Any experience with the HSL - Hockey Super League (minor hockey in AB / BC)?

[oldunclehue]

What in your view should Hockey Canada and the provincial bodies do to fix this situation?

Thinking about it further, does anything actually "need" to be fixed? If people want to shell out big bucks for spring hockey/elite tutors and coaches at the younger ages and the CSSHL at the older ages, do they need to be discouraged/prevented? After all, modestly priced youth hockey as we knew it 20, 30, 40 years ago still exists. It has just been supplemented by extra options, some of them being very expensive. But people do have a choice.

Hockey Canada needs to totally revamp their development system. Gear it more towards the Finland model. Club teams, paid coaches, skills coaches assigned to hockey organizations and prevent academy kids from participating in any provincial or Canadian teams. You want to go private and then go for it. But you won’t take oppourtunities away from those that support the HC system.

 

[Oil Gauge]

Dude - the only place (in hockey!) I expect either to go to is beer league. I just hope they have fun and can go as far as they want to along the way.

There are a lot more avenues for them to travel through this game than just as a player. Instill the passion for the game in them and they can find many different career paths that can take them to the highest levels of the game.

 

[Oil Gauge]

o think the league owners paid cash for the old rink and morinville and then poured more into the renos to upgrade it. They also own the whl seattle team the spruce grove team and sold their personal company for over 850 million dollars so iheard they paid 200 k for the rink bascically due to its run down shape and then brought it back up to code, I ve been in it and they did a great job of the renos

They didn't pay 200k for the Morinville rink. I'm sure the paid much more.

I've heard about the Morinville Arena, but they've also broken ground on a brand new twin arena in Nisku. Even if the owners have money they're not doing this as a charity and expect at a minimum to break even, so your HSL fees are still going towards the cost of that new twin arena.

I'm pretty sure the new rink will still bill out their ice at competitive rates. I'm pretty sure its a legacy project for them. Same as all of their hockey business's. They've made their money with their principal business.

 

[Yukon Joe]

I'm pretty sure the new rink will still bill out their ice at competitive rates. I'm pretty sure its a legacy project for them. Same as all of their hockey business's. They've made their money with their principal business.

Funny you posted this today - I heard the Nisku rink charges $375-$400 per hour. Which is above what city rinks will charge, but then again it is a brand new rink.

 

[Yukon Joe]

There are a lot more avenues for them to travel through this game than just as a player. Instill the passion for the game in them and they can find many different career paths that can take them to the highest levels of the game.

That's all true, but my point still stands. I don't expect my kids to go anywhere in hockey beyond instilling a love for the game such that hey can play it for years to come.

If they happen to take it further than that - either as a player, an executive, coach, media, sales, or anything else - good on them. But I certainly don't expect it, and I don't view the money my family spends on hockey to be any kind of investment in their future.

 

[jetsmooseice]

That's all true, but my point still stands. I don't expect my kids to go anywhere in hockey beyond instilling a love for the game such that hey can play it for years to come.

If they happen to take it further than that - either as a player, an executive, coach, media, sales, or anything else - good on them. But I certainly don't expect it, and I don't view the money my family spends on hockey to be any kind of investment in their future.

I'm in the same boat. It's fun to daydream, but at the end of the day I'm realistic about where this is all going. I'll be impressed if my son is still playing anywhere other than rec leagues when he's 18. I see hockey as a great activity that helps build a healthy, active lifestyle. Nothing more.

As you point out, there are a lot of sports-related careers out there. I think my son has the knowledge and passion to potentially do well in them. But at the same time you do hear about the sports industry "discount" that people have to accept because there are simply so many people interested in doing that type of work. It's a bit of a gamble in that regard, that could be lots of years grinding it out as a SPHL account executive or AJHL play by play guy or whatever in hopes of getting a shot at a well paying NHL job. But hey, it works for some people... the most prominent example here in Winnipeg of "started from the bottom" being Craig Heisinger, who began as the Jets equipment guy in the 90s and is now Assistant GM.

 

[Oil Gauge]

Funny you posted this today - I heard the Nisku rink charges $375-$400 per hour. Which is above what city rinks will charge, but then again it is a brand new rink.

Yeah, that's what the public pays. I doubt their internal bookings are paying full price. $322 is the city price, I'd guess HSL/JPHL are getting a competitive price. Not to mention all the bells and whistles the new rink will probably have.

 

[hockeylife1974]

I have 4 boys who have played 3 of them tried HSL and all have done Hockey Calgary. HSL is good if your child is an ELITE player, like the best in community as there is a bit more ice time and season starts earlier. But you can augment that with just having them do many camps as well. But you do sacrifice your life. HSL plays games wherever there is cheap ice with little care for parents. On a weekend we can have a single game in Banff. Then the next weekend 3 games in Moose Jaw. Then they'll be no games for a few weekends and a showcase can be in Edmonton/Calgary or Morinville or VIking or the middle no where. So you need to have a felxible schedule to not work on Fridays to drive. Coaching is hit or miss as its parent coaching, they'll promise you additional coaching, but I would say its no better than community. Each team wants to make money, and to do so they want the best players, because if that team does well the thinking is more kids will join that club and they can have multiple clubs. so they'll often invite many kids to tryouts and then you can also be cut in future years. in suummary, elite elite player, with flexible friday schedule, flexible weekday evenings to drive kids then you can think anout it. Otherwise if your kid is a good player, hockey canada with some camps would be just as good without the cost and stress. HSL is a BUSINESS.

 

[krown]

A good friend of mine had his 2009 goalie son play for the Vancouver Golden Panthers in the HSL. He left BWC to go play and regretted it. They played half a season with promises of the moon. The team had a couple of good players, but the rest were apparently average at best. No better than any of the kids at BWC. so the skill level of hockey wasn't as high as my buddy expected. Then, the "owners" of the team went bankrupt and the league had to take over the team. In January, the kid decided to go back to BWC because the team had gone downhill so quickly. Unfortunately, since he had left, he had to play U13 A4 vs playing A1 if he stayed with the club. In summary, it wasn't worth it at all.

Digging up the past

Hockey families on both sides of border demand answers from twin B.C. entrepreneurs

Missing refunds, cancelled or non-existent tournament registration, shoddy equipment, disorganization, and poor communication costing parents hundreds or thousands of dollars are among allegations on both sides of the border that has caught the attention of U.S. law enforcement agencies.

bc.ctvnews.ca

 

[Yukon Joe]

Yikes! Well I certainly won't doubt you @krown about such stories!

That being said, this part made me laugh a bit:

And while the feeling of being short-changed or misled is palpable, all of them emphasize that the worst part of the experience was the emotional impact on their children: disappointment, frustration, confusion, and embarrassment.

“We kept telling (our) kid this is not his fault when he was self doubted,” wrote one parent, who did not want to be named out of concern for their child’s future in the sport, a sentiment several Lower Mainland parents echoed.

I mean really - it's okay to feel that you were ripped off of $10k!

 

[Yukon Joe]

I've heard about the Morinville Arena, but they've also broken ground on a brand new twin arena in Nisku. Even if the owners have money they're not doing this as a charity and expect at a minimum to break even, so your HSL fees are still going towards the cost of that new twin arena.

Just since this thread was bumped...

The brand new Nisku twin arena is now built. My rec league team has played there a few times - it's extremely nice. It does also have quite a bit of HSL/JPHL branding around the rink.

So my concerns are still the same as they ever were. The guys who own this arena own both the HSL and JPHL. And I suspect they are then booking a ton of their "showcase weekends" at this rink.

Now I suspect it makes a certain bit of business sense - instead of being beholden to City of Edmonton or wherever's bookings, they get first choice any time they want. But it's also SO NICE that it can't be cheap to build or run - and who ultimately is paying for that?