Hockey lessons

Some people think skating lessons are the foundation of good hockey. Others think that coaches are just trying to make a buck and feed parental delusions. Both of my sons had lessons with Doug Brown (http://dougbrownspowerskating.com/pl.htm) today and a) thought the lesson was great; b) though he was really nice, and c) he got off the ice and spoke about very specific things he had identified and worked on with both boys.

I liked what I saw a lot! Am I crazy? I guess we'll see at tryouts...

Mixed bag weekend

Happy to see my little guy doing so well. We are struggling to decide if he should try out for some crazy tournament team in the Spring. Lots of money. He likes club hockey - house league with occassional travel games. But always wondering if travel hockey is really all it's cracked up to be or if it's just designed to make gullible parents spend more money than they need to. Do the kids who play travel really get any better in the end than the other kids? Maybe. When is best to make the switch? Do you need to make the switch? Who can afford this anyway?

I sometimes feel like I'm being pressured by sales men that you have to do X or you have to do Y. Older guy had a tough weekend - two losses. But he played well. Solid checking which makes Mommy happy.

End of the season

The season is almost over for which, with the way things are going, I am grateful. This has been a tough one for my older son as the team just never seems to have gotten their sea legs. The focus now has to be on figuring out what to do next year.

So many parents switch teams and start trying to suck up to coaches to help their son get on the best team. I feel like my kid suffers because I don't know what's going on behind the scenes. Everyone seems to think they have the inside scoop.

Is every Ice Rink a gossip mill or is it just ours?

Meanwhile, my little guy is having a great season playing with his club in the house league. Maybe travel hockey is just a big scam to get more money out of us stupid parents!