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[Warden of the North]

From what I gather, it’s not a shirt and tie that’s preventing some from playing, it’s the high cost of being on an elite team.

....which contributes to the cost.

I have a bunch of relatives with sons playing hockey. Ive discussed with them first hand.

Its archaic, doesnt build a lick of meaningful character, and adds unnecessary expense to a sport which is struggling with costs already. Its demonstrably a problem in the sport.

 

[garce]

Pretty much, the villages died first now the bigger towns like Brockville and Smith Falls. There’s the elite teams that move around the periphery of Ottawa after Timbits but it’s show me Money! I can’t bother to investigate but some dudes bought up the the Tier 2 and junior B leagues and reconfigured it all. Strange and cynical but it’s killed my love of minor hockey.

 

[Nineteen67]

....which contributes to the cost.

I have a bunch of relatives with sons playing hockey. Ive discussed with them first hand.

Its archaic, doesnt build a lick of meaningful character, and adds unnecessary expense to a sport which is struggling with costs already. Its demonstrably a problem in the sport.

I understand.

But again, regular kids playing at their local rink don’t wear shirts and ties. It’s the elite level teams that like to be dressed up nice. How much more expensive is a decent pair of pants, a shirt, and a tie? They got to wear something.

 

[Nineteen67]

Pretty much, the villages died first now the bigger towns like Brockville and Smith Falls. There’s the elite teams that move around the periphery of Ottawa after Timbits but it’s show me Money! I can’t bother to investigate but some dudes bought up the the Tier 2 and junior B leagues and reconfigured it all. Strange and cynical but it’s killed my love of minor hockey.

That sucks. That’ll end the sport in 25 years.

Hockey is meant to be played your entire life. I’m almost 60 and I still get out and play a few times a year and I started organized hockey before I went to grade school. I hate that kids won’t be able to experience that.

 

[garce]

That sucks. That’ll end the sport in 25 years.

Hockey is meant to be played your entire life. I’m almost 60 and I still get out and play a few times a year and I started organized hockey before I went to grade school. I hate that kids won’t be able to experience that.

I got to play because one dad took us 12 miles on Saturday mornings, it was be at the service station at 7:00 am in our village or bye bye.3 of 6 played junior A another 2 played Jr B. No ties required no motel bills,

 

[Nineteen67]

I got to play because one dad took us 12 miles on Saturday mornings, it was be at the service station at 7:00 am in our village or bye bye.3 of 6 played junior A another 2 played Jr B. No ties required no motel bills,

The one thing I wish I could have given my kids was my childhood. In many way, we were so lucky to live in that era.

 

[garce]

The one thing I wish I could have given my kids was my childhood. In many way, we were so lucky to live in that era.

Lol, true but I think every generation feels the same, but what connects us all is Go Leafs Go!

 

[Tighthead]

Which is ridiculous.

I dont actually have a problem with telling athletes (employees) they need to wear a suit, but children should not be forced to wear a suit to games. Its yet another reason that hockey costs so much money and is killing this sport.

I wear suits to work. I think they still look good and I don’t mind. I find it easier than “smart casual” or whatever, and it’s likely a better look for me.

I find the minor hockey suit thing to be ridiculous. It’s not just the cost, I just find it an affectation. We are talking about 9 year olds. And it just perpetuates the whole Cherry rant, like when he called the Americans sloppy for wearing polos and khakis in the WJHC.

My daughter plays competitively and thank god they are just asked to wear a team track suit.

 

[Tighthead]

Really? There’s no minor hockey in the rural small towns except for the elite and wealthy people?

One thing I have noticed is that some people like to increase the financial barriers of elite teams. It helps their kids stay on the team, possibly excluding better but less fortunate players.

 

[TomP24684]

I wear suits to work. I think they still look good and I don’t mind. I find it easier than “smart casual” or whatever, and it’s likely a better look for me.

I find the minor hockey suit thing to be ridiculous. It’s not just the cost, I just find it an affectation. We are talking about 9 year olds. And it just perpetuates the whole Cherry rant, like when he called the Americans sloppy for wearing polos and khakis in the WJHC.

My daughter plays competitively and thank god they are just asked to wear a team track suit.

I played up till major junior, and I was never asked to purchase a suit until then. Before that, up until and including bantam, a collared shirt(golf shirt or button up) and jeans without rips was the most asked of us.

 

[TomP24684]

I wear suits to work. I think they still look good and I don’t mind. I find it easier than “smart casual” or whatever, and it’s likely a better look for me.

I find the minor hockey suit thing to be ridiculous. It’s not just the cost, I just find it an affectation. We are talking about 9 year olds. And it just perpetuates the whole Cherry rant, like when he called the Americans sloppy for wearing polos and khakis in the WJHC.

My daughter plays competitively and thank god they are just asked to wear a team track suit.

I can appreciate the tracksuit idea. The idea should be to promote a united front, which a tracksuit everyone wears does.

 

[Tighthead]

Pretty much, the villages died first now the bigger towns like Brockville and Smith Falls. There’s the elite teams that move around the periphery of Ottawa after Timbits but it’s show me Money! I can’t bother to investigate but some dudes bought up the the Tier 2 and junior B leagues and reconfigured it all. Strange and cynical but it’s killed my love of minor hockey.

I grew up in a small town near you. I’m late 40s now.

The junior B team in my town was huge. We all went to watch the games as kids, new the players. It was a big deal when my brother made the team, which was when they started taking more and more out of town kids which was a mistake over time.

Anyway, I believe that both Terry Carkner and Todd Gill played some Junior B when they were about 15. That was a tough league. Kids weren’t looking to play AAA etc from a young age, driving into Ottawa.

Tier 2 is now pay to play. I was in the rink in SF last year in a Saturday night before a Bears game. There had to be 150 people there. In the 1980s it would have been a sellout.

 

[garce]

I grew up in a small town near you. I’m late 40s now.

The junior B team in my town was huge. We all went to watch the games as kids, new the players. It was a big deal when my brother made the team, which was when they started taking more and more out of town kids which was a mistake over time.

Anyway, I believe that both Terry Carkner and Todd Gill played some Junior B when they were about 15. That was a tough league. Kids weren’t looking to play AAA etc from a young age, driving into Ottawa.

Tier 2 is now pay to play. I was in the rink in SF last year in a Saturday night before a Bears game. There had to be 150 people there. In the 1980s it would have been a sellout.

Right, Gill played for his hometown of Cardinal down the river they no longer have Jr B they have a fairly new rink which hosts some of the AA and AAA teams practices because it’s relatively close enough to Brockville Kemptville Cornwall etc. People who can afford it drive their kids all around Eastern Ontario just for practices on week nights then spend the weekends all over the northeast at tournaments. Jr a team here is almost all American and kids from Ottawa only a few locals. Jr B used to be all local kids now it’s almost all from outside the area as you say pay to play and nobody goes to watch.

 

[Tighthead]

Right, Gill played for his hometown of Cardinal down the river they no longer have Jr B they have a fairly new rink which hosts some of the AA and AAA teams practices because it’s relatively close enough to Brockville Kemptville Cornwall etc. People who can afford it drive their kids all around Eastern Ontario just for practices on week nights then spend the weekends all over the northeast at tournaments. Jr a team here is almost all American and kids from Ottawa only a few locals. Jr B used to be all local kids now it’s almost all from outside the area as you say pay to play and nobody goes to watch.

Girls hockey has no boundaries and people will join an association 40 miles away just to play AA, often for a weak team. It makes some sense if you live in Cardinal and play for Nepean, but people also do it in the reverse. With dry land etc it may be 6 days a week.

The elite levels are behind what we played as kids. But fewer kids are playing fewer sports. I coach girls’ touch football in spring. Some of them miss games in May because they have hockey fitness training, when they won’t play important games until September. And they were fit enough to make the team at tryouts.

 

[garce]

I grew up in a small town near you. I’m late 40s now.

The junior B team in my town was huge. We all went to watch the games as kids, new the players. It was a big deal when my brother made the team, which was when they started taking more and more out of town kids which was a mistake over time.

Anyway, I believe that both Terry Carkner and Todd Gill played some Junior B when they were about 15. That was a tough league. Kids weren’t looking to play AAA etc from a young age, driving into Ottawa.

Tier 2 is now pay to play. I was in the rink in SF last year in a Saturday night before a Bears game. There had to be 150 people there. In the 1980s it would have been a sellout.

Todd Gill is a classic example of small town minor hockey as it used to work, exceptional in kids hockey,hometown Jr B while very young, tier 2 here in Bville on to the OHL and beyond. Now a few local kids are getting scholarships but it’s just shinny for the large majority after early teens. Athens Westport, Spencerville used to draw hundreds into tiny rinks to watch the best of each areas young men play now those that still have teams are stocked with sons of wealth from as far away as Montreal and other cities. It stinks.

 

[Go4soda]

Its absolutely "dumb" if its forcing good players away from hockey because of cost, or any other reason.

There many other ways to build character other then wearing suits to games.

If you think a simple shirt/tie or tracksuit is forcing kids out of hockey, you clearly have no clue. Trust me, hockey is expensive, and there’s a lot more significant cost in equipment and political BS that’s driving kids out of hockey.

 

[Go4soda]

From what I gather, it’s not a shirt and tie that’s preventing some from playing, it’s the high cost of being on an elite team.

Bingo

 

[Go4soda]

I understand.

But again, regular kids playing at their local rink don’t wear shirts and ties. It’s the elite level teams that like to be dressed up nice. How much more expensive is a decent pair of pants, a shirt, and a tie? They got to wear something.

There is a protocol to being part of an elite program. People seem to not understand this. And I’m not surprised. This is a generation of parents that wants everything their way. This is why elite programs need to build character so these kids can have the tools to be better citizens in the future.

 

[Nineteen67]

NHL Network has a documentary about the 1996 World Cup ....my goodness hockey used to be awesome. Still great, but that was the best era, imo, when highly skilled players would drop the gloves.

 

[Go4soda]

Where I am there’s no house league, which was kind of my point, small town grass root hockey is dead, only people with wealth can be on the elite teams, every small town had minor hockey nobody does now maybe timbits

BS. This is just something people say so they can sleep at night. I’m a regular joe. I wear old work pants to the job site and wake up at 4:45 am . My kid is a AAA hockey player regardless of who his dad is. I work my ass off so my kid can realize his potential. Anyone who thinks the difference between an elite hockey player and a house leaguer is a rich dad and fancy skill coaches is clueless. I’ve seen kids who are elite without fancy training and kids who can’t learn the game with all the fancy training money can buy. This has been a good conversation, but it’s swaying from the point now. It’s starting to sound like a bunch of people whining about hierarchy of minor hockey. It was originally about grown men-millionaires dressing the part.

 

[Nineteen67]

Good news...Leafs Lunch starts back today

Bad news....same hostess.

 

[ottomaddox]

TSN Overdrive today at 4pm.

GET INTO IT!

 

[ottomaddox]

Good news...Leafs Lunch starts back today

Bad news....same hostess.

Oh my...

 

[Craig Button]

BS. This is just something people say so they can sleep at night. I’m a regular joe. I wear old work pants to the job site and wake up at 4:45 am . My kid is a AAA hockey player regardless of who his dad is. I work my ass off so my kid can realize his potential. Anyone who thinks the difference between an elite hockey player and a house leaguer is a rich dad and fancy skill coaches is clueless. I’ve seen kids who are elite without fancy training and kids who can’t learn the game with all the fancy training money can buy. This has been a good conversation, but it’s swaying from the point now. It’s starting to sound like a bunch of people whining about hierarchy of minor hockey. It was originally about grown men-millionaires dressing the part.

You’re not a regular joe.
You’re a Hard working man and a great father.
We need the regular joes to be like you.

I also agree with everything you said.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

The Raps are worth the most now. Even more than the beloved Leafs.

I think based on market values they are. Raps would sell for over 2B and Leafs around 1.5B. But I was talking about the arena sponsorship's and naming rights which go to MLSE. The naming rights for instance which were Air Canada are now Scotiabank. These are not HRR. The players think they should be HRR even if it is some portion. You can argue either side of it I realize. But in a world where the players do not trust the owners to decide what revenues should go into the HRR bucket things get very contentious. Don't forget this is how the owners are decided HRR and then doing a true up on escrow where players are losing 10% of their gross earnings. Owners are holding back 15% and then paying players back only 5% of their contract values. Toews said it best. He signed a contract and now he is getting 10% less than what he signed up for. The owners are using the players to help them manage their costs. The players are not happy here. The owners could not care less. We will see how the player vote goes this week.