MISSION STATEMENT

 

The BluePrint Hockey it's Instructors and it's Executive dedicates ourselves to promote and foster hockey through progressive leadership and by ensuring that all organized hockey programs are controlled and developed in the spirit of fair play and in accordance to the prescribed standards, as directed by Hockey Canada.

 

Our mission statement:

Our mission is to build a foundation for young players, by providing a superior understanding of hockey as well as a strong backbone for future development of young stars

Hockey Rink Etiquette For Parents

   

            Youth hockey is an intense game on the ice, and sometimes it can be just as intense —  and tense— off the ice.

 

            There, we see parents jawing at each other, at players, at coaches, at game officials.       The temperature is a little too high in the building, and some of us parents can be a little             too tightly wound.

 

            While we all say it’s about “fun”, watching our own kids play can bring out the                 worst instincts that we have.

 

            We all want our sons and daughters to play, to play hard, to play well, and — there’s           that phrase again— have fun.  We want them to be well-coached, play on a team that                  is competitive in their category, and benefit in a host of ways from being involved in      competitive athletics.

 

            Yet we, as parents, sometimes undercut how much fun our kids really have, and how     much they will actually benefit.

 

            This happens by and through our often toxic behaviour, especially during games.

 

            Unfortunately, many of us don’t recognize our own negative behaviour.  We only see             it in others!

 

            So here is a primer, a reminder, of little things that we can do at and around the rink this     fall and winter to make the new hockey season more pleasant for all concerned —                     most importantly, for the kids.

  

 

15 things to keep in mind while watching from the stands this winter:

  

 

1. Let the coaches’ coach.  If you are telling your son or daughter — or any other player             for that matter — to do something different from what their coach is telling them,                you create distraction and confusion.

 

2. It is very unnerving for many young players to try and perform difficult tasks on the ice on    the spur of the moment when parents are yelling at them from the sidelines.  Let the            kids play.  If they have been well coached, they should know what to do on the ice.  If      they make a mistake, chances are they will learn from it.

 

3. Do not discuss the play of specific young players in front of other parents.  How many                times do you hear comments such as, “I don’t know how that boy made this team….”          or “she’s just not fast enough…”.   Too many parents act as though their own child is a    ‘star’, and the problem is someone else’s kid.  Negative comments and attitudes are     hurtful and totally unnecessary and kill parent harmony, which is often essential to           youth team success.

 

4. Discourage such toxic behaviour by listening patiently to any negative comments            that might be made, then address issues in a thoughtful, positive way.  Speak to the   positive qualities of a player, family or coach.  It tends to make the outspoken critics        back off, at least temporarily.

 

5. Do your level best not to complain about your son or daughter’s coaches to other     parents.  Once that starts, it is like a disease that spreads.  Before you know it, parents        are talking constantly in a negative way behind a coach’s back.  (As an aside, if you       have what you truly feel is a legitimate beef with your child’s coach — either             regarding game strategy or playing time, arrange an appointment to meet privately,     away from the rink and other parents.)

 

6. Make only positive comments from the stands.  Be encouraging.  Young athletes do            not need to be reminded constantly about their perceived errors or mistakes.  Their    coaches will instruct them, either during the game or between periods, and                      during practices.  You can often see a young player make that extra effort when they      hear encouraging words from the stands about their hustle.

7. Avoid making any negative comments about players on the other team.  This should          be simple:  we are talking about youngsters, not adults who are being paid to                     play professionally.  I recall being at a ‘rep’ baseball game some years ago, when a parent     on one team loudly made comments about errors made by a particular young player on     the other team.  People on the other side of the diamond were stunned— not to         mention hurt and angry, and rightfully so.  Besides being tasteless and classless, these kinds      of comments can be hurtful to the young person involved and to their family as well.

 

8. Try to keep interaction with parents on the other team as healthy and positive as        possible.  Who’s kidding whom?  You want your child’s team to win.  So do they.  But          that should not make us take leave of our senses, especially our common sense.                       Be courteous ‘till it hurts; avoid the  ‘tit for tat’ syndrome.

 

9. Parents on the ‘other’ team are not the enemy.  Neither are the boys or girls on the          other team.  We should work to check any negative feelings at the door before we hit       the arena.

 

10. What is the easiest thing to do in the youth sports world?  Criticize the referees.  Oh,          there are times when calls are missed, absolutely.  And that can, unfortunately,             directly affect the outcome of a contest.  That said, by and large those who officiate            at youth hockey games are a) hardly over-compensated, and b) give it an honest —         and often quite competent — effort.  At worst, they usually at least try to be fair                 and objective.

 

11. On that note, outbursts from parents on the sideline made toward the referees only signal      to our on children on the ice that they can blame the refs for anything that goes          wrong.  Learning early in life to make excuses and to blame others is not a formula for     success in sports — or life.

 

12. Yelling out comments such as “Good call, ref” or “Thanks ref” may only serve to alienate      an official.  The ref always assumes they made the proper call, that’s why they made            it.  Trying to show superficial support because the call went ‘your’ way is simply annoying      to the officials, and to anyone within earshot.

 

13. The stands are for enjoying watching your child play, and the companionship of                other parents— not for negative behaviour.  If you want to coach, obtain your          coaching certification and then apply for a job.

 

14. We all feel things and are apt to be tempted to say things to others — fellow                parents, officials, our own kids — in the ‘heat of the moment’.  But we don’t   excuse     athletes for doing inappropriate things in the ‘heat of the moment’ (there are           penalties, suspensions, etc.) so we should apply similar standards to our own behaviour          at the rink.  Make yourself pause and quickly check yourself and ask:  Will I be proud of      what I am about to say or do when I reflect on it tomorrow? 

 

15. The parking lot is not the time to ‘fan the flames’.  Whether it is a coach’s decision,                   a referee’s call, a comment that was made, let it go.  Don’t harass the coach or an        official or a parent on the other team after the game is over.  Go home, relax, and      unwind.  Talk positively with your child.  Many of us have made the mistake of “chewing       out” our own son or daughter on the way home for perceived poor play.  The ride home         is sometimes as important as the game itself.  Make that time a good memory for your son     or daughter by discussing as many positives as you can about him/her, their coach and       their teammates.

The BluePrint Hockey is a proud affiliate of the following bodies of hockey