BUSINESS OF HOCKEY: BUILDING THE PROPER CULTURE IN THE ORGANIZATION It's amazing that there is such a wide range of cultures in the game of hockey, all under the name of development

I have had an advantage of being on the inside and outside of amateur hockey organizations. Having witnessed and experienced two of my sons develop over the years in various organizations all over the country, our family has been exposed to a variety of leadership and cultures.  It's amazing that there is such a wide range of cultures in the game of hockey, all under the name of development. 

The game has grown in volume of teams and spread all over the country and with that growth has come challenges and often negligence on how young hockey players are taught and developed  on the ice. I believe every organization should take an honest look at itself every two years to evaluate exactly what their culture is and make sure they are honest with themselves on how they are conducting their business and how they are treating their players.

I see so many teams mechanically managing their business based on the calendar on remote control. Tryouts are scheduled, teams are recruited, games and practices are scheduled. They play and coach the practices and games and then repeat the process year to year. It's a cycle easy to get caught up in. Good organizations have a plan to hire the right coaches who care as much about developing players as winning games.

These same organizations work hard to get proper billet families to put the players in a healthy home environment.  Practice planning includes skill development time and goalie specific sessions as a big part of this process is teaching.

Helping your players understand the college recruiting process and helping  them find college opportunities. We are at the midway part of the season when many players decide to go home because player experience is lacking. This happens every year, all over the country. 

Organizations that will sustain themselves long term get this figured out and word of mouth among families is the best recruiting tools. There are organizations that don't figure it out and they are revolving doors for players and coaches until they fold.

What is ultimately sad about this is the number of players whose lives and careers have been affected by this environment. 

During the Holiday season it's a good time to take a look at your roster and ask yourself if you are doing everything in your power to improve your players on and off the ice and how many are you writing off your roster during Christmas break.  It's also a good time for self reflection and in the good organizations there is still time to inspire and make a difference in your players after the holidays .