Mailbag: Navigating AAA Costs, Team Culture, and When to Step Back

Lee MJ Elias [0:08 - 1:48]: Hello hockey friends and families around the world and welcome back to another edition of our Kids play Hockey. It's Lee Elias with Mike Benelli today. You know friends, at the end of every episode I always say if you have a question or a comment or thought, you can email us team atourkids playhockey.com or use the link in the episode description, tap on it and you can text us and send us a message. Well, today is a mail bag episode. We don't have any high level music to put in there so that was the best I could do. But yeah, Mike and I are here today. We've got multiple questions we've picked from the mailbag that we're gonna ask and respond to and, and remind all of you if you ever have questions. This show is so much run by you. Feel free to contact us at any time and we will get back to you. But Mike, let's jump right into it. This first one comes from Dennis from Brooklyn, New York. I'm gonna read it out loud. My 10U son plays for a AAA team in Northern Jersey. That's New Jersey for those of you outside the east coast. I truly cannot afford it. I believe he can play at a lower level and still progress. But I'm afraid he may lose favor with the program if he drops out after the season. It's a great program. That's only 10 minutes from my home. My thought that, my thought would be that he'll try out again at the 14 new level. Hopefully I will be able to finance at that time with proper financial planning. I'm sure that I'm not the first person to experience this. Dennis, you're not. He loves the sport and loves his teammates. He will continue to play. What should I do? P.S. the local high school does not have a hockey team, so club hockey is his only option. Mike, this is, and Dennis, this is probably more of a common problem that you than you think because AAA tier one hockey is far too expensive. But Mike, why don't we jump into your thoughts first? 

Mike Bonelli [1:50 - 4:22]: Yeah, so nobody can really afford it. Like it's like, it's like, you know, if there's, there's levels of, of what are you willing to sacrifice on some ends. But some people can sacrifice everything and still not be able to pay some of these bills. I mean, so, you know, I guess let me just approach the question of like, you know, falling out of favor. I, I personally don't think that really happens. I don't think, you know, it's not, it's not like you know, the player is saying, oh, the team's terrible. I've got to get out of here. I'm going to go three hours away to another team because the grass is greener. So falling out of favor at the organization, you know, I think there's still levels of the fact that if you're a player that can contribute and you're somebody that's should be on the team based on merit, you're going to be fine. As you go through the evaluations now, I will say, depending on the organization, you know, sometimes, you know, people get into these niches, right? You have the coach, you have the. The 15 core players. Nobody leaves. It is hard to break into some of these small organizations like that. But for. For the most part, like falling out of favor with an organization, unless you've, you know, thrown a garbage can on the ice or something, doesn't. Doesn't happen very often. As far as the cost goes, he's. Dennis is absolutely right. I mean, it. It is. It is outrageous, absurd. It's sad, actually. I mean, like I said, I was joking around, but nobody really can afford hockey. It's not. It. You. You just. You have to. If you have the money to do it, you. You can do it. And. And at very, very various levels. But I think this. This whole AAA version of what we've become is very, very difficult. And if you can find an organization that's less expensive, follows my rules of 12U hockey, which is no bridges, no tunnels, no tolls. He's hard to do that because every. Every other road is a bridge, right? But if. Or if you're in Pittsburgh or something. So. But I think if you can. If you can put yourself in a situation where. Find the best aspect for your kid to thrive and then re. Re. You reinvest or look at the ROI and say, well, okay, I'm saving a lot of money here. I'm going to be spending my money here. I can reinvest the money here. Like, now you can start juggling and finding ways. And again, getting better at hockey doesn't cost money if you know how to do it off the ice, right? 

Lee MJ Elias [4:22 - 5:37]: I. I agree with you on so many points. I'm just going to say it again. He's referencing TENU aaa, which I'm not going to say shouldn't exist, but at 10, you. I mean, look, it's so much more about the. The experience than it is about the outcome. I mean, that's true at every level. But I'm gonna echo what you just said, Mike. And the fact that, look, we say this on the show all the time. You can't create a love for a game. You can only cultivate it. Dennis, I believe just from your message, your kid has a love for the game. Allow that to take them through. All right? And I say this to, to, to parents all the time. If your kid's not outside on the street, in the basement, in the garage, wherever your little home hockey setup is, shooting the thousand pucks a day, turning the net to get different angles, puck handling non stop because they're driven. I don't, I don't know what's going to happen. Right. And again, I always, I always say this too. If they're not doing that, that's okay as well. Like, there's no right way. I'm just. The point I was trying to make the parents, Mike, is that that internal drive is not something the AAA program is going to create. A double. A program is going to create. A B program is going to create. Your kid has to create that. And again, you can cultivate it. And there's no right or wrong age where that has to happen. 

Mike Bonelli [5:37 - 7:09]: Yeah, And I think you could beat it out of a player, too. I mean, emotionally, like I think you can. I think you could. You know that sometimes trying to reach for this AAA thing, like, I, I have this, I have this experience all the time with parents. Like the parents that have the money or don't care about, like, like the, the parental entertainment for the weekend by going to another tournament or going to another hotel or getting on a flight. Like, I'm like, do you take in consideration, like, the fact that there's other people that play like that these other people have other children in their family that, you know. You know, I used to joke around when, as a hockey director and I know, send a note out and I'd wonder why I didn't get immediate responses. And then I just realized, like, not everybody sits at a desk on their phone all day. Like, I'm like, what do you mean you're out on a, you know, up on a telephone pole or what do you mean you're digging, you know, a trench for an electrical outlet? Or, you know, I don't, I don't understand how you do these other things. Like, you know, what do you mean your, your office doesn't allow you to take personal phone calls during the day? You know, who does that? So I think it's, you know, it's, it's. We fall into this world that on Saturdays when we see everybody in the rink that we're all created equal and we're not. And you got to understand that when you're building these organizations. So I, I again, 10 you12 U8U. You know, there is no AAA. Hockey really isn't. There's no elite hockey. And just, just be in a place where your son or daughter loves being at the rink, you love the coaching staff, you know, guiding your kid, and then, you know, you can figure it out from there. It doesn't, it doesn't have to be expensive. We just make it expensive. 

Lee MJ Elias [7:09 - 9:43]: Absolutely. I mean, look, one of the biggest plates in our game is we're pricing people out of the game horrendously. Everyone listens to this show, knows that it's not something that we stand for, but it's the unfortunate reality right now. The other thing I want to say too, is this. You know, when I do talk to, to people that go tier 1 AAA at the younger ages, which I, I gotta keep saying this, we're not crapping on it. It's not that. In terms of, like the competition, like, I do agree as a coach to a point, better competition can help breed better players. But, and there's a huge but here. When you're under 12 years old, it's all relative, right. A AAA player at 11 does not mean you're going to be a AAA player at 18 any more than a B player at 11 means you're going to be a B player at 18. Right. The AAA matters later on to a point. Like I said. Right. If you're trying to play collegiate hockey or junior hockey or go beyond. Yeah. You want to play at the highest level possible when you're, you're 15, 16, 17, 18 years old. Okay. I don't disagree with that. But here's the thing, all right? And I gotta preface this. Every single kid is different with what I'm about to say, all right? The thing that no coach, no program can put into your kid is that drive. All right? I get every parent, oh, my kid loves hockey. My kid loves hockey. I believe you. And I'm trying to tell you that there's a difference between loving hockey and being driven in hockey or in anything, all right? And I'm saying that the kid who's 12 years old not making the team that they want to make, and that drives them into that practice, into that going to the rink and finding ways to get better. That is a, a diamond in the pressure that if you play at the highest level all the time, you may not get. You also, may I. I Think the point I'm trying to make, Mike, is that we, we have so much. We have, we have this like, like, you know, thinking of, well, if I don't get to the best team possible. That's not the right path. There's no path. The path is if you love hockey and you as a child. I'm not talking about you parents. If you as a kid want this enough, you'll put the time in. All right? And the top level kids in terms of kids that are trying to play beyond high school are doing that. And I gotta say it again, it's okay if you don't. It's okay just to go out there and have fun and enjoy it. So to back to Dennis's question, Mike, I don't think there's anything wrong with your kid playing on a different team closer to home for less money. I think he's going to excel there as well. I don't think it's going to hurt his progress. It may help his progress. Right. But every situation is different. 

Mike Bonelli [9:43 - 9:50]: I mean, I can't imagine out of the thousands of people that are in these organizations that every single one of them wants to drive their kid to be a pro hockey player. I can't. 

Lee MJ Elias [9:50 - 9:51]: I agree. Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [9:52 - 10:07]: I mean, I think there's, I mean, like, I have like zero. That's not even in the ballpark. Like, like, I'm like, well, that's something that they can do and they will do if they want to do it. But the, the, the, the goal should be being in a great environment. 

Lee MJ Elias [10:07 - 10:08]: Right. 

Mike Bonelli [10:08 - 10:44]: And learning and having fun. And if you're getting better. You know what? Listen, and I think we, we probably get, I get skewed by this too, because I, I like to coach. I, I think that kids getting better and competing is, is a, is a mark of a good coach. Like, I think somebody that's inspiring kids to, to want to get better and, and show improvement. Like, I think that is a good mark of a good coach. But there are so many kids out there that don't care. Like, they don't really care about getting better. They're just like, I don't know. I just laugh. Like, I'm like, I don't, I don't care about that system. Like, that doesn't affect me. Or they don't care about, you know, not being the first line centerman. They don't care. They just want to be a part of something. 

Lee MJ Elias [10:44 - 10:46]: Maybe, maybe that's the advice. 

Mike Bonelli [10:46 - 10:58]: And we start when we keep saying you have to develop, you have to get Better. You have to compete. You have to get better than the next kid. I think we start driving kids actually away. How about this meaning of sport? 

Lee MJ Elias [10:58 - 11:17]: Let's make this actionable, okay? For the, for the purposes of the question, you know, I think the first thing that you're bringing up that we gotta suggest, Mike, is this is like have this conversation with your son or daughter in the sense of what's the motivation? Right? And here's the thing, like, Dennis, this is a great question, but follow me. 

Mike Bonelli [11:17 - 11:19]: Oh, yeah. So many layers too. 

Lee MJ Elias [11:19 - 14:11]: Yeah, yeah. But, but here's the thing. Your kids playing aaa, right? What is it about AAA that they don't want to leave? Is it really the, the high level talents and competition, or is it his friends? And both of them are understandable answers, but I'd say 80 of the time, Mike, it's, I don't want to leave my friends, right? And, and what did we used to do when we grow up? You'll make new friends. And that's true. And that's part of the human experience. So I think the first thing is asking your kid, don't lead the question. It says the parents. Don't try and get the answer you want. Ask them what's bothering you about potentially leaving this organization? All right. And again, Dennis, I know you mentioned financial issues. If it's not in the cards financially, that's, that's the decision, right? You got to survive. Mike, I think you make another great point too, is when it comes to the camaraderie and it comes to the people you're around, it's like, what type of environment do you want to be in? What type of people do you want to be around? How do you want to grow? You know, the other piece of advice I have here, and I love that you mentioned, you know, kind of the role of the coach and the motivation of the coach. When I got a grip, you know, a while back on, wow, I really love helping people become the best versions of themselves. Suddenly it didn't matter what level I coached at. Now I do have levels I prefer, don't get me wrong. All right. But at the same time, when I'm coaching an elementary school team or a national team, the approach to I want to help you become the best version of yourself doesn't change because they're 8 or 18 or 28. Right. And I think that parents need to realize that too. You want to go to an environment where your kid's going to be able to evolve, not just as a hockey player and as a person now, the questions that I asked Mike, and this is a great point that you made, with my own kids, I can only use them as an example. I try. I guess said it before. I never try and lead them to the answer I want. If my son or daughter is frustrated, and that's if they're frustrated, not me being frustrated, my daughter. I'll give you a great example. My daughter is very much just enjoying being there and around the people. And while she's excelling from a hockey standpoint, I can tell it's all about the people for her. She just wants to have a good time with her friends. And I'm. I'm understanding that. Whereas my son, a little more analytical, a little more of the chess player, has said to me, well, I want to get better at this. So, again, we have a lot of resources in my family in hockey, but the question I ask is, well, what are the things you can do to get better? I need him to own that answer. All right? I can provide the resources, but he's got to own the question and the answer of, well, okay, you're a goaltender. You want to get better at this. What are some of the things you can do? I need him to answer that, because if I answer it for him, I'm not really helping him learn to grow. I'm just giving him stuff to do. All right, now, if he says, I want to work on my glove hand, and these are some of the things, and we get into a good discussion. Now it's a discussion, but he owns the discussion. And I think parents. And again, every situation is different. We talked about, Dennis, you bringing up your financials. 

Mike Bonelli [14:11 - 14:11]: That. 

Lee MJ Elias [14:11 - 14:46]: That is a different part of this conversation. That's a conversation as well. All right? But when it comes to the kids development, let your kid somewhat lead that journey. All right? And if they're going the wrong path in your mind, then parent, you know, to the best of your ability. But it's got to be their path. They got to own that journey. Parents, when you own the journey, they burn out. And, Mike, you and I have seen that at 15, I'm sure so many times. Kid doesn't want to be there. Dad or mom is all over them, and the journey's done. They're not going to do anything because they hate going to the rink or they hate being at the rink with that oversight. 

Mike Bonelli [14:46 - 15:29]: Yeah, and. And hates a strong word, too, because I don't know if they. I don't know if all the kids hate it. They just like. Like there's other things to do like, like, yeah, I like it. But I, I, I, but I'll miss like, like right now. Like again, if you're, it depends on where you're at with your kid. I mean it's, listen, if your kids loves his friends and all his friends are going to the Yankee Met Subway series game and you have a spring league game and he decides he wants to go to the game, like, okay, great, who cares? Like, like, like, it's like, you know, oh my God, all my friends. Okay, then, you know, we've, we've heard countless stories of NHL players and, and, and high level players that because the parents allowed them to do those other things. Yeah, because those parents allowed them to have the freedom of making decisions on their own. Drove them back to the sport. 

Lee MJ Elias [15:29 - 15:37]: Right. He took a year off at 15. That is probably the most important developmental year. 

Mike Bonelli [15:37 - 15:44]: Right. And again, people should preface the fact that probably the guy was probably the best athlete in his age group within a 50 mile radius. 

Lee MJ Elias [15:44 - 15:48]: But the point still stands that he took a year away from hockey. He had a full NHL career. 

Mike Bonelli [15:48 - 18:35]: We all hang out with people that you look at every day like an adult league and you're like, my God, did you played like pro hockey, man? And I played, you know, I stopped playing when I was 19, you know, and the guy's like, best player on the ice. Like so, so it's a matter of just it all. Everybody's journey is different. Everybody's motivations are different. If your son is a 10, then maybe the motivation should be, you better have a blast and everything will come back around. If he's, if he's. So many things. When you talk about, when you talk about like the financial piece, there's so many things you can do for free to become a better hockey player that all of a sudden, like I, I use example a lot with my, the kids I work with. Like you can, like if you really want, like I'm working with defense, a young defenseman right now. And one of the things I say to the dad, and again I realize I'm in, I'm in like la la land. But the dad's concerned about his stride. I'm like, well, this is his, this is a stride. Like, this is what he looks like. If you really want to change it, like if you really want to make it better and make it more efficient and put him in the best situation possible, then you got to take him out of hockey for three months. Like if you really want to do it, if you really want to do it, then Take him out of hockey for three months and build his structure, build his cadence, build his strength, build all those things that gonna give him the base to now be a great skater, which I think he could be because he's a good athlete, but you won't. Why? Because you think he's falling behind. You think it's not the way to go, but in fact, that is the way to go. So it all is a matter. So. But if you're, if you're this, if you're Dennis, right, and you're a parent like this, sometimes the best route is to not go the same route. And it's to say, I'm going to do something different. I'm still going to allow my son and put him in a great hockey situation, but he's gonna all of a sudden emerge when he's 14. You. Because he did all these other things that all the other kids aren't doing because they're trying to catch up the wrong way. So it really have to, you really have to believe. And, and again, I come from a different world. I come from a world of watching this happen every day. So when I speak to a parent of a 10, 11, 12 year old, they look at me like, well, what the hell do you know? Like, you don't know what you're talking about because all the other experts have my kid playing, you know, for this AAA team seven days a week. I, I understand that, but are they experts? Are they have the best interest in your, your son or daughter's athletic success? Did. Because most don't. Most are like, well, if you don't get better, it's not my problem. I cut you and I'll get a new kid. Most don't have. And we've said this a million times on the show, right? You really want to be a great developer? Pick a kid at 8 and force them to stay with you till he's 12. Right? And let's see, let's see really who develops who. 

Lee MJ Elias [18:35 - 21:43]: Well, and, and look, final note on these questions or this question. Yeah, well, this is the long question today. Look, this is what I'm going to say too, and I probably should have said this earlier. I, I think there's a broader conversation that needs to happen over the life skills that you learn in hockey, not the destination in hockey. And, and I think it's so important parents have a, and players have a real grip on that, that the game is a vehicle for your growth as a person. All right? So the good, the bad, the ugly, the great. It's all life lessons, at the end of the day, no matter what you do, if you have a 20 year NHL career, still life lessons, right? So I think that that's, that's the key here. And you know, in this question, there's a lot of life lessons about financials, about having to make new friends, about having to change teams. Because of that, the adversity involved with that, there's a tremendous amount of life lessons there. And I think when we talk about coaching our kids is, and this is hard as a parent, is exposing your children to those lessons. And especially the hard ones, the adversity, the tough stuff, they can't do it this year like that. That stuff's more valuable than any hockey skill we're going to teach. And again, the great people, not just athletes, are really hardened in that adversity and that's what gets them to push through. So I think kind of broadly, again, there's a lot of adversity in this situation. Embrace it. All right? And the last piece of advice I have is keep yourself present where your feet are, where your skates are. The part of this question, he'll try to get a 14U. Look, if kids talented enough, they'll make the team. I mean, that's, I don't know how to break that to parents. If your kid is that talented and they're good enough to make the team, they will always make the team. All right? Someone will get cut. That's. You'll find a place for them to play. Okay? That's the harsh reality of it because Mike just said it too. If I get a, a superstar coming in, I'm gonna take that player. All right? Within reason. I obviously, you know, good attitude, good, good family and things like that. But I wouldn't be going into 12U or 10U with 14U in the back of your mind. That's my last piece of advice. If you're going to be a tenu or 12U, Dennis, wherever your kid's going, be there, be with that team. Because if you start planting the seed of, well, we'll try out again in 14, you, you're essentially telling your kid, well, we don't want to be here. I'm just here stopping by. That's not going to create a great teammate. That's not going to create a great person on the team. That's going to create a player who's. I'm only here, I'm only stopping by. And I'll tell you right now, the ability to learn how to buy in, buy into a Coach's system buying this situation. Be where your skates are. That's a real big skill for later on of understanding roles and understanding where you belong. Not just in hockey. I always use my own experience. I played for more B teams than A teams and I got to go to college and I had a cup of coffee in the minors. All right? There is no direct path. What I did do, and this is me, can only speak for me, is I took thousand shots a day in my garage and I was outside every day practicing because I chose to do that, and I love to do that. That's not for everybody, and that's okay. I'm not, I am not sitting on a pedestal saying that. I'm just telling you that was my path. It doesn't make sense, all right? 

Mike Bonelli [21:44 - 21:47]: All those same things, and I didn't go anywhere. So, I mean, like, so it all depends on. 

Lee MJ Elias [21:47 - 21:49]: We're both here, man. Come on, Seriously. 

Mike Bonelli [21:49 - 22:01]: It all depends. It all depends on what you want, you know, it all depends on the effort you put in. But you have to be. You have to be given the talent and there has to be something in there, you know, that, that sparks. But, you know, at 10, we don't need to worry about that. 

Lee MJ Elias [22:01 - 22:09]: I, I concur with you, my friend. Okay, next question. Charles from Barnstable, Mass, Massachusetts, says, I'd like. 

Mike Bonelli [22:09 - 22:17]: I'd like you to actually do these questions in the dialect of the like earlier. 

Lee MJ Elias [22:17 - 22:21]: I don't know where Barnstable is, but. Hey, good morning. I love the show. That's New York. 

Mike Bonelli [22:21 - 22:24]: If they're doing it right, that's up. No, the Barnstable is. It's up there. 

Lee MJ Elias [22:24 - 22:29]: It's up there. Okay, well, I'm not gonna insult Charles by doing that accent anymore. 

Mike Bonelli [22:29 - 22:29]: No, no. 

Lee MJ Elias [22:30 - 23:02]: I will say that the Boston Red Sox have the best city connect jerseys in the league. There you go. Boston. That's all you're getting out of me. Hey, good morning. I love the show. My 10 year old, a lot of 10 year old parents. My 10 year old son took a tough hit, got a concussion, and his intensity levels have declined on his shifts. Thoughts? Well, my first thought is to consult a doctor or medical professional and make sure that you get that kid's brain checked out, which I'm sure you've done. I'm sure you've done. But that's my first thing right, Mike, is make sure you've done all the proper medical. 

Mike Bonelli [23:04 - 23:04]: Sit out. 

Lee MJ Elias [23:05 - 24:11]: Yeah, and then Mike just said the next part. If the kid doesn't look ready, take a break. Especially at 10 years old. Just take a break. All right? The intensity levels could decline for multiple reasons. The alarming one might be the kid is still concussed. I'm going to say it again. You need to consult a medical professional immediately. Mike and I are not doctors of medicine. We are hockey ologists. It's a little known, It's a little known doctorate you can only get on this podcast. But the other reason the shifts might have declined is you might be a little scared, right? You get hit in the head, you get your bell rung, you might shy away a little bit. That's why I said just take some time off. Or option three is give it time. At 10 years old, 11 years old, 12 years old, they're not hitting yet. They might just need some time there, gets confidence back, maybe talk to the coach, maybe understand that. But yeah, if his intensity levels have declined, I think patience is probably the key here and making sure. I got to say, the third time, go see a doctor. I mean, triple check. Charles, I'm only assuming that you haven't because of. You haven't said that in here, but go see a doctor, make sure that his head and brain is okay. 

Mike Bonelli [24:12 - 24:45]: Yeah, I mean, I'll go to the assumption that, that the kid's in a safe environment and that you can cheaped out and everything. But I think, I think it all comes down to like that the term contact confidence, right, that, that you, that you're confident in in any kind of a contact sport. So, you know, the questions that I would ask are, well, were you playing in a 10U league that allows checking? Like something. Some, some do. Well, some do. So I know Massachusetts and really those exist? Well, yeah, because you have these super leagues, right, that say, well, we're gonna have real hockey. Like, we're not gonna. Like we're not gonna do. 

Lee MJ Elias [24:45 - 24:47]: I would never do that to my child. 

Mike Bonelli [24:47 - 26:27]: We're gonna do real hockey. Like, real hockey is checking. Real hockey is body contact. Real hockey is full ice with real nets and, and, you know, that's real hockey. So. So again, maybe, maybe the question is, are you playing real hockey or you playing, you know, baby hockey? And then, then I, then I would say, like, okay, well then what is the. What is what not only you, but what has a team done to create this contact confidence? Like, what are you doing in practices that allow, like, I didn't see your son get hit. Right? So it might be a matter of maybe he put himself in a really bad situation to get hit. Maybe he said, you know what? I love going through deviators and stick handling my head, head down. And maybe I wasn't aware of what was going on because the one thing you can't. And, and this is what I would advise any child, right? The one thing you can't control is the other player. You can control where you go, what space you take, what routes you want to take, you know where you want to go with the puck, but you can't. Like, it's almost like if you don't understand, like, how to protect yourself from getting hit from behind, it's because you can't control the. The person hitting from behind doesn't want to hit you from behind. It's true. The, the person doesn't know. Like, but you can't control that player's ability to, to have some kind of thought process that this is really bad, like, I shouldn't be doing this. And unfortunately, big hits to the head goalie shots, hits from behind, that affects the player often that hit you as much as the player that got hit. Because mentally it's like, like I don't think anybody. There's very few players that go out to try to hurt somebody. Like, they try to go say, I'm gonna, I'm gonna change the moment today. Today we play. 

Lee MJ Elias [26:27 - 26:29]: That might have been a little different conversation, but today I agree with you. 

Mike Bonelli [26:30 - 26:35]: Yeah, but that's at 17, 18. I don't recall, I don't recall nine year olds going out. 

Lee MJ Elias [26:35 - 26:36]: That's fair. 

Mike Bonelli [26:36 - 27:38]: Like, so, so like. And I don't recall anybody. Like, I do. Listen, I work with parents every day. They're like, no, no, my kids taught. Somebody says something to them, punch them in the face first and then ask, and then ask if that's okay. But that's fine. That's your, That's. You do what you want to do. That's your parenting. What I'm saying is a Tenu player getting his quote, unquote bell wrong. If he's not hurt, if he's not. If he's not physically hurt, then it's a matter of rebuilding that contact confidence and say, okay, well, let's look at some video. Let's look at where you were in this situation. Let's look at, you know, how are you protecting the puck? How can you do a better job of making sure that you don't put yourself in a vulnerable position? Some of those things we don't talk about. We always talk about the person that hit us because, like, that's not fair. That guy did that. But really we should be saying, what did I Do to put myself in a situation where I allowed that player to hit me like that. And I don't know, I don't think that has to be like a, you know, an in depth, you know, moral conversation. I think it just needs to be a conversation about, well, what, what kind of positioning you're putting yourself into when you're playing to avoid those big hits. 

Lee MJ Elias [27:38 - 27:58]: Yeah. Well, I'll say this. I don't know how your kid got the concussion, Charles, but Mike is bringing up some really great points. And that is why USA Hockey and Hockey Canada changed the hitting from 12U to 14U with two years of teaching you how to give and also take a hit. Because that awareness, the other thing I'm going to talk about. And again, Charles, I hope we answered your question. 

Mike Bonelli [27:59 - 28:32]: Well, real quick though, to your point about USA Hockey and Hockey Canada. So they, they, you got to be really, you know, understanding when you, when you go to a coaching conference with USA Hockey especially, they talk about body contact a lot. Like, like they have taken checking out of the game, but not body contact. It's almost competitive contact and body positioning and bumping and, and, and jockeying for roles on the ice because that is, that will lead to better understanding of when there is full checking. At 14 years old, 100. 

Lee MJ Elias [28:32 - 30:17]: And again, you know, for people Mike and I's age, the game from a contact standpoint has changed so much where even when we watch the NHL now, Mike, you can see it being used as more of a positional tactic than just let's get the gigantic humongous hit, you know, knock the guy out, which was that's when we played. But again, using contact as a tactic now is a big deal that not to. Not that there's not still big hits in hockey. It just has evolved as much as the game. Charles, though I do want to say this too. I always tell parents, when it comes to equipment, there's two things. Do not go low budget, cheap on, and the number one item is the helmet. Make sure the helmet is up to standard. Never use a used helmet. That's the one piece of equipment I will consistently buy from my kids. I'm not every year, but I just make sure that they're up to snuff. If I find out there's a massive advancement in helmet technology, which there is sometimes that might spawn me if I have the finances to go get them another one. I just don't mess with that. The other piece of equipment, believe it or not, is the skates. Now that doesn't mean go Find the most expensive pair of skates. That's not what I'm saying. But get some quality skates for your kid. Okay? And as they get older, that becomes more important. All right, but those are the two pieces of equipment. I always say, don't go super cheap on your helmet. Don't go super cheap on your skates. Find. Find something good for your kids there. The rest of the stuff, depending on where you play, you know, it's kind of personal preference, but I can tell you right now, there's no pair of gloves that's going to make your kids score 50 more goals. There is a helmet that lets your kid get a full brain functioning, and there are skates that allow your kids to be a little better on the ice. So those are the two. Anything else on concussion talk, Mike? Great question from Charles. 

Mike Bonelli [30:17 - 30:33]: No, I just hope his son's doing better and. Yeah, me too. And I. And I hope that, you know, any player that gets a brain injury like a concussion, you know, just hopefully they understand that, you know, toughening it out is not the. Is not the. You know, back in the day, you could get a concussion. Like, hey, guy toughened it out and sucked it out. 

Lee MJ Elias [30:33 - 30:35]: It's a shift to shift injury. 

Mike Bonelli [30:35 - 30:51]: Again, I think it all depends on the era you live in and where you can. Where you grew up and kind of what. You know, what. What kind of parenting you might have had. But bottom line is any. Any. Any shot to the head is. Is a bad, you know, is not good. And. And just make sure that they're fully recovered before you jump back on the ice. 

Lee MJ Elias [30:51 - 31:23]: Yeah. You know, just quick context on that. I remember when I was in college, I think my. My sophomore year, I got a massive concussion. Guy cross checked me in the back of the head really hard. And just to give kind of context, I played one more shift after that, because that's what we did back then. It was stupid. We didn't know any better. And then I remember my coach kind of, kind of sat me the rest of the game. And I remember, Mike, this is funny. I remember being so mad that he sat me thinking, like, what did I do wrong? And it's like looking back at it now, it's like, dude, you had a concussion. The guy was looking out for me. 

Mike Bonelli [31:23 - 31:27]: Well, there's. There's a reason why, like, the NHL has concussion, you know, Watch. 

Lee MJ Elias [31:27 - 31:27]: Right? 

Mike Bonelli [31:27 - 31:44]: Because. No, because athletes don't. They want to play. They want to play like, broken bones and. And. And cut eyelids and, you know, tears in their Achilles. Like, they want to Play. So an athlete, like a competitor, you have to protect them. 

Lee MJ Elias [31:45 - 32:05]: Well, how about this? You know, it. It's funny, I was going to say this like it was recent, but it's actually. I think it's might been 15 years ago. Sidney Crosby is actually the one who changed the conversation about this. Early in his career, he had a pretty massive concussion. He basically sat out a year, and, man, did people ridicule him. You're a wuss. You're lame. You can't do. I mean, it was ridiculous. 

Mike Bonelli [32:05 - 32:06]: Still carries it. 

Lee MJ Elias [32:06 - 34:12]: He does. Yeah. And the thing is, is that, look, I'm. I'm in Philadelphia. It's not like we have any love for the Pittsburgh Penguins here. Okay. But now that I'm older, you know, I have a lot of respect for this guy. He changed the conversation around this, and he, you know, essentially said, this is my brain, and it's not ready to play yet, and I want to play a full career. I don't want to play five years and have to leave. Which there was plenty of examples of that from. From prior to him being there with several NHL athletes that were supposed to be superstars and were in their own right. But he changed the conversation, and, you know, it kind of came out after CTE was a very big talk talk at that time. Look, I'm just gonna say it, that the game has changed in that regard. So, Charles, the fact you asked the question is probably a big deal, because, Mike, 20 years ago, no one would have asked that question. It would have been your. Fine. Get back out there. Yeah. All right, last question. This one's gonna go quick. This one's from Elm Grove, Wisconsin. I don't have a name because I have to mention this when you text us through the link, if. On our description, if you don't tell us your name, we are not allowed by privacy to see your phone number or. Or take that information without you giving it to us, which is the way we wanted it. So if you ever want to write us a text, just make sure you put in there, this is my name. If you want us to contact you directly, put your email, put your phone number, and we'll do our best. But this person from Elm Grove, Wisconsin, says, hey, guys, I got a copy of the short book of team building activities last year that I was able to use for our squirt team this season. And I feel it really paid off. Three exclamation points. Thank you. Three exclamation points. I appreciate that. That being said, I can't find it in my Old emails or files. And my daughter's softball coach reached out looking for ideas on how to deal with some issues on one of the teams she coached. I wanted to share the book with her, but I can't seem to find it. Can you send it to me again to two things Again, I love to send it to you again. I have no contact information for you. So if you're listening out there, Elm Grove, Wisconsin, feel free team at our kids playhockey.com or. Or text us again with your information. 

Mike Bonelli [34:12 - 34:22]: If you know of a team just sitting in a room looking at each other and not no idea what to do, it's probably that person because they don't wait knowing how to build a team. 

Lee MJ Elias [34:22 - 35:21]: Right. Well, this is what I'll say if you're. For the listeners out there. If you're interested in getting that team building book, just email us team at our kids play hockey dot com. We'll get it over to you. I'll be fully transparent. That book leads into a larger book that we will tell you about. That's your choice if you want to get it. Mike, let's talk about the team building book and team building powers a little bit. It's funny because, Mike, you know, this is part of my profession is team building and. And culture building. The team building book actually for me is always evolving. I'm always adding in new drills all the time. It's probably something I should publish at some point because the drills have grown and grown and grown. But I just saw your Instagram over the weekend. You doing a team building drill that I actually hadn't seen before. Team building, my friends. Essential part of your curriculum if you're serious about coaching or building a team at every single age group. I think people who are not doing more than a pizza party at this point are crazy. 

Mike Bonelli [35:21 - 35:22]: Yeah. That's not team building, though. 

Lee MJ Elias [35:22 - 35:28]: That's not team building. It's a. It's a. It's a team dinner. All right? And it's. 

Mike Bonelli [35:28 - 35:29]: It's bonding. 

Lee MJ Elias [35:29 - 36:03]: It's great for camaraderie. Yeah, sure, sure. It's great from camaraderie. But if you think it. I always say this. If you think a pizza party is going to solve that issue any more than it's going to solve the issue at your place of business when you know we're gonna do a pizza party. Yeah. Who doesn't love pizza? Team building is a process, and team building is. Creates extreme results. Right. You got to find some chemistry. You want to build chemistry, you do it off the ice. And it translates on the ice. All right, but, Mike, why don't you. Why. I can see you going to say stuff. I also want to know where that drill was you were doing this weekend. I saw. I'd never seen that before. 

Mike Bonelli [36:04 - 36:08]: So I. So in full disclosure, I have stolen all these books. 

Lee MJ Elias [36:10 - 36:12]: We're friends here. Where you've borrowed. Come on. 

Mike Bonelli [36:12 - 39:35]: And I try to. So a lot of. A lot of the stuff I do with multiple teams. That particular team was a. A current brick team that's going up to the brick tournament. So they. They do it like little training camp. So every weekend I do their team building. And what that really is, is. And so I. Not that I'm running out of things to do, but it depends on what kind of resources you have. You're kind of limited to the different things you want to do. Like, I would love. Like, you've got some stuff with, like, the milk crate stacking and, like, there's other. Like, there's a lot of things you can do that if you don't have the resources or the time where. In my case, the help, like, usually, like, so. So Mike goes and does team building. It's everybody else's chance to, like, bolt, right? So everybody else is like, well, I'm out of here. Mike's got. He's got it. And I joke around, like, listen, I can hardly control one child. You want me to control 18? In my. In my own personal opinion, team building works best with parents and coaches together with the. At the youth level, because that's the team. The team is not your 18 kids. The team is mom, dad, grandma, whoever's bringing the kids to everything, the coaching staff and your kids. So let's get that out of the way. So what I was doing this weekend was so we. So we. I think it's actually. It evolved from a different drill. So we had mom and dad in the stands drill. So that's the. So my team building was the. The. The kids are the players. There's a bunch of pucks on the. On the ground, and they. They have to know what puck's theirs, and they. And they have to wear a blindfold. And then in the stands on the wall is mom or dad. And mom and dad have to yell and scream where the puck is and how to get it. But now you have. Now you have nine mom and dad screaming and nine players trying to hear. And they're trying to navigate where their puck is. Right? So that. So this evolved into a. Well, let's see if we can elevate this. And then we just drew a bunch of papers, put the blindfolds on. I was able to get, I don't know, 5, 000 blindfolds from Amazon for eight bucks. No. And so they throw them away. I mean that again, that's a whole nother thing. Maybe, maybe I should even mention that because it, it pains me to use Amazon for anything, anything. So but again, getting a lot of blindfolds, we wrote numbers. 1, 2, 3, 4. On, on and the different colors and then the team had a color and now so the whole idea of the team building, team bonding, team trust was that just like what you do and reading your information and stuff that you put out. Like I, my goal was to get player A to get to know player B better. My goal is to get to have the red team compete against the blue team. My goal was to see, you know, who can lead and who's a follower. My goal is to see who's the aggressive thinker and who's the, ah, it doesn't matter to me. And it, it, it's amazing to me every day. And I would, I would challenge anybody at home that's doing any kind of team bonding, team building, team competition to then overlay the personalities of what you see in these events with the hockey player. And it's amazing to me how close you can start. Like I could, I could right now I'm pretty good. I could take this team. I could go down the list of 18 players just with the team building activities and I could have a conversation about the coach where I think they fit in on a team not knowing what their skill level is. 

Lee MJ Elias [39:35 - 39:35]: Right. 

Mike Bonelli [39:35 - 40:02]: No idea about their hockey level. And I, I'll know which, which of the two goalies is the one that always wants to be in the net. I'll know which of the two goalies is the one that said if there was a breakaway and I could only pick one goalie, who would be the one fighting to be that person I could pick if there was going to be a penalty late in the game for somebody that's really undisciplined, who would it be? It's amazing what team bonding and team building does. So when you people poo poo the like, I don't have time for team building. 

Lee MJ Elias [40:02 - 40:05]: I don't need this yoga. I've heard that I don't need this. 

Mike Bonelli [40:05 - 40:19]: And I don't need. And then on top of everything else it's well like, you know, I, it costs, it costs nothing. I, I loosely paper and, and like I said A nine dollar bag of. 

Lee MJ Elias [40:19 - 40:21]: It can be done for nothing. I agree with you. 

Mike Bonelli [40:21 - 40:39]: Done for nothing. But I think the more important piece is that it is the piece that puts players and bonds players and develop players. And for me as a coach, it's. It, it, I, it is invaluable what it does for me to learn who my players are. 

Lee MJ Elias [40:39 - 41:17]: Well, I'll take it a step even further, Mikey. Compliment me within that entire statement. Because you know how much I believe in this stuff. And to hear you echo it back and that you're using my stuff really means a lot. And I will echo too, that this can be done with no budget. All right? Now, if you, if you have a budget, sure, you can go to ropes courses. I've worked with teams where I've actually gotten the military involved. There's a lot you can do with a budget, but without a budget, you can do a lot. So that's the first thing. And, and you brought up the milk crates. I mean, I stole the milk crates, Mike. I stole them, right? I'm not going to say from where because it's a reputable establishment. But I drove there at night, they were out back. I took the. Mike, I took them over. 

Mike Bonelli [41:17 - 41:23]: I think it's in Wisconsin. It's a Piggly Wiggly. What's out there? There's something. There's something out there. 

Lee MJ Elias [41:24 - 41:29]: Kroger's, something like that. Yeah. Here we have the Acme, but that's not. 

Mike Bonelli [41:29 - 41:31]: You could get, you could get, you could get, you could get milk crates. 

Lee MJ Elias [41:31 - 42:22]: Anywhere you can get milk crates. Yeah, and, and if you don't want to steal them, you could probably just go in and ask and they'll give you a few. That's for a drill in the book. You gotta get the drill to find out the. Get the book to find out the drill, right? But here's the deal. Like it. It's funny to me, I still run into parents that think this stuff is worthless. And at this point, I've seen it work so many times that I, I honestly mean this. There's very little judgment there. It's like, okay, I mean, if you don't believe in it, I'm not going to make you believe in it. I don't need your support with that. But the team believes. I'm gonna tell you right now, when you get a team, I really believe this. When you get a team with adequate talent, okay? And you bond them, watch the miracles fly, right? Don't get me wrong. If you got a 10U team playing against a 15U team. I don't care how bonded the 10U team is, they're probably not going to win that game because the talent's not appropriate, right? 

Mike Bonelli [42:22 - 42:23]: No, but they won't quit. 

Lee MJ Elias [42:23 - 42:23]: They won't. 

Mike Bonelli [42:23 - 42:27]: But you know how they, you know how to make it so they don't quit, right? 

Lee MJ Elias [42:27 - 44:17]: Well, and that brings up my next point. I, I coach this national team. I love coaching this team. And we were in a scenario a couple weeks ago where we were playing top 20 teams in the world. And I know we, we are probably most likely not competitive enough to win these games. Nobody quit. All right? And now leading to the next tournament, that's kind of a rallying cry. All right, so if, if your gauge for winning is only the trophy, only the gold medal, which is a gauge, don't get me wrong. If that's your only gauge, you're missing out. You're missing out. That's, it's not the only thing. All right? Like, winning is defined so many different ways. And I, I find that when you have multiple ways of winning, not only do you win more often, but you win bigger. Bigger and bigger. So the team bond as a result of team building. If you really want your group to succeed now and for the future, it's essential. And again, you've got to keep both the micro and the macro goals in your mind. I, I, we didn't do our season in review yet. I'm going to do it soon. I was coaching a 10U double A team this year. Didn't win a lot of games. Won about a third of our games. Kids never quit. And I remember, as frustrating as the, the results were for the coaching staff, I said to them after the season, guys, you know, we don't see it, but we're creating an insane 12U team right now. And that's really our job is to make sure that they're ready for the next level. And I, by the way, I've seen the next year's team in some preliminary things. They're really, really, really good. Okay. And will we ever get credit for that? Don't need it. That's not the point. All right. I'm just happy to see it. Right. But that team did team bonding every month consistently. Now we've got great people coming out of the program. It's important. 

Mike Bonelli [44:18 - 44:24]: I think that's my, that's a great point, that team building doesn't happen one weekend in August. 

Lee MJ Elias [44:24 - 44:25]: Happens over 18 years. 

Mike Bonelli [44:26 - 44:51]: It could happen. It could happen like as a cool thing to do. Right? Like, I know, like for my Players, they, they, they all know, like hiking Torn mountain with a 90 pound rock, you know, and accomplishing a goal with like all these other parameters and stories and history and. Oh, they remember. That's the. I could tell you right now most of my players remember those hikes and what we did more than any game during the season. 

Lee MJ Elias [44:51 - 44:52]: That's a great point. 

Mike Bonelli [44:52 - 45:25]: And, and I always have the parents come on those with us, like, I don't need you helping. I don't need you supervising. I just need you watching. Watch your own kid. Like, see how your kid reacts, what they do. And I think that for this woman and, or man or whoever it is, it could be a bot in Wisconsin that says they want the book. Just know that it's not a three lesson goal. It's. It's like you got to build this in. Yeah, you got to build this into your regular routine. And it doesn't have to be an hour, it could be 15 minutes. Like, it just has to be part of your routine. 

Lee MJ Elias [45:25 - 45:27]: I try and do it in 20 minutes to build. 

Mike Bonelli [45:28 - 45:38]: Not only like, because, because the cool thing is you can mask a lot of team building activities with athleticism, activities like, you can, you can build in, you know, strength. 

Lee MJ Elias [45:38 - 45:50]: I can give you a great example of that right now if you want. Like, like one of my favorite ones to do is connect for a tic tac toe where I put the board 50 yards down. You got to run. I move the pieces away from the board. 

Mike Bonelli [45:50 - 45:51]: Right. 

Lee MJ Elias [45:51 - 45:59]: Not only is it, you're sprinting, obviously, all right, but you got to have your brain on, right. You get some interesting results with those, you guys see? 

Mike Bonelli [45:59 - 46:02]: So we, we use, we use a lot of Blaze pod type work. 

Lee MJ Elias [46:02 - 46:03]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [46:03 - 46:40]: And it's so funny how like, so we'll do Team Blaze pods. Like, we'll do like red versus blue, so nine kids on a team. And then we'll say, okay, you want to see fights of kids? Then we'll say, I need your, your team of nine and your team of nine. You got to pick your best three players because they're going to compete now for the team win. Kids are crying, kids are fighting. And, and when you have highly competitive kids. This is what I love about team building, is that now you get to see who's gonna fight to be the one that wants to be in the race, who's gonna be the one that says, no, no, you take it. I'm good now. And again, that's. Nothing wrong with that. Could be the best player on the team, but most likely it's not your best player on the team. 

Lee MJ Elias [46:40 - 46:40]: Right. 

Mike Bonelli [46:40 - 47:37]: Most likely it's the kid that will stand up at the end of the bench saying, I want to take the penalty shot, I want to take the shootout. I want to be on the ice with a power play. And you can start to build and see that the earlier you can do that with your teams, the better your team's going to be. Because now you can really start to think, think about who are my personalities, who are the kids that I can count on, who are the kids that are overconfident. Like the one kid saying I want to be one of the three. I'm like, you're literally the slowest kid in this whole state. Like, like are you kid. Like. But you know, but you need to see those things. And I think what the kids get to see is they get. Again, it's probably not politically correct and probably not everybody, everybody wants equal, everybody to be equal. But the fact is there are kids that are high performers. Like, I'll like my example is this brick kids. Right. Whether you like 9 year old elite hockey or not is irrelevant. These are the best kids in their group. Yeah. In, in the, in the age group. But you can't deny it. They're really, really. 

Lee MJ Elias [47:37 - 47:39]: Yeah. They're very talented hockey players for their age. 

Mike Bonelli [47:39 - 48:10]: Yeah. In order to get there, they're all like super competitive. Like they're all, they all think they're the best player, which is a really great thing to have. Whether it's true or not is irrelevant. They all do think that. And so now to now take that group and try to figure out, well, who is the alpha, who is the leader, who is the one that I can count on to bring all the other kids up and who's the kid I know I gotta look out for that's gonna crush my team. And I think that's what team bonding and team building is for me. 

Lee MJ Elias [48:10 - 48:11]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [48:11 - 48:32]: And it's. And I think for anybody that wants, you know. So I would use the book, the pamphlet, the core drills and then you again, if you're, if you love doing this and you like watching your team grow, you will then expand your own ability. And then like, like you asked about the question about our drill. That, that is made up like two hours before I went in. 

Lee MJ Elias [48:32 - 48:33]: I love it. 

Mike Bonelli [48:33 - 48:38]: Well, we did this. We did the same blindfold thing three times. Right. With this kid. I need something a little different. 

Lee MJ Elias [48:38 - 48:38]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [48:38 - 48:43]: But, but I only have 25 minutes. So I can't reinvent the wheel. I can't spend money. 

Lee MJ Elias [48:44 - 49:37]: Look the best team building drills, the best. And I tell this to the players and the parents and the coaches. The best team building drills will uncover inconsistencies in the team cohesion. All right? Like, if I do a drill and they can just do it right away, it's not a very good drill. Right. The idea is to uncover, do you trust your teammates? Do you communicate effectively? Can you face adversity? Mike, to your point, can you solve a problem? Or with older ages there might not be a solution to the problem? Selecting, can you deal with that? Right. There are some drills I have where you will not succeed, and I'm okay with that because the drill is not about succeeding. The drill is about how do you work together in this environment. Right? For the Star Trek fans out there, we call that the Kobayashi Maru. You, you'll appreciate that if you're out there. Look, you brought up a great point. 

Mike Bonelli [49:37 - 49:37]: I'll. 

Lee MJ Elias [49:37 - 53:00]: I'll end on this, Mike. I was very fortunate my freshman year to be a major part of a collegiate championship team, okay? We were not picked to win. We were selected to be. Not even in the playoffs, and we won the whole thing. You mentioned before about remembering scores. I remember who we played. I remember each playoff round. I remember some of the points that I was part of. Don't necessarily remember the scores. What I do remember is in the preseason in the freezing cold, right, Crawling through a football field of goose crap with a Marine yelling at me and the rest of the team to get down the field. I remember doing these team building exercises with this Marine. This is how I actually got into this field. Because those things that we did in the preseason, we did throughout most of the season hardened us up as a team that no one was going to stop us. And I can tell you right now, when you're on the bench going to the third period of a championship game, that's close, you don't necessarily think about tactics. You think about, I crawled through a football field of goose crap, which would be illegal to do now in the freezing cold, and this other team didn't. And my brothers around me or sisters, if you're on a girls team or a co ed team, did it with me, and I have a responsibility to them to win this game together. That's a power that you can't get if you don't do team building. All right? And in my experience, more often than not, it's going to put you over the edge. That is the difference. All right? And I will say this too, for the parents that are the naysayers Every top level organization is doing this, every single one of them. And it's starting to trickle down now to not top level organizations. And I know that because I'm getting work with them because they're finding out this is a way to separate themselves from the pack. All right. And you know what, Mike? The best thing I get is even with some of the negativity I get back, the feedback from the kids and the parents is largely. And I by largely, I mean almost all positive. I love these sessions with Coach Lee. I love what it does for our team, from the coaches, from the players. And again, please, folks, it's not me bragging. I take so much honor in getting those compliments, but I'm saying it because it clearly works. All right, so Elm Grove, Wisconsin, thanks for bringing this up, by the way. If it was a bot, Mike, he wouldn't be from Elm Grove. That's not what I would just. It would. It might be from Brooklyn, right? It might be Dennis. I'm just kidding, right? But that's a great mailbag episode. Mike. Always love doing these with you. I'll remind everybody. We want to hear from you. Look, we've been very blessed that we have topics every week for five years. We've. We know that's not going to stop anytime soon, but the show is for you. So the larger hockey community. So if you have questions, comments, topics, anything you want us to discuss, if you disagree with anything we said, that's fine, too. Email us team@our kids playhockey.com or click the link accompanying this episode in the show description. Text us with your name and email and phone number if you want us to contact you and we'll do another mailbag episode. Mike, always an honor being with you, my friend. I appreciate you being here. 

Mike Bonelli [53:00 - 53:02]: A lot of fun. Learned a lot today. 

Lee MJ Elias [53:02 - 53:09]: Both ways. All right, gang, you have a wonderful week. Enjoy your life. Enjoy your hockey. We'll see you on the next episode of Our Kids Play Hockey. 

Mike Bonelli [53:09 - 53:09]: Take care. 

Lee MJ Elias [53:10 - 53:38]: We hope you enjoyed this edition of Our Kids Play Hockey. Make sure to like and subscribe right now if you found value wherever you're listening, whether it's a podcast network, a social media network, or our website, our kids play hockey.com also, make sure to check out our children's book, When Hockey Stops atwhen hockey stops dot com. It's a book that helps children deal with adversity in the game and in life. We're very proud of it. But thanks so much for listening to this edition of Our Kids Play Hockey and We'll see you on the next episode.