Parents Perspective: Youth Hockey Pet Peeves

[G D T]

Politics for sure..... but lets be real, it happens in every sport especially when you have multiple levels/ teams.

And followed closely by Parents, in which there are so many scenarios to name from threatening to leave if their kids isn't on AA team to bad mouthing the other kids/parents/clubs/refs you name it and they have a problem with it.

[Guest]

First I worry if I can afford hockey  Then pretty much everything on the list with politics in the lead. Win over development mentality

[Guest]

Tuition seems to go up every season and our hockey club isn't getting bigger. Looks like that's the general consensus everywhere. But at the same time the teams are adding nonsensical options like gym time and hockey video reviews. How do 10yr olds benefit from the gym or coaches reviews? These are kids not pros but it seems more like a reason to increase prices.

[coach03]

As a coach I don't have the benefit of deciding entirely who I get. The club is not going to boot it's members out unless the kid just can't play, or the club is so popular that they attract a lot of players at evaluation time and they can pick and choose as they please. Players do progress or regress too, I don't pick a kid who can't play over a kid who can either. The politic thing is just part of the deal, the kids have to move up every season. Now, dads picking their kids friends happens everywhere lets not act like that's a kids hockey thing.

[Guest]

coaches and politics. The entire evaluation process should be outsourced to a neutral third party who has no association with the organization. This would eliminate favoritism and allow the players to actually make teams on their own without help from the management or coaches deciding where they do or don't fit.

[Guest]

The problem with Dvhl is the politics and coaches and owners who own organizations. Because tryouts arent tryouts. Went to a tier 1 organization and they already had last year members own and the 4 kids from flyers organization put on and 1 kid from west coast put on. So all the other bantam kids that try out got screwed over and taking for the money. Real organization that play by the rules get over looks and the ones that pay there way to get into Dvhl and scam people get screwed over.Go to any other programs in pa on west it's not like here you have to try out and if your better then the other kids they let you know and they keep testing your kid to see if they can go up a level. Even in Jersey and New York and Florida & Texas and minnesota and Canada they dont do this profit they all do non profit and there kids from AA to make it affordable for parents to pay top notch hockey actually get a break because it's really triple A level. Only in this philly area are parents and kids getting screwed over because parents are just looking for the name of organization and not what they produce and put in kids skill and moral wise. It's a (ME) mindset and that's why these kids and parents/coach have no clue what they are actually teaching bc in the real world you got to earn you way in life work and sports. Not give me every and I'm clueless bc mommy daddy and coaches just sheltered me all the time. I watched @ Peewee Quebec 18-19 tournament tryouts parents going upstairs to the try out evaluation personal and give them money so there kids would get on and evals talking to the parents and kids saying dont worry you already made the team. It's a Dam Shame that Politics takes over and greed in a sport that suppose to show you life lesson and show you to work hard is corrupt to its core. Want to fix the problem make all organization non profit and let the retired pros handle matters in tryouts for USA hockey/tournaments. Stop tweaking roosters and letting different level tier groups be a power house in tournaments and in season. If your name is not on rooster and you haven't sign the rooster then you shouldnt play. Kids in every organization should be allowed to step on the ice with their respected organization whenever they want to practice free of charge get conclusions protcol testing before the season mid season and at the end. Kids should be allowed to practice with there team and the other team that's higher likening war road Minnesota to make them work harder to be better at sport and wanna play to have fun. If this was all done and tuition for organization should include all this at affordable price with warm ups,upcoming season,tournaments & off ice training and film study,uniforms (sweaters/jerseys,socks,shell) all in that package as well as a bonding trip with parents and kids going so everyone is on the same page before the season. If this was done right parents would stay at there organization and there would be no issues.

[Guest]

100 percent right on the head with what you said. Wow someone who actually knows hockey and knows the corruption in this beautiful game. Because the owners/coaches/parents/USA hockey as well Dvhl close their eyes to the truth. It's a corporation now then a sport to make memories and lasting relationships with kids as well as parents. Drain the swamp of bullshit Greed and Crappy Organization of coaches and parents

[Guest]

Coaches that do not think about the development of the kids. Old school coaches that know only hit and run tactics to win the games. Coaches that have no ideea how to work with kids...If a romanian player will somehow manage to get to a top team is only his credit and his hard work, not coaches's...

[Guest]

Have been involved in hockey for 40+ years in pretty much every district/region an can unequivocally state that hockey in the Philadelphia region is the WORST in terms of BS. 

Backroom deals buying spots, tryouts for no open spots, DVHL 'evaluation' rules, overpaid coaches (most of whom flat out SUCK at coaching, but are decent salesmen), exorbitant tryout fees, over-promising and under-delivering, it all seems to find its way into every organization around here sooner or later.

There are plenty of parents in this region with more money than brains and hockey clubs have found a way to exploit them. Unfortunately the problem is so pervasive that it leaves little left for everyone else.

[Guest]

Most of the parents complaining about politics are frustrated their kids are not good enough right now to play on the team that cut them. It is much easier to blame politics than your own kids skill level. Parents by far are the biggest problem in youth hockey.