DAN’S TIP OF THE MONTH FOR PARENTS (Kids – my father has a tip for you this time)...

This may seem a bit early to think about summer hockey camp, but my father tells me mine is already well on it’s way to being filled.  There are over 450,000 kids playing youth hockey in the US and I have room for only 100 kids in my camp so that leaves a lot of you wondering if you should send your player to a summer hockey camp, and if so, whose camp should you consider. 

Why send your player to a hockey camp?  An important consideration is the skill level and teaching ability of your player’s present coach.  If the coach was like my father, he was a great coach, but he didn’t know from sic’em about skating fundamentals.  So he sent me to summer hockey camp to learn the things he couldn’t teach me.  If, on the other hand your son or daughter plays for a coach who knows skating fundamentals and knows how to teach them, you will have different considerations than my father had for sending me to camp.

I like to think of a good camp as one which functions like a doctor’s office for players.  If your child isn’t feeling good, you might try home remedies or over-the-counter medicines, but if the malaise persists, you would take him to the doctor for a check up.  A good camp should be able to review the player’s skating technique and prescribe a remedy to help the player correct or improve his technique.

I also think summer hockey camp can be a great carrot to elicit desired behavior.  Your player’s opinions to the contrary, there’s no constitutional right to go to summer hockey camp.  It should be a reward for good citizenship.  Better study habits, personal housekeeping improvements, diligent attention to assigned family chores, and perhaps earning some of the cost are things that can be made a condition for shelling out the big dollars for summer hockey camp.  In case you kids are reading this, believe me when I tell you that these were all conditions for my parents to allow my brothers and I  to have the privilege to go to a summer hockey camp. 

One of the reasons my parents sent my brothers and I to summer hockey camp had nothing to do with hockey.  They thought it was important for their kids to attend college.  So they sent us to hockey camps at colleges so we could see what it was like to be on a college campus, be in a college environment, and live in a dorm.  It was one of their tricks to influence us.  It worked because we all thought it was our decision to go to college – it never occurred to us that they had anything to do with our decision.

What camp should you consider?

A camp that promises two things: fun and skating skills – in that order.  I think fun is the most important consideration because as the name suggests (and some parents forget): this is summer hockey camp, that is - summer, we’re going to play a game, at a camp.  Games, summer, and camp should be about having fun.  Besides, if the player is not having fun, the learning will be marginal at best.

Why is skating important?  This game is all about skating.  During an average game your player will have the puck on his stick for 20 seconds at most.  He or she will be skating for 15  to 20 minutes which should give you an idea of the importance of being a good skater.   So I would encourage you to look for a camp that will teach your player new skating skills, improve existing skills, perhaps diagnose and correct flaws in the player’s skating technique, and emphasize drills that will show the skater how to work on improving his or her technique.

How can you tell what a camp will be like?

The best way is by word of mouth from hockey parents whose kids have attended other camps.  You can also study the brochures at your local rink or the information most camps provide on the Internet. Look for the key words ‘fun’ and ‘skating fundamentals’ as well as other things that you might think are important… well qualified instructors, instructor-to-pupil ratios, good role models, special skills (goalie instruction?), university environment, indoor off-ice facilities in case of rain, etc.

Should you consider having your player attend more than one camp?

Yes, but I would only consider more than one camp for my child if the other one is a math camp, band camp, science camp, Bible camp, space camp, Odyssey of the Mind camp, orchestra camp, drama camp, Boy or Girl Scout camp, or just plain fun camp.

MY HOCKEY CAMP BROCHURE (You can play with a Mighty Duck)…

My father tells me that registrations are well ahead of last year.  If you are a previous attendee, make sure your parents got the brochure you received in the mail along with the Mighty Duck Christmas card.  If you need another brochure, Email me with your snail mail address and we’ll get one out to you.

We have signups from all over the country and we even have one sign-up from a player from England who would like to “come over to the Colonies” and attend the Travel Skills session of the hockey camp.  Hopefully he’ll be able to teach us some English while he’s here.  But the camp will fill up, so be warned - you snooze, you lose.  You can also sign up on the web site.

MY TRUST FUND AUCTION – A new item is up for bids…

The last item auctioned was a custom-made, autographed, Teemu Selanne stick.  This month the item is a Paul Kariya autographed game stick.  Paul rarely gives autographs but he consented for this good cause.  So this is a rare opportunity.  The minimum bid is $30 and the incremental bids are $5.  The bidding will close on January 23 at 9:00 p.m. EST.  How much am I bid for this Paul Kariya autographed stick?  You can bid on the website.  Go to the bottom of my Charitable Trust page.

THIS MONTH’S BEST QUESTION ON THE WEB SITE…

    …comes from a special little friend and player and a story comes with it.  The Ducks played the Red Wings in Detroit on Dec. 22, and one of the guys who plays church softball with my Dad and I took his eight-year-old son, Nick, to see his first NHL game. 

After the disappointing loss in OT, my parents got Nick and his dad down to the locker room area to visit.  I agreed to ask Teemu Selanne to autograph his rookie card that Nick had. As we were waiting for Teemu to come out of the locker room, one of the Grand Rapids, MI, TV stations approached and asked for an interview.  This picture shows what the viewers of Channel 8 who saw the interview didn’t get to see.  For a few moments, my friend Nick forgot all about the Selanne autograph.

 

Nick’s question was “I am trying to learn how to block shots like you do.  Can you give me any tips?  Nick Smart from Spring Lake, MI.

Nick: What are you thinking?  Are you on drugs?  Who in a rational moment would like to block shots (or be a goalie)?  Just kidding… partly. 

The most important thing to do if you would like to become shot blocker is to review your equipment and see where it protects your body.  If you do that you will see that the back of your legs, your back below your shoulder pads, your butt… all of these areas have little or no protection from your equipment.  So, it’s important to remember to block the shot with those parts of your body that have protection --- the front of you.  If you want to learn to block shots, it’s very important to learn to position your body to face the shooter so that your protective equipment absorbs the force of the shot, not your back or your sides.  You need to discipline yourself not to turn your head and not to turn your body, but rather take the shot head-on so your protective equipment can do its job and you can avoid painful injuries. 

      It’s also important to know when to go down for the block. Timing is critical because if you go down too early, the shooter can skate around you while you’re down.  If you go down to late, you will miss the shot and may screen the goalie momentarily so he can’t see the puck coming.   

Another important thing is to have adequate, well-fitting gear.  For example, make sure the top of your knee pads come up to the bottom of the pads in the front of your pants and I don’t think I need to tell you that a protective cup is important.

The best position to block shots is facing the shooter going down on one knee because you remain skating.  You can also go down on both knees as I’m doing in the picture below.  This is better than going all the way down because I can get back up on my skates quickly.  You can also let the shooter think he has a lane to shoot and then try to block it by sliding across that path with a two-pad stack. 

Sometimes you have to slide across the path of his shot because the other team’s puck movement is so fast you don’t have time to get in front of the shot, and you have to slide across with the two-pad stack in desperation.  But with the two-pad stack, sometimes the shot can get over you; and, you are down on the ice which means you will be slower to get back on your feet and back into the play.

This photograph (taken by my father back when I played for the Phoenix Roadrunners) demonstrates the proper way to face the shooter.  If you can find the puck (shows as a white circle) you can see why a protective cup may come in handy from time to time.  You can see I am totally square to the shooter and my equipment will protect me.  If I was turned around or sideways, you can imagine what might happen.

    Knowing where to go down to block a shot is also important.  If you draw straight lines on the picture from the point where the shot was taken   (about ▲ here) to each side of my body and extended the lines to the goal, you will see there is almost no chance this shooter was going to score because I had the whole net blocked.  Notice, also that I am blocking the shot, not the shooter.

Blocking shots is a good way to prevent the puck from going in the net and also from getting into the danger zone around the net.  It can also be dangerous if not done properly or without well-fitted protective gear.  It’s also not for the faint hearted.  But if you really want to block the shot (not just look good) and you do it as I’ve described, you will prevent a goal or two and you will avoid getting hurt.

FURTHER UPDATE ON TODD REIRDAN…

A few days before Christmas, Todd finished his rehab assignment with Wooster, the St. Louis Blues affiliate in the AHL, and has been recalled to the Blues.  This has been a long and difficult time of recovery and rehab for “Stretch” and I know you all join me in wishing him well for the remaining part of the season… except when he plays the Ducks, of course.

DAN’S HONOR ROLL  - These kids understand one of the most important things necessary to make it to the NHL:

My congratulations to each of you.  Great job kids!

NAME                    AGE    GPA          SCHOOL                                  TEAM                                             STATE   

Erin Cutter                 10          4.0         Beach Elementary                  Muskegon Chiefs Squirt AA           MI*    

Travis Vayda           13        4.0            Bradon River Middle Sch    Ellenton Eels PeeWee AA                 FL                                       

Mark Janninga         10        3.96          St. Mary's School                 Fredrickson Design Squirt                 MI

Tyler Spiering         10         3.9            Sylvan Chr. School                E.G.R.A.H.A. Squirt AA                    MI*

Ian Redlinger            9         4.0            Los Flores Elementary         Anaheim Jr. Ducks Squirt                   CA*

Josh Corgan               8         3.5           N. Muskegon Elementary     Muskegon Chiefs Mite B2               MI*  

Aaron Alkema          6         TR            Kettle Lake Elementary          G.R.A.H.A. Mite                                MI*   

Bennett Schneider   12        4.0           Canterbury School                 Ellenton Eels PeeWee AA                 FL

Daniel Monteforte  13          3.5         J.T. Lambert Middle Sch        Lehigh Valley Thunder Bantam A    PA     

Sean LaDouce          10          3.97       Saginaw Sherwood Elem       Bay City Blizzards Squirt AA            MI

Ryan Corgan             12          4.0         N. Muskegon Middle Sch    Muskegon Chiefs PeeWee B4          MI*    Brian Okarski            15          4.0+     Florida High School                Palm Beach Panthers Bantam AAA  FL

Matthew Rosenthal   9         3.75     Chaparrel Elementary          Calabasas Ice Dogs  Squirts                  CA*
Daniel Harris             11         3.5       Emerson Valley Middle       Milton Keynes Junior Kings          England  

Adam VanOpstall    13           4.0       Calvin Christian Middle          Grandville Community Bantam        MI*    Jeremy Hopersberger 9        4.0        Home schooled                    Flint Icelanders Squirt AAA                 MI*

Matt Schmalzel,         9        4.0        St. Anthony's Elem              GRAHA Mite                                            MI 

Lucas McShosh        10       4.0        Bauer Elementary                 Holland Ice Dogs Squirt AA                 MI 

Lyndsay Laxton        13         3.75      Forest Hills Northn  Middle G.R. Griffins Girls 15 & U Travel        MI*

Gavin Harnstrom      10          3.75      Carpenter Elementary              Paramount Panthers Squirt BB         CA

Kelsey Harnstrom     11       3.75         Downey South Middle         Sante Fe Springs Coyotes B              CA

Jonathan Yurewitch, 13       3.58        Bonita Springs Middle GP   Naples Roller Hockey League             FL
Cory Yurewitch,         9        4.0           Bonita Springs Elementary  Junior Everblades Mite Ice Hockey   FL

 *Attendees of my hockey school.

       I hope all of you will be able to make this list.  If you qualify, Email your name, age, school, team, and state.  To qualify you must have a GPA (on a 4.0 scale A= 4.0, A- = 3.75, B+ = 3.25, B= 3.0, etc) of 3.50 or better, an average overall grade improvement (or OGI) of at least one full grade over last year , or a Teacher Recommendation (or TR) which must be Emailed directly to me by your teacher and be based on outstanding achievement in a non-letter graded situation.                    

A TIP TO KIDS FROM DAN’S DAD…

      Dan wanted to write to your parents this issue so I thought I’d take a turn in writing to you.  I personally know some of you who subscribe to this Newsletter and know that many of you play hockey for the fun of it.  Some of you have serious intentions to play at higher levels, including the NHL.  These words are for all of you, regardless of why you play the sport.

 I want to tell you that of all the things that determine how far you go in the sport (or in life) character matters as much as (maybe more than) your skill level.  The word character has a lot of meanings.  I use it here as meaning the combination of qualities or features that distinguishes you from another person and it shows in your attitudes.

Your character, as evidenced by your attitudes, is an important factor that people use to evaluate you.  In track and field, your skills can be measured by a stop watch (how fast can your run?) or a tape measure (how high can you jump?) – those are objective assessments.  In team sports, like hockey, your skills are valued subjectively – that is, by someone’s opinion about you.  

Your coach’s opinion of you will be influenced by how good of a player you are, but it will also be influenced by how good of a person you are.  Why is it important what your coach thinks about your character?  Let me give you an example from Dan’s career.

Right after college, Dan was playing in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).  His coach was Jeff Brubaker.  Dan’s goal was to get promoted out of the ECHL onto a team in the AHL.  On any given day, a coach from an AHL team might need a player to replace one who was injured.  He would call Coach Brubaker and say, “We need a forward.  Can you recommend someone who could help us out?" At that moment Coach Brubaker had the fate of all his forwards in his hands.  Someone from his team was going to get a huge break and Brubaker would decide who it will be.  How will he make that decision?

 Brubaker will make it so that he will look good.  Why?  Because he wants the selection to reflect well on himself.  He wouldn’t mind getting promoted to coach in the AHL as well.  So he’s going to pick the player who will be a credit to his program.  He will pick someone who is a hard worker, who will be coach-able, a player who will be in control.  And who came to mind?  Well, Dan Bylsma came to his mind several times.  If Dan were lazy, loud-mouthed, inconsiderate, un-coach-able, or a whiner, Brubaker would be sending him down a league, not up a league.  Coaches recommend the good guys for promotion - the guys who will be a credit to their program.  They get rid of the undesirable ones.          

Jeff Brubaker later told me what he saw in Dan.  He said, “It was immediately apparent when Dan came to us that he was a quality person.  We were surprised that someone of this caliber had filtered down to the ECHL.  The fact that he was a million miles from the NHL did not seem to lead him into the rut that most players in this league get into - consumed by the feeling that they had too far to go to make it.  Dan seemed to operate on the theory that if he did everything possible to become the best player he could be, someone would notice and he would get a break.  He was right.”

Notice Coach Brubaker didn’t say Dan was talented or tough.  He said Dan was “a quality person” and that he “did everything possible to become the best player he could be”.  He was talking about attitudes - Dan’s character.  So being a quality person is as important as being a good hockey player.  It made Coach Brubaker, like every other coach Dan has had, like him. 

We’ve often said that the first question a college coach will ask when scouting a prospective player is “What are the kid’s grades?”.  Well, the second question is, “What kind of a kid is he?”   They want to know about the player’s character.  I hope when the Juniors coach or the college recruiter or coach calls to ask what kind of a kid you are, words like “lazy,” “does just enough to get by,” “inconsiderate,” “selfish,” “doesn’t listen to the coach,” “smokes,” and “got into some trouble with the law” are not the words that come to your coach’s mind. 

I hope he can use words like “hard working,” “a leader,” “coach-able,” “team player,” “no trouble off the ice,” and “a credit to our program.”  I want it to be said of you, “This is a young person of character” and “this young man or woman has their head screwed on straight.” 

One of the premier college programs in the US is Boston College.  Jerry York is the Golden Eagles’ head coach.  He was Dan’s coach as well as Dan’s oldest brother Scott’s coach at Bowling Green State University.  Coach York has this to say about character, “When I recruit kids for BC, character is as important a consideration as talent.”

Right now, you’re not trying to get out of the ECHL into the AHL or the NHL, but each and every one of you are or have been involved in getting drafted or trying out for teams.  It’s never too late to be working on becoming a good person as well as a good player.   If you don’t, life after hockey will come very soon, most likely sooner than you might want.   And your character matters then, too. 

“What lies behind us and lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.”  - Ralph Waldo Emerson (suggested by Phil Hopersberger to whom we are indebted for proof reading these newsletters each month).

 OUTDOOR (Backyard) RINKS:

We know from your phone calls and Emails that at least eight of you have attempted backyard ice rinks using either the advice in Chapter 33 of the new book or Q&A 30 on the web site. Adam V. of Grandville, MI. has been skating since Dec. 22.  Even my boys (including Dan) have asked if I’m going to make one this year. 

I’m so pleased for those of you who’ve tried it and succeeded.  Some of the best family times we’ve ever had came from the endless games of shinny played in the backyard and an incidental benefit is that I remained convinced that it was the backyard ice rink that gave my boys the skill level to advance in the game – to college hockey and for Dan the NHL.  Believe me, it’s worth every bone chilling, mind-numbing minute of effort you put into it (I say from the comfort of my warm home office while it’s 6 degrees F below 0 and blowing snow outside as I write).  If you’ve tried a rink, let me hear of your success – or heartbreak.  Drop me a note at dbylsma@danbylsma.com.

THIS MONTH’S SAYING TO PUT IN YOUR LOCKER:

“We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
                                                                                                            - Aristotle

ABOUT ONE KID’S TRIP TO THE NHL—current installment

     I thought you might like to know what an NHL practice is like.  First, we are required to be ready to go “all out” at the start of practice; there’s not any time given to warming up or stretching.  So you ride the bike and stretch before going onto the ice.

     Typically the first 10 to 15 minutes is devoted to skating.  Drills that focus on length of stride, acceleration, and crossovers are worked into most every practice – just like at hockey camp! 

     There are 10 to 15 minutes of puck handling, stick handling and puck protection drills.  Sometimes these are combined with some of the skating drills.    

     There are 10 – 15 minutes in nearly every NHL practice spent on two or three drills that are primarily focused on passing skills with the intention of doing it at full speed to simulate game situations and improve passing proficiency.  Each of these drills is finished up with a shot on the goaltender to warm him up and give him some practice.

     Another part of every NHL practice is one-on-one, two-on-two, and three-on-two rushes/attacks.  These are designed to simulate game-like situations in which the intention is to attack the net in hopes of creating a scoring chance.  This is also a chance for players to work on defensive techniques.

     Then the last portion of practice simulates game situations that the team needs to work on to improve team play; such as breakouts, regroup situations, or fore-checking in the defensive zone.  Usually these drills are broken down into specific sections of the ice so that certain aspects of the play can be worked on in a controlled environment.

     For example, we just played Pittsburgh this afternoon.  During this part of our practice time the day before the game we worked on breakouts using a D to D pass, then up to the weak side winger hoping to take advantage of the Penguins’ forecheck that has three forwards on the strong or puck side of the ice.  Sometimes we work on the power play or the penalty kill prior to the start of practice.

     You can usually hear one or more of the coaches harping on certain messages or lessons he’s trying to drive home.  For Guy Charron, he likes to emphasize hitting the net with your shot, keep moving your feet, driving to the net, and stopping in front of the net.      Why do bank robbers rob banks?  Why to goal scorers go to the net?  That’s where the money is.

     I hope you can see that an NHL practice is skating, stick handling, passing – just like your practices.  So if you don’t like to work on your skating – like lengthening your stride, for example – you won’t like the NHL very much. 

Dan Bylsma  #21

So Your Son Wants to Play In The NHL    Published in 1998 by Sleeping Bear Press in the US and McClelland & Stewart in Canada.  HC $24.95.  The story of Dan’s journey from the ice rink in our back yard to the NHL.  “This is the best hockey advise since ‘Don’t rile Gordie Howe’”.  "This is more than a hockey book.  It's a book about life and how to use simple lessons and values for success.  …a refreshing straight-ahead approach that makes you feel that you've learned something."  Autographed and personalized copies available at www.DanBylsma.com.

So You Want to Play In The NHL  Published in November, 2000, by NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group.  Trade paperback—$14.95.  Thirty-five questions that aspiring young athletes have and Dan’s and Jay’s alternating answers. Forward by Luc Robitaille. This book won’t help you play the game better, but we think it will help you live the game better.  “I am making this book required reading for my team because it confirms everything I have ever said in the locker room and to parents.” Coach John M. Autographed copies available at www.DanBylsma.com.

 Pitcher’s Hands is OUT!   To be published next month by River Road Publishing.  HC $15.95.  A historical novel about what it was like to be a kid living in the Great Depression.  It’s a great baseball tale.   “…a wonderful story – rich in historical detail, full of excitement, warmth, and humor – a story that readers of all ages will not want to end.”  Autographed copies available at www.DanBylsma.com.