Saucey

I guess it's better to argue over how super your Pee Wee is v. the AAA squirt or mite. ?‍♂️

From link above: Black Bear focuses on clusters of rinks in its target markets across the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Clustering its rinks provides for optimal management and programming. Working on their cluster I guess.

One of our tournaments got shut down right BEFORE COVID last year. After much effort, we got half our money back. I think the private tournament companies are shady as hell in good times. I try to pay as last minute as possible as a result.

They may lock certain times... livebarn gives you that capability. My kid just played there last weekend for a visiting team and I was able to watch later on livebarn.

Yay! Hockey again.

Aw. This all sucks. You will get use out of that beyond being quarantined. My boy went through something similar last time.

I'm dreaming of adult discussion...that doesn't involve name calling or COVID 19. I miss hockey....and slamming PPE. .and arguing whose squirt is going pro....

I also vouch for Bairel' s program. That program does not play a regular season of teams from other programs, just some games with RMU and jamborees. In my opinion, that is better at this age, and if you know anything about hockey you understand it is not at all important to play games like that until at least squirts. There are countries and programming that hold you off longer. Don't be in a rush to get on any hamster wheel for elite programming, make sure he is having fun and developing the basics.

Masking is not a recommendation. It is an order.

My hockey rankings should always be remembered as a tool for that purpose, but not dispositive. I hate when the players discover its existence...if their team is ranked high, they sometimes get a big head. If low, underestimate their abilities. I caution my players that any team can fall or win on any given day, depending on what they bring. In that sense, it becomes an Iinvaluable tool for teaching about the mental aspects of a game... because that plays out, the team loses to a much lower ranked team and vice versa. Don't we see that play out with the pros across many sports? (They play to the level of the team, etc.) Coaches should be aware of chatter about these rankings on the team. Too much weight either way, can affect play.

Considering the various and uneven playing field everyone is operating under this year, with teams not getting to play at all etc, I think that is a great idea.

I thought MD shut down to travel?maybe they are planning to quarantine after.

Actually, I think this letter would be a pretty effective deterrent. I've been saying it, even precovid, parent behavior is so bad it's just going to be easier to kick them out than continue to deal with all their BS. New York started doing it, gave the refs authority to kick everyone out. And they do it! Then you know who starts policing the bad apples? The other parents on the teams who want to watch their kids play. They tell the idiots to cut it out. We've all been on teams with those parents. If we complain to our team manager and organization, maybe then the bad apples get banned from games by the home organization and we can all watch in peace. The business owner doesn't need to get involved . The ref doesn't need to stop a game to address someone in the stands. No police. Don't they have better things to do? We ask too much from business owners sometimes, I think. Why do we put the onus on them to police the behavior? It's not like the rinks make big bucks. Let's start pushing back on the bad eggs ourselves. But wait....no one wants to say anything to them. Afraid to get involved. After all, they are kind of crazy.... Then why should we ask a fifteen year old kid making minimum wage to do it, if we as adults who know who the idiots are on our team don't want to do it? Or the rink, who may have other things to deal with at the time other than monitor 'grown ups'. I think it is time that we as a society start demanding better behavior from the people around us. The people who are tasked with doing it are tired. Too often we look away. Otherwise, the bad apples will freaking ruin things for everyone. They already are. Can't get people to ref, harder to find volunteer coaches...how far down this path do we want to go?

I haven't been to a rink that doesn't require masking. But there are still people who disregard, and I don't blame some kid making minimum wage for not getting into it with those folks. The scofflaws will ruin it for everyone.

Some people weren't wearing masks at Westmoreland and Armstrong. There are still plenty of people refusing to follow rules.

Are you talking about Mid Am or your local organization? If Mid Am needs to fill a position, they frequently look to Presidents and boards for recommendations, or tap the people they already know from that pool. Registrar kind of sucks, be glad you didn't do it. ?

I mean, I know we are all into conspiracies and such....but why not ask your home organization? For Tier II, it's not some mystical process. If you want to play in it, you can. To me it's no different than any other tournament, except if you win you can compete at Nationals. You should be a competitive team in AA or as an independent or you waste your players' time and other teams. It's sometimes hard to gauge that at the beginning of the season, so I think I would prefer there be more of a selection process or wait longer for teams to declare or something. So when an organization advertises during try outs that they are a 'Nationsl bound' team....all they are saying is that they hope to form a competitive team to play in that tournament, win it, and go to Nationals. Not as special as it seems at first blush, is it?

ENOUGH with the COVID! There were games this weekend. Anyone want to talk hockey?

Bed bugs can always be an issue. We learned last year from Trip advisor that the hotel we were going to use in Buffalo had them. We were able to cancel. Always check reviews.

My worry is with being in hotels over being in a rink for a short time frame Enclosed space, probably not great circulation, lots of people. And hotels struggle to control bed bugs. Thoughts on that?

Is your kid dominating AA? Start there. Has someone without lessons to offer and a AAA program suggested you take your kid to a Pens Elite tryout or work with someone who trains those players? No? Your kid is fine where he is.

I appreciate the effort. It's great someone is trying to provide more coverage of local hockey.

Someone claiming to be new asked. I am tired of the argument, too. Maybe someone who has a kid playing one of these AAA teams who wants to convince everyone their A is legit and worthwhile. ?‍♂️ There is a new crop of crazy Squirt parents every year, after all. I don't care much either at this point. Returning a former AAA player into PAHL who was on one of those teams, with few exceptions in my experience, is usually a terrible experience. The player is usually just a terd and a morale black hole in how they treat all the lowly PAHL players who are significantly less talented than them anyway. Good they have a home to lord it over everyone else.

There is some sort of application process with MidAm I believe. In reality, though, the coach of the program makes the determination. And sometimes, it is the parents. Esmark I know will straight up tell them the talent is not AAA that came out this year, but we'll take your money if you want to proceed. And sometimes the parents do. If a program is up front about it, from a consumer stand point, ok, but I don't see how that helps your organization in the long run.

Interesting. Goes against everything I've learned as a coach. Playing up a little....yes. Huge waste of time for all involved on that sheet if the result is a massive difference. Competition....it means being competitive. As to your second point....if all you are doing is acting other similarly low level Tier 1 teams to you....chances are none of you are Tier 1.