Volume 2, Issue 6 - February, 2002  

 "From the Right Wing…"

For a printer friendly version - click here                                      www.DanBylsma.com  

This month's issue contains:

 DAN'S TIP OF THE MONTH   THIS MONTH'S QUESTION   TRUST FUND AUCTION   TIPS FROM HOCKEY CAMP 

 DAN'S HONOR ROLL  COACH'S TIP   THE SAYING OF THE MONTH   DAN TRIP IN THE NHL   DAN & JAY'S BOOKS 

  A WAY TO SUBSCRIBE

This is about the time when players and their parents start thinking about if and where they will play next year.  For some of you, it's a simple progression in your association's structure; that is, you were a major PeeWee on the AA Travel team, next year you will be a minor Bantam on the Bantam AA Travel Team.  Others of you have choices.  There may be several associations in your area, all looking for the best talent.  Nowhere is that more prevalent than in the Greater Toronto Hockey League. A father/coach, Scott Moulson, from that hockey hotbed assembled his thoughts on what parents and players should look for, and look out for, when it comes to being scouted and scouting potential teams and coaches to play for.  Here's his advice:

1. You can learn a lot about a coach from when he starts recruiting.

Every coach keeps in touch with the superstars, the small group of coveted players. That’s normal. Some coaches with good teams are out recruiting half a team in December. Remember, the season lasts eight months. If you are good, but not in the top 10% being recruited in January or December - before the season is half over,  that coach is giving up on someone and is admitting a prior recruiting mistake. It’s not always the coach’s fault, but you better make sure you understand who he wants to replace and why. Otherwise, you might be next season’s outcast.

2. Promises are made to be broken, don’t ask for them and don’t believe them.

It’s nice to hear, “I promise your son will be double shifted, wear the C, play PP and PK.” Fact is there are so many variables a coach faces in a season, the good ones know they cannot keep those promises. Stick with a coach who says, “I am thinking playing him in this position and in these situations, but everything on my team is earned. Here’s what I looking for from players who will earn those spots.” Understand what he likes, even dislikes about your son’s play and decide for yourself if there is a fit.

3. Personal development is more important to a player’s future success than the quality of your team.

Better teams play more games against better competition than weaker ones. That is good for personal development. Better teams tend to shorten their benches more than weak teams. If you sit on a bench and don’t play, that is disastrous for personal development. Each one of Matt’s friends that we discussed above eventually rebounded from being cut/shuffled around to become the “go to” guy on another team. Good practices are fine, but being on the ice in crucial situations (power play, penalty kill, and last minute) is necessary to develop. Go with a team that will play you in these key situations.

4. Do your homework - Games.

Just as leopards seldom change their spots, coaches seldom change their styles. What may appear on the surface to be a good program may not be. Watch games. Does the coach use all his players and do they all seem to be contributing? Does he rely on one or two or five superstars to win games? If he relies on a few players who get all the ice in key situations to win games for him, you may be watching a good recruiter, not a developer. Again a player’s future success depends on how well that player develops relative to his peer group over time. That peer group includes thousands of players around the world several years older and younger.

5. Do your homework – Practices

To skate faster, shoot harder, think quicker, etc you must practice these skills at a high pace in practice OR you must do outside work that focuses on these skills. Some coach’s focus on systems, some focus on individual skills. If you need to work on skating, it might be better for you to go to a coach who emphasizes individual skill development such as skating or stickhandling at his practices rather than a systems person. You may go to a great skating school or practice with an older team in your organization – and systems or the thinking part of the game are what you need to work on. Go to a coach that will help you there. In ten years when you want to play pro, you will need as many of these skills as you can possibly absorb and develop.

6. Take off the rose colored glasses, assess yourself and a new coach objectively.

Recruiting time is a wonderful time of year. Love is in the air. If you get an offer, chances are the new coach has watched you. He has picked out a few minor flaws he can point out to you and he will also let you know he can help you improve. The pitch goes something like, “(insert present coach here) is not using you right. You will do (insert promises here) on my team.” Remember, your existing coach has to deal with 16 players as will the new coach when you join his team. Don’t expect miracles and don’t believe every promise. Understand your strengths and weaknesses and play for the coach that realistically explains what he will help you with and how he will help you given the other demands on his time..

7. Throw away the crutches

In Dan Bylsma’s book, he talks about pros that always have an excuse. "If I could play in the AHL with better players, if I got a chance in the NHL, if I had different linemates, if my coach let me play a different style." The guys who make it are the ones that throw away the excuses and focus on making themselves better. They do not worry about who is on their line. Over the years many times we have seen parents blame a coach for a player’s poor play, only to have another parent come to us after the fact to tell us what a detriment that player was to the team. If you are not brutally honest about where you fit in the pecking order and what you have to work on, you will always be looking for the magic formula, a new coach, a new set of teammates, and you will always be disappointed.

8. Let the player make the final decision on where he is going to play

It took me about five years to figure this one out. If there was a difference of opinion on where one of my kids would play, and if I pushed them in the direction I wanted, the result was failure. When they chose, the decision was without exception the right one. Upon reflection, I think that is because a big part of development is attitude and enthusiasm for the game. If a player shares the same philosophies, principles, and characteristics as his coach, there is a good chance they will work together well. I have seen this with players we have tried to recruit. Where the parent asked all the questions and was obviously making the decision, invariably that player was looking for a new team the next year (if not earlier). Young players can be very perceptive in this area. By all means, jointly discuss the decision making process. Parents can expose players to different coaches, but they must step back and let the player make the decision.

9. Assess the type of parents associated with the club

A coach could win every game during a season and some parents would still complain. Some of these parents can destroy the chemistry on even the tightest teams. Sometimes reputations are undeserved. More often than not, the rule “where there’s smoke there is fire”, applies to minor hockey. I have seen 12 year olds publicly ridiculed for their play by teammates’ parents who do not comprehend the words “leadership” and “teamwork”. Do not underestimate the damage these people can do. Trust your instincts and do not worry about turning down an otherwise acceptable situation because you are concerned about a problem parent. September to March is a long time for anyone to live with a mistake.

10. No matter what your decision, once you have made it, live with it – no excuses

One of the players who plays against my son is Darryl Moore of the Brantford Eagles (Mid-West Jr. B). Darryl is not a big player. He broke his arm and was out of the line-up for several weeks. When he has been in the lineup, his linemates have changed just about every game. To top it off, Darryl’s team has won ONE game out of TWENTY-FIVE this year. He had all the ready made excuses, but did not use them. Instead, he concentrated on his own development. Guess who is going to Western Michigan on a full NCAA Division I scholarship next year? Once you have made your decision, refuse to be sidetracked from being the best player you can be, no matter what happens.

11. Not just for recruiting season - hockey dreams do come true if you want them bad enough

A lot of well-meaning people like to remind us that making the NHL or even an OHL or NCAA team is like winning the lottery, very unlikely. That is a great phrase to remind us to make sure we are having fun while moving towards our goals and have alternatives if things don’t work out. Facts are, players from Ontario will make it, and those players will not necessarily be the most talented minor hockey players. Don't let anyone talk you out of your dreams, but don’t underestimate the price you have to pay to get there.

FINALLY, HAPPY RECRUITING SEASON TO ONE AND ALL!                  Scott Moulson

Scott Moulson is the father of Matt Moulson, the young player who earned a full ride to Cornell that we featured in the November Newsletter.  What Coach Moulson says expands on what we've said a time or two; tryouts are not to see if your son or daughter is good enough to play on this team or that, rather it's to see if this team or that is good enough for your son or daughter. Our thanks to Mr. Moulson for his insights and willingness to share them with us.  To read Coach Moulson's entire piece, click here or go to www.danbylsma.com/Scottltr.htm 

THIS MONTH'S BEST QUESTION ON THE WEB SITE…

Dan: My son plays AAA midget hockey and the parents of our team have recently voted to allow the consumption of alcohol for the parents on the team bus on road trips. We voted against this and are appalled that parents want to break the law and be a negative example to our boys. Recently both assistant coaches got drunk on the bus and an injured player who wasn't going to play brought and consumed alcohol. The GM and the management of the team won't do anything about it because they claim they don't want to hurt the morale of our first place team at this point in the season. We have rules in our association which states that no player will be allowed to consume alcohol at any team function but there is no enforcement because of the playoffs. Can you give us some advice? Frustrated Parents

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The auction for the King's tickets, team signed sticks, and locker room area pass exceeded all expectations for a couple of reasons.  First, the high bid for the package was a whopping $1,625.  Then, the high bidder has auctioning off the second ticket for $300, proceeds of which he has also donated to my Fund - total $1,925.  Also two other King's fans offered to donate some additional packages.  One item - a casting director offered a walk-on part on Tom Cruise's next movie - that auction will come up at a later time. 

Another generous individual offered two tickets to the Kings/Canucks game on April 2, 2002.  Great seats - Section 107, Row 10 Seats 17 & 18 plus (in his own words):

"The second item is somewhat unique - I believe it's one of your first NHL jerseys. I bought the jersey from the Kings at the equipment sale they had in March 1996 at Iceoplex. It is a road #42 CCM jersey of the style used in 88/89 but it has the Bylsma nameplate.  Upon further examination from the inside, the nameplate has been changed. The old one was slightly larger than Bylsma - #42 was worn by defenseman Steve Richmond for nine games in 88-89 and by Dominic Lavoie in eight games in 93-94. I'm pretty sure that the NHL logo was on all the jerseys by 93-94 so that would mean that this is probably the Richmond 88-89 jersey that got renamed for you in the 1994 preseason since the Kings went to Starter for 1996-97.

It does have a couple of areas of team repair - including the neck - so I believe it is your pre-season away jersey before you stayed up with the Kings full time."

I'm not sure, but this may be the first NHL jersey I ever wore in an exhibition game against the Rangers in Phoenix in 1994.  Because not many of my hockey family can use the tickets, I'm going to post this auction item on the LetsGoKings.com web site also.

The bidding will start now at $50 and will be closed on March 1st at 12 midnight E.S.T.  You can see the rules for bidding and place a bid by going to the Charitable Trust Fund page on my web site www.DanBylsma.com or by clicking here and going to the bottom of the page. 

Mary Beth and I are very grateful for those of you who participate in these auctions.  The response has enabled us to help kids who otherwise would be hard pressed to play the game - either in terms of fees or equipment and we've been able to help some people who are fighting the battle of stillbirths.  Thank you very much.

P.S. There will be another Kids' Auction in a few weeks.  I have some great stuff including a numbered (#279/1999) Wayne Gretzky Farewell souvenir puck.

(This is a reprint of an article that appeared in the Newsletter last February.  Because the subscription list is about 1000 families larger than it was in 2001, we though it worth repeating)

This may seem a bit early to think about summer hockey camp, but my father tells me mine is already nearly full.  There are nearly 500,000 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 that 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 other 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.

Should I, a coach or parent, consider attending a summer camp for adults?

I know that many coaches, like my father, lack the ability to teach skating fundamentals - truth be told and admitted, some of you don't skate that well yourself.  The most important thing you can do in terms of improving your players' skill level and consequently their performance is to improve their skating fundamentals.  It's a battle to play the game if you can't skate proficiently.  So I strongly recommend going to a skating clinic or adult camp where you can learn the fundamentals and how to teach them.  The key here is to learn the teaching techniques so you can pass them along to your players and then reinforce these techniques throughout the year.  Several coaches who come to the adult session of my camp tell me they come for just for that purpose.  I think they really come because it's a great time and they have a chance to re-live their childhood - but those are difficult reasons to sell back home. 

DAN’S HONOR ROLL 

NAME

AGE

GPA

 SCHOOL

 TEAM

STATE

Mitch MacLoed

Spring Lake Intermediate

GRAHA Griffins PeeWee A

MI**

Cliff Jones ‡

Spring Lake Middle

Muskegon House PeeWees

 MI*

Marshall Jones

Spring Lake Intermediate

Muskegon House Squirt

MI*

Winston Jones

Holmes Elementary

Muskegon House Squirt

Tyler Spiering ‡

Sylvan Christian

EGRAHA PeeWee B

Zach Fussey

Holy Family Catholic

IYHL Irish Rovers Mite A

Joe Adams

St. Paul's Lutheran

Jr. Ducks Squirt A

Bryan Duke

Perry Meridian Middle

Indy Racers PeeWee A

Ross Hinkle

Wayland Pine Street

Grizzlies Squirt AA

Aaron Alkema ‡

Kettle Lake Elementary

GRAHA Griffins Mite AA

Daniel Monteforte ‡

E. Stroudsburg Sr. HS

Lehigh Valley Bantam A

Bennett Schneider ‡

Ft. Meyers Canterbury

Jr Everblades PeeWee Grn

Joshua Valkema

Jenison Public

Jenison Wildcats PeeWee B

Casey Hobbs

Pleasant View Middle

Pueblo Panther PeeWee

Mark Hazel

Pinewood Middle

Kentwood PeeWee AA

Ryan Corgan ‡

North Muskegon Middle

Muskegon Chiefs PeeWeeB1

Jody Lisicky

Garnet Valley Middle

Quakers Squirt AA

Max Goldstein

Loggers Run Middle

Jr. Panthers PeeWee

Jeremy Hopersberger ‡

Laingsburg Elementary

Flint Phantoms Squirt AA

Dan Dunbar

Los Flores  Middle

South Coast Sabers PeeWee A

Barrick Bollman‡

Upton Middle

S.  Bend Irish Rovers PeeWee A

Piero Iberti

Packer Collegiate

N.J. Jr. Devils  PeeWee Minor

Josh Corgan ‡

N. Muskegon Elementary

Muskegon Chiefs Squirt AA1

Kevin Brooks

3.75

Brandon Ryfiak

Mark Jannenga

Paul Engman

Lucas McShosh‡

Andrew Fried

Ian Jendro‡

James Donley

James Sheff

Michael Orlando

Chris Orlando

Jonathan Koslop

Seth Hawthorne

Zach Runge

Ryan Christiansen

Brad Christiansen

Mathew Rosenthal

Cody Hunn

Parker Ewles

Brandon Grieves

Tim Thompson

Andrew Lawrence

David Lawrence

Alex Toppin

Drew Toppin

Cody Horton

Taylor Compton

Brendon Stahel

Andrew Frank

Shannon Kelsey

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PARENT TO PARENTS AND COACHES from Jay...  

As you know from previous newsletters, perusing the web site, or because you are a member of our Roundtable discussion group, Dan and I have been concerned about the black eye that youth hockey has been sporting lately.  We have initiated a program called IT PAYS, an acronym that stands for I Teach Positive Attitudes in Youth Sports.  The program is well past the thinking and talking stage and I'd like to tell you about the progress we've made.

We have formed a non-profit corporation -  IT PAYS, Inc. - to be the entity through which the program is operated.  Because it's non-profit, Dan can contribute to and funnel gifts through his charitable trust fund and have them be tax deductible.

We have hired a web developer to develop the HockeyItPays.com web site.  The site will contain the on-line reporting system that is the heart of the IT PAYS program as well as the ability to download materials, contracts, reporting forms, etc.

We have hired a creative designer to develop our materials, logos, and art work.  We have mock-ups of the brochures and the contracts and they are very attractive.  The logo we've decided on is in the upper right-hand corner of the newsletter.  We have also contracted with a public relations firm to help us kick off the program when the time comes.  

We are in the process of securing the backing of the NHL Players Association that we hope will come in the form of a brochure and individual NHL players endorsements.

We have secured several youth hockey organizations who have agreed to test the system in the late winter of this current season and we are confident that several Associations around the country will sign on to the program for their Mites for the 2002/2003 season.

We are in discussion with the NHL teams to sponsor the IT PAYS program financially for youth hockey organizations in their marketing area.

There has been a positive response to the program just from the little bit of information that is on the site and we're excited about the prospects for its success.   While it cannot make anyone happy, the violence in youth hockey that's been in the national news couldn't come at a better time for our initiative.

We'll keep you posted on our progress.

Some other information for our hockey friends:

- The Institute for International Sports has honored Dan by being named a Sports Ethics Fellow.  The announcement will be made on March 5.  Among the other current honorees are David Robinson (NBA) and Jeff Gordon, (NASCAR) and past honorees include Grant Hill, Kirby Pucket, and Joe Paterno.  The past honorees from the NHL have been Sergei Fedorov and Ken Dryden.   To see all the current and past Sports Ethics Fellows go to http://www.internationalsport.com/nsd/nsd_sefellows.cfm.

- As Dan warned you in an earlier note, I have posted video clips of some of Dan's goals on the web site that you can see if your computer has Real Player or Windows Media Player. My favorites are the short-handed backhander (up in a day or two) and the flat-on-his-belly-goals.  Check them out.    

Jay M. Bylsma

THIS MONTH'S SAYING TO PUT IN YOUR LOCKER...

"Football (Hockey) is a great deal like life in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, perseverance, competitive drive, selflessness, and respect for authority are the price each and every one of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile."
                                                                                            -Vince Lombardi  

ONE KID'S TRIP TO THE NHL - current installment...

As I write this, the Duckies have won seven of their last nine games.  And it’s great to be winning.  But the Ducks are last in our division and it’s not been the winning season we had hoped it would be.  I can tell you that my teammates and I didn’t get to the NHL because we can tolerate losing very easily.  Quite to the contrary, anytime we lose, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.  Coaches get grumpy, the media analyzes, trade rumors fly, fans get impatient, and sometimes your father is the only person you can really talk to.  It is easier to have fun and easier to get excited about playing games and working hard if you’re winning. 

  I know that statistically, half of you are also playing on teams that are losing more games than you are winning so I thought you might benefit from hearing what you can do to focus on positive things that can keep the game enjoyable no matter if you win or lose. 

First, even though you’re losing, it’s still fun to lace up the skates and play the game – see how many face-offs you can win, shots you can block, goals you can score, or good plays you can make.  Because in the last analysis you don’t play to win, you play to compete – and while it’s more fun to win, it can be satisfying to know you’ve done your best.  So focus on things that can be little victories for you and your teammates. 

You can also have personal victories with your line mates.  You can set and attain goals of not being scored on or having a positive plus/minus or scoring so many goals per game. 

You can also take pride in some victories that are a bit short of winning.  Sometimes scoring the goal that spoils the other team’s shutout can be very satisfying.  Or scoring more goals against the best team in the league than any other team did is a moral victory that can be rewarding.  Another thing you can do is set smaller goals within the game: perhaps you can’t skate with a particular team for a whole game, but you can decide you’re going to win the first period. 

Hopefully, your coach is more into being a good role model and teaching you life lessons than winning.  So if you are losing, he will be able to emphasize the positive things about competing, your personal victories, and help you learn to be a good loser as well as being a gracious winner.  It can be difficult if your coach thinks his main goal is to have a winning team and he shows his frustration with your team’s losing. That's what coaches in the NHL do.  So it may seem like you’re playing in the NHL but without getting paid even enough to pay for the video games at the rink. 

 For me, I concentrate on how fortunate I am to be able to play the game: to come charging out of the tunnel into the spotlight, hear the roar of the crowd, feel the adrenalin pump, and to actually play the greatest game in the world against the best players in the world.  I can take pride in the fact that even though the Ducks are not contenders, the penalty kill has been ranked 5^th best in the NHL (a Ducks' team record) and I'm having the best year of my career - scoring more goals and more assists than ever.  And my line, the Ducks fourth line, is the only line with a positive plus/minus.  The alternative for me is to get a real job and play old men’s hockey.

 You too have a chance to play the greatest game in the world at your level, to hear your parents scream their approval when you come out on the ice or make a good play.  You can have your own personal goals and personal bests like I have mine.  And you are hanging out with your friends, developing your skills and athleticism, and hopefully learning some valuable life lessons.  The alternative for you is to stay home, do your chores, and play video games.  Let's play hockey!

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 advice 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." LA Times.  Autographed and personalized copies available at www.DanBylsma.com.

So You Want to Play In The NHL Published in November, 2000, by NTC/ Contemporary/McGraw-Hill. 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. You can read a chapter by clicking here.  Autographed and personalized copies available at www.DanBylsma.com.