Is Hockey Becoming To Competitive?

[BlaineU14AGoalie]

I actually am from blaine and i was the U14A goalie. I'm not going to post bad things about blaine and why should i? Blaine has an amazing program and it shows because the U14A and Bantam B1 made it to state and won 2nd. I think there are personally matters and people should respect that. Honestly we still could of made it to state without shortening the bench because all of our players were good and they worked their butts off to make it to state along with me.

[luckyEPDad]

u14agoalie, sounds to me like you are making excuses. I would question if your weaker skaters with fresh legs could make any difference compared to your starters who are tired.

Are you saying that your team made it to state without shortening the bench? And if not, are you then saying that you could have made it to state without shortening the bench?

Every team my daughter has played for got most of their goals in the third period. They love it when the opposing coach plays a short bench. Stay close for two periods and during the third skate around their exhausted starters and light up the goal. I've always thought the third period didn't look like too much fun for the opposing goalie.

[endtoend]

Every team my daughter has played for got most of their goals in the third period. They love it when the opposing coach plays a short bench. Stay close for two periods and during the third skate around their exhausted starters and light up the goal. I've always thought the third period didn't look like too much fun for the opposing goalie.

Yes lucky, we get it, You have a very talented team and coaching staff. Your group is fortunate in deed, but can't you see that you are in a different setting than most. Your daughters are the benneficiaries of a staff of experienced and well versed coaches. Most, not all, but most associations have coaches who are there with very little to no experience, or are there to ensure their daughter plays where she wants to and gets her share of ice time, also fewer numbers or less of a talent pool to draw from. I question whether your view would change if you were in any other situation. Since you have not experienced any other, my guess is that you would be singing a different tune. Maybe I am wrong, but you use your situation as the basis for your comments, when infact, your situation is unique, and is not the norm. Stop comparing yourself to everyone else.

[capitalist]

Is it just me or is girls hockey beginning to get way to competitive? There are times where the coach shortens the bench to let the better lines win the game. It's not fair for the girls who are not as good as the rest and how are they supposed to get any better when all they do is sit on the bench? Not only that but there has been alot of girls who are getting upset after they lose a game. Also there is alot of cursing on the ice and honestly why in the world would you do it? There also has been fights that happen but that's not right. Girls hockey is supposed to be all about strategy not being physical like the guys. Does anyone else agree with me on this?

As my dear Italian Grandmother would say (like the time when we accidentally started her pigeon coop on fire): "O mio Dio! Prossimo qui voi piccoli bastardi, che va ucciderlo! O Santo Cielo, perbacco!"

[FIRE*ON*ICE]

Thank You endtoend! My thoughts exactly on Lucky's responses.

Oh and lucky... Centennial 12 level only has 2 teams, a big difference from 3 or 4!

[luckyEPDad]

Yes lucky, we get it, You have a very talented team and coaching staff. Your group is fortunate in deed, but can't you see that you are in a different setting than most. Your daughters are the beneficiaries of a staff of experienced and well versed coaches. Most, not all, but most associations have coaches who are there with very little to no experience, or are there to ensure their daughter plays where she wants to and gets her share of ice time, also fewer numbers or less of a talent pool to draw from. I question whether your view would change if you were in any other situation. Since you have not experienced any other, my guess is that you would be singing a different tune. Maybe I am wrong, but you use your situation as the basis for your comments, when in fact, your situation is unique, and is not the norm. Stop comparing yourself to everyone else.

My situation isn't unique, nor do I think it unusual. Good coaching is unusual? This is supposed to be the state of hockey. Why can't you find good coaches? I see good coaches everywhere I go. I coached fastpitch with some guys up in Pequot Lakes who are great hockey coaches (great team too). I'm impressed with the Lakeville and Wayzata coaches whom I've seen a lot. The Edina girls my daughter does summer camps with really like their coach. When my daughter plays MASH or AAA or does clinics or programs (not in EP) she has always had really good coaches. Bumping around A and B and playing for different coaches in EP almost every year and my daugther has yet to have a coach that I don't like. Very seldom do I even hear about bad coaches. Perhaps I am isolated, but my girl's been playing for seven years. You'd think I would have run across more of these bad coaches if they are so common.

Am I just easily impressed? What are your criteria for a good coach? Mine are that they run well organized practices that teach fundamentals and keep the girls moving all the time. During games they treat the girls fairly and with respect. They have open channels of communication with the parents and the team. They are always working to be better. At the end of the season the team and all the players are better than they were at the start. The girls don't have to like the coach, but they love playing on the team.

Is what I describe really unusual? If so, then I really have been lucky.

FIRE, sorry for the Centennial mistake. I thought they had two B teams last year when they went to the state tournament.

[iamad2r]

BlaineU14AGoalie hit it right on the head! The biggest problem with bench-shortening is the "tiredness" factor. Over the years I've seen numerous cases where the "non-bench-shortening" team dominates the 3rd period even with their "lesser" skaters simply because everyone stays fresh. The overused "star" players may have better skills, but if they're half a step slow because of exhaustion, who benefits? I recall a situation a number of years ago - at the 10B level, no less - where the "star" of the team complained at the end of the game that it was unfair that some of the girls got to rest but she wasn't allowed to get off the ice for the last several minutes of the game!

I don't disagree with benching players for missing practice or having bad attitudes. I believe we need more of that -- too many of these teenagers (and pre-teens) have severe "eye-rolling" issues.

Another factor to consider: How does the less-skilled (or less-experienced) player develop confidence in her game if she perceives that her coach doesn't believe in her? Sometimes you need to be "thrown into the fire" to learn.

[endtoend]

Is what I describe really unusual? If so, then I really have been luckey.

Yes you have. You really think the 61 12 U A teams in the state have similar situations and similar coaches? Really? Your daughters coach served more than a decade in the NHL. Along with an amazing talent pool and reaminder of the staff. Again, Lucky you are unique!!!

[hockeywild7]

Alot of times the shortening the bench policy comes down to the philosophy of the association. Some believe in developing players more than winning at all costs so they may have a playing time policy implemented. I personally prefer this system but either way I think it is the associations responsibility to make it clear to parents, players and coaches what they want. If my son or daughter was on the 3rd line on the A team, I might want to move them to the B level so as to get more playing time if the policy is winning at all costs and shortening the bench.