I think we can agree to disagree on the dress code/ character building issue. That’s fine.
I called it an ‘elite program’ because that’s the term people are using in this thread. But maybe we’re mistaken. My kid plays for the AAA program in our hockey region. We’re not part of any private travelling team or anything of that sort, although we were approached by some. I opted against it because I didn’t see the benefit or value compared to playing AAA in the sanctioned league. The way we ended up here is, my kid played house league, then was approached to tryout for A, AA, then was taken by the local AAA team due to his skill level. I’m not sure why that process offends you so much. I am not a lawyer, investor or doctor. My son is good at hockey. It’s ridiculous how grown men/women become so irritated by kids playing at high levels. It’s comical how you’ve never met me, yet you clearly know that I’m an elitist who’s kid is not really good enough to play elite hockey, but does so because of money. Some kids play on teams that are built like country clubs, agreed. My son’s team crushes those teams in exhibition tournaments because we are actual elite players chosen from the best of the region.
I’ve been around the rinks my whole life just like you, and what I’ve found is, the worst thing about hockey is not the kids or the executive drama.
It’s the toxic attitude among parents that if a child is exceptional at the sport, it must mean he’s bad, or his parents are cheaters or the world is not fair.
