Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
A relatable and honest podcast about the highs and lows of being a youth hockey parent. Join us as we share real stories, struggles, and wins from the rink, offering insights and support for parents navigating the world of youth hockey.
And we're back for another episode.
Scott:Let's go.
Jamie:I gotta tell you, our our downloads have been exploding to say the least.
Scott:We're getting some traction. Which is wonderful. Yeah, great stuff.
Jamie:Yeah, it's awesome.
Scott:Let's see
Jamie:if we can keep this train rolling.
Scott:Let's go. Who do we got? Who's on the list?
Jamie:So you wanna talk a little tryouts?
Scott:Oh yeah, sure. Let's dive right into it.
Jamie:Oh, you wanna go through the list? Oh, we can. We % can. Absolutely. You know, let's do that actually.
Jamie:That's good idea, Scott. So we just wanted to shout out everybody that's actually been downloading our shows, which is awesome. And we really appreciate it because we, you know, listen, we do this to try to educate out there, and give a little perspective on the space. And I'm hoping that most of you obviously are liking the content because mean, all of a sudden we went from like four states to 10 states to 15 states now to 20 states. Sick.
Jamie:So, and, and three Canadian provinces. Dude, that's awesome. Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, twenty states. We just added Kansas, Alabama, Connecticut, and Michigan. That's awesome.
Jamie:It's wild.
Scott:It's wild. So yeah. So listen, we hope that you
Jamie:guys are enjoying this. We're going keep doing it because we actually have a lot of fun doing it. So, yeah.
Scott:Yeah, no big thanks to everyone.
Jamie:A %. Thank you so much. Really appreciate it. I hope you guys enjoy it. And listen, you know, you know, we're kind of working on our website a little bit, right, Scott?
Jamie:And we are going to have comment sections, or kind of contact us stuff on the website, right? That's coming shortly.
Scott:Yeah, we're working on that. The social media stuff, more ways to engage with the community, people to get in touch with us. Yep. It's in the works.
Jamie:Yes, is. And we want to hear feedback from you guys. We want to hear what you guys like, what you don't like, you know, so we can kind of tailor this and kind of like narrow it down to what you guys really, really enjoy. And that's what we'll provide.
Scott:Let's do it. Yeah. All right. Here we go. All right.
Scott:So in the meantime, let's, I think tryouts are officially over, not necessarily for every single person, but for us, at least they're over.
Jamie:Yes. Yes they are. Which is good. And I got to tell you, thank goodness.
Scott:Yeah. Why? But you couldn't have been that stressed.
Jamie:I wasn't. No, I wasn't. Listen, there have been past years, which I have been
Scott:no doubt, but this was not one of
Jamie:them. This was not in last year. Wasn't either, which is great. It's if you are one of those parents where you're not worried, it's fantastic, you know? Cause, but you could see a lot of anxious parents and they listen, they all come up and talk to you and you know this.
Scott:No doubt. Yeah. You know what else is interesting and is also not just the parents that are stressed about like their kid making it or not making it, It's also how's the team dynamic changing next season that causes anxiety. You lose families that were maybe super awesome. Yeah, unfortunately.
Scott:You might be adding some that have less than stellar reputations perhaps.
Jamie:Hopefully not.
Scott:Hopefully not. But that's the thing. And that's people It is
Jamie:the thing.
Scott:Regardless if their kid's safe, you spend so much time with the team.
Jamie:So much time.
Scott:At the rink, hotels if you're doing tournaments, depending on your level of hockey. But yeah, man, it's a massive commitment and you want not only the coach to select the best players available.
Jamie:Yeah, but good parents.
Scott:But good families too.
Jamie:Yeah, no, you're right. Because like you said, you spend a ton of time with these people. I mean, we were saying before, you see these people sometimes more than some of your own family members.
Scott:Well, certainly more than some friends, that's for That
Jamie:too. I mean, it's a shame too because you and I were chatting before, you know, last night was our tryouts and we didn't see a bunch of parents there.
Scott:Yeah, you were mentioning.
Jamie:Yeah, that, listen, it happens every year and it's a shame, but because the turnover in our game is, you know, it's real, you know? And you've developed relationships with these people and then all of a sudden they're gone, you know, and that's hard. I got to tell you it's, it's, listen, it's hard for the, it's hard for the people that are staying on the team, losing those people. Yes. You know, and it's hard for the people that are not going to be on the team, you know, and have to go obviously find another spot, you know?
Jamie:So listen, it's hard for both parties, especially if you develop a nice relationship with a family or a dad or a mom or whatever it is, you know? And the kids too, you know? That's really, that's really tough.
Scott:Especially if they've, if they've been together for a long time, like the Us on Otto's team from last year, there was a core group that had probably been together for at least five years.
Jamie:Like all through mites?
Scott:Yeah. And if not, learn to play maybe potentially. But one of them moved on to another club. That was a big deal. So for families that have been in it together for a long time, it goes both ways.
Scott:I have to say though, for me, have had there's plenty of parents that got along with great, you know, were missing at the rink. I think this past season I was a little, I don't know, protective of my situation. Just not wanting to Honestly, I You didn't put yourself out there. Didn't put myself out there as I might have in the past.
Jamie:Yeah. No, you definitely didn't.
Scott:But that was by choice. And it's no reflection of the people that, like the parents, that's just like a me thing. And me thinking about past situations and it's a strategy, that's for sure, not to look too close to anyone, I'll tell you that much.
Jamie:We should unpack that one of these days.
Scott:One day.
Jamie:Day. Mean, did it work for you? Mean, because maybe it'll work for some of the other parents that we're talking to.
Scott:Overall, look, it's not like I was this introvert that didn't talk to anyone the whole No,
Jamie:I know you weren't that.
Scott:But I also didn't go to any lengths to really
Jamie:To open up.
Scott:But part of the built in governor to this past season was that the team was a healthy commute for us. We were about an hour plus, hour fifteen in traffic, if not more to get to the rink. And most of the families aren't close. So unlike when you're playing more locally and the kids are more likely to have play dates
Jamie:and then you have And you see the parents
Scott:socially. So that happened more in the past, but this past season there's one family that we saw more often only because I think Otto was friendly with their kid more so. Them, yes. But again, that was also something that was a built in governor this past season because we didn't see them much outside of the rink.
Jamie:Yeah. No, tough. You know? It's you know, there's a real a parent I like a lot. Like, this guy that I I I stood with him all the time.
Jamie:You know? I liked and it's a shame that he he's, you know, he was not at tryouts last night. That was a bummer.
Scott:And you knew, like that hit you, did you have any indication before, like that was like, you got stressed, you're like, yo, where is so and so?
Jamie:So it, you know, I was standing with a bunch of parents in the bleachers and the hockey moms, the moms in front of us actually of our team started talking about it. They're like, oh, we're so and so we're such and such, you know, and this one family was really, really good. The mom and the dad really, the kid too, but really, really good people. And they were nowhere to be found. So it kind of became realization quickly to everybody that, oh, you know, they're
Scott:There's a change. Right. Yeah.
Jamie:Right. And then we all registered last night and I guess when you register for us, I don't know how it is with other teams, but you kind of register with us and you pay. You pop up on a roster and you could see the names start populating on the roster as you pay.
Scott:What? Yeah. Really?
Jamie:Yeah.
Scott:I never heard of that before.
Jamie:I haven't either, but that's what happened. Wait. Yeah. When we paid,
Scott:there
Jamie:was like, it directed you to an app that we had to download.
Scott:I wonder
Jamie:if it's called like leagues, league something.
Scott:League apps? League apps is like a platform that
Jamie:sells all So I've never used that before, League apps. I don't know how many parents out there are using League apps but our organization is using it now.
Scott:My cousin worked for League apps for years, like when they first started.
Jamie:I'd never even heard of it. Yeah. So apparently when you pay, it kind of prompts you. Of course you got to pay first. It kind of prompts you to, you know, to kinda like set you, you know, over to league apps and then, and then it kinda or you have to sign it before, something like that.
Jamie:But then once you pay, you can hit like roster and then
Scott:But that just shows you everyone that's signed up for tryouts.
Jamie:No. It shows you your team.
Scott:But how do you know who's on the team when when you oh, you're saying after tryouts?
Jamie:After you get after you get offered a spot and they send you your contract and you pay.
Scott:Sorry. I was confused.
Jamie:I'm not paying for tryouts, paying for the tuition.
Scott:Oh yes. Yeah. Well, that makes sense. Okay.
Jamie:So everything populates.
Scott:You start learning the roster.
Jamie:That's when you start seeing who's there and who's not there.
Scott:Oh, gotcha. You're like, oh
Jamie:shit, that parent's gone and that parent's gone. You know, I don't really know the new parents that are coming, but there's a couple parents that are not there anymore. That's kind of a bummer. And it happens every year. It sucks.
Jamie:Really Do
Scott:you know if any of the parents, the new families on the team were in the building already or they're coming from other clubs?
Jamie:None of them were in the building. They're all coming from outside.
Scott:Got it. Do you know if any because this happens often that you'll get like a twofer. You know, if there's like, you'll get more than one kid leaving a team and coming in like
Jamie:band or So that, I think that did happen.
Scott:That did happen.
Jamie:We got multiple kids from a cup from the same building.
Scott:Yep. Yeah.
Jamie:Yeah. Which listen, I'm I'm listen, I don't know them yet. I'm sure they're, I'm sure they're fine. I'm sure they're nice people. But it's, again, it sucks losing somebody you spent August through April with, or August through, you know, all of March with, you know, it's hard losing those people.
Jamie:Again, you develop tight relationships. I mean, you're, you're, you're with them on weekends and in hotels and you're going places with your kids with them. You're taking them like bowling in between games or to Niagara Falls when you're in Buffalo or like, you're doing stuff.
Scott:You do things with them
Jamie:that You develop relationships. No doubt. Like you said, more than some friends of yours because we travel so much for this ridiculous game that you become connected to these people. And so it's tough.
Scott:Years from now, Orly on her phone will get like, remember this day ten years ago, It'll be like the one time they went to Niagara Falls with a family from their team who they maybe not gonna Otto's not on that same team anymore. So they're not teammates. Are we gonna keep in touch with them? Probably not. Maybe I wouldn't mind it, but it's just life on life's terms.
Jamie:Yes. Once people start going their separate ways, it's hard to Listen, when we left our last team, there's still a parent that I'm still trying to kind of get, you know, to see on a regular basis.
Scott:And it's hard.
Jamie:Life gets in the way.
Scott:It's hard.
Jamie:Right? No, no. So they're on a different team. We're on a different team. Life is, you know, life gets in the way.
Jamie:We all have more than one child, you know, and it's difficult. He's, he became, I became very close with him.
Scott:Okay. Well, that's a loss.
Jamie:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But I go into the city and I see him trying to go into the city and see him for dinner. Right.
Jamie:You know, But, but listen, it's hard when you develop relationships with these people and then they're gone all of a sudden, or you're gone.
Scott:True. But then who knows when you'll cross paths with them again, you know?
Jamie:Which I have to tell you in this game, think is a very real thing. You know, it's not really goodbye. It's just goodbye for now type stuff.
Scott:For sure that exists. Right.
Jamie:And it's funny that maybe that kind of leads into our next topic. Spring hockey is here.
Scott:Yeah. Post tryouts enter
Jamie:in spring hockey. This is a nice transition into spring hockey actually. Because we're talking about like, you know, it's not goodbye. It's goodbye for now. Spring hockey is like a conglomerate of all these different children, which
Scott:I I think is great.
Jamie:Bring all stuff.
Scott:Getting an opportunity to be on a team that's made up of kids from, you know, other places, different personalities. It's gonna be short lived. You know, your kid has an opportunity to hear from different coaches, see different kids play. Love it. I do think though, and what's interesting for me this year, Otto, we didn't go to Brick, we didn't go to those triads, any of that stuff, but there were plenty of people that were, and it was just such the talk amongst the birth year last year.
Scott:Brick, brick, brick, you know, who's doing brick.
Jamie:Yeah, because you guys are that age.
Scott:Right, and now that's past, it feels calmer, but you still know that there are families that are trying to do a little bit of everything. It's hard. I talked to some parents and I just So they'll start by telling me what their kids do in hockey wise. And it's like, okay, we're doing this program for our weekend clinics and then he's also on this team. And then we try to do this one.
Scott:We just drop in whenever we can. We signed up for the whole thing, but we only go when there's nothing
Jamie:else going When there's no conflict.
Scott:Right. And then the parent will go. So that's hockey. He's also signed up for lacrosse.
Jamie:And And baseball. And he's playing wreck baseball.
Scott:I don't know. I'm, like, thinking to myself, I'm like, you know? My meanwhile
Jamie:It's true.
Scott:Meanwhile and so here I am, in in all honesty. Yeah. Yeah. I thought it was important that he keeps on skating and he's enrolled and he's doing a weekend clinic and I just took him to a dry land thing last night and we might do a little more of this but he's not doing anything else. Oh no, that's not true.
Scott:I take that back.
Jamie:What else is he doing?
Scott:Well, he's enrolled in a basketball clinic and he's regularly going mountain biking and he's psyched, the weather's getting warmer. He loves to be on his bike and go outside.
Jamie:So that brings us to a question,
Scott:a question, which is interesting. I honestly haven't given it too much thought until now, but what does it mean to play another sport?
Jamie:Yeah. So every coach, not every, but a lot of coaches will tell you, you know, that it's good for your kid to hang up his skates and go do something else. Right? You hear that a lot in this game. Right?
Scott:Well, I don't know about the hangout. Well, maybe they say hang up his
Jamie:heard a lot of guys say, put your bag away for the summer. Yeah. Stick it in the closet. Don't look at it. That's what I've heard.
Jamie:I've never done that. Nah. That's not true. Last summer, I actually stuck. I actually Dominic was not on skates for, like, like eight weeks since probably seven or eight weeks.
Jamie:That's that's considerable. It was, it was the longest time. It was the longest we'd ever done that. Now, listen, coming from our old
Scott:team, that was intentional or circumstantial?
Jamie:No, that was intentional. I did that intentionally because
Scott:So you told him, dude.
Jamie:He had such a rough year last year. Not this past season, the one before when we left our Rockets team. He had such a bad year that I literally just wanted him to not look at his stuff.
Scott:What did he want to do? Just curious. I mean, was he like, with that? Like, was it, was he kind of signaling that to you? And then you were like, I'm going to move forward with that or did you catch him off guard?
Jamie:Listen, he always wants to skate. He always wants to do something, which is great. It's wonderful. But as a parent,
Scott:and when you say something, he always wants to do something hockey wise.
Jamie:Yeah. He like, he really enjoys ice hockey. Right. So, you know, so, but as a parent, we need to steer our kid in another direction to kind of do what we think is best for them. Cause they're 12, 11, you know, you know, they don't always know what's best for them.
Jamie:I'm not saying that,
Scott:They should have some agency in the decision.
Jamie:Yes. Absolutely. And listen, we did, no, we didn't do anything. I was just saying, maybe we did a little, we didn't do anything last year. Like last summer, we just hung it up.
Jamie:Listen, he had such a rough go that we needed like a total reset, you know, stick the bag in the closet. We also went away a bunch, you know, so it was kind of easy to do. You know, so we totally put the stuff away. Not saying it's right. Nothing is wrong, but that's what we did.
Scott:Right.
Jamie:He did other things. He kind of did Brazilian jiu jitsu. He does a lot of that, you know, in the off season and tries to do it during the season when he's, you know, kind of, kind of, you know, playing, but it's not easy. You know, so, you know, I think as long as your kid is active, right? I mean, you know, my kid doesn't like baseball.
Jamie:My kid tried lacrosse. Wasn't for him, which surprises me, he doesn't, you know, but, but he does Brazilian jiu jitsu. He does like a lot of like, like D one stuff, you know, so he goes for agility
Scott:and speed. One is like a
Jamie:agility and speed.
Scott:Like a kid's agility and speed.
Jamie:D one is a franchise gym.
Scott:Just for people that don't know.
Jamie:Yeah. Yeah. No, you're right. It's a franchise gym. I think that Manning brothers are associated with it in
Scott:some way, shape, form. Know, Tim Tebow is Oh,
Jamie:is he too?
Scott:Tim Tebow for sure.
Jamie:I love Tim Tebow, by
Scott:the way. Do you? Dude's awesome. Really?
Jamie:You're telling that if you had a daughter, you would be upset if she brought him home?
Scott:I don't know enough about Tim Tebow, But
Jamie:I mean, like, you had a daughter and and she you do have a daughter. So let's just say that your daughter brought Tim Tebow home. I know. You be disappointed? I mean, a dude's got morals, like, for days.
Scott:Hold on. Well, I just listen. That is good. Then it sounds like maybe that's that's
Jamie:a Maybe you don't like somebody that's like super religious like Tim Tebow, but the guy sure seems like he doesn't do a lot of wrong.
Scott:Well, then it sounds like he's a good guy. I bet yeah.
Jamie:Still know I think Tim Tebow's a pretty good role model.
Scott:Okay.
Jamie:Good. In my opinion.
Scott:So that's good for D1 also.
Jamie:I'm sure it is. So Dominic a bunch of D one stuff. So he stays extremely active.
Scott:Okay. So here's the question. In your opinion
Jamie:But he'll shoot and stick handle, you know, in the driveway and stuff like that.
Scott:Yeah. No. Totally get it.
Jamie:But off skates. Right.
Scott:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So in your opinion, playing does, does playing other sports always mean a full blown competitive league?
Jamie:I don't think so.
Scott:It doesn't.
Jamie:I don't think so.
Scott:I don't think so either.
Jamie:So I think that you can listen, there's something to be said for our new, so when we were kids, excuse me, when we were kids, it was different. We played outside all the time Yeah. With the kids on the block. You were always playing Manhunt, kill the man with the ball. You were playing That's
Scott:a crazy name of a game, by the way.
Jamie:Oh, such a good game. We used to play on you remember on Brian's front lawn? We used all throw on like- Kill the carrier. Oh, so good. So good.
Jamie:I mean, basically it was just a tackle fest.
Scott:It was
Jamie:so good. We used to play on his front lawn. And you just literally just crush each other for like hours. And it was great. We'd all, we'd all bring over like a Walter Payton Jersey or like, a Barry Sanders Jersey or like, I
Scott:don't know, Phil
Jamie:Sims Jersey or exactly like, know, you know, so, so, so I think that our society has changed where, listen, I'm sure there's some pockets in the country where kids still play outside and play on the block. Like my kids do on this corner here.
Scott:No, but the kids do. It's just probably, it's probably less.
Jamie:But it's different. Right?
Scott:It's different.
Jamie:I mean, we were running around constantly playing basketball, playing, Wiffle ball, playing football, playing. I mean, we were just doing, we're riding bikes.
Scott:It was much more recreational than it was like these hyper scheduled
Jamie:kids with very structured, like
Scott:no structure, all the lessons, all the things.
Jamie:Definitely no structure. And you know, it's funny. There's, there was a study done, in soccer. Yeah. And the study was done, they were studying, I don't know the exact particulars, so I'm gonna give you like the generalities.
Jamie:There was a study done where they took soccer players that came from like an academy style.
Scott:Okay.
Jamie:Okay. Where, from a young age, they were in an academy, very structured academy from a very young age, all the way up. Okay. And then they took kids that just grew up, you know, in like, the favelas in like Brazil. Right.
Jamie:And kids that just were outside playing on a sand lot or playing on concrete or playing wherever they could find space. Right. And what they, what they found was is that the level of creativity of the kids that grew up playing wherever they could find space, a ball, concrete on a park, on the street, whatever it was on the sidewalk, they found that the kids that came, that didn't come from the structured pipeline were more creative and therefore better players overall because they didn't have such a structured upbringing,
Scott:like such a rigid, correct, like defined way to approach.
Jamie:They found that when they were, when they turned pros or when they were kind of coming up, the kids that, that had, that didn't have so much structure were better players. I'm going find the study because it was an awesome study.
Scott:That sounds right. And I've heard similar things from various pod like, I don't remember exactly, but that makes a lot of sense.
Jamie:Yeah. The structure is, I don't say it's a problem these days, but our kids are super structured.
Scott:Well, yes.
Jamie:Maybe the rest of you aren't around The U S and Canada. And I hope you're not because it's good for your kid. If it's not structured, some structure is good, but sometimes kids just need to be kids.
Scott:But when say structure, you're speaking more specifically about like an intentional training and that's like programmed
Jamie:and it's, which is needed. Don't get me wrong. But sometimes I also think that kids need to just go out and hang out on the block and just do stuff and figure stuff out.
Scott:Right.
Jamie:It's good for the brain.
Scott:Not with the coach, just with the friends, just palling around doing stupid shit.
Jamie:It's also good for socialization. Right. I mean, like, you know, cause I think COVID kind of, I don't wanna say it crushed a lot of, a lot of kids, you know, but, know, I think things have changed. And when we were younger, we used to play until it got dark. And then your, and then your mom would, would come out, would open the front door and scream for you to come to dinner.
Jamie:And then you'd like, oh my God, can I come out after dinner? Right. Like, Hey, Johnny, I'm coming out after dinner. I'll be here in like, you know, forty five minutes. And you go and you suck down your pasta, whatever you had, and you'd run back outside.
Scott:Right.
Jamie:But it was awesome. Yes. You know, so that was a very unstructured thing that we had that I, I think is, I wanna say it's lost these days, but it's different.
Scott:Well, say when we've talked about this before, just that early on professionalization, early on specialization of sport and just thinking about the idea of playing a second sport or playing other sports, does it need to be a full blown league? You answered no, I agree. And what I think regarding the idea of playing another sport is really about building a more complete athlete, learning how to move their body in different ways.
Jamie:Yeah, different muscles.
Scott:It churns to different muscles, which reduces repetitive use injuries, which you see more often. Think Dominic might've even suffered from one, if I'm not mistaken.
Jamie:Which one of his groin?
Scott:Yeah, didn't
Jamie:the So that was different.
Scott:Wasn't It wasn't?
Jamie:No, we thought it was, but it was, they call it like a water hernia. What's that? I'm going to get graphic folks.
Scott:You are?
Jamie:I mean, not too graphic, but we were, we were down in Nashville playing and Dominic Dominic's he, we were, we were walking to like Starbucks in the morning in Downtown Nashville. And he's like, dad, he's like, he's like, he's he's like, my groin hurts me right here. My, you know, my upper leg. And I was like, really? Okay.
Jamie:I'm like, we had a game, we had two games. And I was like, oh, I'm like, let's see.
Scott:And this wasn't like the discomfort wasn't immediately after a game. Like it kinda, came
Jamie:No, it was in the morning. Was in the morning walking down the street to go get something to eat at a Starbucks before we had to go drive, you know, outside of Downtown Nashville for a game. We're playing for like the Boston Junior Bruins in Nashville. And, and he's like, he's like, my groin is bothering me. So I said, okay.
Jamie:I said, listen, I should tell the coach. I said, you know, tell him, you know, do whatever you can do. I'm like, listen, if it bothers you to tell him coach, can't go or, or try to go on. I said, see what you can do. I said, so, so he did and he, you know, he had, he had a tough go.
Jamie:You know, stride was funky. You know, so when we got back to the hotel, he came out of the shower and, and I'm, I'm telling Nancy, I'm on the phone with you and I'm going, I'm pretty sure he's got a hernia. She's like, no, he hasn't got a hernia. I'm like, I don't know, Nancy. I'm like, I'm pretty sure he does.
Jamie:So he comes out of the shower and he's drying off and I'm like, I'm like, bud, I'm gonna come over here. I'm like, let me look. And you see in his groin area, had, it was a bump.
Scott:Swelling.
Jamie:Yeah, it was definitely, it was definitely raised. And then so we, we were flying home the next morning anyway. So that's a whole nother story. Oh my God. We got bumped off our flight.
Jamie:That's a whole nother story. That was a nightmare. Yeah, I told her I was, that is a whole another story. But anyway, so we actually wound up staying another day in Nashville cause we got bumped off our flight. So we actually got home like Tuesday morning.
Jamie:Right. So we get home Tuesday morning, I had him at his pediatrician like two hours after we got home and he had him put his thumb in his mouth, like he was sucking it and blow, like you're blowing up a
Scott:Oh, which is a create pressure, internal pressure. And all of a sudden it goes, No way.
Jamie:It was wild. Could not believe that area that was swollen went, I was like, Oh my God. And Doc goes, Yep, got a hernia.
Scott:I never knew that was like a, the test.
Jamie:I did not either, but apparently you literally just put your thumb, like right to your lips and you blow like you're blowing up a balloon and it goes, Oh yeah, was
Scott:That's wild. I didn't know that.
Jamie:Wow. So then he sent me to a pediatric, surgeon, like, you know, so, yeah, so then we had his, so what it was, it was not an overuse injury. I thought it was, it was not, in young boys and men, when the testicles drop from in, in boys, the tubes that they drop from. Okay. From the abdomen down into the groin, they're supposed to close themselves naturally.
Jamie:Okay. His left one did not close itself, which is pretty normal from what I understand.
Scott:Okay.
Jamie:So was called like a hydro hernia or something along those lines, but basically what it is is the tube does not shut itself. The body has not shut the tube by itself.
Scott:Okay.
Jamie:Fluid like water drips, fluid drips into the groin area and creates a bulge. Right. It lifts the skin. So what the doctor did is he had to cut Dominic open and he had to, obviously drain the fluid, which it was not that much fluid, but it was a little bit of fluid and they had to stitch the tube shut. Interesting.
Jamie:Yeah. So it was not an overuse injury. Thank goodness. I thought it was. Yeah.
Jamie:I like, oh my God, I'm overdoing it. Oh yeah. No, I was worried, But luckily, knock on wood, it was not an overuse entry.
Scott:Got it. So, all right. So then just kind of bringing that a little bit full circle to just regarding the playing the other sports and I guess for the purposes of this conversation, so it doesn't need to be a full blown, like, league. It could be individual disciplines. Right?
Scott:Like, it could be playing, like, tennis Yeah. Cross country.
Jamie:It could be anything.
Scott:It could be anything.
Jamie:It could be anything.
Scott:It could be and then but it could also it doesn't need to be organized, right? It could just be like the recreational pickup, like regular weekend game, playing with your friends, football, No question about
Jamie:because you're using other muscles, you're out there, you're being creative, you're doing, you're socializing, you're being active. It doesn't need to be a league.
Scott:Right. So basically the goal would be to develop a more complete athlete to avoid overuse or physical, mental burnout also. And then kids discovering, I guess being on a team or participating in different social settings. Those are some of the check marks that would go into playing another sport. And so for me, Otto regularly mountain bikes.
Scott:He's actually going to be going to mountain biking camp and doing
Jamie:this one So he's
Scott:active? He's active. Actually, I'm a little bit scared.
Jamie:Listen, maybe it's going be really good for his cardio.
Scott:No, I know, but we're sending him to the summer camp. I know I digress a little bit where there's downhill mountain biking.
Jamie:That's cool.
Scott:Yeah. Dude, totally cool.
Jamie:It's awesome.
Scott:Yes, but they're gonna I never got sent to a
Jamie:camp without a kid. Finish what I'm saying.
Scott:The kid's gonna be going off dirt jumps.
Jamie:Oh, think it's great.
Scott:Yeah, so do I, but I'm afraid he's gonna come on with a broken collarbone.
Jamie:It's part of being a kid.
Scott:It is part of being a kid, but Hopefully it doesn't happen. But we are we are so and we're supporting him in his he's also going to this camp called Woodward out in PA, which is like a pretty well known camp for for X Games type
Jamie:I was just gonna say, maybe he'll be an X Games athlete one day, you never know.
Scott:Maybe, but it's a little terrifying. Anyway, listen, you don't want your kids to get hurt. We're clearly putting them in environments that the risk of injury is higher, but again, don't mean to Other sports, check. Springtime hockey, which we started talking about before and springtime sports. You were mentioning how you had hung up the skates with Dom, which I guess was last summer.
Jamie:I
Scott:did. But now that we're post tryouts, we're in the throes of spring. Yes. I've got my guys signed up on the weekends and maybe he'll do one or two things during the week. Right.
Scott:That is certainly not a total break from hockey. Basketball and then mountain biking. But then I talk to people and I'm thinking about next season and I'm like, well, are some areas where I want to see, I want we. I talked to him about it. One, one to improve.
Scott:And now it's like, okay, now's the time to turn on the jets. And it's like, what? But they gotta be off at some point too.
Jamie:So listen, the off season I think is where you're supposed to try to get better. Right. I mean, so if you take spring, you're so generally we all finish. It feels like it's later every year, but we finished early April, right? It's basically when we finished early to mid April now.
Jamie:So, but I think if you take, you know, April, May, June, you know, and I think if you do, I think if you train, you know, if your kid wants to get better at skating or if kids aren't bearded, at me, and you want to go to send them to like classes and stuff like that. I think that's fine. I do, you know, but I think they should definitely play other sports and do other things. And I think that listen, part of the problem with youth hockey is in the springtime. Right.
Jamie:And you and I've talked about this before in the springtime there's 5,000 spring teams. Right? Yeah. I mean, you get emails from everywhere.
Scott:Everyone's trying to make some cash in the spring.
Jamie:Oh my God. The money grab for spring hockey is very real people.
Scott:Very real.
Jamie:99% of it is That's a high percentage.
Scott:Come on.
Jamie:You're right. A %
Scott:of it is all crap. Get out of here.
Jamie:Listen, no, all right. So listen, I'm exaggerating, but there's a lot
Scott:of places you can spend your money.
Jamie:Yes. I don't think
Scott:some are worth it. Some are not
Jamie:correct. I don't think your kid needs to be on 72 spring teams. Okay.
Scott:Okay. 72 is clearly an exaggeration. What's too many give me like, is, is one too many? Two? Three?
Jamie:I don't think one is too many. Four? No, I think what you do, and this is just my opinion, right? I think you do one, pick one really competitive spring team. Right.
Jamie:Listen, if you want to do a three on three and like, like, like for fun,
Scott:that's different.
Jamie:I'm saying the three on three is great. Cause it's all creative stuff and you're out there just kind of doing right. So if you want to do a three on threes, that's different. That's just pure fun. But if you want to do it because the spring is for really competitive right?
Jamie:Basically all these teams are putting together all star teams and you're going to go to a tournament and you're going to travel to, you know, a New England sports center up in Boston, or you're going to go wherever you're going to go, right? Are you going go to lobster fast up in like New England area? And you're going play in all those ranks, you know, in like a mass and Rhode Island and right in New Hampshire, you know, but, but I think that, I think that, so the competition is good in the spring. Right. And you're going to play against kids.
Jamie:Probably don't normally play against, in, in your league. So I think that part is good, but I don't think you need to do six spring teams. Don't think you need to do two. I don't think you need three spring teams. You probably need to pick one really good spring team.
Jamie:Do that. That'll cost you a decent amount of money in travel and tuition for the Jersey and the socks and all the other crap. You're not gonna get a lot of practices, if any. Right. How many, how many practices you get with the end of these traveling spring teams?
Jamie:Normally very few.
Scott:If any.
Jamie:Right. You know? So in my opinion, you take one really good spring team. Right? And then take all the rest of the money that you would be spending on all these other teams and go do skills with it.
Jamie:Let Go
Scott:Yeah.
Jamie:Power skate, go stick handle, go to a shooting, you know, go take that money and put it to use to actually improving your skills.
Scott:So so take take some if take money that would have been spent on another team that's in a tournament or two
Jamie:and use that money. That money
Scott:and put it towards individual or semi private training.
Jamie:All these spring teams are 400 to a thousand dollars ish just for the stuff. And then you have to travel and stuff like that. Right. You know, so you're probably looking per spring team. I'm just gonna throw a number out there.
Jamie:You're probably looking at like, I don't know, $1,502 ish per team give or take with all everything included. Would you, wouldn't you say that's correct?
Scott:Ish sounds right.
Jamie:Right. So, you know, instead of playing on force, when, when Dominic was younger, we were on like five sprint teams. It was stupid. You know? Yeah.
Jamie:Until I met this guy who I was telling you about from the avalanche, his kid played for the Avs and he was going to the university of Indiana to play like, I think it was like high end club hockey.
Scott:Right.
Jamie:Okay. So my kid was on the ice with him, with his kid during a stick and pocket, a local rink. And my kid was like, Dom was like seven. He was a little guy, but they, they both had the same Jersey on because they both came from the same organization. So he started talking to me, you know, in the restaurant overlooking the rink.
Jamie:Right. So I started talking to this guy and he says to me, he's like, Jamie, he's like, if you take, I talked to for like an hour, guy was great. The guy gave me so much insight about the game, what to do, what not to do. And he, and he said to me, I'll never forget it. He goes, Jamie, if you take anything from this conversation that you and I've had for the last fifty minutes, if you take anything, he goes, your kid's going to be pulled in 50 different ways for the spring.
Jamie:Okay. He's like, pick one really competitive team, take all the money that you would have spent on all those other teams. Okay. Team two, team three, team four, all the other teams that were in, that you were thinking about doing. Take all that money and go do skills with it.
Jamie:He's like, if you take anything from this conversation, please take that away from this. And I never forgot it.
Scott:Yeah. You had said something similar to me and maybe it was after that conversation as well. That's because we
Jamie:were on like four spring teams.
Scott:That stuck with me as well as I've talked to other families and they would be like, well, you know, I'm thinking about doing this and doing that and doing this and doing that. And I often repeat something similar that, you know, I said, hey, like my buddy's kid is playing like high level hockey. And if there's one thing he said is that you can certainly overspend and a lot of the money is better spent on individual or semi private stuff. But the one thing I do want to say in this conversation, spring, the weather's nicer and being outdoors and doing dry land training. Okay, it depends on the age group.
Scott:It might not be the most fun for some, but I will say this, that there is a lot you can do that isn't even that expensive that can help your kid leaps and bounds if they are somewhat disciplined or if there's a group of kids that can do outdoor training. In my town that there's gym and they have an outdoor space. It's relatively inexpensive comparative to what an hour advice could cost you. Go there once a week. So it doesn't even have to be really expensive, private whatever.
Jamie:No, it doesn't.
Scott:Could be less expensive.
Jamie:Just go classes, group classes. That D one has group. Totally. They're all over The United States. I'm sure, you know, everybody who's listening to this, I can almost guarantee you if you Google D one, I can almost guarantee you there's one not far from you.
Jamie:Yeah. Right. Something like that. I bet you there. And I bet you there's a ton more that, that, that are local or different ones that I'm not even talking about.
Jamie:You know, but I think, listen, I think your kids should be active. Right. Cause I think activity is important because unfortunately obesity is a big issue with kids. Right. And I think your kid should be active regardless of if they play hockey or not.
Scott:Yes.
Jamie:Right. You know, so I think it's important to have your kids do something. Right. I always want my kid to be active. Plus my kid is like ADHD, you know, times 10.
Jamie:So he needs to do something.
Scott:Right. And then but but but then the the reality not the reality check, but the oh, I don't know. Just remembering that it's youth hockey, it's youth sports, it's not the draft. Our kids at least are not hitting the weight room and trying to put on pounds of muscle in the off season. Really just want
Jamie:Not yet at least.
Scott:No, but that's part of the point also is that those days and years are to come.
Jamie:They're coming, yeah. Don't need to be now.
Scott:And doing exercise, even strength training, you're outside, you're just doing pushups or air squats, I mean, that's a version of No question about it. Yeah. So
Jamie:These kids can't even put Well, I can't say that. Your kid is too young to put on muscle because he's not There's no testosterone there yet because he's not hitting puberty. Dominic is just starting to, so, you know, he can actually start putting on lean muscle now. Your kid should just be doing functional stuff. Functional.
Jamie:All functional.
Scott:Yeah. But but in terms of getting strong though Yeah. I think that you you can get stronger without having
Jamie:Oh yeah, just do squats. Free weights or No, just do body weight squats, push ups, pull ups.
Scott:Absolutely.
Jamie:Yeah, sit ups. These kids right now, all they should be doing, all they should be doing is that type of stuff, all the functional stuff, you know, in my opinion. Right? And again, keep them active and something that I need to work on in my household is actually having my kid eat right. He's starting to,
Scott:but my
Jamie:God is that difficult. Kids eating right is such a
Scott:know, the bar is so low. Even in our house, we try. Yeah, so
Jamie:do we.
Scott:It doesn't work. We're not the best, I'll tell you that.
Jamie:We're not the worst. When
Scott:my kids go to other kids' houses No. Gets wild. I hear the stories.
Jamie:I'm like,
Scott:I believe the bar is so low.
Jamie:Yeah. Yeah. Nancy calls. She's like, is such and such a to have this? You know?
Scott:It's wild.
Jamie:No, it's bad. We
Scott:could go on like down that road.
Jamie:That's a whole nother Yeah. But listen, know, so I need to work on that in my house. He's getting better with like, you know, like grilled chicken and shockingly, he likes broccoli.
Scott:Broccoli is good.
Jamie:Yeah. But I didn't like broccoli till I was an adult. My, my 12 year old likes broccoli now, which is shocking. No, listen, it's great. No complaints whatsoever.
Jamie:But yeah, so that's, that's my, that's my thing for spring. Keep your kid active. Try to hang up your skates for a period of time. Listen, you can skate like once a week just to keep them fresh and stuff like that, you know, but I'm, I'm going to put my kids skates away, starting like July. I'm going to put them away for all July.
Jamie:And then we're probably going to get back into it. So I want to say like five weeks we're going to get back. I say that now and let's see what happens, but that's the plan. You know, but I would say like, like after like the August, we'll probably get back into it because I think our season starts like mid August. Right.
Jamie:You know?
Scott:So it's so crazy that how much thinking goes into it as you're talking and you're like, I'll hang up the skates and I'm just like, yeah, makes sense. Just like intentionally put the stuff away. And then I'm thinking to myself, you know, let's just say, I don't know, we're talking about basketball or any running sport. Are you gonna tell your kid, maybe you shouldn't run. Don't run.
Scott:No, you never tell your kid, don't go run around. I think the idea of hanging it up needs some clarification, at least for me, because I'm thinking to myself, I don't want my kid to be under pressure of always having to be on a team or like it always has to be serious. But if he wants to go out a couple of days a week to skate because he wants to, because there's nothing else to do, it's more of a recreational thing. Like, is that, let's just say you're in the hang up the skate and Tom's like, come on, I got nothing to do. It's a rainy day.
Scott:I want to go to a clinic.
Jamie:That's fine. Yeah, that's fine. Yeah. Yeah. Well, because if they're asking for it too, I don't think that's the problem.
Jamie:If you have nothing else to do, listen, I'd rather the kids be active than not be.
Scott:Right.
Jamie:Because I don't know about your children, but my children, especially Dominic, my now 13 year old, he can sit on the couch with the best of
Scott:them. Sure. Totally get it.
Jamie:Like, he has no problem just parking himself in front of the TV with, like, the Netflix and his Xbox, and that drives me wild. Yeah. Wild. Yep. Alright.
Scott:So the hang up the skates part, I guess what we're really saying is intentionally not signing up for keeping the Not scheduling ice hockey, but if there's You're looking for something to do, yeah, fine,
Jamie:you
Jamie:can
Scott:Yes,
Jamie:yes, right.
Scott:But not being on a team or not having a tournament on the calendar or not having, like, just having a set period of time where there's no scheduled hockey. I might do a pickup thing here and there if you've
Jamie:nothing else to Yeah, don't do what I did when he was like eight and be on like five spring teams and literally be traveling like every single weekend.
Scott:But that's an extension of the winter season.
Jamie:Yeah. It's ridiculous. There's no reason for it. You do it in the winter. Why in the spring?
Jamie:Listen, again, pick one team. Go with that, pick a competitive team that'll push your kid, which is good because the competition's good. Right. And he'll be playing with and against kids that he probably didn't see during the regular season. So I think that's a good thing.
Jamie:And listen, socialization, he, you know, he'll, you know, obviously need to talk to new kids and meet new kids, which is also, which is all great, but take all the other monies from traveling and tuitions for all these teams and all this stuff, and just go do skills within the spring. Just go work on skating. Skating is so important in this game, in my opinion. I mean, look at the pros that are like rock stars. Look, look at the, look at the pros that are, look at the college kids that are rock stars coming out like Cole Hudson.
Jamie:The guy's ridiculous on his edges. His brother Lane, same idea, Jack Hughes, all these young kids, they're ridiculous skaters.
Scott:Yeah. You know, it's a
Jamie:they're all ridiculous.
Scott:Yeah. I was watching a kid skate the other day and, at Lane Hudson, guess it was on an interview somewhat recently where he talking about how his dad would have the boys skate without their laces tied up.
Jamie:I heard you told me that.
Scott:So that was the thing to build
Jamie:ankles, So like strengthen their ankles, yeah.
Scott:That's wild though. And sure enough, I was at a rink and I was watching some older kids skate and they had done their, they were just goofing around, not goofing around, they were just getting in some extra reps. Their session had ended but they were still on the ice and sure enough one kid unlaced the skates enough Where
Jamie:his ankles were kind of a little bit loose and not
Scott:so stable? Visibly untied in the top.
Jamie:Oh really, it looked that like
Scott:The top half, like the eyelets from like halfway up the tongue were completely loose.
Jamie:Listen, it obviously worked for the Hudson boys. Lane's crushing it in the NHL. Quinn just signed with who did he sign with? We looked it up before. I can't remember who it was.
Jamie:The Oilers? Edmonton?
Scott:Edmonton. I
Jamie:think that's right. I think that's right. And I'm sure Cole is not far behind. I mean, he's unbelievable.
Scott:Yeah. He just finished his freshman season.
Jamie:I was just gonna say that.
Scott:Just finished his freshman I know we're jumping on road a little bit and we'll touch about the Frozen Four, but he's like know
Jamie:Just see the spin around he did in the finals game?
Scott:No, I know Lane's game more because I watched a lot of it when he was at BU and followed him this year. And then watching Cole now, he's got very similar offensive prowess. But he's pretty mean too. Like, he mixes it Cold.
Jamie:No. He's a tough kid. He's like Was Lane that tough?
Scott:I don't I'm not saying Lane's not tough, but Lane
Jamie:got in a fist fight in the world juniors. Remember that?
Scott:Yes. Do.
Jamie:So he probably he is that tough. I feel like I'm pretty sure helmet off fist fight,
Scott:no? Definitely something happens
Jamie:to you the end of a But Cole
Scott:seemed to be That was more part of his game game in and game out. Look, bottom line is that he, like Cole Cole impressed me a lot. And it was a pleasure to watch
Jamie:that team So is he going to stay at BU? I don't know. He's so good. I love watching him in college. I love watching him.
Jamie:He reminds me of, he reminds me of the devil's Seamus Casey, who played for the university of Michigan. Again, another guy that's ridiculous on his edges, ridiculous speed, and just sees the ice all over the place. Like that's what Cole Hudson reminds me of Seamus Casey, super, such a, just like offensive defenseman.
Scott:Yeah. It was a, you know, he was something to watch
Jamie:undersized offensive defenseman
Scott:too. Also undersized. Yes.
Jamie:Lane Cole and Seamus Casey, all undersized. Like impressive. They're doing impressive things.
Scott:No doubt. And look, seems to be rookie of the year. Easily.
Jamie:I say easily, but I think he deserves
Scott:Top contender.
Jamie:Yeah. Yeah. I'm pretty sure he's in the driver's seat in that right now.
Scott:Yeah. Right? Yeah.
Jamie:Mean with what two games left or something like that. Yeah. Celebrini's right there, but you know,
Scott:And they were teammates last year. Celebrini and Hudson were teammates last year. Celebrini's older brother also played for BU. Two Celebrini's
Jamie:three He was last year, He was a senior, no?
Scott:I think it's Aiden Celebrini's the older I think there's a younger Celebrini who's supposed to be bonkers.
Jamie:Oh, better than Macklin?
Scott:Listen. I don't I just heard that there's no
Jamie:Can you imagine? Can you imagine if if Lane and Macklin had stayed at BU?
Scott:Wow. Right? Wow.
Jamie:You would have thought that they would have just won the national championship because that that roster would have been
Scott:Skill out the wazoo, I, you know, I think it came down to to grit versus skill. You ask me, that that was kind of my takeaway.
Jamie:That Western Michigan team are a tough bunch of bastards.
Scott:Yo. Shout out to them. Like, that was pretty awesome.
Jamie:They interviewed I wanna say it was that Alex Bumpkin. Bump.
Scott:Also, I think he just signed his entry level.
Jamie:Yes. You mentioned that. So they interviewed that Alex Bumpkin in I wanna say it was after the first period. And he said to whoever was interviewing him, he said, he goes, they don't like playing defense. He goes, we just got to keep pushing him because this team does not like to play defense.
Jamie:He's like, they're soft defensively. Listen, and they took it to them.
Scott:They did take it to them. And I will also
Jamie:say It was very impressive.
Scott:Obviously Western
Jamie:Michigan I did not see that coming.
Scott:They got the job done, but the goals that were scored, those almost covered, still kind of lose, forced the pucket, like that happened a few times over. You're like, wow, this
Jamie:is They were impressive. They were very impressive.
Scott:West Michigan was. Yes,
Jamie:I did not expect that.
Scott:Right. And I guess all I was saying was that BU's goals were not necessarily ones where like, I don't wanna say they were soft, but just like the loose greasy-
Jamie:No, no, I see what
Scott:you're saying. It's not like-
Jamie:Yeah, Western goals were impressive. Like that Owen Michaels, dude.
Scott:Yeah. It was fun to watch
Jamie:from the overtime winner he had against Denver to the two he put in in the finals game.
Scott:Yeah. It was awesome.
Jamie:Matter of fact, I think he scored the second goal in the Denver game. He had two in the Denver game, two in the finals. I hadn't seen much. And they were like ridiculous goals. They weren't just like the puck sliding in.
Jamie:Like they were like snipe shots. Like that kid's stud. Yeah. Like that kid's, I didn't know who I, again, I need to up my college hockey game next year because that kid is very good. Like I really enjoyed watching him.
Scott:Yeah. And good for them. That was awesome. First time.
Jamie:Do you know they won their league this year, Western Michigan? I didn't know that.
Scott:No, I don't know. I did not know that. They won their league
Jamie:this past year. Like, did not know that. I looked it up after the fact and it's, I mean, I was, and they were in a very difficult league. Like they're in a league with like North Dakota. They're in a league with like, they are in actually like a very difficult league here.
Jamie:I'll show you. I mean, all right. So Western Michigan, Arizona State, Denver, Omaha, North Dakota, Colorado College, Minnesota Duluth, St. Cloud State, and then Miami. Right.
Jamie:I mean, St. Cloud's always normally very good. They had a rough year this year. Minnesota Duluth, always normally good. Colorado College, always normally good.
Jamie:North Dakota, there's an ridiculous college program, right? Denver and Arizona State have come out of nowhere now that they have a D one program and they're rock stars. I mean, they finished first with they were nineteen and four overall. I mean, that's impressive, dude.
Scott:Super impressive.
Jamie:Again, I did not realize that they were such a tough team.
Scott:Yeah. But the Frozen Four was a lot of fun. And every time I watch a college game, like in earnest, not just kind of have it on in the background, It's super exciting. Was awesome. I love the physicality that just seeing these young kids get after it is pretty awesome.
Jamie:Yeah. No, I agree. All right. So we're running along in the tooth. We're trying to shorten these episodes for everybody just to kind of see, so you don't have to spend hours listening to us.
Jamie:But, should I tell my story from down at, at Okay, so kind of, so we touched on youth, on, on, on spring youth spring hockey. So in our districts we, and this kind of goes to all parents, parents, do not get nuts in the rink. It's not, it's not a good look for you. It's not a good look for your organization. It's not a good look.
Jamie:I'm sure your kid doesn't want to see you like this. We played a team from South Jersey. Okay? Everybody knows how the South Jersey Philly teams can get a little I don't know what the word is. What's the word?
Scott:Progressive, chippy.
Jamie:All the above probably. Right? So we played a team from South Jersey, Philly ish area. And can I tell you, it was, it was in the, it in kind of like the round robin part of our districts, the district playoffs? And this parent group, when I tell you that they were obnoxious, doesn't even begin to describe.
Jamie:And it was from the initial puck drop for the entire game. They threw the coach out. They threw a kid out. Yeah. On this team.
Jamie:I mean, Scott, I never see the parents were standing on the glass and above looking down and the stuff that they were saying was so vile and so vulgar to like 12 year old kids. I don't even know. And I got to tell you when parents do that, listen, I don't know who's, who's to blame the coach, the organization, the parents, all the above, but, but it was such a bad look because come on, it's a 12 year old hockey game. Like, what are we doing people? Like, you can't, you can't act like that.
Jamie:You
Scott:can't. People do. They do.
Jamie:All the time.
Scott:All the time.
Jamie:It's it's it's it's to be honest, it's disgraceful. It really is. Like you can't act like that. I'm sorry. You're a grown adult.
Jamie:You cannot act like that. It's a 12 year old hockey game.
Scott:But who are they? Like, what, what were some of the things that would, would trigger a response from them or like, what were they even?
Jamie:Scott Dominic got lit up the other day in a, in like a three on three skill session. When I say lit up, I didn't tell that story. I'll tell, I'll tell that one next time he got lit up. I mean, like past the puck, they weren't supposed to be hitting past the puck two, three, four seconds gets bought blasted. Like, I wish I had the live barn because he was like horizontal to the ice.
Scott:No shit
Jamie:lit up. I said nothing. Not one thing. Listen, you gotta protect yourself out there. Like I didn't say, oh, I didn't, I didn't try to get on the ice.
Jamie:I didn't go nuts. I didn't say boo. We're not playing tennis here. Like our kids are playing a sport. When you hit Bantam, that's a tough kid sport.
Jamie:There's contact. Kids are going to get blown up and listen, these kids need to know how to protect themselves. But my point was that I didn't say boo when my kid got unloaded on in a thing where they weren't even supposed to be hitting. I said nothing.
Scott:Right.
Jamie:Because listen, listen, the other kid was more, was super aggressive. Dominic was not ready for it. He got lit up. But my point was, is that I've seen that happen in a game where kids just run into each other because these kids can't, you know, sometimes can't control themselves and they just kind of run into each other and parents go absolutely bananas. Yeah.
Jamie:And they embarrass themselves.
Scott:But they're going bananas on the kid or they're going bananas on the ref.
Jamie:They're going on the other parents. Going bananas on the kid. I mean, it's, it's, it's, it's really bad. Like parents do me a favor. Just watch your child.
Scott:Just watch. Well, so look, the one thing I will say, that age old expression, the squeaky wheel gets the grease and even being a coach This happened, the first tournament that we were at this past season, and I'll get back to the point, but I was standing behind the glass on one end, on our team's offensive end. Otto was playing forward and something happened right in front of me. I raised like literally, if the ref is watching the play, they see me through the glass right behind. Something happened and I raised my hand for a penalty.
Scott:And then immediately after that, the ref raises me. Yeah, that happens a Parents came to me afterwards and they're like,
Jamie:Nice job. Nice totally got
Scott:that call. No, this is my No, it's not. It's not so bad.
Jamie:I mean, listen.
Scott:What do you mean bad? But I'll
Jamie:say a ref should not be swayed by a parent.
Scott:Well, that's because I was right.
Jamie:Well, you probably were, but still a ref shouldn't be swayed by a parent.
Scott:No. I okay. Understood. But this is my point. The point is when you have parents that are freaking out in the stands or being overly zealous, I understand wanting to say things.
Scott:So the ref gets a little bit of an earful and maybe he's going to call something this way or that way. I'm not saying that that's the best way to do this, but it's about the delivery and what you're saying, not I'm less concerned or take issue with parents that are, you you know, raising concerns, if you will. Yeah. It's about the delivery and how you're doing it.
Jamie:If a kid knows his shot, I go, oh. Yeah, no doubt. Like, nice shot shot on this tri joint.
Scott:Okay, then what were the parents, what the parents, what were they saying?
Jamie:Oh, they were F bombing the ref left and right. They were, it wasn't just the dads, Scott. It was the moms too. Like this whole parent group. I don't say the whole parent group because I don't want to throw everybody in, but I would say like eighty, seventy five, 80 percent of this parent group were wild.
Jamie:Like wild. I'd never seen anything like it. I even turned to one of our parents who has like an 18 year old kid who's obviously played, know, so he's, he's been in the hotbed
Scott:for a
Jamie:long time. Yeah. And I'm like, dude, have you ever seen anything like this? He's like, just down just just with just group of parents. I was like, really?
Jamie:He's like, yeah. I'm like, okay. That South Jersey crowd, man.
Scott:Some. Some.
Jamie:No. Not all. Not all. I'm not I'm not putting everybody in the same basket, but wow. Yeah.
Jamie:They're awesome. I I was was embarrassed for them. Can you imagine if you are acting like that? Can you imagine what your kid thinks when they see you going bananas on the ref?
Scott:I can only imagine what being said at home.
Jamie:Well, that's a whole another story. You know, that's not a good situation. The moral of the story is, is parents just relax. Like, just relax and watch your kid enjoy. Listen, we all love watching our kids play a sport.
Jamie:It's awesome. Just relax.
Scott:I will yes. And I totally agree with you playing a little bit of devil's advocate. I will say that if you see your kid and I know what you just said, you remain quiet after Dom got lit up and that no judgment.
Jamie:Yes, but
Scott:I think that there have been times when there, and I'm sure you've been there too, refs are not doing the best job then
Jamie:they're They're not professionals.
Scott:No, yes, and that's okay. We don't expect them to be professionals, but player safety needs to be a high priority. %. And when you have games going on where player safety is in jeopardy or not prioritized. Listen.
Scott:I I don't have an issue No. With saying something, but again
Jamie:Listen, you're right. But the coach should be the one saying that, not the parents from the stands.
Scott:Listen, think it's all about For me, it's all about delivery and then it becomes subjective and what I think is too much might not be what the next guy thinks is too much, but I am generally not opposed to the cheering, the jeering.
Jamie:There there's one organization that I know that is a very, very highly touted organization for younger kids. And if you say anything, get out. Like, the the the organization throws you out, not the ref. The organization throws you out.
Scott:But what but what do they do?
Jamie:They don't want you coat they don't want you talking to your kid from the stands. They
Scott:Talking to your trying to coach your kid from the stands is a different topic Well in my opinion. Fine.
Jamie:But if you're if you're mother motherfucking the ref, they throw you
Scott:into And think and I think cursing at the ref is unacceptable. But it happens all the time. Yes. And so to that end, I'm in agreement that that shouldn't be.
Jamie:No, it definitely shouldn't be. Moral of the story is just relax.
Scott:Just relax.
Jamie:Try to, try to, try to relax.
Scott:Try to relax. Yeah. Right? I think that's also good for overall longevity. Yeah.
Scott:Probably lower stress levels.
Jamie:I was just gonna say, so you won't stroke out when you're in your like late forties. Shouldn't be having health problems because of the game of hockey. Although some do. Some do. I wonder how many people go on like Xanax or like Prozac because of this game.
Jamie:Listen, anyway. All right. So with that being said, what do you say bud? Should we wrap it up?
Scott:Let's call it a day.
Jamie:Listen, please subscribe to podcast. We appreciate all the people that are downloading.
Scott:Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Jamie:Thank you so much. And, we'll catch you next time. See you.