Politics in hockey. A terrible tragedy and an unfortunate one that so many kids are put through because of some of the systems in place in Minor and Junior hockey. Dont know what I’m talking about? Well welcome all to Hockey Politics 101.

Class is now in session. If you have never heard of Hockey Politics then this may be somewhat of an eye opener for some…then again it may be absolutely useless information to you as well. The truth remains this happens and not just in hockey but all of sport.

Enough talk already, let’s begin.

Hockey Politics 101: Lesson 01 – The Almighty Dollar Speaks

This point can be debated about for months because it doesn’t just happen in hockey but in all aspect of life. Money talks and ultimately it can talk a far less skilled kid onto a higher caliber club. True, you need money to play hockey and when it comes to the AAA level you need a large sum to cover fees, travel, and of course equipment. Let’s face it though, any kids expecting to play hockey at this level their parents already have the fees covered (or know what to expect). The fact remains though that deep pockets are a heavy influence on roster spots. I’ve seen kids who can hardly skate backwards on a AAA roster which isnt right, for one it’s keeping higher skilled kids at a lower level and ultimately it’s stunting the development of the player who cant keep pace with his teammates.

Hockey Politics 101: Lesson 02 – Family Is The Most Important

Family is important. It’s really important. But it’s not that important at the hockey arena. Another case of hockey politics 101 is the father/mother figure in a position of power with the local hockey club. Whether it be the President of the minor hockey association or the coach of one of those teams this happens almost in every organization. Said son/daughter has a guaranteed spot on the local roster because their parent is in a position of power. Again this isn’t the right decision. If the child deserves it, by all means…but if he doesn’t again he shouldn’t be put in a position where he is set to fail. To many times we’ve seen ice time given to one’s son/daughter because of obvious favoritism, not only does this cause huge tension on the said child to perform but it can even cause rifts in a dressing room or organization. Select organizations have put the policy in place where one cant coach if his or her son or daughter is on the bench.

Hockey Politics 101: Lesson 03 – It’s Not About Development Its About Winning

It seems over the past decade we as parents, fans, and coaches seem to have forgotten the principle rule about minor hockey. Truthfully the other two lessons fall into this category as often at times we spend more time worrying about ourselves and winning then the ultimate goal of developing a player into someone who attains that higher level. Now a days we spend to much time listening to outside influence that it’s more important to win 20 games then have 20 players graduate to the next level. Every coach is happy when they hear that a player they coaches reaches the next level but wouldn’t that same coach be happy he was capable of coaching half his players to a higher level then say the 1-3 stars he had on his team?

Hockey Politics 101: Lesson 04 – It’s Not About The Kids, Its About The Organization

I understand that hockey at times is business and business is hockey. But who are we kidding, hockey at lower levels isn’t business. Hockey at the lower levels (Jr.B and down) is all about fulfilling your dream on reaching the next level (whether it be the NHL, AHL, WHL, AJHL etc), playing with friends, or flat out for the love of the game. To many times we have the people in power looking out for their best interests instead of whats important…the players.

and finally…

Hockey Politics 101: Lesson 05 – History Is Exactly That…History

Maybe borderline on politics but I suppose this can fall into that category because of the people who pick the selected rep teams through the country. Often times we find some players develop faster at a younger age and have first crack at the Bantam AAA levels as opposed to other kids who mature later. For some reason once a player is tagged with the AAA status sometimes he is set to cruise through the Minor Hockey Association without having to worry about playing single A hockey. Players playing together over the course of a few season develop chemistry and while that can result in on ice success sometimes it doesn’t equate to individual success. Many kids develop at a slower rate and because they don’t hit that peak until say Midget often times find themselves lost in the fold amongst the many others who already have a year or two of rep hockey under their belt. Again I ask are these kids being given a fair chance?

Running My Mouth

I’m not saying the system is broken, I’m not saying it’s perfect either. The fact of the matter is a lot of decisions being made out there these days are the result of personal feelings or outside influence instead of what is right and letting a teenager or child play with the team he is supposed to or where he wants. I love the game of hockey but the politics involved in a lot of the decisions can ruin a player, a team, and ultimately the game.

To that all I can say is…

smarten up and do the right thing!

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