[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Boreal

1. Hockey Canada’s domestic & international operations need to be completely separate entities and organizations.

2. Domestic Hockey Canada operations need to rebuild trust with provincial and municipal partner organizations. Doing so will be difficult, and requires a foundation of transparency, consistency, and accountability. These are the basic tenets of good governance.

3. If it isn’t acceptable in the classroom it isn’t acceptable on ice or in the dressing room.

Support each organization with Coaching & Teaching mentorship predicted in evidence based sports science, proper biomechanical and childhood psychological instruction for every age division.

When the clown parents act like clowns give associations the wherewithal to explicitly explain to the “experts without expertise” how/when/where/why they are NOT experts, precisely with evidence (tough love, yelling, violence, abuse & trauma in all of its forms). When they repeatedly ignore corrections, do not listen, or they misbehave have a procedure in place for their removal.

4. Develop programs for every level of player. Beginner to elite in each age group.

The joy and exuberance of youth sport is a result of it being the time in a persons life when learning complex tasks is fun, and the line between work & play is blurred.

Some kids want to be challenged more and harder than others. Creating and regulating these environments will not be simple, straightforward, or easy. But minimizing & mitigating cronyism & nepotism must be a consistent focus.

The purpose of this isn’t to develop elite players either. It is to keep all or as many players as possible in a structure where appropriate checks and balances exist, cutting off the oxygen that enables any shady leagues and teams.

Of course all of this doesn’t address the rising costs of the sport.

If access to hockey was through the school system, equipment costs could be reduced (no one buys football equipment), vacant icetime during the day could be utilized and more children could experience and fall in love with the sport. The 4 points above would either already be in place or easier to administrate.

Maybe I’m a pessimist, but I’m also under no delusion that ANY of this will happen.

So...better leadership and accountability demands from HC leadership? And not just saying "well the parents are toxic so the kids become toxic so what do we expect HC to do?"