Today, at age 20, he’s bouncing around Europe from one professional team to another—not able to crack the lineup for those teams; not good enough to play for Team USA in the World Cup. What happened? Did he lack basic skills? Did he stop working at it? Did injuries slow his progress? No.

Actually, there was no progress. There was just a lot of time on the bench, because he wasn’t ready for professional soccer. He skipped the normal progression, never learning the game by trial and error—and especially, by trial and success.

To quote Tim Howard, the veteran U.S. goalkeeper, “Adu has skills with the ball that not many, if any, American players possess.” But insiders say he “plays too young.” He hasn’t developed awareness, anticipation, creativity, poise and mental toughness—the most important skills in every team sport.

Pressure to Win

In professional soccer, the pressure to win leaves little playing time for a talented youngster who has a lot to learn. Unfortunately, the situation is no different at any level of ice hockey, even youth hockey.

If, like Freddy Adu, a talented young hockey player moves up to the next level too quickly, he will play a diminished role. As a third or fourth line player, he will be given a short leash and lower expectations. “Dump it in from the red line, forecheck, backcheck, hustle, and above all, get off the ice quickly.”

On the other hand, if that same youngster would stay with his age group, he’d score goals, make creative plays, learn to control the puck in traffic instead of passing it too quickly, gain poise, and confidence, and emulate Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Patrick Kane.

Ovechkin scores goals—not because he has superhuman physical abilities—but because he EXPECTS to score whenever he steps on the ice. He is passionate about scoring, because he always has. Or…is it the other way around?

Emphasis on Development

Development of a goal-scorer requires raising expectations to score, and this won’t happen if there is a rush to the next level. The status of making the PeeWee A team instead of dominating at the B level, or advancing prematurely from high school to the USHL, or college to the AHL, often results in a diminished role on the third or fourth line. This automatically creates a lowered expectation for scoring.

There is nothing wrong with a future as a checking forward, of course, if that’s what you have in mind when you move up prematurely. No doubt, some players are ready and will have success, but for many more it is a mistake. The rule for goal-scorers might be: do not make the move simply because you can; do it because you are ready to dominate and score tons of goals at the next level. Or be prepared to play a different role in the future.

Sidney Crosby is a brilliant, confident playmaker, because every year of his life, that’s the role he played. Hypothetically, if at 16 years of age, he had advanced to professional hockey, where winning was more important than Sid, he might have ended up like Adu. Instead, he went to Shattuck, and dominated hockey games the way he does today.

Technical skills without tactical awareness will always produce a shallow hockey player, but Crosby made good decisions about developing both at a reasonable pace. On the other hand, Adu was the most skillful soccer player in the country at age 14, and stopped progressing at age 15. He missed opportunities to dominate games; he didn’t play unstructured pickup soccer with his friends. He didn’t develop confidence, poise, creativity and tactical playmaking abilities, simply because he was never able to play like a 15-year-old.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to by Jack Blatherwick, who has worked with several NHL clubs and Olympic teams, for sharing this story.

1. Schedule it: Take your volunteer commitments as seriously as your commitments—put them in your calendar and on your to-do list.
2. Go with your strengths: If you’re not outgoing, don’t volunteer to greet out-of-towners at the tournament desk. But if you’re hyper-organized, you might put together the volunteer schedule.
3. Learn to do it: If you volunteer for something, learn to do it right. The last thing you want to do is let someone out of the penalty box early.
4. Get help: If your time commitments change or you find you’re just not good at something, ask for help rather than struggling or doing a poor job. If you end up being out of town all the time for work, don’t promise to bring the water bottles. If you don’t have time to set up activities during a tournament, ask someone else to do it rather than skipping it.
5. Don’t overcommit: Ask someone whose done the job before for a realistic estimate of how long it takes. (Just be sure that person isn’t downplaying the time because they want to pass off the job to someone else!)
6. Share the wealth: Let others share in the responsibilities and learn. That way someone else can run the clock when your college buddy comes to watch a game. (Of course, when your in-laws come, they might really need you at the clock…)
7. Keep a positive attitude: If you volunteer for something, just do it without complaining. If you think of a better way to do it, discuss it with the association, coach or manager later.

Helping with the team in any capacity—from being on the ice to organizing a team potluck—will make the experience more fun and more rewarding for you, your player and your whole family.

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

1. Coach introductions: Share your playing and coaching experience.

2. Parent introductions: Have both parents introduce themselves and name their player.

3. Coaching philosophy: Explain team rules, discipline, playing time, establishing player positions, setting lines, dryland and dress code for games. Clarify priorities such as schoolwork, other sports and activities.

4. Goals for the season: Discuss fitness, skill development, team play, sportsmanship, individual goals, wins/losses and post-season expectations.

5. Equipment and uniforms: Reminders and requirements regarding neckguards, mouthguards, team warm-ups, team bags, etc. Explain how jerseys are acquired, whether names are allowed on jerseys and how numbers are allocated.

6. Player responsibilities: Explain expectations regarding schoolwork/grades, diet, practice and game preparation, locker room/on-ice and bench conduct, and respect for coaches, officials, opponents and teammates.

7. Parent responsibilities: Help players arrive on time with all their equipment, notify the coach or manager of absence/illness, follow the 24-hour rule when discussing issues with coaches.

8. Logistics: Discuss dryland, practice and games schedules, phone and email lists, best forms of communication with coaches and team manager.

9. Tournaments: Talk about tournaments dates, locations and costs. If the association hosts a tournament, give plenty of notice to set aside time.

10. Volunteer needs: Recruit volunteers as necessary for team manager, treasurer, fundraiser, tournament coordinator, social coordinator, on ice/bench assistance, scorekeeping, game clock, penalty box attendant, water bottles and more. Many coaches prefer to allow team manager to fill remaining positions.

11. Q&A time: Ask parents for questions about general topics—questions with answer that other parents will benefit from hearing.

If the group of parents will benefit, you might also explain details about hockey equipment, game rules, rule changes from year to year, and the like. Set the tone with a positive, productive parent meeting and you will (hopefully) have a positive, productive season.

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

You may not be able to control every factor that goes into holding a good meeting, but you can control many. Take any of the tips and agenda items that are relevant to your situation for a successful parent/coach meeting.

1. If possible, reserve a room with enough space for both parents of each player.
2. Give enough notice so that both parents can come—and encourage them to do so.
3. Try not to hold long meetings after practice on school nights.
4. Take individual issues offline—don’t let one parent dominate the introductions or Q&A time with issues specific only to one player.
5. Handle as much paperwork as you can by email to prevent distraction during the meeting. (Plus, the more information you can get digitally, the less typing required.)
6. Use an agenda and type notes for any parents who couldn’t make it or join the team late.

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

Youth hockey parents have plenty of volunteer opportunities—from coaching to managing to running the clock—and they have plenty of opportunities for criticism. (Play my kid! My kid had that assist! Pizza again?!) But it’s not just criticism that leads to burnout. Volunteering can also eat into your family time, work time and workout time—and possibly exhaust your creative energy and patience. When recruiting and managing volunteers, keep the following in mind to prevent burnout:

1. Ask in person: You might get volunteers via email or at a team meeting, but if you still have positions to fill, ask someone in person. They’re more likely to feel needed and less likely to say no.
2. Learn volunteers’ names: If you’re the coach or team manager, everyone will know your name. My friends still talk about a coach who thanked the wrong mother for hosting an end-of-season party—as he left her house.
3. Thank loudly and often: Express your appreciation for volunteers, privately and in front of the team. After a team event, send an email to the team thanking the organizers. Don’t forget to thank volunteers for mundane administrative tasks that others don’t see as well.
4. Watch for burnout: Be on the lookout for signs that a volunteer has had enough—looking tired, snapping at people, being unprepared—particularly with jobs that have potential for confrontation such as treasurer. Offer to recruit helpers.
5. Be thoughtful: Getting yourself a coffee? See if the tournament desk volunteer needs one.
6. Provide time estimates: For more significant jobs, such as team manager or treasurer, find out how long they really take so people know what they’re getting into.
7. Break down jobs: If possible, break down jobs into smaller, more manageable jobs. One coach used to assign parents to bring both pucks and water bottles to practice—a tough job for moms with strollers. Which leads to…
8. Don’t volunteer other people: Why would mothers with infants volunteer to bring pucks and water bottles? They didn’t. Their spouses signed them up when they weren’t there.
9. Spread the work around: Some parents emerge as leaders and it’s easy to just have them do all the work—but if they can’t be there or have too much to do, other volunteers need to know how to help.
10. Offer backup: Make sure volunteers know that they can say no.

The more fun and rewarding you can make the volunteer experience, the more people will want to help. If you’re a volunteer yourself, you understand!

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

While checking out your helmet for this upcoming year, take a look at what Ian Laperrière has to say about head injuries: Montreal native and former Avalanche right winger Ian Laperrière, known as “Lappy” to fans, has endured his share of injuries over his 16-year NHL career, beginning in 1994 with the St. Louis Blues, moving briefly to the New York Rangers, and then with the Los Angeles Kings for eight years. In 2004, he signed with the Avalanche, where he quickly became a fan favorite and valued teammate. In 2009, Lappy went east, to the Philadelphia Flyers, and in a November game against the Buffalo Sabers, he was hit in the face with the puck while attempting to block a slap shot. The blow knocked out seven teeth and required 70 stitches. He later returned to the game. The Hockey News honored him as the “toughest player in the NHL.”

Lappy knows injuries — including concussions — come with the territory. “It’s the nature of the sport, and a choice we make,” he says. “We take pride in playing injured and playing through pain. But you also have to think about consequences. A shoulder or knee, you can always get fixed … but your brain, you don’t want to mess with it.” Even the league’s leading tough guy, it seems, knows that head injuries are nothing to play around with.

Laperrière came face to face with that reality during the most recent Stanley Cup playoffs. In a game against the New Jersey Devils, he again took a puck to the face. This time, it caught him in the forehead, between his right eye and the lip of his helmet. The result was a concussion and a brain contusion. That one was different than others in my career,” he says. “When they tell you you’re bleeding in your brain, it puts everything into perspective. I’m a father of two, a happily married man.”

Lappy eventually returned to the playoffs, though he now always wears a protective face shield. As the oldest player on the Flyers’ roster (he’s 36), his days in the NHL will come to a close sometime in the foreseeable future, and he looks forward to a happy — and healthy retirement back in Colorado. “We really enjoyed our time out there and were sad to leave,” he says. “I really liked Denver and the fans. It was awesome.” The mountains and Colorado’s active lifestyle don’t hurt either, he says.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Peter Bronski and Denver Magazine for sharing this story. Click here to read the entire story about concussions in youth sports and what can be done about it.

Check out your game plan for good nutrition based on the following scenarios—all of which work for tryouts and practice times.

Tryouts Immediately After School

If possible, fuel up during school, about 2 hours prior to tryouts, with a mini-meal or snack. To do this, he needs to bring this meal to school (along with his lunch of course, unless he eats the school meal). Good pre-workout snacks include:

• Granola bars
• Low-fiber fruit
• Yogurt
• Peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich
• Bagel with light cream cheese
• Nutrition bar

Pick from one or more of these depending on hunger level and how well food settles in your player’s stomach.

Early Evening Tryouts

If your hockey tryouts are in the early evening (7 pm or so) and your kid has time to come home first, she can eat a mini-meal right after school (4–4:30 pm) and then a mini-meal for dinner. This meal should be low in fiber and fat and include easy-to-digest foods such as:

• Eggs and toast
• Spaghetti noodles sprinkled with Parmesan cheese
• Cereal with milk
• Chicken breast on rice
• Broth-based soup

If your kid plays another sport and has practice after school before tryouts, she must refuel immediately after her practice with a sports drink (for calories, electrolytes and hydration) and a portable snack. In this scenario, nutrition bars are very handy (and portable)!

Late-night Tryouts

Kids who are trying out for a team as late as 9 pm should consume a snack or mini-meal after school and another one 2 hours later. So, if they get home from school at 3–3:30 pm, they should eat a light meal and then eat again at about 6 pm. Going hours without food isn’t recommended as they may crash (especially those on the smaller size) before practice. Check out some of the bullet points above for ideas.

Hydration & Snacks: During tryouts, your player should need only water or a sports drink. But, it’s always a good idea to throw a baggie with cereal, pretzels or a nutrition bar—one that is easy to digest like Clif Bar or PowerBar—into the hockey bag.

Refuel: Don’t forget to refuel your player immediately after tryouts as well—with a meal or chocolate milk right away.

Editor’s Note: Marie Spano, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS is a sports nutrition expert who works with athletes throughout the country. Her website is: www.mariespano.com.

Origins in Cricket

Although many players aspire to attain a hat trick, most have no idea of its origins. In addition to hockey, athletes in soccer and lacrosse compete for hat tricks, but cricket players first coined the term. In cricket, a hat trick occurs when a bowler knocks over three wickets with three consecutive balls. Both the consecutive aspect and the number of wickets needed to attain a hat trick make it very challenging to conquer.

Several myths surround exactly how this athletic achievement became known as a hat trick. According to one story, club owners honored players who accomplished this feat by presenting them with a new hat. In another version, players who knocked over three wickets passed around their hat to collect pennies from fans.

Introduction to Hockey

Mystery also persists on how hat tricks entered the hockey world. One legend attributes their introduction to a Toronto player named Sammy Taft. In 1946, he agreed to give Chicago Blackhawk Alex Kaleta a free hat if he scored three goals in an upcoming game. Kaleta scored three times, and Taft followed through with his promise. He gave other players who achieved this feat free hats as well.

In another story, the Henri Henri Ltée hat store in Montreal supposedly brought the term to hockey because the store awarded any NHL player who scored three or more goals in one game with a free hat.

Regardless of how the term entered locker room and bleacher conversations of hockey enthusiasts, players of all levels dream of scoring three goals and making a hat trick. Today, when NHL professionals score three goals in a game for a hat trick, fans honor their feat by throwing their baseball caps onto the ice. Most arenas allows fans to reclaim their hats after the game and donate the remaining caps to charity.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Rose Conry, an intern with the Grow the Game Initiative, for this story. Rose studies journalism at Northwestern University, loves all sports and sails competitively with the university’s club team.

Stay dry and rash free…

Long-sleeve shirts and leggings in synthetic moisture-wicking fabrics keep players dry. “If it keeps the sweat off of you, you’re not going to get a rash or anything like that from sweat buildup,” says Keegan, a roller and ice hockey player from Northern Utah and creator of schoolyardpuck.com.

…but only if you sweat in the first place.

A synthetic base layer is not a requirement for hockey. Jeremy, a longtime Canadian player and creator of howtohockey.com, only recommends a base layer for players once they hit puberty and start sweating more. “Unless you’re sweating profusely you wouldn’t really need to wear it. If you have young children and they’re not really going to break a sweat, it’s just an added expense,” he says. (Unless, of course, you’re facing the aforementioned eczema situation.)

Do you need the brand name?

High-end brands can run $40 for the top, $30 to $40 for the leggings and $10 for skate socks. Do you need to add that expense to an already costly sport? Not really. “UnderArmour is the first, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a better brand out there that’s making something better for cheaper. I would give the other products a try,” says Jeremy.

Many parents say the brand names hold up (to repeated washings, skate blades, Velcro and more) better than discount store brands such as Champion. But at a quarter of the price, you can buy more (meaning fewer laundry needs) and replace them as growth requires.

Keegan also stresses to not let the lack of a base layer stop children from playing the game. “Don’t let equipment cost hinder your opportunity to play. Don’t think you have to wait until you have all the right gear to play. I remember I started out with pants that had huge holes on each leg. It didn’t matter; I just really wanted to play,” he says.

Tips from the Trenches

Whatever kind of base layer a player wears—whether an old cotton T-shirt or a high-tech compression shirt—you’re going to need to wash it. Often.

• Buy at least two pairs so you can wash one, wear one.
• Remember to switch the clean and dirty set as soon as you get home.
• Consider a color other than black so you can find it in your black hole of a bag.
• For males, look for synthetic leggings or compression shorts that can hold a cup, so they serve as a jock as well.
• According to Total Hockey, for best fit under your pads and top mobility, be sure your base layer is snug and doesn’t bunch or gather.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Rose Conry, an intern with the Grow the Game Initiative, for this story. Rose studies journalism at Northwestern University, loves all sports and sails competitively with the university’s club team.

Plus, USA Hockey requires a mouthguard for all youth hockey players, and players are often checked for mouthguards at tournaments. Beyond that, it’s just common sense for anyone playing hockey to wear a mouthguard. Read on for top practical tips on what to buy and how to care for it.

Why to Wear a Mouthguard

The reasons for wearing a mouthguard range from safety to vanity, but all are significant:

1. You have to: USA Hockey requires all youth hockey players in the United States to wear a mouthguard to protect their teeth and to prevent concussions and injuries to the temporomandibular joint. In addition, Minnesota Hockey has the following rule: “All players, including goalkeepers, are required to wear a colored (non-clear) internal mouthpiece, which covers all remaining teeth of one jaw, customarily, the upper.”
2. Keep safe: Mouthguards do more than protect your teeth—they can protect your lips, cheek, face, jaw, neck and more.
3. Protect your smile: Everyone looks better and is more confident with teeth.
4. Avoid the dentist: Dental work is expensive, time consuming and sometimes painful.
5. Improve performance: Beyond preventing the trouble you may have eating pizza or chewing gum—or attracting members of the opposite sex—without teeth, there may be another reason to wear a mouthguard. Mouthguards may improve athletic performance, which you can read about in Time magazine in the best-headlined article on the topic ever: Big-League Chew.

What to Choose

To be of any use, a mouthguard needs to be (1) in the mouth and (2) fit well. Chewing on a corner is not the same thing as wearing a mouthguard—nor is letting it dangle from your helmet. Given the importance of this piece of equipment to your health, find one you will like and wear.

1. Stock: Ready-made mouthguards come in small, medium and large. They are inexpensive and yet often uncomfortable. These may be good for kids whose mouths are changing rapidly or tend to lose them often.
2. Formed: Known as “boil-and-bite,” these mouthguards are a little sleeker and more comfortable than stock mouthguards. Boil it in water to soften it and then bite on it to form it to your mouth. These are a good middle-of-the-road solution between stock and custom mouthguards.
3. Custom: Made by a dentist or with an at-home kit, custom mouthguards fit extremely well and allow for easy speaking and breathing. They can, however, be expensive and time-consuming to acquire (from around $60 to $300). If you think it will be lost or outgrown quickly, these may not be for you.

Note: On the theory that the best mouthguard is the one they’ll wear, my sons have had custom mouthguards in the past. The first time, a very nice dentist dad offered the entire team one—in team colors—as an ingenuous introduction to his practice (which worked—he’s our dentist now). The second time, I paid for them at his friends-and-family rate, still a lot for a mouthguard for kids with rapidly changing mouths. Did it work? One loves his except when coaches think he’s not wearing one due to its sleek fit. The other one, a Mite, chews on it as it hangs out his helmet—something he can just as easily do with a $5 guard, except with the $5 guard the coaches are more likely to notice and make him put it in.

How it Should Fit

Like all other pieces of athletic equipment, you will not have your mouthguard forever. It will wear out or you will outgrow it, usually within a year.

1. It should be tight yet comfortable.
2. You should be able to breathe and talk with reasonable comfort.
3. Trim a stock or formed mouthguard as necessary to fit—just be sure it still covers all the teeth.
4. Replace a distorted or frayed mouthguard.
5. Replace it if it has holes or jagged edges.
6. Replace it after growth spurts or changes in teeth (lost, new, moved, braced).
7. To get more value out of it, wear it for any activity that poses a risk to the mouth: scootering, biking, skiing, snowboarding and the like.
8. Have the dentist check the mouthguard for fit during regular cleanings.

How to Care for It

Ever seen a kid dig a mouthguard out of the bottom of his hockey bag—a bag full of dirty socks, sweaty pads and spilled sports drinks—and pop it in his mouth? Maybe he’ll rinse it in the drinking fountain first, but that’s about it. So I admit, the official mouthguard care rules made me laugh out loud—and yet commit to doing a better job of taking care of them.

1. When to clean: Sanitize after each use to remove bacteria, fungus and mold. While this may not happen, if your mouthguard has been languishing in your bag all summer, for example, clean it before the season starts. After that, try cleaning it once a week.
2. How to clean: Clean it according to the manufacturer instructions, likely denture cleaning solution, a toothbrush and toothpaste, or soap and water.
3. Where to store: Store it in a box, preferably one with a little airflow. (You can actually buy sanitizing mouthguard cases.) If you don’t have a box and are on the way to a game or something, at least grab a baggy for it.
4. Keep it cool: Don’t leave it out in the sun or it can melt and change shape.

Tips from the Trenches

Experienced hockey parents and players have run into every mouthguard situation you can think of; a few things to watch out for follow.

1. In the bag: After you clean your mouthguard, make sure to get it back in your hockey bag. One way to remember this is to put it by the car keys, ready to go out, or just take it straight to the bag.
2. Keep a backup: Always have a cheap backup mouthguard in your hockey bag in case you forget yours. Just leave it in its packaging or a baggy.
3. Keep germs to yourself: Leave your mouthguard in and your gloves on when you shake hands after a game to keep from spreading the flu, meningitis or even just colds.
4. No clear: USA Hockey requires colored mouthguards as clear ones are hard for refs and coaches to find and remove if you’re injured.
5. Wear it: Think like Dr. Seuss. Wear it with braces. Wear it to open skate. Wear it to stick-and-puck. Wear it to games. Just wear it.

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