Heavy Metal Reigns for Hockey Players’ Entrance Music

If hockey were like baseball, players could select their own entrance music — aka, the “at-bat music.” Recently, the Colorado Avalanche asked its players what they'd pick. So we asked our readers what songs they would pick and why, and the songs and bands they chose range from the expected to the humorous to the fictional. Our favorites — and the winners of HockeyShot gift certificates — were those who provided a strong hockey rationale for their picks. If you’re not up for having one of these songs running through your head all day, stop reading now. I mean Right Now…

• ACDC’s Thunderstruck. "I hate when arenas play rap. It’s so not hockey…"


• Benny Hill’s theme song Yakkity Sax.


• Black Tide’s Warriors of Time.


• Black Eyed Peas’ Tonight’s Gonna Be a Good Night.


• Elton John’s Saturday Night’s All Right for Fighting.


• Genesis’ Turn It On Again. "Perfect theme music."


• Hush’s Fired Up.


• Metallica’s Enter Sandman.


• Metallica’s Seek and Destroy. "A very high energy song that just feels like hockey."


• Nickelback’s Animals.


• Queen’s We Will We Will ROCK You!


• Republica’s Ready to Go. "Starts slow and rocks."


• RUSH’s Tom Sawyer.


• Steel Dragon’s Stand Up and Shout from the fictional band in the motion picture Rock Star.


• Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger from the Rocky soundtrack.


• The Prodigy’s Breathe.


• The Zambonis’ Hockey Monkey.


• Van Halen’s Right Now.

Now that you have a peppy song running through your head, our top picks with links to the songs follow. Thanks to the generosity of HockeyShot.com, we were able to award $50 gift certificates to our top three picks!

• Metallica’s Enter Sandman: “I’m kind of a stay at home defenseman on my team and it’s my job to put the other team’s scorers to sleep.” —Matt

• RUSH’s Tom Sawyer: “It’s a Canadian group and probably the band with the closest ties of any to hockey. (Neil Peart has his own drum solo version to the Hockey Night in Canada theme song.) This is a great tune that is immediately recognizable to all fans; the opening drum, keyboard and guitar instantly get you pumped up; and Geddy Lee’s voice is minty! If that doesn’t win then I’ll guess I’ll just go with You Light up my Life by Debby Boone!” —Nick

• Hush’s Fired Up* : “My 11-year-old He says this song makes him think about teamwork.” A sampling of lyrics:

My crew is all fired up
Y’all better just wise up

Everybody gettin’ sized up
Before we all rise up

Start runnin’ your times up

Cuz’ when my crew ride up

The sky gon’ light up

Everybody get FIRED UP!!!

*Don't worry, we have linked to the family-friendly Chipmunks version.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Kelly Anton with the Grow the Game Initiative for this story.

Contest: Best Bag for Your Buck Results

A sampling of entries into our HockeyShot.com-sponsored best-bag contest reveals backpack styles are the most popular and wheels definitely have an edge. The drying/sanitizing system is a life-saver for busy parents and players as well. A few diehards, however, pride themselves on no wheels.



Carry Your Own

I am a Mite player and I love my Warrior Hockey Backpack style bag in Camo. I have been carrying it all by myself since I was 5 years old. More importantly, sometimes my dad will carry it along with my Mini Mite brother, Parker, almost 4, inside — only his head peaking out! My older brother, Tyler (age 15), also has a backpack style bag. No wheels!

–Carter

Wheel Your Own

A junior- or senior-size wheel backpack with a pull-handle is the best option. Why?

1. It allows players to pull it themselves. (However, if they carry it as a backpack and it’s too heavy, they can tip over.)


2. It’s not too long like a wheel bag, so it allows them to get in and out of doors and elevators easily.


3. If it doesn’t have wheels your child will drag it anyway and it just gets torn up quickly.


4. It allows you to carry just about everything, which is great for travel tournaments.

Make sure is has separate skate pockets and good wheels.

–Greg

What a Drag

We had a huge issue with the roller bags for my 9-year-old daughter. Where the wheels met with the material was not far enough off the ground, so we now look for bags that have a higher clearance level off the ground from the wheels. We also found that a straight zipper across the top is hard for younger ones to get their gear in and out. She got really frustrated and would lose things in the bags often. We have found the horseshoe opening works well since she can open it up and see what is inside the entire bag.

–Janell

Shock and Dry

Although larger and more awkward I still support roller bags. They are easier physically on kids already exhausted after a hard practice or game and end forever the need for a parent to carry the bag. We have used a Shock Doctor bag for the past several years and are committed to them for their drying/sanitizing system. The bags generally last only one season, but the drying system is worth the tradeoff especially on travel or tournament weekends. On the other hand, my oldest still uses the old basic Easton duffle and it is fine after nine years.

–Robert

No Whining

I feel that our Shock Doctor bag with the dryer system is the best! Little hockey players do not like to or want to empty their bags after practice. I found that during the week if you hook up the dryer for a couple hours then their gear is dry and there is no WHINING! I do take it out once a week to wash the clothing but other than that it is a great bag! It also has wheels so it is easy to drag around to rinks!

–Ann

A Plethora of Pockets

I prefer the backpack by Reebok. It comes in two sizes and has heavy stitching all around and pockets galore — even in the main compartment! It can be used as a backpack and has wheels with a long gooseneck handle. It’s large enough for goalies and players! We’ve had our bag for two years and it’s shown little wear. This bag gets used! Get the best bang for your buck!

–Steve

Editor's Note: Thank you to all the readers who took the time to share their love/hate relationships with their bags, and thank you to HockeyShot.com for providing the prize.

Contest Entries: Top Skating Tips

Thank you to the players, coaches and parents who submitted their top skating tips in the last couple weeks to win a free Laura Stamm Power Skating Clinic. Rhymes, hand signals, games and more all add to the fun while improving skating skills. Read on for a sampling of tips.



Rhyme & Reason

When skating backwards kids have a real tendency to look down at the ice. This inevitably leads to a loss of balance and the player falling. To remind kids to keep their heads up, I’ve learned this little saying that works well:

“Look at your toes, land on your nose!”

The kids recite it and it seems to work.

–Andrew, Coach

The ‘Model’ Skate

To emphasize heads-up skating and a proper skating stance with bent knees, along with isolating the legs and thighs for power, I have the kids line up at the goalie line and skate the length of the ice with one of their gloves on their heads! This is very tough to do, but the kids love the challenge and at the same time it is teaching them to keep their head up, knees bent and skate using their lower body. The first person to skate end to end without losing the glove on his or her head wins a pizza! I learned this drill at Heartland Hockey camp from an instructor we call “Hollywood.”

–Jon, Coach

Instant Feedback

Give skaters immediate feedback on the quality of their knee bend while striding. As we all know, developing skaters will occasionally go through spells of skating with their legs far to straight or an exaggerated waist bend. To help correct poor skating posture in a timely manner, coaches and parents can use visual clues for the skater rather than having to stop or slow the skater to a conventional speed.

• A hand placed on the head will remind a skater to keep her head level while skating.


• Patting the top of the head will clue in the skater that he’s too tall and needs more knee bend.


• A hand to the chest will communicate to the skater that he needs to keep a big chest while skating backwards rather than an exaggerated bend at the waist.

Visual clues give immediate feedback to the skater while minimizing down time. There is no stigma attached (like when coaches pull players out of a drill for not doing it correctly) and allows the skater to develop a feel for the correct skating posture as compared to a poor one.

–Brad, Coach



Dryland Matters

I asked my Grandpa, Chuck Grillo, for his best skating advice. The tip is: Ultimately off-ice training is the difference maker. Professional mentors and scouts have known this for years. Once the technique fits your body physiologically, your goal should be to get bigger, quicker, stronger and faster. Technique should be repeated in warm up drills.

This is a simple, but not easy process. Jump, sprint, lift and skate on the same day and you have four different muscle groups, with four different ranges of motion, working and growing together. The end result is a bigger, quicker, stronger, faster skater capable of acquiring all of the agility and mobility skills incorporated in to the drills required for success. This also gives you a psychological advantage on your opponent in life knowing you paid a bigger price to succeed. Injuries sustained during competition heal quicker.

–Monique, Player, Age 11

The Walk-and-Chew-Gum Concept

My son learned early that the most important thing about power skating and hockey is this: To be able to skate with your bottom half and, at the same time, using your upper body to control what happens on the ice. Basically, the walk-and-chew gum concept of hockey. We had to train his bottom half to work differently from his top half. So I had him work with a skating instructor to help him work on this. I see so many hockey players that stop skating when they have the puck, so being able to skate while having the puck increases players enjoyment plus increases goals.

–Jeff, Parent

You Can’t Score If You’re Not on the Ice

I think the most important tip that I learned was that you have to fight through the exhaustion in a game. I learned this from my dad and used this advice in a tournament. There were only two minutes left in the championship game and we were down by one point. We beat the same team the day before, but this day they came back stronger. My line was on the ice. Everyone was exhausted. My team had the puck and was going up the ice. I thought about going to the bench, but then I remembered my dad telling me that even if you’re tired you should fight through the pain. So I skated up the ice with my teammates. One of my teammates passed me the puck, and without having time to think, I scored! The game was tied and we went into overtime. Now, the whole team had energy! A few minutes later, another one of my teammates scored and we won the game! I’m really glad I didn’t take myself out of the game!

–Rachel, Player

Go For It!

I learned from my mom and dad to skate hard and extend my stride. It has helped me a lot this year mom, and made me faster and helps when I am trying to outskate someone with the puck and score my team a goal. I told the other kids to try it, too, and it helped us all score lots of goals for the team.

–Wyatt, Age 8

Character Counts

The No. 1 skating tip I learned and taught to my two boys over the years was in Brett Hull’s acceptance speech into the Hockey Hall of Fame: “Have fun playing the game or it isn’t a game anymore. And it doesn’t matter how many goals you score on the ice, it is what you do off the ice that counts.”

–Trent and Tammy, Parents of a PeeWee and Bantam

A ‘Holy Cow’ Moment

I had a “holy cow that’s simple” moment when I was helping with an early bird session for Mites and Squirts. A coach was telling the kids how to do a power turn. He told them to just bend the knee on the side they wanted to turn to and straighten the other leg. It worked for all of them, the first time.
–Steve

Limbo

Teach them to do the limbo on ice! Instead of bending over backwards to go under the bar, use the proper stride stance to go under the bar (a pretend bar will do). Then mark it out where they need to do it in a certain number of strides, not too many not too few.

–Kris

Quick Start

My older sister told me that the first three steps make a huge difference in your stop-to-start speed. Those three quick steps can change your game.

–Jenny, Player, Age 13

Flat Blades

Keep your blades flat on the ice when performing turns to give better control and maintain your speed. I learned that from Shjon Podein.

–Charlie

Catch an Edge

Analyze and visualize how to get the best use of your edges.

–Mark

Editor's Note: Winners will be notified via email and will receive instructions for how to redeem their free clinic registration. Thanks to all the readers who shared their tips!

The Best Way to Build Team Camaraderie

We asked you to provide input regarding the best way to build team camaraderie. The individual who provided the best answer would win a $25 gift certificate to TotalHockey.net. We received many great responses. Congratulations to Kelly Eck for providing the following winning response:



Kelly said: I have learned that the best way to build a team is to remember that you have to think like a team in order to act like a team. Hockey is not an individual sport, it is a team effort. That is the biggest statement to try and "hit home" with the players. To do this effectively means to enforce teamwork at every turn, not individual scoring, not individual stats, not individual playing time, not individual greatness or failures, but team efforts and team consequences.

If one player is not "pulling his weight" then the whole team needs to have the reinforcing consequences. If one player is showing themselves to be a leader, reward them and give them the responsibilities of leadership within their own peers. If one line is surpassing the others, proudly speak about them and make examples of them for the others to aspire to, but let every line have the chance to rise above. One line doesn't win or lose a game - A team wins or loses together. If someone is having an off day, the rest of his/her line should pick up the slack for them, knowing that it will be reciprocated when the time arises.

Give children the chance to make it about the team and they will. They obviously didn't choose to play golf or tennis, they chose this team sport. If we, parents and coaches, can get out of the way and stop singling out the "best" players or talking about the ones who didn't reach the top this time, the players themselves will have a better chance at bonding within the team. We may only have one child on the team, but the team is made up of 20 children. We need to remember that it's not just our child out there, it is their team.

Editor’s Note: Congratulations to Kelly Eck for winning this week’s contest. As a thank you for her answer, TotalHockey.net is giving Kelly a $25 gift certificate to TotalHockey.net.

How to Deal with Parental Politics – More Help Needed!

Your feedback regarding the "parental politics" contest generated some heated responses and great ideas. The overwhelming response was that there are many aspects of "parental politics." Because parental politics can cover a gamut of topics, we are going to devote an entire upcoming series to this topic.



Here are some of the topics we are going to address:

• What to do when the coach also has a kid on the team?


• How should parents deal with "fixed" tryouts?


• How do you deal with playing time for special favors?


• How should you handle recruiting from other associations?


• And more…

Be on the look out for this new "parental politics" series starting soon.

Editor's Note: Want to win this week's prize? Be sure to click here for the latest Grow the Game contest.

What Do You Do if Your Coach is Not Qualified?

We asked you to provide input regarding what to do if your child’s coach is not qualified for his or her position. The individual who provided the best answer would win a $50 gift certificate to HockeyShot.com. We received many great responses. Congratulations to Jeff Konin for providing the following winning response:



Jeff said: Coaching hockey encompasses two entirely different skill sets. The first involves understanding the game of hockey and being able to translate the fundamentals of on- and off-ice training in a manner that facilitates development for the specific age group that is being coached. Though anyone can learn hockey coaching techniques, it does help if the coach has played the game to better understand what the players are going through.

The second skill set requires interpersonal skills. A coach of any sport, regardless of their knowledge of the game, should be able to communicate with children in a manner that endorses positive reinforcement, and with parents openly and honestly. In addition it is important to remember that the money spent for youth ice hockey participation is not only an investment in skill development but also one in learning about citizenship.

In youth hockey,  the emphasis should be on development and not necessarily winning. As such, a coach who is deficient in either the knowledge of the game or the ability to openly and honestly communicate with parents and young children should seek others to mentor them and/or assist them in these roles. For example, a volunteer parent who connects well with people but doesn't know the game can easily partner with someone who can teach the game and run drills at a practice. The excellent communicator can play a significant role in keeping kids involved and enjoying the game, being a part of the team and involving parents to the point where they are comfortable knowing that the fees that they have spent are well worth the investment.

A coach who knows the game of hockey but is not necessarily seen as a good communicator should seek out an assistant or parent from the team to serve in this role. The assistant can buffer communication in a way that is handled more gently, done in a timely manner and explains circumstances proactively.

Hockey is a team sport, and just like the players, coaches and their assistants should work to form a team of their own to provide an optimal environment for both the kids and parents.

In the circumstance where a team is comprised of a coaching staff that possesses neither knowledge of the game or the appropriate interpersonal skill, the burden falls on the  association’s hockey director to make the difficult but necessary change in coaching on behalf of an entire organization. Without doing so, small concerns can quickly mount into larger issues and the positive attributes of a coach will be downplayed while the negative attributes will be magnified.

Editor's Note: Congratulations to Jeff Konin for winning this week's contest. As a thank you for his answer, HockeyShot.com is giving Jeff a $50 gift certificate to HockeyShot.com. Want to win this week's prize? Be sure to click here for the latest Grow the Game contest.

Two Keys to a Successful Travel Hockey Schedule

Last week we asked you to provide input regarding: how you handle a hectic hockey travel schedule. The individual who offered the best answer would win $150 worth of NHL BladeTape from www.BladeTape.ca. Congratulations to Mitch Fletcher for supplying the following winning response:



Mitch said: Keeping up with a travel hockey schedule is all about getting organized and making plans well in advance. A travel schedule can be as simple as taking a road trip or involve air travel to a distant city. Either way, it is important to have a workable game plan.

Once you have your travel schedule, look at all of the out of town trips and make reservations as soon as possible to save on airfare. If you are fortunate to have a travel manager, they can provide you with this information. On trips that are relatively close and will be traveled to by an automobile, try to carpool as much as possible. In addition, designate one vehicle to haul hockey gear (like a pickup or van).

It is also important to keep the rest of your family life in perspective. If you have other children at home, it makes sense for parents to alternate out of town trips. However, no matter what age or level you are involved in, all kids like to have at least one parent at all of their games. Good luck and have a great season!

Editor's Note: Congratulations to Mitch Fletcher for winning this week's contest. As a thank you for his answer, www.BladeTape.ca is giving Bob $150 worth of NHL BladeTape. Want to win this week's prize? Be sure to click here for the latest Grow the Game contest.

How Does Your Player Deal With a Bully Teammate?

Last week we asked you to provide input regarding how your player deals with a bully teammate. The individual who offered the best answer would win $150 worth of NHL BladeTape from www.BladeTape.ca. Congratulations to Kelly for supplying the following winning response:



Kelly said: This is my son's 11th year playing hockey. He has been on many different teams with many different players. He always has the same answer to this question - stand up to a bully and show him through your skills, not your mouth or fists, how a real teammate acts and how a skilled athlete works. Do it all with a grin and a laugh. He knows that a bully is just trying to get under your skin or trying to boost his ego in the wrong manner. Either way, don't let the end result be that he got away with it.

This year my son has a teammate that always tries to trip or hit others during practice. In the beginning, since he was new to the team, my son reacted slowly to his advances. He tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, thinking maybe the other boy didn't mean to do it. Once my son realized it was intentional, he smiled, beat him at the face off and left him in a whirlwind of wondering where the puck just went and how he just get scored upon. The bully came back for one more turn thinking that was just a fluke, only to realize the same end result. Skill and a smile speak for themselves, without a lot of dialogue needed. When a bully realizes that he is not being effective at bullying his own teammates because he keeps getting left in the shadows, he either stops trying or the behavior is very evident to the coaches and then it is their call.

A good teammate is one who doesn't give way to a bully, but demonstrates through his actions how to be the best player and teammate.

Editor's Note: Congratulations to Kelly for winning this week's contest. As a thank you for her answer, www.BladeTape.ca is giving Kelly $150 worth of NHL BladeTape. Do you want to win this week's prize? Be sure to click here for the latest Grow the Game contest.

How Do You Deal With the Pressure to Play Travel Hockey?

Last week we asked you to provide input regarding how you how you deal with the pressure of playing travel hockey. The individual who offered the best answer would win $150 worth of NHL BladeTape from www.BladeTape.ca. Congratulations to Bob Diamond for supplying the following winning response:



Bob said: Pressure to play travel hockey is an issue that should really boil down to what your child wants. A parent needs to read the signs indicating that a child wants to play travel hockey. While a child will often need prodding to get ready and go to practice,  the child who consistently does not want to go may not be suited for travel hockey.

With that said, sometimes, the kids who complain about doing things outside their comfort zone just need a little push to discover they enjoy whatever it is they are so adamantly opposed to doing. But, after a season of travel hockey, it should be apparent whether or not the child wants to continue with the sport at a higher level. I always make it clear to my son that he can play whatever sport(s) he wants and at whatever level he wants, but that he will participate in some physical activity to balance him as a person.

In his first year of Midget hockey, he decided that he didn't want to continue to play travel hockey despite his obvious skill level and the prodding of several teams trying to convince him that he "needed" to continue or he would fall behind. We laughed about the coaches who had told him this. I questioned, “fall behind in what?” I had never been a parent who thought my son was going to be an NHL player. My goal is to involve him in a sport he enjoys and allow him to grow and experience the life lessons that it can teach. Therefore, the level he reached would be a result of how much work he put into it. At that point he loved hockey, but just didn't want to have it take up so much of his life so he decided to try other sporting activities.

The following year the travel hockey flame was rekindled and he was more enthusiastic than he had ever been about playing. He still loves the game, and despite the fact I really believed he may be able to play at a collegiate level if he really wants to put in the work, he plays for fun and most likely will play for the rest of his life.

The bottom line is, a family should not be pressured into anything, especially when it comes to their children. Ultimately, they should have the biggest say in what they want to be involved in and at what level.

Editor's Note: Congratulations to Bob Diamond for winning this week's contest. As a thank you for his answer, www.BladeTape.ca is giving Bob $150 worth of NHL BladeTape. Want to win this week's prize? Be sure to click here for the latest Grow the Game contest.

How Do You Handle the Hidden Fees Associated with Travel Hockey?

Last week we asked you to provide input regarding how you handle the hidden fees associated with travel hockey. The individual who provided the best answer would win $150 worth of NHL BladeTape from BladeTape.com. Congratulations to Scott Winokur for providing the following winning response:



Scott said: Our son is now in his 6th season of travel hockey as a PeeWee Major. It’s hard to believe that it's been that long, but here we are....... again.

Being a returning travel parent has made it easier to anticipate "hidden fees" because of prior years experience. However, as a first year travel parent, it can be a little overwhelming in the beginning. My advice to new travel hockey parents is to stay very involved with your team manager prior to the onset of the season.

They are usually the ones who are responsible for making all the arrangements for tournaments, scrimmages and camps that are usually not included in your team fee. With the exception of  scrimmages, most of these activities are planned very early, usually well in advance of when league play commences.

We have had the same team manager for the past four seasons, so she is a pro at estimating the additional costs. It has been customary for our team manager to collect money at the beginning of the season to prepare for these “hidden fees.” For example, we write a check for $500, which goes into a team account (usually an escrow checking account). The manager uses these funds throughout the season to pay for the "little things" that come up.

For a parent, it's an easy way to handle extra costs up front and not leave you with sticker shock later. Occasionally, we need to put in a little more in the pot, but usually, we end up with money left over in the team account at the end of the season.

Last year we had money left over, so we decided to have an end of the year party for the kids. The bottom line is, be prepared for hidden fees before the season starts. If your team manager is on the ball, there won't be any surprises later.

Editor's Note: Congratulations to Scott Winokur for winning this week's contest. As a thank you for his answer, BladeTape.com is giving Scott  $150 worth of NHL BladeTape. Want to win this week's prize? Be sure to click here for the latest Grow the Game contest.

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