Volume 4, Issue 3 - December, 2003 

 "From the Right Wing…"

Back wearing jade and purple!        

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

I get more than a few letters from players who are asked by their coach to play a different position than they are accustomed to or even want to play.  Typically my answer depends on what you want out of hockey.  If you see hockey as a fun pastime to play with your friends and as something to pass the winter months until baseball starts, my answer is play where you think you will have the most fun.  You're playing the game to have fun - so if you have fun playing forward and don't want to play defense, I'd try to remain playing forward.

If you want to progress as far as possible in the game, perhaps even play college or pro, I suggest you play as many different positions as you can, whether you are asked or not.  The obvious reason is that you don't know when your experience in various positions will be a stepping stone to advance you in the game.  My college teammate - Ken Klee, a defenseman  (Washington now Toronto) was in a situation in Washington where there were too many D and not enough forwards.  He was asked to play forward.  Because he had played some forward in Juniors, he stepped up and filled a gap.  He is now a stellar defenseman for Toronto, but if he had declined to play forward when asked, it might have ended his career.

Steve McKenna is a forward for Pittsburgh, but in the minors, he was a defenseman.  Had he remained a defenseman, chances are he would still be in the minors - or perhaps out of hockey.

I was a left wing.  But my college coach asked me to play on the right side because we had too many left wings and not enough rights.  So far in the NHL, I've played right, left and center (and once came close to playing goalie for Los Angeles).  The ability to play either side makes me more valuable to my coach.

The other reason for trying other positions is you get a better understanding of the game if you play more positions.  If you know how a defenseman thinks because you played defense, you have a better chance of winning the one-on-one battles with him. 

And don't think because you are a winger you don't need to learn how to win face-offs.

Playing another position might be like trying a food you haven't eaten before - you might find out you like it.

The point is, you never know what opportunities will come your way.  One of my favorite sayings is "Luck is when preparation and opportunity meet." 

Preparation may mean learning to play more than one position.

˙This month's newsletter comes with our best wishes  for a happy, blessed holiday season, whatever your religious tradition.  We celebrate Christmas V.   We know some of you come from other traditions YW\ and we pray you find joy and peace in your celebrations as well.   Celebrate well what ever your tradition may be and go into the New Year resolved to make the very best of all your opportunities. 

Please accept the holiday greeting card found here  as our good wishes for you and your families during this special holiday season.                            

                                 '   '  '            Dan  and Jay Bylsma

THIS MONTH'S BEST QUESTION ON THE WEB SITE…

Dan: I just returned from a very disturbing weekend of hockey.  I accompanied my sons AAA midget team to a weekend of hockey and found the conduct of the team to be very disturbing. The coach of this team has a very negative attitude and the team reflects this in their play on and off the ice.  The coach allowed un-licenced and inexperienced players move the rental vans in the parking lot at the ice arena.  The teams conduct in the van was inappropriate while on the way to the airport.  It was not a good reflection upon our team and I felt uncomfortable as did the driver from the rental agency.  There was also bad behavior on the airplane on the trip home.  I was in the front of the plane and I overheard the flight attendants talking about a few of the players and the behavior that they were displaying.  I felt helpless because to do anything about it because the other adults there tolerated this.  My son has played travel hockey for four years and the team conduct, dress and attitude on his prior teams were always the highest standards.  Please advise me on how to proceed my son is not having a positive experience and I would like to help him achieve his goals in hockey and life. Concerned Mother
 

Dear C.M. Sad story.  More because it reflects shame on the lack of parenting on the part of those adults who tolerate (and thereby accede to) this kind of behavior, whether the group was hockey players or a school science trip.  We think there are only three reasons to allow our children to play youth sports: to have fun, to develop athleticism, and to learn life lessons.

This was an excellent opportunity for all three.  But because the life lessons learned (through tolerated misbehavior) were negative, we would extricate our children from this environment.  There is no child's game so vital to a child's maturation process that inappropriate behavior needs to tolerated.

For a person to achieve his goals in hockey, he must develop character right along with his hockey skills because character (integrity, appropriateness, and self-discipline being among the most important attributes) is a necessary ingredient for anyone having goals in hockey.  There is not a recruiter I am aware of who doesn't ask, "What kind of a kid is he?" - referring to his character.  This because no self-respecting program (and here I've tipped my hand as to what I think of the one your son is presently involved in) wants players who are a discredit to their program.  Credibility is all too hard to build and all too easily lost.

To play and coach in a youth sports program at this level is an honor and a privilege.  People who treat such an honor and the accompanying privileges with a cavalier attitude at best, and distain at worst, are not ones I want my name or my children to be associated with.  If I were a sponsor, I would be unwilling to put my company's reputation in the hands of people like you describe and would like to know of this and withdraw my support.

And a coach (his negative attitude aside) who would allow this is, in my opinion, not worthy to be a leader of young people.  And if this behavior was not checked and called into account, my children would be out of there.  Games are just not that important to the development of a child. My father spoke at at a hockey leadership conference in New Brunswick in February and one of the presenters was a child psychologist who implored her listeners not to aggrandize or turn a blind eye to inappropriate behavior in superior child athletes.  Her reason was that when these children become adults, they will believe that the rules of society need not be heeded.  She cited the numerous publicized cases of spousal abuse, rape, brawling, drunken driving, and other crimes that are all too prevalent among professional athletes. 

As I said, if the situation wasn't corrected, my child would find another place to play or not play at all.

Go to TOP  DAN'S TIP  THIS MONTH'S QUESTION  HONOR ROLL  COACH'S TIP  SAYING  DAN in the NHL  BOOKS  SUBSCRIBE

There is no auction this month.  The autographed jersey went for $825.  I saw a framed New Jersey Devils jersey with all the Devils signature on it in an art gallery.  The asking price was $4,500. Must have been the frame, huh?

Congratulations to B.A.S. and thanks to all of you who participated.

My father tells me that the PeeWee/Bantam section of the day school has only about 2 more openings.  So if you are planning to come, you best fax your application or call my father at 616-846-4830 to reserve your spot.  The web site begins accepting applications on Jan.  2 and last year it was filled by 10:30.  You snooze, you lose!  As those of you who have attended in the past, I believe you can't have very much fun playing this game if you can't skate.  To say it another way, the better you can skate, the more fun you will have playing the game.  So, while we teach other skills, we emphasize improving your skating skills and the most important thing any of us can do to improve our skating skills is to work on getting low to the ice.  As we like to say, if you think you're low, you can get lower.   This concept is expressed by different skating instructors differently but it comes down to achieving about a 90 degree knee bend in your weight-bearing leg (we'd like to see your striding leg straight at the end of your stride and at that point - your weight bearing leg should be at 90 degrees,

The photo at the left is of a skater at camp a few years ago (his dad wrote us and identified the skater as Aaron Lanning who is now playing hockey at Butler University and is a chemistry major - way to go Aaron!) and it demonstrates a very good knee bend.  You can take a piece of paper and put one of the points at his knee and the edges of the paper (which is a perfect 90 degree angle) will trace his thigh and his calf.  And there is about a 60 degree angle where his calf meets his boot.  Why is this 90 degree

angle (or as we sometimes call it - "skating in a seated position" -  so important? 

1) Speed. The most important reason for a 90 degree knee bend is that you can only get your fullest extension possible with your striding leg if your butt is as low as it can go.  And the more extension you get with each stride, the faster you can skate with each stride.

2) Balance.  Two things:

    A) Balance is important when skating forwards, but it's even more important when skating backwards and turning.

 B) We often demonstrate that nearly every sport is played from a crouch.  Wrestling, football, tennis, baseball.  Why?  Because when you are in a crouch, you are in better balance and can be more effective.  I demonstrate this by encouraging campers to take a run at my father. (Most of them jump at the chance).  Two things happen.  As they approach to run him, they get instinctively get into a crouch and he gets into a crouch to defend himself.  It's a great demonstration that you are in better balance and can be more effective offensively and more protective of yourself defensively from a crouch.  Hockey is a contact sport, and you are better able to defend yourself from a crouch (which happens to be close to a seated position).

Skating in a seat position is not easy, but if you want to become a better skater and are willing to work at it, you can improve.

I find a good drill is to get into a seated position (and have someone tell you if you are in a seated position with a 90 degree knee bend because typically you are not a good judge from where you're sitting).  Then staying in that position, stride as powerfully as you can with one leg - and coast as far as you can - continuing to stay in that position.  Then stride with that leg again and again, each time coasting as far as you can in that position.  Then do the other leg, then alternate.  If you are doing it right, it will be uncomfortable at first - even a bit painful.  But you need to retrain your muscles. 

If you work on this, I promise you will be faster and in better balance.  And the formula is 90 degree knee bend = faster + better balance.

P.S. Someone left a Muskegon Chiefs soft shell lunch box at hockey camp.  My parents have it at their home.  If you left it or know someone who did... call them.

NAME

AGE

GPA

 SCHOOL

 TEAM

STATE

Winston Jones

Brandon Holt

Jeremy Hopersberger

Mason Mayberry

Josh Corgan

  MI*‡

Ryan Corgan

  MI*‡

Brad Christiansen

Ryan Christiansen

  MI

Ben Grace

Marc Hughes

Brandon Ryfiak

Marty Jensen

Trevor Fettig

Reid Munroe

Matt Weinstein

Josh Weinstein

Jon Miller

Vinny Valentine

  FL‡ 

Joe Adams

  CA‡

Sammie Baker

 11

 3.92

Fr. Marquette Middle School

Marquette Frazoli's Girls 14 Under

  MI*‡

Alex Baker

  9

 3.9

Fr. Marquette Elementary

Marquette Elk's Squirt

  MI*

Marshall Jones

Colt Steele

 10

 3.95

Holy Cross

Lewiston Squirt A

  MA

Alex Baker

  9

 3.9

Fr. Marquette Elementary

Marquette Elk's Squirt

  MI*

Marshall Jones

Cliff Jones

Ian Redlinger

There's lot's of room for you here

Go to - TOP  DAN'S TIP THIS MONTH'S QUESTION  HOCKEY CAMP  HONOR ROLL  DAN in the NHL  BOOKS  SUBSCRIBE

PARENT TO COACHES AND PARENTS from Jay...  

From time to time in this corner, I've indicated that if you are really concerned about your child's development as a hockey player, the best way is to have a backyard rink or a neighborhood rink where endless games of shinny can be played.  I've said that you don't develop much skill in the 30 to 40 seconds you have your stick on the puck in an organized game and have equated an hour on a pond playing two on two as being about the equivalent of 20 organized games in terms of stickhandling time and shooting opportunities (also called "opportunities to develop your skills"). 

I've also pointed out that our system of playing ever more organized games (especially in travel hockey) is not producing more NHLers - actually less, and worse, the players we are producing are typically not the skilled players - those players are coming from Europe where they practice more and play less organized games.

Dan in his columns has often asked his important rhetorical question, "When did hockey stop being a game?"

The following article appeared in the Grand Rapids Press recently.  The byline is The Associated Press so it may have appeared in your paper as well.

"Playing hockey outside on a frozen rink made Wayne Gretzky feel like a kid again.

The Great One has resisted playing in old-timers games since he retired from the NHL in 1999, and he says last weekend's Heritage Classic was his first and last appearance in such a contest.

He and the rest of the former Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens that laced up their skates and put on their ski caps were taken back to a simpler time when the game was just that - a game.

But now hockey's greatest scorer thinks the free fun he recalled from his childhood has disappeared.

"We have lost out creativity," Gretzky said.  "Guys like Jean Beliveau, who grew up on the pond, and Bob Orr, who grew up skating on lakes, the imagination, everything is so structured now.

I mean this in every sport - I don't mean it just in ice hockey.  If you remember as kids we would go down and play scrub baseball or Wiffle ball, you just went down there and played."

I don't think Dan has ever spoken to groups in my presence that he didn't say that he made it to the NHL because of the rink we had in our backyard.  And that he only played one year of travel hockey.

My point?  Time after time, from Gretzky to Dan, they all say, "For us it was a game, it was fun, it wasn't learning the left wing lock or a strong-side breakout."  The best practice you can plan is to divide up the team, drop the puck, and go have coffee.  Just let them play.

    Jay M. Bylsma

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

"Luck is when preparation and opportunity meet."

                                                      Unknown

 

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

I'm back.  I can't tell you what at great feeling it is to skate out of the tunnel into the spotlight back on the ice - playing the game I love. 

The road back was arduous and there were more than a few times when I thought I would never play again.  But I followed the rehab regimen diligently and it worked.  The knee is still not 100% and at times gives me a twinge or two, but it gets better every day, every game.

Now we have to get the Duckies winning again.

I apologize for the lateness of the newsletter this month, but I've been on the road, the business of the season, and my father without whom I couldn't produce this has been under the weather.  Get well soon, Dad!

Have a great Holiday season.

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. 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. Now it its second printing.