The Ride to the Rink: Mike Knuble on Why Kids Need to Get Outside and Just Play Hockey

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Hello, hockey skaters and goalies around the world, and welcome back to another edition of The Ride to the Rink. It's Lee and Mike with our good friend Mike Kanuble here today. Mike played a lot of years in the NHL. He knows what he's talking about. And kids, one of the things we want to talk to you about today is the need, I'm going to use that word, for you to get outside and get creative with the game, to get outside and have some free play, to get outside and work on your game without a coach telling you exactly what to do. We all three of us grew up in an environment where we played on the street or we played outside or we played other sports that taught us to do things. And I wrote this down, Mike, before I throw it to you, that, you know, we ask that question a lot of why are kids not outside that much? Well, here's the truth, kids. You know, uh, we started on the street, you have more access to training tools than ever before. You still have access to streets the last time I looked. When it comes to hockey IQ, you know, you have access to the internet, which is a library of drills and videos and things you can watch. Uh, and when it comes to coaching, again, you have more access to all of it. But getting outside and just going to play is a really important aspect of the game. So, Mike, I'm gonna throw it to you about why that's important, why should kids should be getting back outside?

SPEAKER_01 1:21

Well, I do think it's uh super important to be outside. And you see, you touched on uh things and kids, you're gonna like there's a word called transfer, right? Skill transfer. So things you do in other sports uh will transfer to hockey. You know, if you're running and jumping, playing basketball, you learn how to be explosive, jump high, use your use your leg strength. You play baseball, you learn how to think and be patient and kind of think about your next move before it happens. You play lacrosse, you're running, moving in open space, grabbing balls, you know, just that there's that's a great uh uh example of a sport that transfers great to hockey because you're passing, getting the pass, moving, catching pass on the run, handling the ball, throwing, you know, throwing it to a partner, throwing it, getting it back, shooting on goal, you know, figuring out how to beat guys, playing guys one-on-one, defending one-on-one, you know, doing that. So there's just because a sport isn't per se hockey itself, there's a lot of things you can do outside uh and to go have fun. Now, that being said, somebody's got to be the leader and somebody's got to take charge and rally the guys to get them out there because you know what? It's really easy to sit in home and play your video games and sit on your computer and be on your iPad. You gotta find a group of guys or girls and and get them to go outside and meet you outside. It might be one or two to start, it might be one or two kids to start. But once you guys play and you have fun and you're laughing and enjoying each other and and and having a good time, guess what another kid's gonna do? He's gonna see you outside your window in your neighborhood, and he's gonna be like, I'm gonna get out there and go and join these guys. Next, you have four guys and girls, and then you have five, and then you have six and seven and eight. Now you got two games going, you know, and now you're you got a bunch of guys and and and girls and out there. So um don't think just because you're not on the rink or at the arena that any of this stuff doesn't transfer. So all these things you can do outside just help you be a better athlete all the way around.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

It's it's just a funny thing, right? I never hear lacrosse guys say, I gotta go use hockey to make me a better lacrosse player. But we often use, you know, we definitely use hockey as other sports to make me a better athlete. But can you just really quickly talk about because you've had kids go through the sport and yourself playing at a very high level, how important is just to do something that's not getting you better at hockey? Like what how important is it just to get and go out and do something that has nothing to do with the hockey development, but just something to put your mind and body like in a different place altogether.

SPEAKER_01 3:43

Yeah, that's that's absolutely key because you can't, you know, kids, you can't be consumed 24-7. You need some stuff. And for for a lot of people, that's like golf, you know, people like to golf, go fishing. You know, fishing's one you can do with your buddy that, you know, a buddy at school, you don't, you know, and might not be a great athlete, but everybody can fish, you know, and that's really fun. Thinking about trying to catch fish and trying your lures and you know, getting out there with your pole and just being quiet and you know, learning, you know, looking at a frog, you know, looking at the frogs after a while. You go check out the frogs and see the tad watch them turn from tadpoles to frogs. That's just being a kid, you know, and having fun. So, you know, there's this big push to, you know, you got to get better at sports all the time. You got to do this and that. No, you don't. You can be a kid too, and that's just as important. And you know, maybe you know, for our kids, we played a lot of golf, you know, and they like to play golf and you know, going swimming with your buddy down at the lake, you know, we're lucky we have a little lake, you know, and in the area and your buddy with a uh, you know, pond, even you know, as long as you you know go swimming with your buddy to be a kid and race, you know, riding bikes around and and doing that. So it's you know, getting away from it is just as good, you know, and and you know, just playing catch with your buddy, throwing a baseball around with your dad. Say, Dad, let's grab our gloves, just play catch in the backyard. I used to love that doing that with my kids, just playing catch, you know. And I'm gonna say, okay, here comes my splitter, watch this one move. That doesn't move at all. Watch my curveball, it's still straight. Yeah, but they like to talk a little smack and you know, throw them grounders and little one hoppers and and and have fun with it too. And that's just 10-15 minutes, but all that stuff will be, you know, that's great stuff. And and and uh again, being a kid and keeping your mind fresh and and getting away from the rink is too, you know, not seeing the rink for a while is is is really good. Your mind comes back and you'll find yourself excited to get back to the rink, and and that's a big deal, and that's just as important as well.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

I'll make this point too. These are great points, guys. That that you know, kids, if you can't find anybody to play with, maybe go to mom and dad and ask, hey, will you go outside with me and do this? And I'll make this point too. Mom and dad, uh, if they come to you and you're on your phone and you're like, Oh, hold on a second, you're doing you're teaching them that that behavior. But my kids come to me, and it's hard sometimes, like, hey dad, can we can we go out and do this thing? And I might be tired. I I typically go, you know what? Yeah, I'll give a funny one to all you kids that just popped back in my mind. My uh my daughter had a softball game, right? And my daughter plays hockey, and that's her favorite sport. We had a softball game, and it started raining, and they called the game. And she ran up to me, kids, and she said, Dad, can we practice a little bit? And I'm standing out in the rain with not rain clothes, and you know what, kids, I said, You know what? Yeah, let's go, let's go hit some balls. And we stood out there in the rain and just practiced and had a great time. So for the parents of the kids, it's important to do those things together, all right. Not just for the sport, but it's important for you to do it as well. Mom, yeah, that's that bounds all of it. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 6:30

I was gonna touch on that earlier in our segment. I said the the this whole thing that there's so much focus on the kid, but you know what it's a family thing, it's a development thing, and parents, you have to be involved. You do, you have to, you know, if your kid says, Hey, you know, I want to get a net, you know, I want to shoot pucks in the yard, you know, in the backyard. I want to well, then you're gonna have to get out and find a net. Yeah, you're gonna have to either make one out of wood. I don't know, you got to figure out your kid's telling you what he wants, like get out there and do it. It's part of being a parent, right? And all their development isn't on them as well, it's on you. You got to help facilitate now. You know, like you said, you can get creative, you gotta think a little bit here too. Maybe you can't afford a new net or something like that, and then build one out of wood. You can find something around, you know. I'm sure you got a crafty friend that can throw something together for you and give them a case of beer to put your net together for you. I appreciate it, buddy. Yeah, my kid's begging me, I gotta do this, right? So, you know, as a parent, there's a role too. And kids don't be shy to ask your parents uh to do that. And parents out there, if your kid asks you, do it. Like help them out, you know, get involved and help them out, you know, and and and and help them be the be the player, the person they can be.

SPEAKER_00 7:31

Well, and and I'll round this out. We'll bookend it by by your point too, buddy. It's not about the resources, it's about being resourceful. There have there are no shortage of training aids today. The three of us, none of them existed when we were growing up, not one of them. And we found a way to play. You could hit paper plates, you could hit a spot on the wall, but you find a way to make it work. And that imagination, that creativity plays into this too. But Mike, I love your message of all of us working together here in the family environment. Uh, and again, siblings too, to make that happen. So, all right, that's gonna do it for this edition of the ride to the rink. Uh, kids, listen, heed the advice of Mike Anuble. He knows what he's talking about. And remember, wherever you're out in your hockey journey, we believe in you. You should too. We'll see you on the next ride for the next one.