Is AAA Hockey really just check Book Hockey

[muckandgrind]

muck: Agreed with your last post. However, there are MANY people that look at D1 and pro players that played year round and figure they need to "encourage" their little kid to do the same. To keep up with the Jones', they feel some other kid got better today, did my kid? They say, Jonny won't play in the NHL, but in the back of the mind they feel IF, you're saying IF there's a chance of him playing NHL hockey, I have to skate him year round.

I wouldn't say that you HAVE to skate him year round.....but my bet is the vast majority of D1 and NHL players DO engage in some sort of hockey activity year round by the time they hit the ages of 13-14. They didn't just hang up the skates in March and take them back down in October.

[O-townClown]

If these kids want to play extra hockey, what's the harm? Should I tell them they can't because of the "Inverted Pyramid" and this might hurt their chances at future stardom??

No harm. No, you shouldn't tell them they can't.

The comments were directed to a previous post that said kids will lag if they don't skate in the summer. I think we all agree. There is no wrong answer as long as the parents let the kids make the choices. Think for a second and I'm sure you'll be able to come up with one family where the competitive parents told someone they were signed up for a faster track than maybe they asked for. There is where you'll find the harm.

Complicating matters is that you can pretty much tell kids what to do when they are real young. As they age they form their own opinions.

[O-townClown]

I wouldn't say that you HAVE to skate him year round.....but my bet is the vast majority of D1 and NHL players DO play year round by the time they hit the ages of 13-14. They didn't just hang up the skates in March and take them back down in October.

Yes, age 13-14. Which is why a lot of people see the pyramid being inverted. How many kids can you point to that are on the ice over 150 days a year for Mites and Squirts? I know lots, and my son is probably one of them. Pushing for more at this point makes no sense when there is already plenty.

Today is Wednesday, when his misses his hockey game to go to a soccer practice. Hey, I have no idea what is right in some of these cases.

[InigoMontoya]

muck: Agreed with your last post. However, there are MANY people that look at D1 and pro players that played year round and figure they need to "encourage" their little kid to do the same. To keep up with the Jones', they feel some other kid got better today, did my kid? They say, Jonny won't play in the NHL, but in the back of the mind they feel IF, you're saying IF there's a chance of him playing NHL hockey, I have to skate him year round.

I think this is both a little exaggerated and a little simplified. Forget DI and the NHL; 90% of parents do not aspire for their kids to do that (a surprising percent of them would likely choose for their child to NOT do that). However, for those parents that have kids that like to play and are competitive (whether they are athletic or not), they ARE trying to provide an opportunity for their kids to make the A team, whether that’s squirts, peewees, whatever. And the reality is that skating during the summer does improve their skating, it does help them to leapfrog another 9 year old that did not skate, and that is the “keeping up with the Joneses” that is boosting summer hockey numbers, not the NHL. Mr. & Mrs. Suburbia aren’t chatting over the hedge comparing their 401(k) balances – they keep up with the car the neighbor is driving, the bike the kid is riding, the firmness of the trophy wife – “the Joneses” is not a long-term strategy, it is about right now.

[sorno82]

Did a lot of NHLers play year round hockey because they were good from the beginning and were recruited to play on these teams when they were young? Most likely the case for many. What about the kids on those teams that never made it past age 18? don't base decisions on what Eric Johnson did as a kid, but rather whAt is best for yours. Plenty of free advice here, so take it for what it is worth. There are several 88s that didn't do anything in hockey, so it is more than just mega summer hours.

[InigoMontoya]

Did a lot of NHLers play year round hockey because they were good from the beginning and were recruited to play on these teams when they were young? Most likely the case for many. What about the kids on those teams that never made it past age 18? don't base decisions on what Eric Johnson did as a kid, but rather whAt is best for yours. Plenty of free advice here, so take it for what it is worth. There are several 88s that didn't do anything in hockey, so it is more than just mega summer hours.

Didn't they play DI baseball and soccer?

[dumbpuck]

Lets forget everyones opinions and look at the facts-

Can anyone tell us of the 40ish kids that went to the National festivals this year in New York- How many played summer hockey?

[Pylon]

Lets forget everyones opinions and look at the facts-

Can anyone tell us of the 40ish kids that went to the National festivals this year in New York- How many played summer hockey?

Okay, how about......How many kids DIDN'T make it to the show because they never played summer hockey? Maybe more kids would have had the confidence to excel because of the extra time on the ice in the summers and keeping up with the Jones. Some extra hockey could have helped to take some kids to the next level. The summer hockey arguement definitely goes both ways. Too many people think summer hockey guarantees their child unlimited hockey success in the future! NOT! But it definitely helps when utilized properly!

[muckandgrind]

Lets forget everyones opinions and look at the facts-

Can anyone tell us of the 40ish kids that went to the National festivals this year in New York- How many played summer hockey?

All of the metro area 15's skaters played AAA in the summer....I don't know all of the players from outstate, but I know a large percentage of them did as well.

[Pioneerprideguy]

Hoaw many kids play summer hockey but never make an A team?

[Benito Juarez]

Hoaw many kids play summer hockey but never make an A team?

5%? Just a guess, but there are many levels of summer hockey, basically a team somewhere for any caliber of player willing to take a check, cash or money order.

[InigoMontoya]

Hoaw many kids play summer hockey but never make an A team?

5%? Just a guess, but there are many levels of summer hockey, basically a team somewhere for any caliber of player willing to take a check, cash or money order.

I would say it's probably even higher than that. There has to be more than 15 or 17 late-97/98/early-99 kids from Edina that skated this summer. At a program like that, will the summer help some make a B1 rather than a B2 or C team.

I don't know if Edina has already picked their peewee teams or not, but I'll go out on a limb and predict that only about 5% of the kids on Edina's PA and two PB1 teams did NOT skate this summer; I also would not be surprised if that number is 0%. For those bad at math, that would be about 3 kids - somebody let me know how I did.

[USA! USA! USA!]

I also would not be surprised if that number is 0%. For those bad at math, that would be about 3 kids - somebody let me know how I did.

... I think we went to seperate schools together

[InigoMontoya]

I also would not be surprised if that number is 0%. For those bad at math, that would be about 3 kids - somebody let me know how I did.

... I think we went to seperate schools together

Sorry, I should have made that phrase parenthetical:

I don't know if Edina has already picked their peewee teams or not, but I'll go out on a limb and predict that only about 5% of the kids on Edina's PA and two PB1 teams did NOT skate this summer (I also would not be surprised if that number is 0%). For those bad at math, that would be about 3 kids - somebody let me know how I did.

[USA! USA! USA!]

I also would not be surprised if that number is 0%. For those bad at math, that would be about 3 kids - somebody let me know how I did.

... I think we went to seperate schools together

Sorry, I should have made that phrase parenthetical:

I don't know if Edina has already picked their peewee teams or not, but I'll go out on a limb and predict that only about 5% of the kids on Edina's PA and two PB1 teams did NOT skate this summer (I also would not be surprised if that number is 0%). For those bad at math, that would be about 3 kids - somebody let me know how I did.

back to the original question ... isn't it all checkbook hockey? doesn't it have to be, since we live in a checkbook society? isn't that how life works? you get what you pay for.

[muckandgrind]

... I think we went to seperate schools together

Sorry, I should have made that phrase parenthetical:

I don't know if Edina has already picked their peewee teams or not, but I'll go out on a limb and predict that only about 5% of the kids on Edina's PA and two PB1 teams did NOT skate this summer (I also would not be surprised if that number is 0%). For those bad at math, that would be about 3 kids - somebody let me know how I did.

back to the original question ... isn't it all checkbook hockey? doesn't it have to be, since we live in a checkbook society? isn't that how life works? you get what you pay for.

C'mon guys!!!! We live in the 21st century now!!! NO ONE should be writing paper checks anymore, we use check cards now and pay online!!

[USA! USA! USA!]

C'mon guys!!!! We live in the 21st century now!!! NO ONE should be writing paper checks anymore, we use check cards now and pay online!!

damn progress! i traded two pregnant goats for breakfast with Bernie