meeting, Ref Meeting, Scheduling Meeting, Roster Approval Meeting. Then the threats of fines for not dotting this i or crossing the T. In district 4 if we don't send someone to a tournament meeting on a weeknight 3 hours from home they won't sanction our tournaments. I guess maybe if you learned some really neat new stuff at these meetings it might be OK...NOT. Most of the time you learn about yet another rule. About how if you have a coach that is rostered with your Bantam A team coach the Squirt A team, because that coach got sick, they will fine you a bazzilion dollars and hang you by your toes. The standard line is that it is all driven by insurance...and it is I guess. Maybe it is time to look at different insurance. Seems like town teams can play in baseball tournaments all over the place without all of this BS.

My preference any more would be to have lots of practice mixed with a game every weekend or so with the team down the road. Skip the whole league thing...just play.

Hockey associations could partner with their local park and recs and be covered by city insurance...saving 100.00 per player.

[h20]

To RLstars, from what i heard its Mound/Westonka, Crow River, Buffalo, STMA and MAML,, dont know where Mn Hockey would put some of these if they want to move, and then what to do with the remaining five
Seems like the grass is always greener on someone elses lawn
Heck none of these could compete in their boardering distrcits of 3 , 10, and 6, and I wonder if those distrcits want to travel out to the Buffalos and MAMLs or will we then hear the same form those associations that have to travel to them if this were allowed
I find in amusing that those western associations arent complaing about traveling to them , maybe they should start hollering and demanding to get St Cloud and Sauk Rapids and other central MN assocaitions into 5,,, seems like that is logic, but when it comes to MN Hockey sometimes logic is furtherest thing from thier mind

[TriedThat2]

I've got a good friend on the Board and he says that he arena manager at Monticello (MAML) is pretty upset that the DD pulled the PWB Region. Sounds like it is turning into quite the match between the DD and this group.
I see that h20 said Mound is in the group too. Looks like that group went downhill after Willet left. I talked to the guy that is running their Mite program. Maybe willet knew what was coming....Mound has their hands full with him.

[Air Force 1]

I wonder if those distrcits want to travel out to the Buffalos and MAMLs or will we then hear the same form those associations that have to travel to them if this were allowed
I find in amusing that those western associations arent complaing about traveling to them , maybe they should start hollering and demanding to get St Cloud and Sauk Rapids and other central MN assocaitions into 5,,, seems like that is logic, but when it comes to MN Hockey sometimes logic is furtherest thing from thier mind

I'm about tired of hearing about how far you have to drive for a district/league game. We have district games that involve a hotel stay and we aren't crying or threatening a revolt.

These towns haven't moved, the parents in these associations knew what was involved when they signed up. If you don't like the association you are in - MOVE!

[fastncrash]

You should come up with a better smelling pile of horse crap than that.
1) gas isn't $4/gallon THIS year
2) it is 193 miles from Faribault to Luverne in D4
3) Mound PWA finished 8th in D5, what does that equal in D6

Luverne's Squirt A's (a true B team, no tryouts, older kids on A, younger on B) attended Faribaults Tournament last year, and the year before. All 193 miles BOTH ways. BTW, we ALSO, attended Tourney's in Sioux Falls, Fargo, Rochester, Marshall, Hutchinson, AND Districts in Owatonna... ALONG with games in IA, and the area to fill a 35 games season. So NO, traveling an hour to play doesn't seem like too much of a deal to me... but then again, we're on a different deal because of where we live. Not many A teams in the area, so we take our (B) team and travel if we want to get better. Sounds like these guys should look into forming a REC league somewhere REAL CLOSE.