When you’re a young hockey player dreaming about playing professionally someday, it’s easy to imagine the bright lights, the jerseys, and the big games. What’s harder to picture is everything in between — the travel, the pres…
🧠 How Cognitive Training Builds Smarter, More Confident Hockey Players Featuring insights from cognitive-performance innovator Satoshi Takano Hockey parents hear it all the time: “Your kid needs more Hockey IQ.”But what does that actua…
The women’s game is changing — fast. And if you’ve watched the PWHL this season, you’ve seen it clearly: the game is faster, stronger, and more physical than ever before. On a recent episode of Our Girls Play Hockey, Lee sat…
Every hockey parent has had a moment where they look at the bench and think: Does it really take this many adults to coach a youth hockey team?For one listener, that question became impossible to ignore — and the letter he sent us started a co…
As families across the country gather for turkey, stuffing, and time together, the Our Kids Play Hockey crew is doing what they do best — sharing stories, laughter, and a whole lot of gratitude with their hockey family. In this year’s T…
Hockey Life Balance: What It Really Means for Young Athletes Finding balance between hockey, school, family, and personal life is one of the toughest challenges young athletes face. But is true balance even possible—or is it really about prio…
🚗 The Ride Home That Can Make or Break a Hockey Kid Every hockey parent knows the feeling: the game just ended, and the emotions are high. Maybe your child missed a breakaway. Maybe the team blew a lead. You start to talk — or worse, “c…
🏒 Introduction: Beyond the Puck In youth hockey, players are often taught to focus on the play right in front of them — the puck, the rush, the goal. But as Lee and Mike explain in this week’s episode of The Ride to the Rink, the real m…
Coaching Girls in Hockey: Why Words Matter More Than You Think One of the most fascinating challenges in youth hockey coaching is recognizing that how you say something can be just as important as what you say. This was at the heart of a recent Our…
🧊 The Mental Load of Being a Hockey Parent: Why You’re Not Crazy (The Hockey World Is) If you’ve ever found yourself gripping your coffee in a cold rink at 6 a.m. thinking, “Why does this feel like so much?” — this epi…
🏒 Introduction: A Modern Communication Breakdown “Okay.” “K.” “👍.”Three words — or symbols — that can cause a whole lot of confusion. In this episode of The Ride To The Rink, Mike and Lee dive into t…
What do you do when your child starts dreading the rink? In a recent Ride to the Rink episode, Olympian Hayley Scamurra and mental performance coach Nick Stoop joined Lee Elias to explore powerful lessons around mentorship, mindset, and what truly …
Teaching Kids to Communicate in Hockey: Lessons Every Parent Should Hear When your child sits on the bench or struggles to find their voice with a coach, it’s easy to jump in and “fix it.” But what if the best thing you can do is …
🎬 Tournament Time: More Than Just Games For hockey families, tournaments are more than a weekend of games — they’re where friendships are forged, lessons are learned, and core memories are made. But too often, players and parents miss o…
Mentorship in Hockey: Building Confidence, Community, and Character On and Off the Ice In youth hockey, there's a quiet force that often shapes a player's journey more than skill drills or game strategies: mentorship. In a powerful episode of Our G…
💸 The Breaking Point: When Tournaments Stop Being Fun If you’ve ever sat in a hotel lobby wondering why you paid $700 for the privilege of playing a team from your own zip code — this episode is for you.In “Tournament Turmoil,&rdq…
💥 The Real Difference Between Good and Great When it comes to hockey, every young player dreams of skating like an NHL pro. But as Riley Armstrong, NHL Director of Player Development, reminds us — greatness doesn’t start with goals or a…
Big Feelings Are Part of the Game Every hockey player, from the youngest skater to the biggest pro, experiences big feelings. Maybe your team goes down 2–0 early. Maybe you miss a pass. Maybe you just don’t feel like yourself on the ice…
🏒 Introduction: Why “Development” Means More Than You Think Every hockey parent has heard it: “It’s all about development.”But what does that actually mean? For Riley Armstrong, Director of Player Development for the P…
🏒 A Smarter Way to Learn the Game If you’ve ever wished for a way to make hockey training easier, smarter, and more fun, TeamSnap and Bauer Hockey just made that wish come true. The new Bauer Hub—now live inside the TeamSnap app—b…
A Hockey Journey Rooted in Resilience Gabbie Hughes grew up in a true Minnesota hockey family, skating on backyard ponds and competing with her older brothers. But her path wasn’t always smooth. At age eight, her dad thought she wasn’t …
If you’re a hockey parent, there’s a good chance you’ve opened TeamSnap more times than your email. But how much do you really know about the people behind it? In a recent episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, hosts Lee Elias, Christy …
When most people hear “ROI” — return on investment — they think about dollars and cents. But in hockey, ROI goes far deeper. It’s not just about the cost of equipment, the long drives to rinks, or even the dream of a co…
Not Every Day Feels Like a Hockey Day—and That’s Okay Even the most passionate hockey players wake up some days feeling... off. Maybe it’s a rough start to the morning, a bad night's sleep, or just a dip in motivation. In a recent…