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Who does your child get their work ethic from? In the Carmichael-Hart household there’s no shortage of examples of hard work for their children. Lauren Hart and Todd Carmichael are both Philadelphia legends in their own right, but beyond all their personal accolades they are hockey parents - and that’s exactly what we brought them on our show to talk about. -- Look what y'all did! Our Kids Play Hockey has been named the BEST HOCKEY PODCAST of 2022 and it's all thanks to our amazing community! ...

How do you decide what kind of coach is the right fit for your kid? Mike and Lee breakdown some of the best qualities to look for when joining a new hockey program. Do you need a Level-5 USA Hockey instructor or is a parent volunteer coach the way to go? What factors will help you decide? Leave a comment in our group with your thoughts and let us know how you’re choosing the right coach for your athlete this season. Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team! We're powered by NHL Sense Arena! NHL Sen...

How would you summarize the 2023 youth hockey season? As this season comes to a close, we talk about moving up (or graduating - CONGRATS Sophia and Christie!!!), thoughts on coaching styles, adversities conquered, coaches gifts, and where our kids are headed next. Be sure to join our Facebook group and share a post with your own season in review! We want to know what went right, what went wrong, and where you’re headed too! Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourkidsplayhockey/ to join now i...

Are you on the path to college hockey? Topher Scott and Jeff LoVecchio of The Hockey Think Tank podcast talk with us this week about what you can do to set yourself up for success when working towards college hockey. Both Topher and Jeff are former NCAA athletes. Jeff played professionally after college and now impacts athletes of all ages through his personal training. Topher has worked both at the college level as a coach at Cornell University and now as the Director of Hockey Operations at ...

Is your kid(s) moving to the next age level this coming season? The gang dives right into how to prepare for that on this week’s episode of Our Kids Play Hockey. -- Hockey friends and families, we need your help! We have been honored with a nomination for the 2023 Hockey Podcast of the year with the Sports Podcast awards. Like most things, we need our team community to help us win. Click this link, create a free account, and vote for our show. (Navigating to the awards tab, selecting vote, ...

Listen to this episode if you want to unlock some incredible insight into what goes on between the pipes. 🥅 Paul Cohen joins us this week to discuss the physical and mental edge that goaltenders need in order to compete in the crease. He gives valuable insight to the position as we discuss how coaches can incorporate goalies more in practice, and thoughts on our favorite debate - should the goal size be adaptive depending on age? Paul is a former AHL (Champion), ECHL & Div. 1 NCAA goaltender w...

Should we be taking a break this spring? It’s a question that’s on the minds of a lot of hockey families right now. Ask yourself - Do YOU want a break? Does your kid want a break? Its okay to take time away from the ice if your answer is yes, and it might actually be more beneficial to your child’s development. Make sure to listen to this week’s episode before you sign your hockey players up for their spring or summer season! Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team! We're powered by NHL Sense Arena...

Coaches are only as great as the standards they keep for themselves and their teams. Aaron Wilbur’s work as the founder of The Coaches Site is no exception. In addition to educating hockey coaches on the tactics of the game, Aaron and his team also help prepare coaches to impact the lives of their athletes On this week’s episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, we dive into the genius platform that Aaron and his team have built and look at ways they are impacting a large portion of the global hockey co...

The echoes of a hockey game played 43 years ago today still reverberate. There’s a reason the U.S.A. defeating the USSR in 1980 was selected as the most significant sports moment of the 20th century. It lifted a team, a town and a nation - events like that are in short supply today. This team also thought us something that I have based my professional life on; that when a group of people believe, trust and work for each other - miracles are possible. This week we’re re-releasing a recap of t...

Youth hockey is stressful on us as parents and coaches, imagine how it must feel for the kids! 😳 Scott Kelsey is a former pro and shared with us how his journey in the game taught him how to approach Youth Hockey as: 🧭 A Journey 📈 A Process 📍 Not Just A Means To An End Scott is the CEO and Founder of Shareapy, the Founder of Edge For Athletes and works closely with The Ranch: Teammates For Life to help bring mental health awareness to athletes everywhere. You can find out more about these ...

Tryout & evaluation season is upon us! It’s a weird time. 😳 It’s a stressful time. 🙃 It’s an important time. 🏒 (Trust us, we know) The gang shares as many tips and tricks on how to navigate this time of year as calmly as possible in this week’s episode. Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team! We're powered by NHL Sense Arena! NHL Sense Arena, is a virtual reality training game designed specifically to improve hockey sense and IQ for both players and goalies. Experience the next generation of o...

NHL veteran goaltender Clint Malarchuk’s life and story are a testament to the importance of mental health in the sport of hockey and beyond. He is a suicide survivor, someone who has experienced trauma from childhood on, and now dedicates his life to impacting others through speaking regularly on the subject of mental health and by serving as a figurehead at The Ranch Teammates For Life organization. We are beyond honored to have had Clint for an interview on Our Kids Play Goalie. Our team too...

It’s not how many times they get knocked down, but how many times you’re there to coach them back up that matters. Adversity happens to all of us, but how do you help your young athletes overcome it? Lee and Mike drop valuable coaching insight this week to help you coach your kids through failure. Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team! We're powered by NHL Sense Arena! NHL Sense Arena, is a virtual reality training game designed specifically to improve hockey sense and IQ for both players and goal...

How do you manage to make child #1’s home game at noon, and child #2’s game across town at 1:15pm?? Parents of multiple kids: you’re in good company! All three of our hosts have, or have had, multiple kids playing hockey at the same time and focus this week on sharing their tactics with you! Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team! We're powered by NHL Sense Arena! NHL Sense Arena, is a virtual reality training game designed specifically to improve hockey sense and IQ for both players and goalies. E...

How do you continue to inspire your young athlete when the game is no longer fun? We recently received an email from a parent who says that their child is struggling to find the fun in playing now that they’re at the elite level - of course we had to unpack our thoughts right away! Do your homework, do your research, and take our advice on how to combat any chance of hockey not being fun anymore! Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team! We're powered by NHL Sense Arena! NHL Sense Arena, is a virtua...

This week we’ve decided to have do our very first cross-over episode featuring a parent (and a podcast host) that has braved the elements of another youth sport. We thought it would be a great show idea to compare and contrast our crazy sport lifestyle - to see if ours is as insane as we say - and soccer seemed like the perfect starting point. JB Anderson of the Soccer Dad Pod is just the right man for the job! In addition to being a podcast host and the Owner of Gaslight Studio’s STL, he is a...

FIT CHECK! Are you certain your goalie’s gear fits properly? How about their training, does that fit them well too? On this month’s edition of Our Kids Play Goalie, we brought in goalie gear and coaching expert Brad Johnson to discuss how to find the right fit for your tendy! Brad is a Level 5 Coach with USA Hockey, the associate Coach in Chief for goaltending in the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association, a Mentor Coach Developer, and is the US Sales Manager in retail, pro, and college with Brian...

What better time than the start of the year to work on building new habits?? Christie was inspired this week by her hockey community to discuss some of the best habits you may want to start incorporating into your routines. Have another tip that you think would be valuable for our community to start the year off? Share it with us on social media or send us an email so we can share!! Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team! We're powered by NHL Sense Arena! NHL Sense Arena, is a virtual reality trai...

We’ve officially reached the end of 2022 and so this week we’re wrapping up the past year of Our Kids Play Hockey! Tune in to hear a recap of the Top-5 episodes with guests, Top-5 without guests, and some exciting stats that came this year as a result of our amazing audience! Our team wishes you a very Happy New Year and looks forward to continuing to be a beacon for hockey players and families all over the world in 2023! Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team! We're powered by NHL Sense Arena! NH...

Ever wonder what goes into Youth Hockey Journalism? This week the OKPH Line was joined by Sydney Wolf from The Rink Live. She uses her extensive hockey knowledge to cover all levels of hockey for the website and its associated social media, but truly enjoys reporting on youth as well as interacting with the players when creating content to share highlights from the games and events she attends. Sydney is a Minnesota native, a graduate of St. Cloud, and we were grateful she could carve out some ...

Is mental fitness something you take into account when considering your child's hockey career? Tom Chorske returns for a discussion on mental health and ways that we can better serve our young athletes as parents and coaches. This episode is a longer one, so make sure you're ready to listen in or plan to consume in more than one session! Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team! We're powered by NHL Sense Arena! NHL Sense Arena, is a virtual reality training game designed specifically to improve hoc...

What's your Hockey IQ? Greg Revak's mission is to make the game of hockey better. He does this by coaching on the ice and off, specifically via his podcast The Hockey IQ and articles on his site TheHockeyArsenal.com. Greg joined the Our Kids Play Hockey audience this week to discuss coaching and how we can learn from our athletes in order to better serve them. If you're a hockey coach, this episode is a must listen. Greg drops valuable tips that you're not going to get from just anywhere! Find...

Coaches: If You Have A Goalie On Your Team - You're A Goalie Coach, So Listen Up!! Laura Brennan joined the team to discuss goalie development and why its so vital that you research and use resources available in training your tendies. Laura, who now serves as a USA Hockey Goaltending Development Coordinator for the state of Connecticut is also former professional and NCAA Division 1 netminder who additionally has served as a goaltending coach, assistant coach, interim GM and assistant GM in th...

In part two of our most recent conversation with Coach Pete Whitney, he shares with us what it's like to build a (college) team from the ground up, and some things that coaches in young programs should look for when recruiting to ensure a great culture. Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team! We're powered by NHL Sense Arena! NHL Sense Arena, is a virtual reality training game designed specifically to improve hockey sense and IQ for both players and goalies. Experience the next generation of off-ic...