2 great games, and a coach who needs to vent

Yesterday, both teams (Pee Wees and Icebreakers) had games. Even though we were going up against teams that were better then us, I thought both teams did a great job at holding their own. Here is a quick recap and "coaches insights" into both games. Also, at the end, I vent about something thats grinding my gears.

Storm B2 (us) vs Storm B1
District 1 is different from District 6, the district that I am used to coaching in. D1 has fewer players, and isn't home to as many hockey-minded communities (vs. D6 which has cities like Eden Prairie and Edina). So, unlike District 6, District 1 does not differentiate between B2 and B1 teams, there are just "B" teams. This means that if associations decide to field a B2 and B1 team, they will play in the same league. This isn't a bad idea, especially for playing in tournaments and post-season play.

Last night, the Pee Wee's took on the B1 team in our association. This was pretty interesting, as friends and former team mates were going against eachother. In the locker room, we discussed how success is not determined by the score on the board, but by skating hard, playing the correct positions, and playing hockey the way they have been taught. We had less of an emphasis on winning, and more of an emphasis on playing positions and working hard. The game was by far one of the better games we have played this season.... so far. Our boys came out strong, played well, took few penalties, but were unable to secure the win. No big deal if you ask me. They had a chance to play a better team, and they will learn from this. This also showed that all the players are in the right spot (if we had won, then people would has asked "shouldn't we be the B1 team?"). Johnny played phenomenally, and so did everyone else.

At practice tonight, we are taking them back to the basics to gear up for our first game against Wayzata in the Minneapolis Cup tournament. I heard that the other B2 team beat a Wayzata team, so I did some checking, it is NOT the same Wayzata team we will be playing.

Icebreakers
The women played last night against the top team in our division. As coaches, especially college-aged coaches, we do our best to keep that boundary between "coaching" and seeming disrespectful. This is probably to toughest thing that we encounter. When you play a better team, as a coach, you want to do whatever you can to get your team working hard, and give them the tools on the bench to be successful on the ice. In the locker room, we went over our team goals and talked about playing defensive hockey.

On the ice, we did a very very very good job at playing our positions. Probably the best we have done so far. The other team did a great job at getting a lot of shots off, as showed by the score (6-0). The one thing that bothered me and some of the other team mates was that our team was taking waaayyyyy too long of shifts. There is only so much you can do as a coach to prevent this, especially at the adult level. Looks like at practice we'll be doing my "short shift" drill. Be prepared ladies :)

The Icebreakers have come a long way since I first saw them on the ice. I am very proud of how they have improved and their hard work ethic. Keep it up!

Venting
There are a lot of coaches out there who will only play 2 lines, or shorten the bench regularly during a game, or even decide not to play players certain games. This tics me off! Every kid paid the same amount, put in the same amount of work, and is a part of the team. You think by sitting a kid for all or most of a game that he'll feel like he is a part of that team? Absolutely not! As coaches, it is our duty to do whatever we can to create good hockey players. This is done by teaching every kid everything you can about their position and the game. If you do a penalty kill and power play, teach it to every kid, not just a few. Give every player the chance to start a game, and play every player as much as you can when you are playing better teams. This creates better hockey players. It is our job to help kids succeed in this wonderful sport, not put them down (emotionally) because one kid is better then the other. The ONLY time you shorten your bench in association hockey is the last six minutes if you are down by a goal or two.

Also, if a player makes a (example) Pee Wee B2 team one year, you under no circumstances put him on Pee Wee C the next year. This is the same for every level, from Squirts through Junior Gold. If as coaches we make a mistake and take the wrong player, that is our mistake and the player should not be "punished" for it the next year.

Why I am venting about this? Because I am sick of coaches who just coach for the title, and not about teaching hockey. That isn't what coaching association hockey is about.