Saturday, May 10, 2014

The 2014 Beeski Hockey Parents Survey is here!

Quick hit to let everyone know that the 2014 Beeski Hockey Parents Survey is now live!

I've kept the survey very consistent with last year's survey so I'll be able to look at trends, but there are a few new questions I've added. My main goal for this year is to increase participation. I'd love to get enough responses to be able to share program-specific results. But for that, I'd probably need at least 30 responses per program. That's very possible if people share the link with their hockey friends!

Click here to take the survey!

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Got news to share? Photos or videos? Game summaries? Interesting articles? Contact Beeski or 'Like' us on Facebook.

Check out the Beeski Youth Hockey Database for info on season fees and features for youth hockey teams!

Monday, April 14, 2014

DVHL Team Fees: What have we learned?

Many of you know I've been building a database of information on youth ice hockey teams. The Beeski Youth Hockey Database is intended to be a tool to help parents compare season fees and features (like practice time, games, training, etc.) and compare them side-by-side for different programs.

As we enter the third week of April and the start of Tier II evaluations, I thought it would make sense to take a look at how various programs stack up. At this point, I have data on fees from all but 7 of the teams in the DVHL (I'm not including Ed Snider Hockey, since that program is free to city residents). Let's look at the numbers.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Danger Within: What's lurking in your kids' hockey bags?

When you think of the dangers associated with playing hockey, what comes to mind? You’d probably think of concussions and hits from behind first since there’s been such a spotlight on those subjects lately. There have been more injuries caused by errant skate blades recently too, and there’s always the stick fouls and knee injuries.

Did you even consider the possibility of losing a limb?

Monday, February 10, 2014

Try Hockey for Free!

Quick post to tell you about an upcoming USA Hockey event.

Have your kids ever wanted to try hockey but the high costs pushed you away? Well, here's your chance! As part of Hockey Weekend Across America, area rinks will be offering the opportunity to try the greatest game in the world.
"On March 1, 2014, USA Hockey and over 400 local programs across the country will encourage kids, ages 4 to 9, to come to a local participating rink and try youth hockey as part of Hockey Weekend Across America, presented by CCM. All locations have a limited amount of equipment available for use."
The best way to find a participating rink close to you is to search here on the Try Hockey for Free website. There's an interactive map that allows you to enter your zip code (at the bottom of the map) and search for rinks in your area. (I'll warn you that it didn't work very well for me on my iPhone, so if you want to save yourself some frustration it's best to use a laptop or maybe a tablet.)

I've listed some of the participating rinks in the Philly area after the jump for your reference, with links to register for each location. The start time varies by location, so be sure to check it closely and find the best rink for your location and schedule.

Have you participated in past Try Hockey for Free events? If so, we'd love to hear how it went. Post a comment about your experience. Here's an article about the November event from the Lehigh Valley Flames.

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Got news to share? Photos or videos? Game summaries? Interesting articles? Contact Beeski or find us on Facebook.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Follow-up on the Pointstreak Stats Vote

From the DVHL website:

At the January 8 President's meeting a vote was taken and approved to remove all stats from the DVHL website for the remainder of this season and all of next season.

This season and all of next. I guess we've got 18 months to shape up.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Pointstreak, the DVHL, and Crazy Hockey Parents

Well, hockey parents, now you've done it. I can't even say "hockey parents" anymore - that implicates way too many good, reasonable people. But the "crazy hockey parents", the CHPs, have once again ruined a good thing for the rest of us.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

A great time in the home of the Great One

Wow.

Inside my head I've been saying that over and over for the past four days.

The family and I just returned from a whirlwind of a weekend in Brantford, Ontario and the 44th Annual Wayne Gretzky International Tournament. We were there with the Valley Forge Colonials Peewee A team, filling in for some of their regulars who couldn't (or didn't) make the trip.

The trip was incredible. We got there on Friday around noon, after a long drive and overnight stay in Buffalo. Our first game was at 2pm and from that point on there was hardly a second to breathe! There's so much to write about - I'll try to focus on a few things.