Anybody's kids in hockey?

[Jeafl]

My son will be 18 in December and he has been playing both in-house and travel hockey since he was 3.

It really is a lifestyle, and a huge commitment, but as others have said, the teammates' families become your good friends.

Most leagues are non-checking up until the squirt level, which is quite a few years from now for you.

In all the hundreds (thousands??) of games I have attended over the years I have only seen ONE serious injury where an ambulance had to be called. In the end, that kid ended up being fine too. The referees are great at keeping it clean for the most part, and they wear a LOT of padding and gear. I've seen my son crash into the boards at what seems like a hundred miles per hour, and yet he always gets right up. It is nowhere near as dangerous as people think it is.

The biggest downfall to hockey is the time involved, and the cost to a certain extent. If your son continues on to the high school level it is often considered a "club" as opposed to a sport so it will cost you to play, as opposed to football or basketball. Not fair, but it is what it is.

My son has made many lifelong friends playing hockey, and although it is time consuming, he has always done other sports as well. He does cross county in the fall, and track in the spring. Hockey is considered a winter sport, but it overlaps cross country and track a little. Coaches will often work with you though, so it is possible to do more than one thing.

 

[damo]

I was really just kidding about his teeth. I will embrace the games; however, dh is the one who really wants him to do it, so it will be his responsibility. DS won't want me there anyway as I get too nervous about him getting hurt.

Be really careful about letting it be your husband's responsibility. I think you are risking missing out on a lifelong common bond.

Whenever my children had a passion, I made it my passion as well. It makes you closer as a family and my grown children and I have always been extremely close because of it. Kids can easily tell when you aren't interested.

Hockey or any sport does not begin and end with the game. It becomes part of a lifestyle. Expect hockey to become part of your lifestyle. If you make your son think that you don't want any of the responsibility, he may soon feel that you aren't interested in a major part of his life. He'll want to discuss things before and after the game, things the other kids did and said and you are missing out on a wonderful learning and teaching and growing opportunity if you just leave this up to his Dad.

Any sport involves many, many life lessons and you will very possibly be missing out on a lot of those lessons if you opt out.

 

[dispor]

I skated synchronized in my 20's and 30's. All of the hockey players that I meet where upstanding young men.

DS11 plays on a travel team. My DD11plays on two travel teams - a boy's team, and an all-girls team. Other DD does synchronized skating. THAT's when I started thinking hockey wasn't all that expensive! LOL! And I'm more nervous about synchro pass-throughs than I am about hockey checking!

ETA: Regarding the young men... The boys on my daughter's team (she's the goalie) are the greatest kids. Honestly, they treat her like royalty. If any player from another team ever tried to touch her, I think those boys would... well, I won't say what I think they'd do. I told her "I can't guaranteed you'll never get hit, but I know you'll never get hit TWICE."

when they turn 11 they can also register as a referee and get paid to be close to the game still......

Holy cow! I wondered why some of those refs look so young!!!

We live in MN, we discouraged our kids from hockey . Hockey is more than a sport, it is a way of life. Plan on having hockey every weekend between October and April (at least around here it is that way). Ice time is at a premium. It isn't unusual for the little kids to have ice time at 10:00 at night or 5:00 in the morning depending on your league. If you are lucky your league will have equipment exchanges, if not, plan to buy new equipment every year. Good skates run in the $200 range.

Believe it or not, the only time we have had outrageously early times was at tournaments. I don't think our earliest game was ever before 7 a.m., and our practices are never before 8 a.m. So, I think it depends on where the OP lives. If you are in a "big" hockey area, ice time is hard to find and you will have the early/late hours. You forgot to mention the hockey camps they'll go to in the summer...

Trust me, you'll eventually get past the constant worry of him getting hurt. I used to get worried-even though they have on a ton of padding. Then, I went from being worried he'd get hurt to just thinking when he got hit and/or knocked down "please don't cry, please don't cry." Now, I'm in the stands yelling at him to get up if he gets hit and yelling for him to put a body on someone to knock them off the puck. It gets easier to watch as they get older.

OP, my advise is to talk to the people in charge of the program you are considering. Find out about those ice times, fees, etc. Know what you are getting yourself in to. Ask them about their fundraising. We have fundraising opportunities that can greatly reduce your fees!

Oh, and checking doesn't start until Peewees, so you have until he's 11 to worry about that.

Encourage him to be a goalie! Around here, clubs are offering free or greatly reduced costs to goalies. There just aren't enough kids that want to play that position.

I agree with the others that have said to start with Learn to Skate. My kids went up to Level 3 and then switched to a Learn to Play Hockey class. I've seen the really young kids get burned out!!

Good luck!

 

[Anne MN]

I have 1 DD who will be 10 in October (another horrible b-day for hockey) who has been playing since she was 3. we started in MN! they start that young up there. that first level is called mini-mites. the learn to skate. my DD did not know how to skate when she started. the rec league taught them to skate- they used either metal folding chairs to hold on to or they had "walkers" made out of PVC that they could push. that first year the league and coach was focused on teaching the fundamentals- like staying upright and skating. they moved onto stopoing, and then going around cones. at the league she played in, there was a flat fee for the season (icetime was included as they had practice once a week and no "games")
they were a large enough league that the mini-mites could borrow skates and some other equiment and there is always play it again sports or some other 2nd had equipment store. I would not buy all new equipment unless you had to- they grow very quickly at that age and if they are interested and want to continue, wait till they move up a level to mites to buy skate- the will need GOOD skates.
we are in Texas now- hard to find hockey south of dallas- she is playing travel squirt this year- she LOVES it. she knows a lot of the USA womens olpmpic hockey team!
she might have a chance to go to colorado springs next summer and go to hockey camp (big deal- have to be invited to attend)

her dream right now is to play on the olympic hockey team!

 

[pjm-guy]

Trust me, you'll eventually get past the constant worry of him getting hurt. I used to get worried-even though they have on a ton of padding. Then, I went from being worried he'd get hurt to just thinking when he got hit and/or knocked down "please don't cry, please don't cry." Now, I'm in the stands yelling at him to get up if he gets hit and yelling for him to put a body on someone to knock them off the puck. It gets easier to watch as they get older.

I get a lot of parents yelling at me to call penalties because their child was hit. Most of the time it is clean, but they think that they saw the play better when they are 100' from the play that was directly in front of me. How I love this game!

And for the record at age 42, I still have all of my own original teeth......

 

[design_mom]

Another mom of an almost-10-year-old Squirt! I wasn't really super excited about DS joining hockey either (DH's idea), but it's been a really good experience so far. It's been a great experience for DS both on and off the ice.

I've really learned to enjoy the game as well (and had the opportunity to impress the dads in DS's Cub Scout pack when we went to a hockey game and I knew more about what was going on than they did. )

 

[Geoff_M]

Regarding encouraging your kid to be a goalie... The reason that leagues may cut the cost for goalies is they feel sorry for all the extra $$$ you have to spend on goalie gear! Also, don't let your kid play goalie unless you have nerves of steel... There's nothing like the feeling in your stomach when your team's defence coughs up a breakaway and your kid is the only thing in the way of the attacker scoring! Our 11 year-old is a goalie.

 

[RadioFanatic]

Thanks so much for all of the great advice. I actually forwarded this thread to my dh so he could hear it from those who have been there.

 

[akhenaten]

Regarding encouraging your kid to be a goalie... The reason that leagues may cut the cost for goalies is they feel sorry for all the extra $$$ you have to spend on goalie gear! Also, don't let your kid play goalie unless you have nerves of steel... There's nothing like the feeling in your stomach when your team's defence coughs up a breakaway and your kid is the only thing in the way of the attacker scoring! Our 11 year-old is a goalie.

Very true.... and if they don't split games... the times you drive miles and miles to watch your child watch the game ... LOL

And paying for private goalie coaching is not a option... it is a necessity....

And when the goalie goes down to cover a puck... there is not much protecting his neck from the skate blades .. inches away....

And no matter how many mistakes are made in front of the goalie... they are the ones who's "mistakes" are most obvious... LOL

Nerves of steel is right!!!!

You can't make a kid want to be a goalie... it has to be their passion...

 

[design_mom]

Also, don't let your kid play goalie unless you have nerves of steel... There's nothing like the feeling in your stomach when your team's defence coughs up a breakaway and your kid is the only thing in the way of the attacker scoring!

And no matter how many mistakes are made in front of the goalie... they are the ones who's "mistakes" are most obvious... LOL

Nerves of steel is right!!!!

This is so true!

When my DS was at the Mite level, they had goalie gear "for the team" and kids could volunteer to be goalie. My son loved to play goalie, because he got to play the whole time instead of 2 minute shifts. He volunteered for at least a period of nearly every game and often for the whole game.

But, he was one of the smaller kids on the team, so there was a *lot* of goal he couldn't block at any given time. He seemed to do okay, but it was very stressful (for me!) when he played goalie!

I have to admit that I was pretty glad when his Squirt coach encouraged him at forward (which he also loves) instead of goalie. Last year his team had a really good go-to goalie who played nearly every game, so the coach wasn't often looking for volunteers.

I don't think there's any price break in our league for goalies though.

 

[Aneille]

My suggestion for your DS is that he takes learn to skate without a stick and pads at first. Learning to skate is hard at 3. The pads are bulky and make it even harder. Put him in hockey knee pads and elbow pads, and a hockey helmet with cage. You could also let him wear the hockey pants but make sure they fit well. Otherwise they will hinder him.

I got 2 girls that play (first year squirt, second year mite)that play and 1 heading into his first year.

My 4 year old DS loves hockey. He had too with his 2 older sisters. He has been skating since he was 3 and can fly on the ice now at 4.5. He started hockey this summer and will play instructional for his town this year.

Hockey is my girls favorite sport. They have skated at the Boston Garden, at the Dunkin Donuts Center, they will travel out of state this year and also get to meet players from the surrounding colleges as well as had opportunities to meet Olympic players.

Hockey changed our lives. I didn't realise when I signed up my oldest that it would be such a commitment but its one I enjoy a lot. My kids have learned so much about responsibility, and hard work. Its a long season here (last week of August thru tryouts in March or April) and they give up a lot of time with their friends.

BUT they have made so many new friends which they see at every rink, whether they are playing or watching a sibling there is always someone they know. Hockey is a small world and everyone knows everyone. I wouldn't change it. And they take such pride in the fact that they are hockey players.

And the greatest thing I have seen is the confidence my oldest DD has got form playing. Each year she gets more and more confident as a hockey player, as an athlete and more importantly in life and the relationships with her friends.

Even my youngest when its his turn to go the ice, grabs his bag and his stick and his whole demeanour changes from a little boy into this little boy on a mission. One day he even said to me on the way in "I am a hockey player today" and he was so proud of that fact.

Good luck and enjoy it. The last 4 years for my oldest has gone so fast already.

 

[Aneille]

I forgot to mention the best part about young kids and hockey:


They are just so cute when they are all geared up and falling all over the place with a stick in their hand a grin on the face. And they fall over like dominoes. One goes down...they all go done. Its priceless really!!

Oh and another tip....don't get discouraged if your DS doesn't like skating at first. A lot of kids don't. My son who loves skating now at 4 didn't like it too much at 3. He thought he could just go and skate but he couldn't. What a let down huh?? So he pouted and came off the ice a lot, pouted some more but we stuck through it. Took a break for 3 months, went back and he loved it. Sometimes they just need some time. It really is a hard skill to learn at that age. If you think about, at 3 years old they just learned to walk about 2 years ago!

The fall down a lot and its tiring and discouraging. They may be tears, just tell him to keep trying to do his best and try again. Its a great attitude to learn at a young age isn't it?

He'll learn to skate when he's ready to.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

I am in North Jersey with a 16 year old .... we have probably been together at the same rink at some point and time!!!
and we probably have had a game ref'ed by PJM-guy!!

Holy Canoli! Probably!

I agree with the PP who said being a goalie has to be their passion. I could never handle being a goalie mom. I don't know how they do it. The player needs nerves of steel & extremely high self esteem just as much as skill & talent.

 

[Aneille]

Holy Canoli! Probably!

I agree with the PP who said being a goalie has to be their passion. I could never handle being a goalie mom. I don't know how they do it. The player needs nerves of steel & extremely high self esteem just as much as skill & talent.

My youngest who is 4 wants to be a goalie since he realized they were on the ice. I told him that I wouldn't let him until he was 7 at least. I really hope he outgrows this fascination because I don't want to be the goalies Mom.

 

[akhenaten]

My youngest who is 4 wants to be a goalie since he realized they were on the ice. I told him that I wouldn't let him until he was 7 at least. I really hope he outgrows this fascination because I don't want to be the goalies Mom.

You get used to it!! Now people ask me how I stay so quiet and calm... LOL

Though there are still some crucial games that get to me...

 

[2bearsmom]

Well this is very informative! My almost 9yr old started taking skating lessons in Feb, and is in his 2nd hockey class now. Hockey is his life and he can't wait to get on a team. My dh grew up playing deck hockey every single day after school. My 5yr old (who just went skating one time back in Feb and said he never wanted to get on skates again) wants to join the little penguins team if they are offering it again this year. He now wants to play hockey like his big brother and those little ones are so adorable in their full uniforms! My oldest is on the shy side but I learned while watching him in his classes he is super competitive....and he has no issues at all walking up to a deck hockey rink and joining right in with whoever is shooting the puck around, no matter the ages.

It will be a huge commitment for us I've heard, and I'm the one who takes him on Saturday's to classes as my dh works, but he just really loves it. He also loves being goalie, we got him a set of pads and a goalie stick and he is usually goalie when he and his dad or brother play with him....after seeing a 12yr old lugging his huge duffle bag around with all his goalie equipment while I was getting my ds ready for his class, I told him you can play goalie when YOU can carry that bag yourself!

 

[BrerMom]

DS11 is a goalie. (Yes, the kid has nerves of steel.) It's great for him, but it's become great for me, too. When my sister kept DS for the weekend, I handed her our player roster with parent names and contact numbers. If she couldn't keep DS for some reason, any one of our hockey families would have driven the hour to pick him up and would have kept him until we got back. When I think of my best friends, they are the ones that I spend every weekend with.

As his request, he only had hockey camp for one week this last summer. There's a fine line between worrying about skill regression and worrying about burn-out. We've always let him lead, and that seems to work pretty well. If he wants to do a different sport, or even nothing at all, in the "off season" - meaning summer - we say ok.

 

[sturdypeasantstock]

DS11 is a goalie. (Yes, the kid has nerves of steel.) It's great for him, but it's become great for me, too. When my sister kept DS for the weekend, I handed her our player roster with parent names and contact numbers. If she couldn't keep DS for some reason, any one of our hockey families would have driven the hour to pick him up and would have kept him until we got back. When I think of my best friends, they are the ones that I spend every weekend with.

As his request, he only had hockey camp for one week this last summer. There's a fine line between worrying about skill regression and worrying about burn-out. We've always let him lead, and that seems to work pretty well. If he wants to do a different sport, or even nothing at all, in the "off season" - meaning summer - we say ok.

My DS13s "hockey family" has been great. Hope your kiddo loves it as much as mine has. He started skating with a buddy when he was 4 1/2 and has been playing travel since first grade. It's an expensive sport, unfortunately, but it has been a wonderful experience for him. He has made friends with a common interest and keeps him in good shape physically. One of his coach's goals is to get the boys to be "gentlemen" off-ice as well.

 

[kacaju]

Be really careful about letting it be your husband's responsibility. I think you are risking missing out on a lifelong common bond.

Whenever my children had a passion, I made it my passion as well. It makes you closer as a family and my grown children and I have always been extremely close because of it. Kids can easily tell when you aren't interested.

Hockey or any sport does not begin and end with the game. It becomes part of a lifestyle. Expect hockey to become part of your lifestyle. If you make your son think that you don't want any of the responsibility, he may soon feel that you aren't interested in a major part of his life. He'll want to discuss things before and after the game, things the other kids did and said and you are missing out on a wonderful learning and teaching and growing opportunity if you just leave this up to his Dad.

Any sport involves many, many life lessons and you will very possibly be missing out on a lot of those lessons if you opt out.

this... our kids don't play hockey, but while dh normally takes dd10 to softball and I normally take dd14 to her dog shows either of us will switch out when needed. DH even took dd to a show that required them to sleep over in a hotel. I cannot imagine telling dd10 I will not drive her to practice because that is Dad's responsibility

 

[RadioFanatic]

this... our kids don't play hockey, but while dh normally takes dd10 to softball and I normally take dd14 to her dog shows either of us will switch out when needed. DH even took dd to a show that required them to sleep over in a hotel. I cannot imagine telling dd10 I will not drive her to practice because that is Dad's responsibility

Pls know I would never have DS miss a practice bc it's Dad's responsibility. If Dad wasn't available, of course I would do it. I was just saying that it's Dad's primary responsibility - I will ALWAYS be backup. Wow, I hope you don't think I'm that bad of a mom!