As the new hockey season is quickly approaching, it came to my mind that many of you dads coach your son's
hockey team, Mark included. In the Battlefords our hockey numbers have dropped considerably in the last few
years, a problem that BMHA is trying to rectify. I had the following quote by Bobby Orr and have asked that it
be placed on the BMHA website and in the BMHA Policy Book. As someone who works professionally with children of all
ages, I believe that the words of this great player are the epitome of a great coach.
"I think what's happening a lot of the time,
because of the pressures, we're humiliating the kids - we're talking about kids in minor sports. The things we do to them,
the things we say to them, we're driving them away from the game.
If a child is enjoying himself or herself,
they'll listen. If they're enjoying themselves they'll continue to play. And while they're playing and listening, there's
so much we can teach them... So down the road we'll have a chance to: one, produce more pros because we'll have more kids
playing; and, two, and most importantly, we're going to help develop better people.
Developing better people should be the number
one goal for any coach when dealing with kids. In trying to develop better people, we are going to develop more and better
pros. We're going to have more kids playing, and we're going to have a better chance of finding those players".
Good luck in your coaching and playing season!
I would like to dedicate this site to the memory of Bernice Keshane and to her grandson, Kailum Gervais, whose
courage and dedication to the team during difficult times has made him an excellent role model.
