Saucey

Glad it worked out for your son and I commend him and your family. But he is rare. I stand by what I said. I am not the only one, studies done by professionals indicated this is not a great way to grow up. That was years ago, there was legislation posed to prevent this kind of thing. So sorry you are tired of hearing that but yes, this is my opinion. I am sure if people wanted to, they could come up with a way to develop hockey players that isn't so freaking burdensome on kids and families. You play football, you can lead a normal life and go to the NHL or college. I think there is a great deal of criticism that can be leveled against the sport's path and a great deal of room for improvement.

Soooooo refreshing to have people just talking hockey, respecting each other and the kids playing. Great discussion.

I really have no idea but I know of a few. It wasn't something my family wanted. I believe children should be children before trying to make hockey as a career, but that doesn't mean that I don't understand why people who have children with the talent to do it will take the chance. You don't get a second chance to go to prom, cut up with buddies in class, hang out at a football game...for parents to trust a billet to raise their kid..I kind of think the whole system to create NHL and Division I hockey players blows, quite frankly. It's not a healthy environment for kids and families. Add in how confusing the process is and the inordinate amount of people willing to take advantage of families, and it's not a good scene.

Some people pull their kids to play juniors and cyber school them. If it's one of the leagues where you know they advance to the NHl, 'k I get it, but these others....

I started following PIHl's FB account this year. Having the games broadcast and PIHL advertising them all is great. Don't get that kind of attention from travel teams.

I said SV has a nice squad, not denigrating them at all. I agree about PT. Since they do have an excellent coach, can't count them out. Not denigrating anyone, actually. I haven't seen PR play recently but looks like they are improving for sure per recent scores. That's an impressive W against PT. PT also struggles with goaltending, so if teams are figuring out how to get shots on net and contain the studs, there you go. But you can't argue that PT's coach is excellent, so I would not count them out based only on recent losses. I think that team moves the puck really well. This is an odd year, with all the talent that graduated last year and low birth years, any given team could figure things out. I think anything could still happen. Season is fun from that standpoint. Subsequent seasons, hopefully we see even better hockey from lots of teams, since there should be experience returning. People look down on PIHL, but I really enjoy it. Maybe because I know so many of the players on many of the teams at this point, so it's just fun for me.

From what I understand, PT's SHAHA studs weren't there in that game against SV, thus explaining the lop sided score. No denying SV has a nice squad this year. NA is struggling to put the pieces together, taking a stupid number of penalities, which is unusual for that program. Not to take anything away from SV, but the fact that a squad so heavy with freshman is doing so well shows....just how depleted in talent PIHL is. This is what hockey looks like with two low number birth years playing at the same time. (2005 and 2007). Thank goodness for 2006. Still half a season to go.

There has been a very vocal contingent on this forum actively trying to shut Danner up. I could go for what happy hockey fan says. I could also go for less digs and personal attacks on people. Where is that getting us in society? I don't care how you spend your money, either, so long as that money is being spent eyes wide open. If you've got 15,000 to spend on your kid's gap year to let him just play hockey, and understand that it isn't going to land them in the pros, or you don't care too much about their high school education, have at it. But I do think it is wrong for a league to combine all their tiers and market their III tier to families as a viable option to get to the NHL. It's just wrong. Preying on children's dreams and a parent's desire to give their kid the best. Yuck yuck yuck.

I appreciate what Danner posts. People do get caught in these leagues thinking it is going to lead to something. A lot of those junior tes are incredibly shady. It's good someone explains it! Some people really appreciate the help! We should all be so lucky to have hockeyisgreat to be the constant cheerleader on this board!

Spring and summer leagues and ball hockey have allowed my boys to choose who they way to play with. They get the opportunity to play with kids/friends at a different level. Pure fun. Don't buy anyone's hype that they are elite or going to develop your kid a lot. We've done a number of camps over the years. Make sure they go with a friend. The biggest bang for your buck are quality individual or small group private.lessons. Pick a camp that offers something specific he wants to work on. They need a break, mental and physical. Do a different sport. At this age, let him start weight training and dry land. Cardio like biking if interval training will help with skating stamina. My boys were generally only on the ice maybe once a week over the summer unless they were doing a league, then twice. A camp here and there. Mine are pretty good. The foot was off the gas over the summer for sure.

Nah. I agree with hockeygrit, the tone of the comments have been less than friendly. The slobbering curiosity has been very evident. I agree, leave him alone and let him play. Bottom line is....it's no one's business The microscope adults put kids under is awful. And one player on a team does not make the team. Case in point...the Erie Prep has the leading scorer and is not top four in the standigs. This is a very odd season with a massive talent dump after the exit of many of the talented 04 BY. 05 BY is...small, almost non-existent. 07 BY is...small. Teams are getting hit by illness and injuries. So the hockey will just be uneven and weird. Despite the scores, I never thought Canon Mac was a bad team this season. There is talent there. All still up for grabs for players to develop, figure things out and I wouldn't put too much stock in one game. Cliche...anyone can lose on any given day.

They have one kid. He's scoring all the goals...a lot of them! Like I said, you get more than one line to score in PIHL, you have a good chance at being number one. Peters does have that, but they have their weaknesses, as already mentioned.

All sound advice Something no one else mentioned is....how interested is your kid in improving his stride? If you are forcing him to do off ice and go to lessons, you might as well give me that money, for as much good as it will do.

Wow, ten AAA players, everyone else should just stay home. Peters dropped one to Seneca, which is close in skill level to a number of other teams. This year is very different with many teams having a lot of turnover. The 04 BY was so large and the 05 so low, that you have a lot of teams figuring things out yet. It's early.

USC has a couple of very good players, for sure. Most of those teams mentioned do. Baldwin has some excellent goal tending that can steal the show. I think the team that has more than one line scoring and/or plays some D, which has been missing in these high scoring games, will be in the best position to take it all. Too early to tell right now.

How are parents new to the sport supposed to do this? I don't disagree in theory.

I don't remember Esmark ever being a huge draw in the younger levels. It was midget up.

Wait, I thought the way that they work is you make up a bunch of inflammatory stuff and then name call everyone who doesn't agree with you...

Nope. Just tired of the poop show that this Board has become. You want to stir the pot, have the balls to post what you 'know'.

Don't do that. If you don't know enough to post it, then don't post anything.

To be fair, that can happen with any organization at any level and any team. I tell my children....all you can do is control you. Work as hard as you can and eventually that pays off, over anyone kissing butt to get their kid noticed, politics, etc. There may be short turn gains for the people working the system, but it turns out that at some point, you have to perform. And quite frankly, you see that with the kids, it doesn't usually help them to become functioning adults. When mommy and daddy can't grease the wheels for them, they have no idea what to do and they...fail at life, not just hockey.

I don't think ncaa Iii is the goal. I think the kids want to go to the Chel or Div 1. Which is my point, not a great choice to go do that.

I have seen some very smart, good people make these kinds of decisions. Say, "I know it isn't going anywhere." And then proceed to overpay for a bad AAA or pay to play junior team. Some think they are getting more than they do, so do fall into that, bought the sales pitch or uneducated category. It really is very emotional for some people. What if....this does lead to something? Do I want them to accuse me of not helping them? You can't fight with that. But you can take advantage of that, and that has been pointed out here many, many times.

I wouldn't knock anymone for paying $14000 a year to play junior Tier III who also understands ncaa div III is as high as their kid is going to get. But....is that really what people are aiming for when they do that?

I think the following is the real reason...we, as humans, are programmed to think our kids are the best and/or want the best for them. Most good ones. Quite a few parents have trouble telling their kids no, too. They don't want to be the dream crushers and literally will finance their child's dream with their house or retirement. Even when all logic tells them it is not going to happen for their child. Or they can flat out afford it and don't care. Those feelings are some powerful stuff. You can't fight that with stats or logic or whatever. It's rooted in wanting to do right by your child, too, so it's hard to fault parents. This is a parent driven market. Until an organization steps in to rein in the AAAs nothing will change. And really, then a non USA sanctioned league would start. If the powers that be don't care why should any of us?