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Just wondering if there has been any changes with MN hockey in the off season and whether or not MN teams will have any restrictions on scrimmaging the Fire teams this coming winter? Heard some discussion on this at the rink the other day, not sure what is accurate for this coming season.

Good question. also why did some teams get to play them last year and others could not? I don't think our assc. could hang with them,but, it should be up to us.

old goalie85 wrote:Good question. also why did some teams get to play them last year and others could not? I don't think our assc. could hang with them,but, it should be up to us.

I believe it was a recommendation handed down from MN Hockey to associations/Districts not to play the Fire teams, but the actual policy was up to each individual association/district. I know our home association preferred that we did not scrimmage any Fire team, and they would not allow us to play in out of town tournaments if the Fire was in it. When pressed about the issue, our association would only say it was for insurance issues because they lost their Tier 1 status with Wisconsin and USA Hockey and were an independent team? Don't ask me why that would be an issue, I don't know.

So in our case[Forest Lake] District 2 could say no teams can play these guys. That would mean scrim, tourys, nothing. during the 08 thanksgiving tournament at Brooklyn park the fire were part of a 16 team field. I guess I don't get it. The team from SSM plays in the maroon and gold leauge and they are AAA.

old goalie85 wrote:So in our case[Forest Lake] District 2 could say no teams can play these guys. That would mean scrim, tourys, nothing. during the 08 thanksgiving tournament at Brooklyn park the fire were part of a 16 team field. I guess I don't get it. The team from SSM plays in the maroon and gold leauge and they are AAA.

SSM is the ONLY Minnesota AAA Tier 1 team recognized by MN Hockey, so go ahead play them all you want.

i'll never get the city people...

when the FIRE come up north to play i think it is great...they work their tails off and play great hockey

why wouldn't people want to play a team like that?

maybe they win too much...dunno

District 2 has been anti-winter AAA especially Fire since this WI based club recruited heavily in D2. They do restrict tournaments from accepting them and from teams playing against them.

An answer to black sheep's question. What if an AAA team started up on the range and cherry picked the top two skaters from every association for 100 miles around - then went about scheduling scrimmages against the teams they just pulled players from??

If you are a true Tier 1 or 2 winter AAA team why would you ever play Minnesota "A" hockey teams?

Drop- thanks, so other districts still play them. I guess I understand d2 stance. Would hate to have kids from F.L. bailing on us. I would think Woodbury would feel the same way.

I'm fairly new to the AAA landscape so my ignorance here may show. But don't you suppose that the reason there is a market for these teams is that association hockey isn't fulfilling the needs of these players/parents for whatever reason. I would bet that many go to these teams because they are not politically well connected in their local association (it's a big deal in some associations) or malcontents (even if it is a label placed on those who speak out) or maybe the parents feel the product they are buying is better than what the association offers. There is obviously a market out there, so ..... one has to wonder....... it's like any other business - provide a good product at a fair price ....... well, that, and there's a fool born everyday

getoveryourbadself wrote:I'm fairly new to the AAA landscape so my ignorance here may show. But don't you suppose that the reason there is a market for these teams is that association hockey isn't fulfilling the needs of these players/parents for whatever reason. I would bet that many go to these teams because they are not politically well connected in their local association (it's a big deal in some associations) or malcontents (even if it is a label placed on those who speak out) or maybe the parents feel the product they are buying is better than what the association offers. There is obviously a market out there, so ..... one has to wonder....... it's like any other business - provide a good product at a fair price ....... well, that, and there's a fool born everyday

There is no question that one of the plus things about AAA hockey is that it is better than some associations. However, most association hockey provides more than enough and is plenty good for most players. Some parents think that they know better then the people who run the organization so they leave to bring their kid to Fire hockey or some other team. It probably is a good product but most associations provide a good product also. The fact is that some parents are a little 'psycho' when it comes to their kids and think that being on a AAA team makes them on a different level from the rest. That is not necessarily so...

seek & destroy wrote:

getoveryourbadself wrote:I'm fairly new to the AAA landscape so my ignorance here may show. But don't you suppose that the reason there is a market for these teams is that association hockey isn't fulfilling the needs of these players/parents for whatever reason. I would bet that many go to these teams because they are not politically well connected in their local association (it's a big deal in some associations) or malcontents (even if it is a label placed on those who speak out) or maybe the parents feel the product they are buying is better than what the association offers. There is obviously a market out there, so ..... one has to wonder....... it's like any other business - provide a good product at a fair price ....... well, that, and there's a fool born everyday

There is no question that one of the plus things about AAA hockey is that it is better than some associations. However, most association hockey provides more than enough and is plenty good for most players. Some parents think that they know better then the people who run the organization so they leave to bring their kid to Fire hockey or some other team. It probably is a good product but most associations provide a good product also. The fact is that some parents are a little 'psycho' when it comes to their kids and think that being on a AAA team makes them on a different level from the rest. That is not necessarily so...

That's true....but, on the flip side, some parents DO know better...

Some parents think that they know better then the people who run the organization

At some associations, almost all of the parents know better than the folks that have wrested control and scrap with every ounce of their being to keep it.

What kind of turnover do the Fire teams have from year to year and how much do you suppose it costs? I see their tryouts are coming up in July.

getoveryourbadself wrote:I'm fairly new to the AAA landscape so my ignorance here may show. But don't you suppose that the reason there is a market for these teams is that association hockey isn't fulfilling the needs of these players/parents for whatever reason. I would bet that many go to these teams because they are not politically well connected in their local association (it's a big deal in some associations) or malcontents (even if it is a label placed on those who speak out) or maybe the parents feel the product they are buying is better than what the association offers. There is obviously a market out there, so ..... one has to wonder....... it's like any other business - provide a good product at a fair price ....... well, that, and there's a fool born everyday

or they might be intimidated to play with FIRE instead of association

I talked to a F.L. parent that had two kids play for the fire one was 91,93. Said it was a good time. You get a set schedule for the year.[Practice times] Can expect alot of travel. He said back then it was about 7000.00 a year per kid. Our Bantam A teams cost less than half that. For some folks it seems like a good fit. [ not the old goalie, Kids not good enough, no $$$]

[quote="old goalie85"]I talked to a F.L. parent that had two kids play for the fire one was 91,93. Said it was a good time. You get a set schedule for the year.[Practice times] Can expect alot of travel. He said back then it was about 7000.00 a year per kid. Our Bantam A teams cost less than half that. For some folks it seems like a good fit. [ not the old goalie, Kids not good enough, no $$$][/quote]

$3499 for Forest Lake bantams? Wow, EP a few years ago at 80 some games was 1/2 of 3499. I would expect the average metro BA to be $1500 or less, which still is a handful.

I said less than half of that! My bad As I've said in the past " I don't break down how much I spend on each kid. I do however, have a distinct idea of what I spent on my oldest during his last year of expensive hockey. I don't want to know, but I can tell you you it was at least 3-thousand ...O.K. [What R U with the I.R.S.] Thats's my bad your from E.P. [ Your welcome for our high school foot coaching staff]

My bad I blew a gasket.... SORRY.... I ment that it cost us at least three for the year. I think that is fine for the time I spent with oldest. High school 250.00 for the whole year.[and they feed said teenager four times a week.]