Minnesota AAA Teams

[ghshockeyfan]

It turns out that if there is anyone on the ice, player or coach, that is not on the roster, it voids the insurance for everyone on the ice.

Assuming he has his/her card, list the HS coach as an assistant on each of the girls youth team rosters

She was on the roster, but the varsity girls were not. This past season I had three other coaches on the ice most nights, so my roster spots were filled. I had varsity girls wanting to help out, but I couldn't use them because of the insurance and liability issues.

Hux - I had this issue too. I think there is a fee that they need to pay to register with USA H as a student coach isn't there? We talked about registering the whole HS program with USA H so that we could skate together from time-to-time do some 1-to-1 work with HS & youth players. At $30+ per player that was just too much $$$. The most sad moment came when we had all the youth girls excited to come out and skate with the HS kids and then found out at the last minute that we couldn't do it due to liability. HS kids sat in the stands and watched instead and it really wasn't the same... We did some off-ice stuff afterwards, and a meal, time to socialize, etc. but still too bad about the on-ice... Of course, I'm still adjusting to wearing a helmet as a coach too...

Easily this is one of the most stupid liability issue items (HS/youth can't work together) that I've ever encountered, but I understand insurance companies need to enforce policy so I'm not surprised.

By the way, what is blocking more cooperation between U14, U16, U19 and JV hockey in MN is almost all liability/insurance I believe. Although I will say it's nice that we were able to play SOME crossover games but I think the limit is 5 for each USA H registered team...

[SEMetro]

If all the kids/coaches on the ice have health insurance and homeowners insurance - can someone please explain what major risk USA Hockey coverage provides that wouldn't already be covered to some extent?

[Hux]

If all the kids/coaches on the ice have health insurance and homeowners insurance - can someone please explain what major risk USA Hockey coverage provides that wouldn't already be covered to some extent?

Because not everyone's insurance has coverage for the same thing, and myriad other issues. We had a double booking mess up with the figure skaters, and tried to get them to give us half the sheet since they had only six skaters on the ice. No go, with the reason being that their USFSA insurance is different from USA Hockey's. The varsity was there doing their pre-practice dynamic stretching and the coach offered to have us go on the ice with them after the figure skaters. So then we were all set to do that, and lo, in walks the AD (boys game following girls practice) and he says "NO WAY, not insured for them."

If you read the full brochure on USAH insurance, you can take the team bunjee jumping and they are covered, but you can't have them play in a game using inline skates, as the policy for USAH Inline is different from the ice version.

And per the helmet rule: Last year I was knocked down twice by the kids, and each time hit my head on the ice. I had a pretty good egg from one, but I have a real thick skull, so no damage done. This year I stepped on a puck when I was demonstrating backwards crossovers on the circles and somehown managed to spin and drill my head into the edge of the dasher.

I had a hell of a headache, but again no damage done. I doubt that would have been the case had I not been wearing my Itech. This spring I have been working in a skills clinic for high school players, and I am the only coach wearing a helmet, but I can't imagine going out on the ice without one again. Just feels wrong now, and no sense taking any chances.

[SEMetro]

So help me out - you crack your skull - you submit a claim to your own health insurance. You hurt a kid, and she sues you (and that happens never) and you submit a claim to your homeowners insurance. Why are people cancelling all these events?

[MNHockeyFan]

So help me out - you crack your skull - you submit a claim to your own health insurance. You hurt a kid, and she sues you (and that happens never) and you submit a claim to your homeowners insurance. Why are people cancelling all these events?

I suspect it's because in addition to sueing the coach (or player assistant) the parents of an injured kid would also likely sue the team, the association, etc all the way up to USA Hockey if their lawyer thought it might result in a larger settlement.

[hshockeyfan91]

I agree with you SEMetro.

I know this is simplistic, but insurance benefits, while nice, seem more to me to be a tool that organizations use to enforce compliance to their rules, rather than a benefit for the members.

I first starting thinking that back when I had a kid in Little League. The answer to virtually every question on "why don't we do this, or why don't we do that" was "we can't because of insurance restrictions."

I guess I don't think that hockey has leaned on insurance quite as much Little League did, and yet more and more there's the "you must do this or you can't do that..." because of insurance.

As you [SEMetro] mentioned, our own policies are always the first thing to be used, and the USA Hockey benefits only kick in as secondary coverage. Are there some times when the USA Hockey insurance has been beneficial? I'm sure – absolutely! But I also can't believe that the policies have to be written exactly the way they are - quite as strictly as they are. For example, the "if there's anyone on the ice who's not insured then all coaches and players coverage is at risk" seems particularly strange. That type of stuff seems more to be a tool of controlling behavior than it does a legitimate benefit for the members.

Also, our kids play AAA hockey, MN Selects, MASH hockey, Showcase hockey, pickup leagues, participate in countless clinics, and even play outdoors at the pond in the winter (sometimes even without a helmet!) - none of which is covered by the USA Hockey policy and we don't even blink an eye. Yet in USA Hockey aligned events we must follow exact procedures or risk coverage. Doesn't that seem kind of weird?

Wouldn't it make more sense for USA Hockey to create and sponsor an optional policy that, for example, would cover kids at all hockey events? Again, maybe it's just optional catastrophic coverage - term insurance. I'm sure that would cost more, but instead of paying $20 (or something) to USA Hockey for coverage that only deals with some situations, and even more is used is an enforcement tool, I'd rather pay $50 or even $100 or $200 annually for comprehensive catastrophic coverage of for all hockey events.

[xwildfan]

91, Agree with you 100%. Our U14 team had a scrimmage lined up against a local team on a Friday evening a couple years ago. The other team was supposed to get referees. The refs did not show. No big deal, one of the coaches could ref the game, right? Wrong!! The other coach refused to scrimmage our team, because he insisted that USA hockey required four coaches be on the ice to supervise the scrimmage due to insurance reasons. Our coaches did not bring skates because we understood that there would be referees. We thought he was kidding; but this guy was dead serious. I then suggested that we just have both teams just throw their sticks in the middle to select teams and call it a "pick-up game." NO, he wouldn't go for this either. So, we just went home and who suffers? The players of course. And the parents who gave up their Gopher hockey tickets that night.

More on this topic later.

[SEMetro]

Over the years, I have heard some bizarre statements about what strange rule would void the sacred USA Hockey coverage and people just react as if they don't have any health or liability coverage of their own.

Seriously - ask your insurance agent if you are covered under your homeowner's if you get sued as a volunteer youth coach. Then ask your employer if you and your kids are covered for athletic injuries. Then go have fun.