Volume 2, Issue 8 - Summer, 2002

 "From the Right Wing…"

ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS  #21

Dan Bylsma’s Newsletter --- A Feature of West Michigan Hockey Camp, Inc.

(Printer Friendly Version)

TThis 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

DAN’S TIP OF THE MONTH FOR PLAYERS…

One of the pieces of advice I've stressed over the past years in the importance of hanging up the skates for the summer, play other sports, do other things, and have some fun (like fishing).   Among the reasons for that advice are:

•  to develop your athleticism.  This is because the players who advance in the sport are the good athletes, not necessarily the good hockey players.

• to avoid getting burned out on hockey.

• to make new friends and have new experiences.

• to stop picking your parent's pocketbooks for ice time money and skate sharpening.

• other sports have something to teach you that will help your hockey.

I know that some youth hockey coaches don't subscribe to that advice and think if you don't skate over the summer, you will fall behind.

Those of you who are enrolled to attend my hockey camp have received some pre-camp instructions and I included the first few pages of my Mighty Ducks summer training program/manual.  Realize this is a training manual designed for players who are arguably the best hockey players in the world - not for PeeWees or Bantams.  But this is what it says -  these are the very first sentences in the manual:

"What is the off-season?  It is the valuable time that falls between the end of one competitive season and the beginning of the next.  It is a time when a hockey player must focus on recovery, development, and preparation, respectively.  It is a time to focus on becoming a better athlete, not necessarily a better hockey player".

I've highlighted the sentence that I think is important for you.  This is the introduction to a NHL team's summer training manual in which the writer repeats the advice I've been giving you: do you want to become a better hockey player?  Become a better athlete.  If that advice is good enough for the likes of Paul Kariya, it should be good enough for you.  So I hope this special summer addition of my newsletter finds you playing baseball, soccer, tennis, golf, swimming, fishing, etc. and having fun doing it.

I received a letter from a father of a goalie who wanted to know if his son could skate where I skated in the summer because "I don't want him getting rusty or falling into bad habits."  I'm sure that father was surprised to learn that I haven't taken to the ice since my last game of the season and I won't play any hockey until the middle of August.  And you know what, I'm already itching for the season to start - just like I did when I was a kid and I didn't skate all summer.

More on this in the next section "THIS SUMMER'S BEST QUESTION ON THE WEB SITE..."

Dan Bylsma

THIS MONTH'S BEST QUESTIONS ON THE WEB SITE…

Dan: I have three questions.  1) How much organized hockey should I play over the summer?  2) How many hockey camps/clinics should I do over the summer?  and 3) How many hours a week of ice hockey is enough? T.B.

Dear T.B.: How much organized hockey should you play over the summer? None. Play baseball, soccer, golf, but don't play hockey. You get to be a better hockey player by increasing your athleticism and you do that by playing other sports. Besides, if you love hockey, you don't want to get burned out. I didn't play hockey from May to October and then I was so excited for the season to start, I couldn't sleep the night before. Each year my father noticed that I was better at the beginning of a new season than I was at the end of the last season.  He concluded that I had increased my athleticism and that translated into being a better athlete, and consequently a better hockey player. Add to that your doctor will tell you it isn't good for your physical development to play just one sport. And if you want to play in the NHL, you better be as physically developed as possible

 

How many hockey camps/clinics should you attend over the summer? Do you deserve to go to any? Are your grades good? Do you do your chores when you are told? Have you earned part of the money yourself? If you do deserve to go, you should only go to one week. If you want to go to camp for two weeks, make the second camp an Odyssey of the Mind Camp, a Band Camp, a Boy Scout camp, or a just plain fun camp. Hockey is not that important to go to a camp for two weeks. I only went for one week - ever - and I had to earn part of the money and I couldn't have gone if my grades were not up to my best effort. I'd have been in summer school or Math Camp.

 

Then, how many hours a week of ice hockey is enough? Enough to do what? You are a child. Playing games is part of your childhood. Asking me how many hours a week of ice hockey is enough is like asking me how many hours of Monopoly or Kick the Can is enough (those are some of the other games of childhood). Hockey is a pastime - you do it because it's fun. When it isn't fun anymore, stop doing it. If you told me you wanted to be a doctor when you grew up, would you be asking me what part of your childhood should you sacrifice now by practicing to be a doctor? I don't think so. Play hockey if (and only if) and when (and only when) it's fun. When you're tired of it or you're not having fun, quit and do something that is fun.

 Dan Bylsma  

MY CHARITABLE TRUST FUND...

The auction for the Teemu Selanne bear - a bright blue "Beenie Baby" type bear, a signed copy of our second book, "So You Want To Play in the NHL", and a Wayne Gretzky farewell tour numbered puck brought a high bid of $24.75.  I had several of the pucks and the bears so we offered the same deal to the four highest bidders.  Then some of my good friends offer to match the highest bid.  So all together, over $200 was contributed to my Charitable Trust Fund. 

Thanks to all that participated and this Kid's Auction has generated so much interest, we'll do it again next season. 

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

NOTES FROM DAN'S HOCKEY CAMP ...

We have had some unusual situations arise for hockey camp this year.  One parent called to say that his son's report card came home at the end of the school year and the grades on it were not reflective of what the young man was capable.  So, because hockey camp was a reward for taking care of your responsibilities and he had shirked his responsibilities, there would be no hockey camp.  They would have to forfeit their non-refundable deposit and wouldn't be coming (from some distance).  It was reminiscent of what my father would have done to me under the same circumstances.  I supported that father's decision.  We not only returned the deposit to the family, but I wrote a letter to the young man encouraging him to do better next year and enclosed a copy of the book.  I suggested he should read Chapter 4, "What's One of the Most Important Things You Need to Do to Make to the NHL".  I hope to see his name on my Honor Roll next season and at camp next year as well.

 I'll let you in on a secret.  This year you will skate with two Mighty Ducks at my hockey camp.  My best friend in hockey, Todd Reirden (defenseman (Edmonton, St. Louis, Atlanta) who helps out at my hockey camp) has agreed to terms and will be signing with the Mighty Ducks.  I hope the good luck I've had playing against him will carry over to me as I play with him.  It'll be nice to have a long time friend in the locker room and on the ice with us. 

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

PARENT TO PARENT from Jay...  

As I've written in the past, Dan and I have begun an initiative to try to clean up the sullied reputation that youth hockey has developed in the past years.  We've called it IT PAYS which stands for I Teach Positive Attitudes in Youth Sports. I'm pleased to report that we've made more progress to date than we had hoped to dream.  This is some of the exciting things that have happened in the past few months:

• The NHL has endorsed the program and given us funding.

• The NHLPA (Players Association) has endorsed the program and given us funding.

• The Center for Sports Parenting has endorsed the program.

• The web site is nearly complete.  You can see and download nearly all the materials at www.HockeyITPAYS.com.

• The IT PAYS Board of Directors met on July 9 in Detroit.  A great group of hockey people who have the same passion as Dan and I for doing something to improve the climate in the sport at the youth level.  See who these people are by clicking here.

• The program has been funded by the Kings, the Ducks, and the Sharks for all the Mites in California.

• The Kings and Ducks have agreed to sponsor IT PAYS tournaments at the end of the season whereby not the winningest teams, but the teams in California with the highest IT PAYS ratings will compete.

• The program has been funded by the Griffins for all the Mites in the Grand Rapids area.

• We're in the process of negotiation with other NHL and AHL teams to sponsor the Mites in their marketing areas.

• Our goal to have 5,000 Mites in the program this next season is reachable.

Dan and I are very gratified with the acceptance IT PAYS has received so far.  If you would like to inquire about the IT PAYS program for the Mites in your local hockey association, call us at 888-778-8874 and talk to Dan or I.  We'd be pleased for your interest and will send you a packet of our materials.

 We have some ideas for a national IT PAYS tournament in the spring to coincide with National Sportsmanship Day.  We're looking for a sponsor who will underwrite a tournament in which teams with the best IT PAYS ratings from around the country will be invited - again not the teams with the best won/loss records, but the teams whose players, coaches, and parents have demonstrated the highest ideals of sportsmanship and appropriate behavior. 

Gee... maybe, just maybe it's not whether you won or lost but how you played (and coached and watched the game) that matters after all.  A little bird whispered in my ear that that this kind of a tournament is such a novel idea, it would be a media event and even Hockey Night in Canada would cover a tournament like that. 

Are you or do you know a company who would think this is an idea worth sponsoring? 

Jay M. Bylsma

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

"It was worth it.  All the training, all the playing, all these seasons, to skate under the Cup just once in my career."

                                                      Luc Robitaille
 

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

I didn't write my usual newsletter at the end of the season.  While it was the best season I've had in the NHL personally, frankly, I was disappointed with the season the Ducks had and didn't think I could say much of interest that would be meaningful. 

I thought the Stanley Cup games were great.  I'm pleased that my friend Luc Robitaille could finally hoist the cup after his long Hall of Fame career.  I thought Carolina's run was a good thing for hockey - especially in the south.  It will help hockey become a national sport in the US as it is in Canada.

I'm pleased about the trades the Ducks have made.  Adam Oates will bring a veteran player to the locker room and help us on our power play.  Petr Sykora is one of the best players in the league and if he can recover from an injury he sustained in training camp last season, he could really help us.  I look for the Ducks to make one more deal - to get another premier defenseman to compliment Keith Carney.

Following my own advice, I haven't played hockey since the last game and now I'm starting to get antsy for the season to start.  While most people (including my brothers) think hockey players have the whole summer off, I actually work harder in the summer than I do during the season - and the work I do isn't much fun.  Mike Knuble (Boston) and I try to work out together because misery loves company and we can push each other farther than we could probably push ourselves.

Have a great summer.  I'll see some of you in a few weeks at hockey camp and I hope you can have a chance to go fishing and land one or two like the one in the picture.  They make the reel sing and it's a pretty song.

Dan Bylsma

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

OUR BOOKS....

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.

Pitcher’s Hands is OUT! Is finally out! (released) and you can get it at on line on the web site or at Barnes & Noble. Published in February by River Road Publications. 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.” "These father-son authors... made a literary double play." Grand Rapids Press. You can read a chapter by clicking here. You can get autographed, personalized copies at www.DanBylsma.com.

COMING IN 2002   Slam Dunks Are Not Allowed! - another historical novel is coming – this one about basketball and World War II will be released in early 2002. Many of the same characters you will read about in Pitcher Hands is OUT! – Scooter, Woody, Doolie and Dutchie - are now on the High School basketball team and are facing the reality of going off to war, a war that touched every family in America as well as Europe and the Pacific Rim.  You can read part of a chapter from the original manuscript by clicking here.

DAN’S ON THE WEB

AT www.DanBylsma.com

WITH SEVERAL NEW PICTURES ON THE PHOTO GALLERY

If you know of another player or his family who might enjoy Dan’s Newsletter “From the Right Wing…”, feel free to forward the newsletter along. Coaches are welcome to send the names and Email addresses of their entire team - we're happy to sign them all up.

If you are reading the Newsletter because someone passed it along and would like to receive the Newsletter for yourself, Email your first and last name to newsletter@DanBylsma.com.

You are also welcome to reprint articles of the newsletter in your hockey newsletter. See Q&A # 51 on the website for the proper way to do that.

If you have a question you would like to ask Dan or Jay, Email your question to questions@DanBylsma.com. You can see the questions asked and answered on the Q&A page on Dan’s web site unless you ask that the response be confidential.

DAN’S ORGANIZATION

West Michigan Hockey Camp, Inc.

P.O. Box 917

Grand Haven, MI 49417

Fax: 616-846-0710

Email: Number21@DanBylsma.com

“Remember… it takes three things to succeed:

talent, hard work and perseverance.

And the greatest of these is not talent.”

J.M.B.

TOP  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