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No, I don't believe high school and Foxes games are played on the Stadium rink, but practices are held on it. I like to think the extra radiation in the water there gave me super powers when I played.

What is your definition of "better players"... The percentage of Canadian born NHL players as dropped significantly since the 1980's when over 70% of the league was Canadian. I'm not a huge supporter of USA Hockey's ADM development system, there has been a larger number of US born players taken in the 1st round of the NHL Draft in recent years, and the US players being drafted are coming out of ADM. Considering the majority of NHL teams traditionally select "the best available player" at the draft I think there's a good argument to be made that right now USA Hockey and European countries (especially Scandinavian countries) are producing "better players". This is especially true if you take into account participation levels in the US and Europe vs. Canada. You can dislike the rule changes all you want (I particularly dislike the change in the offsides rule), but to say that those rule changes are putting US born players at a disadvantage developmentally is fundamentally wrong.

You're both clueless. Both of those rules force Coaches to teach their players how to make a play WITH THE PUCK on their stick instead of teaching them how to get rid of the puck for absolutely no reason. And by the way, what the hell do either of those posts have to do with this thread? SMFH

dumber than no icing while on PK?

Believe me, it isn't just political influence but paying the bills. Both Pens Elite Girls and the Selects have had a history of rostering girls at 10U and 12U that played A- or B level in PAHL. Must really mess with a kid's head when they are elite in one realm and bottom of the barrel on their other team.

Every single RMU in-house team uses the outdoor ice rink for their practices and games. There are 250 mites alone each paying upwards of $750 per season. Then squirts through bantams which is at least $1k per kid. Not too mention it's being used for Foxes, as well as Montour/North Hills/Moon HS teams. That single outdoor ice surface probably generates the Island Sports Center about 2 million every season, and I am more than likely on the low side of that. Plus add on all the inline teams that use the other rink. Do you honestly think the RMU D1 team brings that kind of money (or would with more seating) to the facility? Eliminating those outdoor surfaces would be absolutely detrimental to RMU ISC business model and to Pittsburgh area youth hockey. There is no way they would allow that to happen.

Then we can have the mods check out your posts.

Lol the asinine rules imposed by USA Hockey in recent years (i.e., no checking/delayed offsides until 14U, no icing on PKs until 16U, etc.) only enables the Canadians and Europeans to continue producing better players.

Running your mouth again I see! With ZERO clue. First off, the daughter you are talking about, her dad is NOT an NHL linesman, he is the head of officiating for the entire NHL genius. His daughter happens to be a very good hockey player and even better person! You obviously don't know this dad, because he is only coaching to help and grow the sport, which is a great thing! He has no hidden agenda and isn't playing any favorites! Save me your BS response about how your the smartest in the room and we are all clueless! It's obvious your the clueless one and have no insight to any of this! Growing the girls game is good for everyone. Period. You talk about the "WORSE" hockey dad of them all, you do realize that NONE of his daughters care about or even are playing hockey. Onw takes lessons. Of course you do because you know everything!! You know nothing! YOU. ARE. A. JOKE! enough is enough! Not only are you a joke, but your the worlds biggest cry baby when things don't go the way you think they should go, and the same person that thinks everyone should get a trophy. Not only are you a joke, your pathetic! Get a life pal!

Just got an email about this tourney. If people have any doubts parents are dilusional, want to play AAA for bragging, need that pens jersey, or think Little Johnny is NHL bound at 10, look no further than this: https://www.selectshockey.com/event/the-draft/

I’d bet the Icemen expand to the younger age groups based on this news. Those displaced won’t have to go back to PAHL and can still can be AAA/AA (in name - I’m not speaking to skill level).

Re: another team that might pop up to fill the void, I really don't think so. I still believe many parents (and maybe their kids too) pick pens for the jersey and the bragging rights. Another team wouldn't fill that void - might as well play PAHL if you aren't a penguin.

I quickly looked at their schedule and 10 away tournaments seems high. I think they played 50 games. I didn’t count the home games but they had a decent amount. You have to pay attention to the times of games and the opponents. My quick guess is 12-13 nights in a hotel. The manager of this team and others like it will try and schedule the first game late enough so that you can leave in the morning. Also, try to do up and backs if possible. Most of the time it looks like they did. So, 13 x 150 is 1950. Plus gas and tolls. And the stay to play ones are the worst cause cause you are almost always spending 3 nights. So, the average PAHL team playing 3 away Hockey Time tournaments or whatever may have 9 nights in a hotel. Hockey is expensive regardless where you play.

for all the reasons this is unlikely, the outdoor rink is of no concern what so ever. and the current situation of filling a 1200 seat rink is really not relevant either. but just for reference, a few years back, when RMU made the tournament, they were doing a pretty good job of filling the rink, but the team is not as good now as then and the top players from those teams did not pan out with their AHL signings. Either injury or ECHL demotion with an eventual exodus to Europe has been the norm. This can't be good for recruiting, as well as mentioned before, the arena is not top notch. BUT the idea of building a new facility, would have to be a driving force to better recruiting, which would most likely correspond with a conference shift. I could see the 7 team big 10 being a fit due to travel proximity of teams and easy rivalry with PSU and OSU. Simply joining the Big 10 would significantly increase attendance (mostly away fans at first) and increase the signing power of RMU. Better recruits, better hockey, better attendance, etc.. as racchi's rug points out above, blowing out the bench side wall and adding seating would make a lot of sense if it is structurally possible. They could then replace the existing bleachers with decent seats and turn the standing room area into a press box/media area. and while this reno would be significantly cheaper than a new rink, it would still require a large amount of donor money, which they couldn't seem to get when they were building a new basketball arena. not fitting that building for hockey pretty much sums it up. i find it extremely difficult to believe that anything will be done for RMU hockey. The mens team will find it harder to compete in the AHC and the womens team will probably suffer the same fate as other universities around the country boost their female athletic budgets. I mean, why would a young girl go to RMU to play at the ISC when they could go to PSU and play at the 'Pegulaworks'?

Ok the math skills are adequate but again nothing in fact. It just comes across as what you’ve gathered from paying local in-house bills and “hearing” what others pay at PPE. But that still leaves the issue of people looking down on you and your kid. How did you know that’s what they were doing? That’s what I referred to as mind reading. And you still haven’t answered my original question. Actually maybe you have by avoiding it. And your final math equation is spot on. Good work!

There is absolutely no way they would eliminate 50% of their revenue stream on those two outdoor surfaces to create more seating for the D1 team. Not to mention the outdoor rinks are on the complete opposite side of the facility as the Colonials rink. Please stop perpetuating ridiculously untrue rumors.

Serious question, what purpose did this post serve other than an attempt to ridicule Tier 1 players and their parents? I believe someone said it somewhere else but it rings true here. PPE eliminates the Black teams which you have panned in previous posts and now it’s the people that played there that get ridiculed. What is it that would make you happy? I think it would be a good source of information for the mods to gather all your posts and see how many actually have any reliable information or advice other than telling someone claiming to be a new hockey parent to have fun. I bet it’s less than 25%.

Hundreds of parents with dreams of little Johnny going to the NHL getting crushed just like that.

There have been extensive discussions about Pitt fielding a NCAA hockey team and so far they have no interest. Word is the Pens even offered to let them use PPG until they had a rink up and running. I would love to see Pitt get a D1 team, I think they would have the fan support, especially if they got an on campus arena...

Agreed. It's the pens rose colored glasses that parents have that has always baffled me. I'll look back through some of my old posts and try to find the one where some guy actually said that Mario can destroy youth hockey here is he wants, because he earned a "free pass" to do whatever he wants cause he kept the Penguins from leaving town. That response still sticks with me today, as just a "wow" moment of just how bat sh1t crazy some people are here.

esmarks 18’s would KILL that “faux” junior team. As bad as PPE 18s are they too would beat them. PPE 16s along with esmark’s 16s would also beat that team. High level tier 1 midget hockey is not even comparable to pay to play tier 3 junior hockey, you folks think tier 1 AAA hockey is watered down, go take a look at the tier 3 junior scene, it’s laughable. , look up the vengeance junior team and where those players have played, they are one of the better usphl teams, that should tell you a lot about tier 3.

Wow, you were being serious? I'll bite - so what? Predicting that the Penguins might be involved in construction of a new rink is not exactly earth shattering. Of course they will.

I bet some quit playing, too. They lose interest once they feel like they aren't going anywhere, go to college, etc.

12u doesn’t play for nationals. I posted the age groups that do. the top 6 in the mid am district make the district tournament, the winner goes to the national tournament with the other district winners in the country.

Fact - most PAHL teams play in 4-6 tournaments a year, covered by a mandatory team feel anywhere from $200-400, plus tuition fees of around $2,200-2,500. So, roughly $3K plus hotel costs for two away tournaments puts you around $3,500. PPE Black fees are the same as Gold fees from a tuition standpoint, around $5,500. Additional fees for tournaments and travel expenses and you end up spending between $12-14K. And if anyone with a player from a Black team cares to dispute this, please do. Mind reading? No, simply asking a parent the following - "so how much will you end up paying for a full season?" It is not that difficult and it remains the right of any parent wanting to spend what they want on youth hockey. One who agrees with you = one with "an informed position." Thanks for the laughs.

Aka the faux-AAA market.

I find it comical that your posts are 100% factual and everyone else's is not ( unless they agree with you of course ). You cannot handle anyone that has a differing opinion or experience from yours. Didn't you say hundreds of times on this site none of your kids participated in WPA hockey? If that is true, all of your so-called "facts" are simply opinions based on what others told you and not from actual experiences. You can disagree with whomever you want whenever you want, that is why this is called a forum. But when someone agrees with you, you ended up praising them. When they don't, you go on a rant saying the reason for their view is because their kid wasn't good enough and got cut in the process, all the while having zero information on that persons actual experience. And to assume I am ridiculing PPE Black players with my comment is ridiculous - again you are going on an assumption of something that isn't there. Exactly what did I say that ridiculed the players? Over the 13+ years my two boys played hockey in WPA I came across many parents with kids on Black teams that looked at people that played PAHL as a second class citizen. That is a known fact, not an opinion just from me. Care to guess why PPE Black teams stopped playing games against PAHL teams? Because of the coaches and parents, not the players. Losing to an organization that pays four times less in tuition and travel fees has a negative feel to it, don't you think? You feed yourself by looking for conflict that sometimes isn't there just so you can get a reaction and look in the mirror to gaze at yourself as the know-all about WPA hockey. Sorry to burst your bubble kid, but you don't. Carry on.

This^^^^^^ I’m willing to bet that the second part of the rumor is that RMU has guaranteed that they will offer scholarships to any Tier 2 player that turns down a “faux AAA” offer and stays in PAHL. The sad thing is, the truth really is more interesting than conjecture. And people with young kids seek complete and educated information. That certainly isn’t the norm here. Here’s another straw poll, how many rumors that were attempted to start here actually ended up being Proven true? Curious