Staying out of the penalty box will really help.
I`ve been a very lucky guy. I played on championship teams. I played for Canada. I`ve won some awards and I`m very proud of those accomplishments. But I don`t think there`s anything greater than to come home and to be recognized at home. This is the pinnacle.
We`re going to have more kids playing, and we`re going to have a better chance of finding those players Minor sports in a community is for fun and recreation. For everyone.
The kids wait for it to be organized. They want to go play all of these tournaments, for a little practice time. I learned my skills by dropping the puck just with the kids. I think that`s missing today.
Everyone should have the same opportunity, and in many areas that`s not the case because programs are built around the elite.
Developing better people should be the number one goal for any coach when dealing with kids. In trying to develop better people, we are going to develop more and better pros.
You hear all the time about European players playing the game. These players that come over at 17, 18 and 19, they just don`t all of a sudden become skilled. From the time they were little fellas, they learned the fundamentals of the game. Let them create.
Forget about style; worry about results.
Hockey is a tough game. With all the talk and everything that`s going on right now, it frightens me a little bit that we are giving our players an excuse not to hit. I just hope that we don`t take that out of our game at the pro level.
The biggest thing we get out of it is seeing the kids smile. And hopefully we will also see that the lessons we`re teaching - not only the fundamentals of hockey, but also the life values - are sinking in.
The fat lady hasn`t sung yet. We`ll wait until we get a look at what is in the motion passed on third reading.
We want to make sure that every kid who wants to play is going to continue to play and then we`ll end up having more kids in the game.
Hockey is a tough game.
Because of the pressures, we are humiliating the kids - we`re taking them out of minor sports. We`re driving them away from the game.
My Dad was my biggest supporter. He never put pressure on me.
So many of today`s programs are about trophies and jackets, and we think that`s a big mistake.
Growing up, if I hadn`t had sports, I don`t know where I`d be. God only knows what street corners I`d have been standing on and God only knows what I`d have been doing, but instead I played hockey and went to school and stayed out of trouble.
If a child is enjoying himself or herself, they`ll listen. While they`re playing and listening, there`s so much we can teach them.
There are no environments where you`re only going to win, because life just isn`t like that.