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!

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Survey Results! Youth Hockey: A Game for the Rich?

Results are in from the latest Beeski survey on the cost of youth hockey.

Inspired by an article by James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail, I asked you what you spent on youth hockey in a recently completed season. I wanted to find out if hockey has become, as the article says, "a game strictly for the rich".

Results after the jump.

Youth Hockey: A Game for the Rich?

A friend of mine, who happens to be an awesome hockey mom - and a goalie mom at that! - sent me a really interesting article about the rising cost of youth hockey and its impact on the game in Canada. It seemed like a great topic for a blog post, and it also inspired me to create the latest Beeski Survey!

DVHL Update - October 17, 2013

Well, I'm off to a terrible start when it comes to giving weekly updates of DVHL scores. This post should bring us up to date on the season so far. After the jump: a summary of DVHL action through October 13.

Meanwhile, I've been pretty active on the HBB Facebook page, sharing photos, scores, and game summaries from the DVHL. You may recall that I posted a blog about the social media presence of the DVHL and AYHL teams. Some of them are very good about posting updates, which is fantastic. Hats off to Palmyra, Lehigh Valley, Regency, Old York Road, Ed Snider Hockey, and others - but especially the Delaware Stars (I love their game summaries!) and Warwick Wildcats (tweeting in-game updates for many teams!). I'll keep sharing your updates as long as you keep posting them!

Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook for on-the-fly scores and updates.

DVHL Weekend Recap - September 14-15

After the jump: a summary of DVHL action from the weekend of September 14-15.

What about non-league action you ask? Tell us all about your non-league games in the comments.

"Like" us on Facebook for on-the-fly scores and updates.

Saturday morning funnies

I'm at my USA Hockey coaching certification clinic this morning. Sure, I had to get up early and drive an hour to get here, but I actually enjoy these. Maybe I'm in the minority there, I don't know. I find it helpful to refocus and get the coaches on the same page in terms of priorities and expectations for the season - at least until tomorrow when 2/3 of the people here forget that we're only supposed to spend 10-15% of practice time on strategies and systems. 

Anyway, that's not the point of this post. They showed a couple of videos during the morning class that I thought I'd share. There's one for the parents and one for the players. Both of them may be good for some early season perspective - and a good laugh! I especially liked The Elite Athlete's Mom. Enjoy!

The Elite Athlete's Mom:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1dK0oH9ximg&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1dK0oH9ximg

My Coach Sucks:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iymXdRQDISg&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DiymXdRQDISg

Let's get social!

As I attempt to build this blog into a place you'll visit for youth hockey news and updates, something that's been really great for me is the social media presence of some of the teams in the area. Many of you know that I've started a Facebook page - and if not, you do now, so please "Like" it! I've been trying to share as many posts as possible from some of the area teams that have their own accounts. It's been really good so far - from my perspective at least. I hope you're enjoying the updates. I'm enjoying the experience of sharing them.

The Facebook page has been a nice way to share quick updates without having to create a whole blog post. For those teams/programs that have their own Facebook page or Twitter account, it's a really easy way for me to share news quickly, so please keep posting and I'll keep sharing. For the rest of you, I guess it's time that I be more explicit about what I'm trying to accomplish.

Beeski Bits - August 15, 2013

Wondering what the competition looks like in your league/division this season? So was I, so I put together some tables showing which programs are icing teams at which levels. Zoom in to see the detailed tables. Anything that's shaded in the darker blue means there's a team at that level. If the program is icing more than one team I included the total number of teams they'll have. I also pasted some summary graphs after the jump.

King for a day

This will be my first blog post from the air as I travel to St. Louis for work for a couple of days. I haven't posted from a mobile device before this so I apologize if anything is off - call it an experiment. I'll be back in Philly tomorrow night, ready for practice on Wednesday night. VFC Peewee AA is getting ready for a preseason tuneup against the Jr. Flyers Peewee Minor team on Friday night. Looking forward to some game action instead of practice.

I came across a couple of posts over on Mihockeykid.com that I really enjoyed. The subject is "If I were king," and the author goes on to list 20 things he'd change if he were given free reign over youth hockey. Definitely worthy of a read if you have a few minutes. More after the jump.

Beeski Bits - August 10, 2013

Updates from around the DVHL:

O Captain! My Captain!

Great advice here on what it takes to be a good team captain! We see it all the time in hockey where the player who puts up the most points -  or *gasp* the coach's kid - gets to wear the "C".

Now don't get me wrong - sometimes it's deserved. But sometimes it's not, and if that's the case it can be bad for the whole team.

To most (not all, but most) of the kids I've coached or been around, having a letter on their jersey is a thrill. So players, take note - start to show these qualities and you might just get that "C" or "A". No matter what, if you do these things in hockey and in life, you'll be a great leader!

My favorites:

1. Always put the team in front of yourself

4. Lead by example and be a good role model (responsibility, integrity, and willingness)

6. No matter what, stay positive. 

10. Be willing to take the blame 

Here's the link to the full post. What do you think, readers? Do you agree with this list? Which ones are your favorites? Would you add anything else?

 

Beeski Bits - July 29, 2013

Random updates from around the DVHL

DVHL News - July, 2013

Looking around the hockey sites and I came across this update on the DVHL website. Who knew they updated that thing??

**SPOILER ALERT**

Survey Results - Conclusion

Stay or Go?

Ok, parents. You've waited long enough. The last section of the survey cuts to the question at hand - how many families are moving to a new hockey program next year, and why? Let's get right to it.

(You can find results from Part 1 of the survey here and Part 2 here.)