Quote:
Originally Posted by undercoverbrother
I can't comment on spring hockey in Calgary, but up here I don't think it is a good thing. It has no governing body, it is not sanctioned by Hockey Alberta. There is a coach for a spring hockey team that is banned from coaching in his local association. So the association has deemed him unworthy of coaching kids, yet, he can coach spring hockey because it falls outside of Hockey Alberta. I think it is dangerous and unsafe.
I believe it preys on parent's belief that their kids are "going to the show". In reality minor hockey's job is to produce the best crop of beer league players. Again, I can not speak for Calgary, but locally they are kids making the spring teams that played B level hockey. The programs present themselves as "cream of the crop" but pick players who's parents have means. Up here we have dynamite level spring hockey, born 2006, I think it's nuts.
It is interesting that when scouts ask about a kid one of the things they ask is does he/she play other sports, not does he/she play spring hockey. I think kids are well served to play other sports, my boy is playing lacrosse (and would pick it over hockey) and my girl is playing rugby.
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Well said, I agree with pretty much everything. The thing is that spring hockey is for everyone, no longer just the "elite". I think it is funny in, a sad way how much money parents spend on spring hockey and how they march around in their "AAA" jackets. I know all about the "business" side of it and have been around it for many years now, but the thing is you get parents like this in any activity their kids are involved in, whether it be soccer, club Volleyball, or Baseball.
Kids playing a sport year round is nothing new at all, and up here Baseball is a joke untill you get to mid June and soccer is well....soccer. I think it is funny how you mention Lacrosse as that is where I've seen the most crowd violence of any sport. No parents know the rules, yet are constantly shouting at players, coaches anf of course the Reff's. My nephew plays and I try to get to as many games as possible just to take in the crazy parents.
I have met some great, lifelong friends through spring hockey and some complete D bags, and some D bags who've become friends. I just have an issue with the preception that spring hockey is full of crazy parents, when they exist at every level of every childhood activity; even Robotics competions, which incidently are awful since very few of the kids/ parents know how to lose. I've never seem so many tears and pouty parents, althouhg there was no fights.