Canadians opting out of kids' hockey

[goalnut3133]

A report/survey was done by Hockey Canada & Bauer that showed 90% of the families studied opted out of enrolling their kids in organized hockey...90%!! Reasons stated were: safety issues, affordability & the simple reason that with the trend towards pro coaches & parental pressures toward elite status, the kids were just not having 'fun' anymore. I can see concerns esp. with all the talk of concussions these days, not to mention horrid accidents like Taylor Hall had last year (in practise!), but to keep them from playing because it's no longer considered a fun sport is pretty sad, to me. Many coaches are more concerned with gaining the status/trophies from their elite players & well, some parents flourish on the 'ego' of it all....'Hey did you know my kid is a contender for....?"

Playing hockey just for the sake of playing hockey needs to return...achievements, awards & status aside.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/tennis-canada-targets-youth-hockey-ad-campaign-161703751.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[flyercanuck]

@goalnut3133

I agree with you totally the game HAS to go back to being just for fun for the kids. I think the cost of the game has really taken a lot of people out of it. Then there's immigration...a lot of them haven't grown up with it...another reason for the soccer explosion along with cost.

[blocker]

think the cost of the game has really taken a lot of people out of it.

Yup. Expensive equipment and travel are IMHO, the major reasons.

Sad thing is that every time we try to do something about it, the parents sabotage the effort.

Try to get a ban on composite sticks and see what happens.

Edited August 2, 2013 by blocker

[jammer2]

@blocker Those composite sticks, kids don't need those. For one thing, a lot of families can't afford sticks that are 100 bucks a crack. I would imagine the kids that have them rub it in the faces of those that don't. It's kinda like a having a state of the art I-Phone compared to a flip phone from the 90's. Kids have enough to worry about these days. I can't imagine a single Mom picking a composite stick over groceries, which is exactly the spot a lot of single parents are in.

At least they are taking the hitting out of kid's hockey, put the emphasis on skill, the hitting can wait.

[JR Ewing]

Hockey's just too expensive for many families. It was for mine when I was that age too (thus, I played baseball), and it's only gotten worse in the last 30 years.

JR

[goalnut3133]

I can't imagine a single Mom picking a composite stick over groceries, which is exactly the spot a lot of single parents are in.

At least they are taking the hitting out of kid's hockey, put the emphasis on skill, the hitting can wait.

Exactly on the single parents or low income families. It's such a pity it has become such an expensive sport now. I'm glad too they're taking the hitting out, so dangerous for these kids & unnecessary...I did hear something about this happening.

[goalnut3133]

@flyercanuck @JR Ewing --AGREED/LIKE!-- Sorry guys, the 'agree' button wasn't working for me on this page & hf101 couldn't figure why....well, onwards & upwards to a software upgrade here next week! yahoo!

[hf101]

I don't think this is the exact meaning of the study.

A report/survey was done by Hockey Canada & Bauer that showed 90% of the families studied opted out of enrolling their kids in organized hockey...90%!! Reasons stated were: safety issues, affordability & the simple reason that with the trend towards pro coaches & parental pressures toward elite status, the kids were just not having 'fun' anymore.

Puck Daddy wrote this which is misleading:

A survey commissioned by Hockey Canada and Bauer last winter found that 90 percent of 875 Canadian families in the study kept their children from playing organized hockey, for reasons ranging from safety to affordability to “it wasn’t fun.”

Which was probably taken from the original article from the Globe and Mail which stated:

a survey of 875 non hockey-playing families in Ontario and Nova Scotia was conducted to better understand why they don’t play the game and the top four reasons given were a) it wasn’t fun b) was too time consuming c) safety concerns d) and affordability.

Thus this study was more a desire to find out why parents choose other options for their children not that 90% of parents in Canada are not choosing hockey for their kids. The Globe and Mail article also goes on to say that of those same parents 73 per cent said they’d consider putting their kids in the game in future while 40 per cent said they’d definitely consider it.

Thus youth hockey in Canada isn't on the decline but the Study was done to figure out how it can promote the game to more kids. The program "Grow The Game", an initiative launched last year after that study to add one million new players by 2022. As Messier says there is more to hockey than making it to the NHL and winning medals.

“I think it comes to a shock to everybody,” he said. “We like to consider ourselves at the top of the pyramid in hockey around the world and if we’re going to stay there . . . we have to continue to develop our talent pool.

“In order to do that we have to continue to introduce the game to more kids, get more kids playing and keep those kids that do try it in the game. This is one way, hopefully, we can start to do that. We’re trying to send the message now that hockey is for everybody and there’s a place for everybody if you want to play hockey.”

Messier said it’s important for kids to have alternate places to play other than rep or travel leagues.

“We don’t want to make our kids feel like they’re failures because that (rep, AAA)isn’t for them or they’re not ready for that,” he said. “Right now there’s not a real soft place for them to land if they don’t make that but still love the game.

“If they’re not in the game they can’t make it so we’re going to keep the kids in the game, they’re going to more fun and they’re going to be passionate about it. If they do develop and get that keen sense of passion that you need to play at that intense level, I think we’re going to have more kids who are funnelling through that, it just might take them a little longer.”

There are programs in the US that are similar for example the "Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation"

Snider Hockey holds the core belief that the great game of hockey provides a unique environment for not only teaching the merits of a healthy lifestyle, good sportsmanship, and the value of competition, but fundamental life lessons as well: the benefits of hard work, honest effort, commitment to common goals, and respect for colleagues and the rules of society. We are building productive, safe and caring communities, one child at a time, by giving kids compelling incentives to value their education, care for their neighborhoods, and better themselves—all in the context of having fun.

[goalnut3133]

@hf101 Thanks hf....yah it's a bit confusing with the different articles...Puck Daddy states "90% of 875 Canadian families", but that Globe & Mail article states:

Last winter, Hockey Canada and Bauer Hockey Inc. commissioned an independent survey to better understand the challenges facing non hockey-playing families.

That’s because according to the two organizations, approximately 90 per cent of Canadian families choose to not have their kids play hockey. So a survey of 875 non hockey-playing families in Ontario and Nova Scotia was conducted to better understand why they don’t play the game...

My original take on this was that it was 90% of the chosen number of families that were surveyed, but not meaning 90% of all Canadian families (which sounds really scary).

[hf101]

@hf101 Thanks hf....yah it's a bit confusing with the different articles...Puck Daddy states "90% of 875 Canadian families", but that Globe & Mail article states:

My original take on this was that it was 90% of the chosen number of families that were surveyed, but not meaning 90% of all Canadian families (which sounds really scary).

Indeed.

[flyercanuck]

When I grew up, practically every other street had a road hockey game going on. Now you see the odd one, but it's a real nostalgic feeling when you do. Drive through Toronto and you'll see more "It is unlawful to play road hockey on this street" signs than you will actual games.

[JR Ewing]

When I grew up, practically every other street had a road hockey game going on. Now you see the odd one, but it's a real nostalgic feeling when you do. Drive through Toronto and you'll see more "It is unlawful to play road hockey on this street" signs than you will actual games.

I never see any kids playing street hockey here. None. Never. "CAR!!!" is dead and gone.

JR

[goalnut3133]

When I grew up, practically every other street had a road hockey game going on. Now you see the odd one, but it's a real nostalgic feeling when you do. Drive through Toronto and you'll see more "It is unlawful to play road hockey on this street" signs than you will actual games.

I never see any kids playing street hockey here. None. Never. "CAR!!!" is dead and gone.

JR

Oh wow, that is SO sad. You still see quite a lot here in Van, but I suppose as you say, not as much as the old days. Thank Nintendo, XBOX, Wii....LOL

[blocker]

My sons had a goal made from pieces of lumber and chicken wire. They'd drag it out into the street, and like magic, the next thing you knew there'd be half a dozen kids with them.

I remember JR's ""CAR!!!"".

Those scenes are gone around here.

[JR Ewing]

My sons had a goal made from pieces of lumber and chicken wire. They'd drag it out into the street, and like magic, the next thing you knew there'd be half a dozen kids with them.

I remember JR's ""CAR!!!"".

Those scenes are gone around here.

Not one kid on my block, growing up, was goalie, so there were no goal pads. And when tennis balls (or those orange stone which they call balls) get cold or wet, it's like being kicked in the shins with an ice pick. A friend and I scoured the neighbourhood and found some couch cushions, so we took them home, removed the covers, cut them into the shape of golie pads, and secured them to our legs with some athletic wrap. It was great! No pain; just a soft THUD when a save was made.

No mask or can, mind you. For some reason, we never thought about that until we got racked in the nuts.

Now, they sell street hockey pads. No need to take the steps we were forced into.

JR

[goalnut3133]

Not one kid on my block, growing up, was goalie, so there were no goal pads. And when tennis balls (or those orange stone which they call balls) get cold or wet, it's like being kicked in the shins with an ice pick. A friend and I scoured the neighbourhood and found some couch cushions, so we took them home, removed the covers, cut them into the shape of golie pads, and secured them to our legs with some athletic wrap. It was great! No pain; just a soft THUD when a save was made.

No mask or can, mind you. For some reason, we never thought about that until we got racked in the nuts.

Now, they sell street hockey pads. No need to take the steps we were forced into.

JR

My favourite position was always Goalie, I loved the challenge of it. But we mostly played in my friend's basement, so no getting socked with wet sopping tennis balls! It may have been due to the rainy weather days here,so we kept it inside. For some reason, we never thought to have any padding or mask, just a stick & glove worked. (Might have had knee pads).

[JR Ewing]

My favourite position was always Goalie, I loved the challenge of it. But we mostly played in my friend's basement, so no getting socked with wet sopping tennis balls! It may have been due to the rainy weather days here,so we kept it inside. For some reason, we never thought to have any padding or mask, just a stick & glove worked. (Might have had knee pads).

When I was about 10, we moved from Ontario to Edmonton. Those balls, in that weather, achieve a kind of diamond-hard quality, and when they hit you, your ancestors felt it. I'm sure the NSA has satellite photos of prisoners in North Korean prison camps being tortured in this way.

JR

[goalnut3133]

When I was about 10, we moved from Ontario to Edmonton. Those balls, in that weather, achieve a kind of diamond-hard quality, and when they hit you, your ancestors felt it. I'm sure the NSA has satellite photos of prisoners in North Korean prison camps being tortured in this way.

JR

LOL!!

[jammer2]

@JR Ewing When I was growing up, street hockey was all the rage. We would have tourny's set up to see which part of the city was had the dominant team. We played in school playgrounds, so there was no "car" but heard that growing up many, many times. It's actually a treasured part of my childhood that yelling of "car". Didn't know it at the time, it was just common occurance.

Our street games were violent. Full checking, hacking...all of it. We played with those orange balls that would damn near kill ya when they hit you square in the nuts. I few times, I thought I was gonna die from the pain...LOL!

I played with a bunch of Habs fans, they all wore Habs jersey's, I refused and wore a Clarke #16. We had set break out plays, set offensive plays to take andvante of our individual skill sets. I was never a big scorer, I patterned my game after Clarke, tireless worker retreiving pucks, setting up other...and my cardio was just superior, could fly up and down the playing surface and never seemed to tire. Nobody could hang with my cardio, and I took full advantage of it.

We won the mythical city championship 3 times, but then our left winger Charlie found a huge garbage bag full of weed, and well, other things took precedence....LOL!

[JR Ewing]

@JR Ewing When I was growing up, street hockey was all the rage. We would have tourny's set up to see which part of the city was had the dominant team. We played in school playgrounds, so there was no "car" but heard that growing up many, many times. It's actually a treasured part of my childhood that yelling of "car". Didn't know it at the time, it was just common occurance.

Our street games were violent. Full checking, hacking...all of it. We played with those orange balls that would damn near kill ya when they hit you square in the nuts. I few times, I thought I was gonna die from the pain...LOL!

I played with a bunch of Habs fans, they all wore Habs jersey's, I refused and wore a Clarke #16. We had set break out plays, set offensive plays to take andvante of our individual skill sets. I was never a big scorer, I patterned my game after Clarke, tireless worker retreiving pucks, setting up other...and my cardio was just superior, could fly up and down the playing surface and never seemed to tire. Nobody could hang with my cardio, and I took full advantage of it.

We won the mythical city championship 3 times, but then our left winger Charlie found a huge garbage bag full of weed, and well, other things took precedence....LOL!

LOL!!!

A whole garbage bag?

Yeah, I think I'd have had to retire from street hockey at that point, too.

JR

[goalnut3133]

@jammer2 Jammer, my friend, I didn't think I could be any prouder of you than I already was....(sniff...sniff)...LOL!!

[flyercanuck]

I never see any kids playing street hockey here. None. Never. "CAR!!!" is dead and gone.

JR

Good ol' video games. Are you in the Toon? the big V? or elsewhere?

[JR Ewing]

Good ol' video games. Are you in the Toon? the big V? or elsewhere?

Yeah, I live in Regina. We moved here 6 years ago. Just another one of the many glamour spots I've Iived in across Canada.

Trenton, Peterborough, Edmonton, Regina...

It's almost like spending your life in Monte Carlo.

JR

[flyercanuck]

@JR Ewing

So I take it you know Bushwakkers well?

Worst hangover of my life. Went there for lunch. Closed it. Never did eat. Had to fly the next morning.

[JR Ewing]

@JR Ewing

So I take it you know Bushwakkers well?

Worst hangover of my life. Went there for lunch. Closed it. Never did eat. Had to fly the next morning.

LOL. Had a good night, did we?

I know where it is, but that's about it. I'm a non-drinker. Woke up with a brutal hangover one time when I was 20. Said "never again", and it's been that way for 20 years. Sometimes on a really hot day, I think about having a beer, but figure I can't break my streak now.

JR