Grassroots: The Minor Hockey Show

In October, the OHL was told by the Ontario government it could only return to play - without bodychecking! Was there any science behind that decision? Is hockey inherently more or less susceptible to Covid-19  than other sports? An American researcher, Dr. Stephen McGregor, completed a three-year study last spring for USA Hockey which produced some surprising results to address that question.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comX (Twitter):Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

In recent years, minor hockey seems to have been overrun with private skill development businesses or vendors. Most associations seem to have someone or some group running regular skills sessions with kids of all ages. They do, however, raise a lot of questions about what they do, how they do it, the cost, and whether these sessions truly benefit the players they're teaching. Jim Mercer, an OMHA development leader, coach and instructor, shares his views on the subject.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comX (Twitter):Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

Gregg Kennedy is driving almost clear across the country, from Ottawa to northern Alberta, to take over a junior A team. In his 40th year coaching, it's a challenge he both welcomes and looks forward to. In this episode, he explains what his likely first steps will be when he arrives and what he needs to do to get a handle on the team.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comX (Twitter):Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

This podcast's first episode was an overview of what was going to be discussed in future shows. However, I used Howie Meeker and his book "Hockey Basics" as my introduction since I believed then, and now, that he was one of Canada's most important hockey teachers. During my earliest coaching days, I once had the good fortune to share an instructional session with him in Montreal. Some years ago, we reconnected, both of which I described in Episode 1. When Howie passed away on Nov. 8 at age 97, all I could think of was the magnitude of his influence on how hockey is taught, not to mention what I took from him. It seemed fitting then that I share with listeners some of what he wrote to me in 2006 as well as sound bites from the DVDs he sent me. Keep in mind he was 82 years old when he jumped on the ice with kids at his summer hockey school and recorded those sessions. Jeepers! Howie sure was somethin' else!Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comX (Twitter):Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

In this segue from Episode 32 about girls in sport, Jane King discusses how to get them into the sport and coach them the right way. While coaching kids of both genders have certain commonalities, she says, working with girls requires some particular skill sets.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comX (Twitter):Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

Jane King has been a coach, teacher, and advocate for women in sport for decades. She's a featured speaker with the Coaches Association of Ontario and is a chartered professional coach with the Coaching Association of Canada. She pretty much has the pulse of what we need to do to involve more girls in sport, especially hockey. In this first of a two-parter, she examines where we are and where we could and should be.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comX (Twitter):Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

Do we expect too much of our coaches? At what level(s) should we expect to see expertise in coaching kids? Is it even necessary. Jim Mercer, a Hockey Canada coaching program teacher, evaluator and instructor with a lengthy coaching background, steps in to evaluate what the game has and needs.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comX (Twitter):Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

It's been over 20 years since the NHL/Hockey Canada Open Ice Summit recommended that a formal mentorship program was central to improving coaching and thus the state of our game. What's happened to that recommendation? A discussion with Ottawa-area coach, mentor, and coaching program instructor Ron Graham.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comX (Twitter):Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

How practical would it be to institute a hard and fast equal ice time idea, as Grant Johnston suggested in Episode 27? Should it even be done? Dean Holden and Rick Ladouceur weigh in.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comX (Twitter):Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

The most important relationship in sport is the one between the coach and athlete. In minor hockey, the realm of children, teens and non-professional adults as coaches, it's especially crucial. Dr. Cassidy Preston, a former player and AAA coach and now a sport performance consultant, discusses this dynamic and its impact on him as a player and on today's youth.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comX (Twitter):Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com