Conflict is going to happen during a hockey season. A teammate is going to do something that frustrates you. A coach is going to make a decision you don’t understand. Your parents may have expectations that feel different from your own. And someti…
Conflict in youth hockey is almost impossible to avoid. A player doesn’t get the ice time they expected. A parent disagrees with a coach. Two teammates frustrate each other. A coach loses their temper. Someone says something in the locker room that…
Sometimes you begin telling one story and realize, somewhere along the way, that you are documenting history. That is exactly what happened with Hayley Scamurra. When Our Kids Play Hockey began following Hayley through the 2025–26 season, the idea…
Every hockey player wants more energy. More energy at practice. More energy late in games. More focus when the coach is explaining something. More jump in the third period when everybody else is starting to slow down. Players often look for tha…
There is a question almost every hockey family eventually asks. What are we doing for food? Maybe practice begins right in the middle of dinner. Maybe one child has hockey while another has a different activity. Maybe you are driving directly from…
For a young hockey player, dreaming big is part of the fun. Maybe you imagine pulling on a college jersey one day. Maybe you picture yourself playing NCAA hockey, reaching the professional level, or simply finding out how far the game can take you.…
For hockey families, college can begin to feel like the destination. Years of early mornings, practices, tournaments, hotels, equipment, showcases, and long drives can create a natural temptation to view college hockey as the payoff for everything …
🏒 Growing hockey isn't simply about convincing more kids to try it. Getting a stick into someone's hands matters. Giving a young girl her first opportunity to step onto the ice matters. Bringing professional women's hockey into a market that has ne…
A turnover happens. You miss an assignment. You have a rough shift. A coach corrects you. You make a mistake during a drill you normally execute without thinking. And suddenly, instead of focusing on the next play, your mind is still stuck on the …
Every Kid Should Be Allowed to Dream Ask enough young hockey players what they want to be when they grow up, and eventually you're going to hear it: “I want to play in the NHL.” For parents, that answer can create a complicated mix of emotions. …
Confidence is one of those words we use constantly in youth sports. “She needs more confidence.” “He lost his confidence.” “Her coach gave her confidence.” “That mistake destroyed his confidence.” But what if we’re thinking about confidence the…
Your Skates Are Talking to You. Are You Listening? Young hockey players spend plenty of time thinking about sticks, gloves, helmets, jerseys, and the latest gear. But there is one piece of equipment that literally connects everything you do to the…
A hockey player can tell you everything about their stick. They know the flex. They know the curve. They know the brand. They may even have very strong opinions about exactly how the tape needs to look. Ask that same player how t…
There’s a message young hockey players hear almost everywhere: Work harder. Get another skate in. Take more shots. Train while everyone else is resting. And beneath all of those messages is an assumption that can become dangerous if we never qu…
There’s More to Your Hockey Team Than the Players and Coaches When you think about your hockey team, who comes to mind first? Your teammates probably do. Your coaches definitely do. But there’s another person who plays a huge ro…
Every youth hockey team has people whose roles are easy to see. The players play. The coaches coach. Parents cheer from the stands. Then there’s the person making sure everyone actually arrives at the right rink, at the right time, wearing the rig…
Better Hockey Practices Start With Intention, Not More Drills Every hockey coach has drills. There are skating drills, passing drills, shooting drills, breakout drills, small-area games, battle drills, edge-work exercises, and thousands more avail…
Every young hockey player has goals. Some want to score more goals. Others want to make a higher-level team, earn more ice time, become a starting goalie, or simply feel more confident when they arrive at the rink. Goals can provide direction, but…
“Coach, control your kids!” It is a phrase youth hockey coaches hear more often than they should. A player runs through the rink, acts out in a restaurant, loses control during a game, or makes a poor decision in the locker room—and suddenly everyo…
Few topics create more emotion in youth hockey than ice time. A player feels overlooked. A parent watches the bench and starts counting shifts. A coach makes a decision based on something that may not be visible from the stands. Before long, frustr…
Some hockey players always seem to know where the puck is going next. They find open teammates before the passing lane becomes obvious. They sense pressure before an opponent arrives. They protect the puck when necessary, move it quickly when space…
A player comes off the ice after a difficult shift. A parent asks, “What happened?” The player responds, “I don’t know.” That answer can frustrate parents and coaches. The player was on the ice, so how could they not know what went wrong? The tr…
There is a difference between being recognized and being celebrated. Recognition means your name appears on a list. Your accomplishment is mentioned during a broadcast. You receive a nomination, a headline, or a brief moment of applause. Celebrati…
Tryouts can make even the most confident hockey player feel nervous. You may start thinking about who is watching, how many spots are available, what happens if you make a mistake, or whether one difficult drill could cost you a place on the team. …