Edina Hockey Assoc used ice time

[warmskin]

do many hockey associations have much unused indoor ice time? Edina seems to have a fair amount of purchased indoor ice that goes unused. Is it also common for parents/coaches to buy indoor ice and sell back to association teams?

[SWPrez]

do many hockey associations have much unused indoor ice time? Edina seems to have a fair amount of purchased indoor ice that goes unused. Is it also common for parents/coaches to buy indoor ice and sell back to association teams?

Minneapolis has ice from time to time that we have contracted for, but do not use as our teams are all off at tourneys, playing away games, etc. You can't predict your ice usage in May (when you are contracting), when you haven't bought tourneys yet, or scheduled games. We do post that ice on our website and it is available to our teams at no cost, or to outside associations that are looking to pick up ice.

Can be found here:

http://minneapolispark.pucksystems2.com ... s-2011-12-

[jackdaw]

The solution is an ice draft like EP does. Teams might still not user their ice but it is billed to a team. LHA had a 30k bill for unused ice before the draft was instituted. It solves many issues; everyone has to take good and bad times and it allows coaches and managers to work around the teams schedule.

[InigoMontoya]

If ice is purchased in May for a Saturday/Sunday when almost all teams are out of town - the ice is unused, period. A draft isn't a "solution"; it's just smoke and mirrors that allocated the $30,000 cost of unused ice seen at the association level down to the 50 teams, so they can say $600 of unused ice, which is more palatable. The reality is the 4 hours that team doesn't use, combined with the other 49 teams, still results in a total of 200 hours of dark, paid for arena. The first 10,000 wreaths sold still go toward...nothing.

[warmskin]

I realize this sounds too simplistic but why can't associations do something to at least give the ice away so it is used by somebody. Why can't associations have a 24 or 48 hour rule if ice can not be used it should be put on a web site as free to the first team wanting it. Why do teams try to make money until the last minute of unused ice? Kids use social media to communicate why can't their teams? Do other associations have parents buying ice like Edina?