Why the US Lags Behind in Hockey

I had an interaction with a league commissioner not too long ago regarding youth hockey and he mentioned that youth hockey in the US, while growing faster in sheer participants than anywhere else in the world, has some major hurdles to overcome where Canada, Czechia, Finland, and Sweden are light years ahead.

I'm from Canada originally and, yes, hockey comes first.

Kids want to play hockey and parents sign their kids up to play hockey -- it's part of the culture and nearly inescapable...

That said, it is a total myth that all Canadians love hockey...they don't.

Growing up in the States, though, everyone I knew played soccer.

Everyone.

Myself, included.

And it makes you wonder, with so many kids having made soccer their primary sport as elementary school kids, right up to the current day -- why is the US National Team so mediocre on the national stage?

Weird, right?

This youth hockey related conversation I had answered it for me.

Coaching.

I had maybe 15 different soccer coaches growing up.

One played rugby at a high level, Greg Peck, and knew how to coach -- I've mentioned him before on here.

Another was English, Andy Taylor, and clearly knew the game and coached at a level beyond our understanding back then.

The rest of the coaches...were just some kid's dad volunteering.

Kick the ball 'that way' was the extent of the instruction, pretty much.

And that, right there, is why the US sucks at soccer.

Blinding flash of the obvious...coaching.

So, yeah, back to hockey -- this fellow was saying that those other countries, by the bantam age, had a set up where nearly all of the coaches are paid coaches from that age level on up.

All of them.

That's not the case in the States.

Not yet, at least.

I mean, lots of programs in my area boast during tryout season that they feature "professional" coaching...but that's a blatant lie most of the time.

Just because they might have let the coach's kid play for free, as payment, that certainly doesn't make them a "paid" professional...

So, yeah, what this league official said totally aligns.

We've been very picky with our team selection since one bad coaching situation years ago and have been fortunate to line ourselves up with coaches that I would consider "professional".

I've detailed on here that my kids won't play under a coach that hasn't played the game or coached at a professional level and I'm fully onboard with how arrogant and unrealistic that statement comes across as.

But, guess what?

They're out there.

And you've witnessed it, I'd bet, regardless of what level your child plays or who their coach is.

Here's the most common scenario -- a bad coach has no idea what to do with a player and fails to see their value, cuts them, and then that exact same player takes off under another coach the next season.

Or, flip it around... Your team adds an Adam Banks (the stud from the Mighty Ducks movies) level player and they totally under perform.

Erik's dad, I mean, the coach, with 7 Stanley Cups on the Sega Genesis version NHL '94 at the top of his hockey resume, doesn't know how to utilize a team that resembles the Ottawa Senators of the mid-1990's.

Bob Kudelski, anyone? I can't knock him -- he played for the program one of my kids plays for now. Lgend status.

Many forget that he was an NHL Allstar too...but, yeah, the top guy on the Senators in NHL 94 was Bob Kudelski.

They were bad.

But, let's be honest, most youth teams aren't stacked all star teams from top-to-bottom -- they are the 93-94 Ottawa Senators -- so you need to know how to make that work.

You know who knows how to make that work?

Former professional players and former professional coaches.

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- if I can't find the coach on Elite Prospects and then see something on there that attracts me...I'm not interested.

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Okay, okay, okay -- before the blowback about the US Women being outstanding at soccer comes in...

Fun fact first -- the top women's player of all time isn't the US's Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, or Alex Morgan.

It's actually Canada's Christine Sinclair. So awesome and just never got the recognition she deserved.

The US and Canada, for a vast part of my lifetime, have encouraged girls to play sports just like the boys. Some claim it's a Title IX thing...but I don't buy that.

I always had a girl or two on my teams growing up and we (the boys) never blinked an eye.

A culture change was occuring.

Had occurred, I should say -- we all knew the girls (Leanne Bonalumi, Jane Gillis, Brittany Evans, and Allison Lynch) were our best players cause they were all bigger, taller, and stronger than us in elementary school.

Middle school too.

Okay, fine...and in high school.

Not just a nostalgic name drop up there...these women were better than the boys.

Anyway, for that reason, both countries are frequently near the top in women's team sports like soccer and hockey. They just have a huge headstart in women's sports.

Kinda like the US had a huge headstart in basketball...but as the years go by, the international players are making their presence known.

And, relating back to hockey -- the women's game is obviously growing. Hopefully they'll finally have a more stable professional league going forward. And, honestly, if you've never been to an NCAA women's game, I suggest you check it out. Frequently admission is even free.

As a youth hockey parent, that's the style of play your kids should be emulating.

Less showboating, less excessive contact with zero play on the puck, and more set plays. It's hockey played...right. Without any of the shenanigans.

Plus, the players are usually very approachable and friendly. Good environment, all around.

One thing I have had people ask me is why the US Womens team so frequently seems to be a little more skilled than the Canadian team when the assumption is that Canadians have been playing longer and should have an advantage.

Wrong.

Girls my age didn't get to play hockey. I mean, there were a few, kinda like how every little league program has a few girls playing but back when I was a kid, the girls all played ringette.

Similar...but different.

No, that blue ring mites sometimes use in practice is NOT a hockey training tool. That's a ringette ring.

I remember once playing ringette against a girls team un University. They smoked us.

So, with that, US and Canada are at the same level when it comes to women's hockey.

Canada would smoke the US in ringette, though, if the team were made up of kids born in the 1970's...

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