Author: thehockeysummitblog

The Winter Classic and Thin Ice
I know that this Blog is usually all about fun and all the great and humorous things about hockey but some weeks are tougher than others…….
This past weekend at our local rink I ran into Philadelphia Flyer legend Bob ‘The Hound’ Kelly. We were catching up and chatting about the upcoming Winter Classic Game being held at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia as well as the Alumni game being held a day or two before it. All the while my 8 year old son Caden was listening and digesting the information. As we got into the car to go home after our Mite game, Cade asked me, “Dad, is that Classic game and the Alumni game being held on the ice outside?”
I said, “Yes of course, why?”
He responded, “Big trouble, I have seen how big the Alumni guys are…….they are going to fall thru the ice……”
Once again the little guy made me laugh harder and longer than I have in a long time. He also made me think….
With just under two months to go, we are in dire need of a Winter Classic. It is truly a great event that reminds us of how special the game of hockey is, played in its simplest form outside in a cold environment.
The way hockey was originally meant to be played. The NHL should be proud.
It hasn’t been a great time in Pennsylvania for sports recently. Our Phillies went out of playoffs much too early. Our Eagles have been less than ‘a Dream Team’ and of course the horrifying story that has come out of Penn State University concerning a football coach and his alleged sexual abuse of young children that he was supposed to be helping.
Now I know that no one has been found guilty of anything but typically a grand jury and twelve accusers don’t come forward after a three year investigation with over 70 charges of misconduct against an innocent person and the cover up that followed unless they have a lot of evidence.  It is just so hard to comprehend but it is also a story that gives us all a wakeup call and a lesson about trust and parenting.
In my current job I deal with a lot of parents and young players in search of the dream of playing hockey at a very high level. Along the way young players leave home very early and also travel with people to showcase events and tournaments that parents and families trust, sometimes blindly. Canadian hockey has had some very tragic and storied incidents of sexual abuse of young children and players. It is important that we teach the basic rules of life to our children and equip them with the necessary skills that are needed to survive and thrive in this environment.  We need to teach our kids about confidence, what is right, what is inappropriate and keep a very open line of communication so that they are not afraid to tell us about anything. Good and bad. 
As hockey grows at an incredibly rapid rate in the United States we should be aware of what we are doing in the search of ‘the dream’ concerning our kids. Get to know your coaches. Get to know your billets. Trust that hockey is a great game but also question the credentials and worthiness of our coaches, billets and chaperones.
The good news is that 99 percent of the people your child comes in contact with, (teachers, coaches, mentors and fellow parents), will be good people who want to help your child grow and become a better player and person.  But reality has told us to arm our children with the tools they need to “thwart” that 1 percent that intends evil.  We have to for our kids’ sake.
We can’t let them fall thru the ice……..

Great Lines!
This weekend I got to spend some time with Bill Underwood a longtime hockey person and scout for the Ontario Hockey League. We got telling some old stories and talking about some of the funny hockey quotes we had heard over the years. Some of them obviously are not for print…. But some are great and so I had our research team look for some of the more memorable hockey quotes. Enjoy!
We’ll start with two of my favorites.
“Guys…..Guys…..settle down…….we are not that bad!!!! We are not that bad!!!!!……we just play in a really good league.” Doug Smail, addressing his teammates from the expansion days Ottawa Senators after falling behind to the Boston Bruins 6-0 after one period.
Harry Neale on the broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada from Los Angeles when the camera panned the crowd and showed Sylvester Stallone sitting in between two attractive blond ladies. “now there is Sly Stallone with the only two good wingers in the place……..”
“Half the game is mental; the other half is being mental.” Jim McKenny.
“By the age of 18, the average American has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, most of them occurring during Game 1 of the NHL playoff series.” Steve Rushin.
“I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.” Rodney Dangerfield.
“We get nose jobs all the time in the NHL, and we don’t even have to go to the hospital.” Brad Park.
“We take the shortest route to the puck and arrive in ill humor.” Bobby Clarke.
“We can’t win at home…..we can’t win on the road…..we are running out of places to play…..” Harry Neale.
“One road trip we were stuck on the runway for seven hours. The plane kept driving and driving until we arrived at the rink and I realized we were on a bus.” Glenn Healy, on his time in the minors.
“I had to pinch myself seeing the grassy knoll and the book suppository building.” Trevor Linden, on viewing the site of John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas.
“It felt like a golf swing and my head was on the tee.” Edmonton’s Tyler Wright, on being clubbed by Joe Murphy.
“This is the only thing that has seen more parties than us.” Steven Tyler, Aerosmith’s lead singer, after admiring the Stanley Cup.
“You’re playing worse every day and right now you’re playing like the middle of next week.” Herb Brooks, 1980 US Olympic hockey coach.
“I have to thank the guy who fired me because he was also the guy who hired me.” Serge Savard, on his firing from Montreal.
“A fast body-contact game played by men with clubs in their hands and knives laced to their feet.” – Paul Gallico
“I know my players don’t like my practices, but that’s OK because I don’t like their games.” – Harry Neale.
“It takes brains. It’s not like a forward, where you can get away with scoring and not play defense. On defense you have to be thinking.” – Chris Chelios
“It would have been worse if we hadn’t blocked the kick after Toronto’s second touchdown.” – Alex Delvecchio
“My former wife made me a millionaire. I used to have three million dollars.”- Bobby Hull
“When I look at the net I don’t see a goalie.” – Pavel Bure
“When I look at the net I see 2 or 3 goalies.” – Radek Dvorak.
“Goaltenders are 3 sandwiches shy of a picnic. From the moment primitive man lurched erect, he survived on the principle that when something hard and potentially lethal comes toward you at great velocity, get the hell out of it’s path.” – Jim Taylor
“Some guys play hockey. Gretzky plays 40mph chess.” – Lowell Cohn
“They say you’re not a coach in the league till you’ve been fired. I must be getting pretty good.” – Terry Simpson
“We’ve made a final offer. We hope Ziggy Palffy will come to his senses. We have NO hope his agent will.” – Mike Milbury
“The hockey lockout of 1994-1995 has been settled. They have stopped bickering… and can now get down to some serious bloodshed!” – Conan O’Brien
You gotta love this game!!!!!

"Dont worry Dad, it’s not a percussion."
That is what my eight year old son Caden said to me on the way to the emergency room to get his broken wrist x-rayed after hockey practice the other night. Of course he meant ‘concussion’, and again in one single instance, he made me laugh and think all at the same time. It is scary that at eight years old he knows about concussions, but after the last few years watching hockey and Sportscenter that word will become ingrained in a young person’s head.
As a young player I broke both my wrists, one of them twice and none of them were as painful as seeing him break his. Yes, I am officially a hockey parent….His injury got me thinking about the sport and everything that goes along with it, injuries and all.
It is funny when you are done playing the game and time passes. Your brain has a great ability to remember all the great times and makes you work very hard to remember the pain, the surgeries, the re-habilitations and just the everyday bumps and bruises that go along with the game.
At least that is how it used to be. When I was sitting in the emergency room, then the doctor’s office and then the casting room with my son it made me think about the pro players today. Front and center, the concussion issue. I began hoping it would not be something my son would ever have to deal with as he continues to play. It made me think about the tragic events that happened in the hockey world this summer and how they may have been concussion related. I know the game is a very tough, high impact game. Always has been always will be. That is part of what makes it great. But things changed some years ago. Players not only became stronger, better conditioned athletes; the speed of the game increased dramatically. Changes in technology improved equipment which further gave the players confidence to play at such high speeds. Higher speeds, greater collisions, more brain bruises. It really isn’t that hard to figure out.
Thank god the NHL looks like it is stepping up and doing something about it. The new head of discipline, Brendan Shanahan, has taken a very aggressive approach to dealing with some of the play that leads to some of these injuries. Not many people played the game as hard as Brendan did and it is great to see an ex-player that is so intelligent, helping to make a stand. Let’s hope it continues as his lead will dictate how things filter down to the minor hockey level. Our kid’s heads depend on it.
Broken bones heal but finally I think we are all realizing that broken brains may not…….

Parental Evaluations
Another minor hockey season is upon us and I am happy to say I am once again coaching my son’s Mite team. We had such a great time last year; I hope we have half the laughs as we did in our first season.  Already one of the little guys welcomed me back by saying to me when I walked in the dressing room, “Back for more huh sucker?” Gotta love it.
This is a great time of year when teams are just getting settled and everyone is finding their way on their new teams. I know different programs have their so called evaluations (not tryouts…) at different times during the season. We just had ours the other night. No one ever gets cut now, just placed on a new team…… Not sure what that teaches the kids but that is for a whole other blog topic. Could you imagine the first time they get fired and they are told, “Well Johnny, we have evaluated your work and have decided that we are not going to fire you, we are simply going to place you on Team Unemployed, keep on smiling, you tried!……..”
Anyway, the whole process got me thinking, maybe we need evaluations for the parents as well. I have been called a dreamer before so why not dream a little now.  Nothing on the ice, strictly a question and answer session that would determine if they are allowed to come inside the rink or not.  

Example 1:
Question: “Mr. Smith, what do you want your son to get out of hockey?”
Answer: “Well, he is a very talented player, I think he can someday play professionally if he is coached properly.”
Please wait outside the rink.

Example 2:
Question:“Mr. Jones, what as a coach can I do to make the season a success?”
Answer: “Make sure the kids learn how to be winners. I mean play the best kids in important parts of the game so we win and we teach the kids how to be winners.”
Please wait beside Mr. Smith outside the rink……..

Ok enough of the dreaming. I know this can’t and won’t happen. But maybe this is a great time of year to look at things as parents in the correct way.
Dreams do keep the human spirit alive and I don’t want to be one to squelch anyone’s hopes, but hockey moms and dads should tether their own ambitions. This is minor hockey time. Time to watch your kids and share precious time with them. Just for fun remember.  Chances are Mr. Smith, none of them will ever play professionally.
I recently travelled to my hometown in Ontario and read some interesting information concerning kids making it to the pros. For every 1 Million Canadians, 16 play in the NHL…..A study of Ontario minor hockey players born in 1975 reveals only 22 of 30,000 saw ice time in an NHL game….or how about this, even the elite players, ones that play college or junior, less than 5% make it all the way to the NHL…..Please share this this with any Mr. Jones or Mr. Smiths on your team this season.
All that being said we have to remember that Hockey is an incredible game. It teaches kids invaluable life skills. Among many things it teaches them how to be a good teammate, the value of hard work, discipline, how to interact socially and the importance of physical fitness.
 Above all, it gives us as parents an opportunity to spend so much valuable time with them. Let’s not blow it.

For Perspective
Another story from my trip north is about a report I read about the gregarious and friendly Walter Gretzky probably the most famous hockey dad in history, father of Wayne. Walter was once a very passionate and driven hockey parent and ended up having a son rise to levels that no one had ever reached and may never again. Then in the early 90’s he suffered long-term memory loss from a near fatal brain aneurysm.  In an ironic twist, the only Canadian of his generation who recalls nothing of Wayne’s career is him…..not the cups not the records….
He does acknowledge that the single greatest memory he has when Wayne was the greatest player in the world was his marriage to Janet Jones.
Maybe that is just a little reminder to all us hockey parents what truly is most important.

Hurry up Hockey!
“Hard times, baby well they come to us all……..sure as the ticking of the clock on the wall…..”
Bruce Springsteen
Waiting on a Sunny Day

It’s early August and we are still a ways away from the Hockey season but it is so good to know it is approaching.

Earlier this week my wife and I were sitting watching the news and my eight year old was there listening to us not saying much. As I am sure most conversations around that time were about a lot of heavy issues. There was the ongoing story about the hard feelings of the national debt debacle, then on to the horrific and terrible story of the thirty special force soldiers lost to enemy fire and then to talk of the stock market crashing over six hundred points. Needless to say the conversation was less than upbeat. After this went on for quite a while my eight year old piped up and came out with this: “Dad, I wish hockey season would hurry up……we don’t have all these problems during hockey season……”
It is amazing that a simple statement by an eight year old can put things into perspective. He is on to something. Yes I know that bad things are happening all the time but isn’t it amazing how a hockey season can help us cope and get by. It is what is truly great about the game no matter what age you are or level you are involved with. Sometimes we just need the eight year olds to remind us.
I am a firm believer in letting kids take a break from the game. I just really loved the feeling when I was a kid of taking a break in the summer and doing some other things. There is something special in putting your old gear back on in August and seeing how much you’ve grown and telling mom and dad you need new gear! That being said, there is also something refreshing with the birth of a new season.
Well we are getting down to it. Time to buy more gear and get a welcome hiatus from the ongoing brutal news we seem to be dealing with each night. Like I said, I know there will always be tough news but nothing a real good hockey game can’t fight off for a while…….So whether you are an eight year old, a forty eight year old  longing for the earlier days or an eighty eight year old fan that loves to watch the game, ….Let’s all say it together….. “Hurry up hockey!”

Is the NHL a fan of the NFL?
Let’s hope so.
Let’s hope that the NHL and NHLPA watched this spring and summer how the NFL and NFLPA got a deal done and avoided missing any meaningful games.
Say what you want about how the owners of the NFL teams locked the players out when the CBA expired and the Players de-certified the Union to gain leverage and all the other posturing and maneuvering that went on this summer. The bottom line is, both sides sat down and hammered out a deal.
At times it was actually quite refreshing to see how the deal got done. Sure you had the odd ridiculous player complaining that they were being treated like slaves……and once in a while you had a billionaire owner elude to the fact that their share of the $9 billion dollar revenue number that had to be split up might not be enough for the future….. For the most part though, when it became evident to both sides that the game and business was too good to mess up, they got behind closed doors and got a tough deal done. Which side won? Who cares? The fans won and the health of football won. Come week 1 of the NFL schedule real fans won’t even be thinking of what happened in May, June and July.
It is hard to even bring this up but yes, the CBA between the NHL and its’ players is expiring in about a year. Hard to believe right? Certainly I am not comparing the health and wealth of the leagues but hopefully the same saneness can prevail to get a new deal done. Yes there are major issues the league has to address. No doubt. There always is.  But both sides also need to see that a huge amount of damage that was done by missing the 2004-2005 season has been made up and that any further work stoppage would be ruinous to that progress. I am by no means a labor lawyer or a player union representative but some things are easy to see. The League brought in nearly $3 billion, the fifth straight year it has brought in record amounts.  Things are looking up. The salary cap has consistently increased. Even with both those things there are still concerns and unhappiness on both sides with the current deal. Is it so broken that a work stoppage will occur again to try and get it fixed? Only time will tell. But wasn’t that what the last stoppage was for? It would be hard to imagine the owners of NHL teams wanting to bring whatever momentum hockey has recently developed to halt. Surely the new ownership groups in Tampa and Winnipeg don’t want or need that. They say history is the best teacher. Let’s hope the NHL is a good student.
Time moves very quickly, especially once a hockey season starts. It will be playoff time before you know it. Hopefully Mr. Bettman and Mr. Fehr get directed by their bosses to work like Mr. Goodell and Mr. Smith did. Get behind closed doors and get working on a deal.
Gotta love it! Time for kickoff!!!!!

Canada Day!

It is obviously a big weekend in the United States and always great to celebrate July 4rth. But let’s not forget that July 1st is also Canada Day! So for all us goofy Canadians, this one is for us. (remember all in good fun.)

You know you’re Canadian if :

You’re not offended by the term, “Homo Milk”.
You understand the sentence, “Could you please pass me a serviette, I just spilled my Bowl of Poutine!”
You eat chocolate bars instead of candy bars.
You drink pop, not soda.
You had a Prime Minister who wasn’t fluent in either of the official languages (English & French).
You know that a mickey and 2-4’s mean “Party at thecamp, eh?!”
You talk about the weather with strangers and friends alike.
When there is a social problem, you turn to your government to fix it, instead of telling them to stay out of it.
You get milk in bags as well as cartons and plastic jugs.
Pike is a type of fish, not some part of a highway.
You drive on a highway, not a freeway.
You have Canadian Tire money in your kitchen drawers.
You know that Mounties “don’t always look like that.”
You dismiss all beers under 6% as “for children and the elderly.”
You have an Inuit carving by your bedside with the rationale, “What’s good enough protection for the Prime Minister is good enough for me.”
You wonder why there isn’t a 5 dollar coin yet.
Like any international assasin/terrorist/spy in the world, you possess a Canadian Passport.
You know the French equivalents of “free”, “prize”, and “no sugar added”, thanks to your extensive education in bilingual cereal packaging.
You are excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada.
You were mad at the CBC when “The Beachcombers” were taken off the air.
You know what a touque is and you own one and often wear it.
You know Toronto is NOT a province.
You never miss “Coach’s Corner” during Hockey Night in Canada.
Back bacon and Kraft Dinner are two of your favourite food groups.
If you live in some of the colder Canadian provinces, your car has a cord and plug sticking out of the grill … it’s a block heater for those sub-zero (in Celsius) days.
You only know three spices: salt, pepper and ketchup.
You design your Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
The mosquitoes have landing lights.
You have more kilometres on your snow blower than your car.
Canadian Tire Store on any Saturday is busier than most toy stores at Christmas.
You’ve taken your kids trick-or-treating in a blizzard.
Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled in with frozen snow and slush.
You think sexy lingerie is tube-socks and a flannel nightie with only 8 buttons.
You owe more money on your snowmobile than your car.
The local paper covers national and international headlines on 2 pages, but requires 6 pages for hockey.
At least twice a year, the kitchen doubles as a meat processing plant.
The most effective mosquito repellent is a shotgun.
Your snowblower gets stuck on the roof.
You think the start of deer season is a national holiday.
You head South to go to your cottage.
You know which leaves make good toilet paper now that there are no more dollar bills..
You find -40C a little chilly.
You know 4 seasons: Winter, Still Winter, almost Winter and Construction.
The municipality buys a Zamboni before a bus.
You understand the Labatt Blue commercials.
You perk-up when you hear the theme from “Hockey Night in Canada”.

Have a safe and fun holiday weekend!!!!!

How Many Shots are in a Fifth of Scotch?
Hey Everyone. Took a little time off from the blog as the hockey season ended. Thanks to everyone who have asked me to get back to it.
I know it is the end of June and as we know, Hockey no longer takes a break. Lots going on with the NHL Draft, Free Agency and all sorts of young players trying to figure out where they are going to play, but I always think we should step back and take a break from the game.
That is why this week’s blog will be about what most good hockey players love…..Golf!! Enjoy!!!!
How many shots are in a fifth of Scotch?
The following is not intended to offend fans of tennis, basketball, baseball or football. It is, rather, an attempt to put everything in its proper perspective.
Ever wonder why golf is growing in popularity and why people who don’t even play golf go to tournaments or watch it on tv? The following truisms might shed some light.

-Golfers don’t have some of their players in jail each week.
-Golfers don’t kick dirt on, or throw bottles at other people.
-Professional golfers get paid in direct proportion to how well they play.
-Golfers don’t get per diem and two seats on a charter flight when they travel between tournaments.
-Golfers don’t hold out or demand new contracts, because of another player’s deal.
-Professional golfers don’t demand that the taxpayers pay for the courses on which they play.
-When golfers make a mistake, nobody is there to cover for them or back them up.
-the PGA raises more money for charity in 1 year than the NFL does in 2.
-you can watch the world’s best golfers up close at any tournament, including the majors, all day every day for $30-$50. Even the nose bleed section a ticket to the Super Bowl will cost you over $350.00, $1500 from a scalper……
-Try this at a taxpayer funded stadium, bring a soft drink into it and they’ll give you two options….get rid of it or leave.
-in golf you cannot fail 70% of the time and make $10 million a season, like the best baseball players do.(.300 batting average)
-Golfers keep their clothes on while they are being interviewed.
-Golf doesn’t have free agency. In their prime, Palmer, Nicklaus, Norman and other stars, would shake your hand and say they were happy to meet you. In his prime Jose Conseco wore a shirt that read “Leave me alone.”
-at a golf tournament you won’t hear a steady stream of four letter words and nasty name calling while you are hoping no one spills beer on you.
-golf courses don’t ruin the neighborhood.

And finally……here is a little piece of golfing history that you might enjoy. Ever wonder why there are 18 holes instead of 20, 10 or an even dozen?
During a discussion among the club’s membership board at St. Andrews in 1858, a senior member pointed out that it takes exactly 18 shots to polish off a fifth of Scotch. By limiting himself to only one shot of Scotch per hole, the Scot figured a round of golf was finished when the Scotch ran out.
Enjoy the off season!!!!!!!

Cooperalls and The Mullet
There is nothing more satisfying than educating the youth of today.
The other day I am getting my seven year old son ready for hockey and I mistakenly asked him where his garter belt was. I had to then explain to him that prior to Velcro, his old man and all hockey players used garter belts to hold up their hockey socks. A barrage of seven year old insults and mockery ensued. (there actually was some pretty good lines…one about hot ladies on skates, but some things always stay in the dressing room……)
But the garter belt thing wasn’t always the case and it got me once again thinking of days gone by. I told him when I was young, a good portion of the time we wore long pants instead of hockey socks and that they were called Cooperalls. I got from him a dazed and confused look on his face much like the time I told him McDonalds was going out of business. So thank god for the Internet! We did a little research and this is what we found.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cooperalls are a type of discontinued ice hockey equipment, which were made by hockey manufacturer Cooper. They consisted of a girdle with built in pads that wore snug to the body. Over the girdle is a shell, which came in two sizes: a traditional looking hockey pant (down to the knee) or a long pant (down to the ankle). The long pants became synonymous with the name Cooperalls and were worn in place of hockey shorts and did not require leggings. Cooperalls were the standard for youth hockey players in the early 80s. Cooperalls were first used professionally by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1981–82 NHL season. The Hartford Whalers wore them for the 1982–83 NHL season. Following considerable criticism[1] and concern for player safety, the NHL banned the use of long pants.[2] However, the girdle and short shell design is still available from some hockey manufacturers.
So that took care of that issue. But then comes this zinger of a question, “Dad, way back then did you have one of those real goofy haircuts, a Mallet????”
Being a good father I quickly corrected him and told him that I indeed did have a Mullet back in the day. I also told him that he should be respectful of the Mullet and that it was one of the greatest hairstyles in history…..  ‘Business in the front, Party in the back!’ I also educated the young lad on some of the other aliases for the legendary hockey haircut, such as:
Nebraska Neckwarmer
Kentucky Curtain
Arkansas Ape Drape
Schlong (short/long)
West Virginia Waterfall
The Cyrus Virus
By this point we were travelling well down memory lane. He then said to me, “Dad, those must have been great times, what was your favorite car back then???”
“The Camaro IROC.” I responded.
Again with the stunned look he inquired, “What does IROC stand for???”
Once more, being a good dad, it was time to be honest and teach the boy…., “Italian reject out cruising……”
Needless to say, Mom is not impressed……J
Long live Cooperalls, The Mullet and Muscle Cars!!!!


Good Insight into the Recruiting Process-D1
Follow us on Twitter at Platinumhockey.

I came across this article on the recruiting process through the eyes of the UVM D1 coaching staff. Really good insight from the other side of the process. Enjoy!

NHL Alumni Members to help in tracking former player brain injuries
This article was good to see in light of what is going on in pro hockey today. Sad to see it getting as serious as it is but hopefully the good people that played the game can help fix it. Great job!
And finally this week, congratulations and thank you to our Armed Forces on a great week! Heroes that allow us to live the way we do! The world is a better place this week.