Saucey

I don't think it's intentional, what TeamRamRod said. A few times last year, if the rink was inactive for a while, I would be at home and would text our team manager to ask someone to get it going. Seems more productive to ask the rink to turn it on than to complain here.

No one, I believe. Basically when local boy parents caught on to the black team scam and they started having trouble fielding teams, they moved the model to the girls.

JT Miller, NHL, soon to be traded from Canucks? played many years for Pittsburgh Hornets.

I am old enough to remember when there weren't any 'elite' youth athletes and no one worried about 'development'. You just played. Focus was on exercise and fun. If you liked whatever the sport was, you worked on it on your own. So, yeah. I know, I am old.

Youth sports are primarily about making money these days. Development will continue to suck so long as adults are making their living off parents' dreams for their children.

It's too many games for kids We hear over and over from USA Hockey as coaches and the medical profession that it isn't good for them. 70 to 80 games are what the pros play. They do it full time and get paid.bKids need to do school, etc on top of their season. Burn out, over use injuries, etc.

Yeah, people have been talking about Blackbeard's impact for a while. Monopolies usually end up costing everyone more money.

It actually could be stopped, but you are right, not by PAHL. Other states/areas limit how many teams can declare AAA in an area. Here it's a joke process.

Unfortunately there are so few kids left playing pahl that the 07 kids may get to play there regardless if they are legit AA. Everyone has independent teams. 07s, what there were, keep disappearing to the point that they are now gone. There were some really bad 07 teams last season. Such is the state of hockey around here. But.... it's great, everyone spend their money as they see fir.

My kid had a placement game appear on the calendar this weekend. Your head coach likely knows, reach out to them.

So disgusting. I think it is becoming more acceptable to report. I pray we do better by our children.

The problem that has existed with this for years is that the East puts really good AAA talent on their teams and has quite a few practices before the event. The other two teams have to travel to ty he east and don't attract the same level of talent. 16u AAA Vengeance and Icemen are not AAA. Some I would bet are A Major knowing who those programs took. Not fun when the odds are stacked before you get out of the gate.

I thought his comment odd, too, in light of exactly what you said. Politics comes into play every where you go. If you are picking between the same level of talent, some other factor comes into play, including I know this kid and his family thus they are a known entity. But it could be lots of things, like ...your kid is a known trouble maker...you are bad in the stands....etc. This is a small hockey town. By the time your kid hits U18, everyone knows someone who knows your kid.

There do exist people and organizations who don't blow the smoke.

I agree on school first. But if you also want to play hockey the choices are there. If he can get into Pitt and play there, go for it, I say! Not easy to get into Pitt these days.

Ugh. Did you ask what the plan is if Rostraver goes bye bye? It's why Cal is even on my boy's radar.

I don't disagree with you, but I don't think the volunteer run Boards have the time or energy to do it, unfortunately. It's a cycle that repeats over and over. By the time people realize these things, they are moving on and don't care about what is coming behind them. And there is always someone out there with their hands out, ready to give parents the truth they want to hear in exchange for their dollars.

It's not just that age group. I have an older child playing summer hockey. The dads for the other team, in a very lopsided win, would cheer every goal by saying... F ya, let's go, that's awesome! Cry over missed calls. The goalie couldn't move laterally and my son's team had seven skaters or something. But that was a big deal to them. Too many parents really suck these days. It's impossible to sit in stands anymore.

Peewees and summer hockey. ?

Oh yeah. Those players typically come with the worst attitudes if they haven't gone to another team that attached the extra 'A'.

My kid? Yes, actually. Burnout? No, quite happy and still playing at the level I am willing to pay for without feeling like a sucker. Bitter at the Western Pa hockey world? Yes, quite. Continue to criticize it for misleading parents like you and harming overall development of the market, an opinion that I am entitled to both have and express? Yes, please. You said you don't play, so you really have no point of reference for what I am talking about. People who play AND HAVE PASSION FOR THE GAME understand how not fun it is to play on a sheet with benders when you have some skill, and why a family might choose to exit the game rather than to spend time and money on that. How the ringer who enjoys skating around everyone sucks the life out of the game. Coaches understand how difficult it is to develop players when the level is that uneven on the same team. Ask a parent of girls who play. No matter how much passion you have, it gets old after a while. I'm out on this thread. You insult me, than get all bent out shape when I poke back. ? No matter what I think or feel, parents (and the carpet baggers behind them) are driving this market. The biggest peddler has yet to even flex. (Blackbear with their AAA league.) Someone else needs to start talking to the ADM parents, because like you said, I am bitter. But I still suspect that it is waste of breathe. Just keep slapping on that extra A and the lemmings will come.

He is perfectly fine. And you mean ..I will allow my kid to play the highest level someone will let my kid play, no matter if it is accurate or not, as long as I have money to pay....

Or....get out now, save the money, do another sport and....play beer league just like all the other faux AAAs when he turns 18. Passion for the game? How is fun to not be challenged on the ice? You must be one of those ringer types that lives off going end to end in a beginner skate.

People criticize because it drains the talent playing locally and not everyone can afford to pay that or wants to spend all their time traveling when the finish line remains the same. It is NOT good for the sport at all to continue to raise the bar for entry. I mean I get it, if you got the change you don't give a flying F about people without. Pretty standard for people with money IMHO. You prevent people with talent from playing. I hear this argument all the time, like draining the talent doesn't somehow affect other families. It does. I know a family with a good kid in a low birth year who has some talent that is poised to exit the sport at his prime playing year because the level of play is just that bad in PAHL and the family is not willing to go play AA under a faux AAA name. So yeah, people care. I get it you don't.

That's true no matter where you play. Not like that doesn't happen in PAHL....