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Erindale's "Home Ice" Print - Have You Got Your Copy Yet?

Message to All Parents of Prospective "A" Players

The Why of Love - (an inspirational story)

A Refs Story

Team Schedules

To find out about your teams schedule or standings, please access the link below to the MHL Games Centre.

Quote from a respected coach, one "Badger" Bob Johnson, "It's a great day for hockey."

So, you want to be on the "A" team? Then Memorize these 10 questions and ask for answers !

Next year’s A-level head coach assignments have been posted, for your information. For those unfamiliar with the structure of competitive play within the MHL, this is the highest level offered by this league. Tryouts for next year’s teams will be held in early May after this year’s season is completed.

As a parent member of the Erindale Hockey Association, you have some choices to consider about where your child will play next year. For those who have children playing at the other house league levels (green, blue, white and red), you might opt to stay within those levels of competitive play. There is less demand on your personal time, less of a commitment from both player and parents alike, not to mention the lower financial commitment. In that case, you need only return your pre-registration package that will be mailed to you following this season. Your child will be re-evaluated next fall and placed in the division that is then appropriate for his/her skill level.

If you believe you and your child are able and willing to make a greater commitment, you will want to find out the dates for the spring try-outs for the ‘A’ team. Erindale’s try-out dates will be posted on the Website: www.erindalehockey.com and in the Mississauga News prior to the date.

Should you attend a try-out, but subsequently are not offered a spot, it would be wise to prepare your child for that situation – this should not be seen as a failure in his or her eyes. We want them to return at a level where they will enjoy the competition and continue to develop in an appropriate environment. There are plenty of stories about young athletes who were advanced a year or two ahead of their time and resulted in nothing but feelings of inadequacy, failure and bitterness – some even drop out altogether – tired of trying to live up to expectations that they feel are beyond their capabilities. Often, it’s better to be a big fish in a small pond rather than …

If you feel your child is ready to play at the ‘A’ level, it may be your preference to play at Erindale for a number of reasons: friends, familiarity, location - to name a few. But you could also choose to try-out for another ‘A’ level team within other associations in the league. They all conduct try-outs during the same week. At Erindale, we encourage you to place your child at a competitive level that is appropriate for them, even if that means they will be playing outside of our association next year. By moving up, this leaves room for other children to advance as well, building up their sense of accomplishment.

So, if you think you (parents and child) are ready to make a greater commitment, we offer the following ten questions you should ask. Five of these questions are for you to answer – the other five should be directed at the head coach of your new team.

YOUR QUESTIONS:

Are you prepared to make the personal commitments that are expected at the ‘A’ level of competitive play (more practices, games, tournaments and the larger team budget that is associated with an ‘A’ Team)?

Do you feel that your child is committed to play at this level ? (Ideally, he/she should always be looking forward to practices as well as games!)

If your child "just makes the team" as one of the final open spots, are you prepared to perhaps see him/her play at a lower skill level than others on the team and will you still provide encouragement to your child? Will you also be able to deal in a positive manner with other parents on the team who may get a bit too competitive and make negative remarks concerning your child’s contributions?

If your child is not offered a spot on the Erindale team but is offered a position with another association team, it could be because there is less depth of skill level there. A "winning" season (in terms of points) may not be in the cards. Can you deal positively with such a situation?

If you have more than one child active in sports - each at different competitive levels of play, (or perhaps other children not involved in any sport), are you prepared to deal with the perceived inequities in time spent with some of them because of the demands of the ‘A’ level player in your family?

"A TEAM" HEAD COACH QUESTIONS:

The Number One question: What is the head coach’s philosophy? On equal playing time for all players? (this is not a well known MHL mandate). On effort versus game results? On skills development? On the power of positive reinforcement?

This next question is particularly aimed at coaches at the minor novice level, but may also apply to older levels: What are the head coach’s intentions for the year after this next season? The answer to this question might be determined by whether they have a son or daughter on the team who is on their way to ‘AA’ the following year. If that is the case, and you are not sure that your child will be ready for that even higher level, then what is the depth of coaching talent within the association? Do they have a solid contingent of coaching talent, ready to step in when others leave? Now, you need to look at the association as a whole, rather than just the immediate coaching situation.

Don’t forget to ask about the costs of the program. Some coaches/managers don’t like to talk about this before you commit to their team. Ask what will be expected. Be prepared to participate in team fund-raising efforts to pay for the costs of extra practice times, exhibition games, tournaments, travel and accommodations. It is not unusual to see team budgets of $20,000 - $25,000 and sometimes even higher.

Ask what teams this head coach has coached in the past. With which associations? How many coaching years of experience does he have? (you have a right to ask these questions – if he acts offended – run, don’t walk away!). Ask how many of his players have been developed through his association and how many were recruited from other areas – this may tell you something about the depth of his association’s development program. Some associations have teams with winning records because they recruit well – the question is: will all the players continue to develop to their best potential on this team? Is the coaching up to par with the recruitment activity? If recruitment plays a bigger part than internal development, one might want to question both the development program of the association and the "win at all costs" philosophy of the team.

Ask any other questions that are important to you. Some children react in different ways to certain actions of the bench staff. You might want to ask if the coach has a philosophy of benching players for particular actions or miscues. You might want to inquire about the credentials of his anticipated bench staff.

These suggestions may seem onerous, but they are presented to you so you can make an informed decision. The decision your are making for your child will affect the hockey enjoyment for their next season-Don’t Take it lightly!

We hope that it lends to yet another enjoyable season of hockey for all.

"Why" of Love, The
by: Neil Eskelin,

Here's a message that needs to be drilled into the hearts and minds of every mom and dad: You don't love your kids because of what they do, but because of who they are.
Simply rewarding children with affection because of their accomplishments is like a circus trainer giving a dog some food every time he jumps through a hoop. The dog isn't loved for himself, but for his actions.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger, the popular talk show host, has a new book for children titled, "Why Do You Love Me?" Part of the story includes a mother explaining to her son that it is not what he does that makes her love him -- she loves him because he is unique and because he is her son.
You don't show affection simply because a child is good at karate or gymnastics. Every mom, dad and grandparent needs to memorize the words of a long-time popular song: "I love you most of all because you're you."

"HOME ICE" by W. Burden depicting Erindale's original site along the banks of the Credit River in 1946. A copy of this beautiful print hangs in the lobby of Erin Mills Arena to the left as you come in the door. These unframed prints are available for just $50.00. There is a rumour that the price might go up. Get yours soon!

Contact: inquiries@erindalehockey.com

homeice.JPG (21035 bytes)

The following article was copied from the Toronto Star, Thursday, March 16, 2000

A Fact of Life

During the course of this hockey season, it has been brought to my attention that many people are unhappy with the state of officiating at the minor hockey level. Several articles have been written in newspapers suggesting that poor officiating is the root cause of escalating violence in our treasured sport. I would like to address this issue on two fronts – as a player, and as an on-ice official.

I began my playing career at the tender age of 8 in an OMHA house league program. I graduated to their select program, and eventually moved through the ranks of A, AA and AAA. I was drafted to the OHL but played my junior at the Tier 11 level while attending university. As an 8 year-old, I knew what was appropriate behaviour on and off the ice. I knew it was wrong to use my stick in a dangerous manner. I knew it was wrong to yell at referees. I knew it was wrong to try and hurt my opponent to gain an advantage. In my entire player career, I was never assessed a match penalty, I was never assessed a gross misconduct, and I didn’t get into a fight until my first year in junior hockey when an opponent swung his stick at our trainer and I came to his defense. That fight was also the only game misconduct I was ever assessed.

Most people would say I had a successful hockey career. I played hockey because it was fun. I never considered a career in the NHL. Despite the fact that I wasn’t chasing a dream, I wasn’t an aggressive player, and my parents made no attempt to push me, I managed to get drafted to the highest level of amateur hockey in Canada – Major Junior. Throughout all that time, I still knew right from wrong and I give all the credit to my parents. I was taught at an early age to respect other people, and that violence was not an appropriate method of dealing with anger. In a sport that encourages the rough going, it is extremely important for parents to clearly make the distinction between rough play and excessive violent behaviour. Parents play a key role in the development of their children. I recognize that there are many other influences in a child’s life, but parents must take responsibility to educate their children and discipline them when necessary. But most important, parents set an example for their children whether they realize it or not. When parents yell from the stands and demean on-ice officials, it can serve as a form of approval for the kids on the ice. We don’t tolerate this behaviour in our homes or in our schools, so why in the arena?

The second perspective I would like to address with this issue is that of an on-ice official. As an official, I’ve just about seen it all. Really, I’ve seen a lot. I am a certified Level V in the Canadian Hockey Officials Program and I currently officiate at the minor and junior levels. As you might imagine, I see a very large range of ages, abilities, and situations through the course of a season. What you might not expect is where I experience the most abuse. Officiating minor hockey is a frustrating endeavour. The large majority of minor hockey officials are young and inexperienced. This situation lends itself to a variety of problems. Because officials are young, coaches and parents will attempt to take advantage through intimidation tactics like yelling, and telling young referees that they applied a rule incorrectly. Because some officials are inexperienced, their stress level dramatically increases when coaches and parents suddenly turn their attention from the hockey game to them. Some younger officials get nervous, and it becomes increasingly more difficult to officiate under those conditions (I know, I’ve been there). In addition, the sheer volume of the rulebook and its interpretations is a massive undertaking to understand and mistakes are always going to happen in this regard. They still happen in the NHL!

At this point, I would like to ask the readers a question. If you were officiating a game, in any sport, and the coaches and parents from one team began yelling, berating, and verbally abusing you, what would your emotional response be? I’ll tell your what mine is – one team is not causing me grief. That being said, experienced officials (myself included) have learned to suppress their emotional responses so as to not create a bias. It is an extremely difficult thing to do, and I’ll be honest, it is more difficult at the minor hockey level than in the junior ranks.

Officiating is difficult under ideal circumstances, and when parents turn up the heat from the stands, it causes frustration, tension, and stress. Parents need to remember that walking through the doors of an arena is not a license to disregard proper social etiquette. To illustrate this point, I have taken the advice of a colleague. I attend minor hockey games with a video camera and I record the behavior of parents who cross the line and make a spectacle of themselves. At the conclusion of the game, while parents are waiting for their child in the lobby, they can watch themselves on a television! The lucky people who can earn their television fame can see themselves in action and be proud of how ridiculous they look while the non-offenders may think twice in future games.

- Still Proud To Be A Ref! -