Ice it! Shoot! And other terrible Hockey Instruction...

I'm never a fan of painting things with broad strokes but something struck me last night while toiling through a middle school aged spring league game.

If a youth hockey coach routinely calls out "Ice it!" from the bench...that's a red flag.

That's not a good coach.

That's not valuable hockey instruction...at any age.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the constant shrieks instructing the kids to ice it.

Over and over and over and over.

Another parent caught on and wanted confirmation that she was hearing him call out what she thought he was calling out.

We both even took some cell phone video to fully document that it was actually happening as frequently as we thought it was.

I'm not going to share the video...but here's a snippet of the audio.

Hilariously -- now 6 games into this -- is that the kids are shouting back..."NO!"

I will not confirm or deny that it was my kid carrying the puck out of the zone. ;)

No, seriously, I'm not proud that he yelled back at his coach...but I am at the same time.

He'd never do such a thing with his regular season coach...but, then, I can't foresee a situation where his regular season coach would bark out a command like that either.

Note to self: Write a future article condemning joystick coaching in youth hockey...whether the instruction is sound or not.

Now, all day today, I've tried to go through my own head to find a scenario where that's EVER the correct thing to do in a youth hockey game and I'm coming up empty.

And I know what you're thinking -- when your team is hopelessly pinned in their own zone, icing the puck is the solution.

Well, in my opinion, not in youth hockey.

And this is where the disconnect of "developing and getting better" versus "winning" gets all muddled.

If I knew then what I know now...my kids would have played far, far, far fewer games under less than knowledgeable coaches.

And we'd probably have skipped over participating in nearly every single mite, squirt, and peewee summer tournament too.

That said, since I've been so picky about who my kids play for, after one crappy season 5 years ago, I haven't heard one of own kid's coaches yell "Ice it!" since, well, that one crappy season.

From the parents "coaching" from the crowd, though?

Well, that will never go away.

Kinda like the boneheads at professional games yelling "Shoot!" for the entire duration of every single power play.

One of my favorite things at professional hockey games is listening to those exact guys explain offsides to their buddy with them...as a self proclaimed expert.

My eye sockets aren't big enough for the eye roll that I wish I were capable of.

Go ahead, call me a hockey snob.

So, yeah, your team is pinned in the d-zone, helpless. It happens in almost every game at some point.

Now, I will say that youth goaltenders often seem to lack situational awareness...which is also a part of the "problem".

Their actions often result in those "pinned in" situations.

I'm not going to pile on the goaltenders...I mean, in their defense, they're playing their own game.

Goalies aren't really hockey players. There, I said it.

Don't hate. The thing is, they're playing their own game...within the confines of a hockey game.

I've seen the team just getting owned and the goalie gets multiple opportunties to freeze the puck...but slides it into the corner with a purpose instead.

For the parents of the skaters, it's the wrong play.

Freeze the puck.

Get a stoppage.

Maybe get a fresh set of players out there.

Okay -- that's a solid plan...except the goalie isn't playing "hockey" like the rest of us.

They're keeping the play alive and, as a result, facing more shots.

That, in turn, makes them a better player, right?

Might lose the game...but got better doing it.

So, from a skater's perspective, icing is of the same ilk.

Does any player get "better" just throwing the puck away down the ice?

Nope.

That's indisputable.

Youth hockey is about getting better -- it's not about winning.

More ice time, more touches, making more plays is what develops players.

I'd rather my kid be starfishing on the ice than just repeatedly lining up for face-offs.

That dude at center ice during intermission at the pro games, holding the stick like a golf club, shooting the puck to win a prize is capable of icing the puck.

You don't want your kid to be that guy.

So, like, next time you're feeling the urge to cry out, "Ice it!", try to hold back.

Maybe, "Clear the zone!" is a better call out.

And don't get frustrated with a goalie that never covers when the situation seems to call for it.

Youth hockey is about development -- not winning.

My kids have been fortunate to have been on some dominant squads...but, truthfully, they've developed a ton more on the teams they've played for where winning came secondary.

That's entirely why they're where they are as teenagers.

So, circling back to the off-season tournaments, I can not stress enough how much more beneficial it is to strive to participate solely in activities that move your player closer to their goal.

A little more on icing...and covering the puck to force a stoppage. Yep, I'm the guy that beats a dead horse.

While it's not a rule in most youth leagues, there's a reason the team guilty of icing isn't allowed to change on an icing call.

It's because it's a terrible play.

Being forced to have a faceoff in your own zone with tired players is the "soft" penalty professional leagues place on it. That's the consequence for playing poorly.

Youth leagues these days don't allow the shorthanded team to ice it on the penalty kill to eat time off the clock. That's the same deal.

Bad hockey. Kudos to the leagues as they're trying to discourage it.

No one on the ice gets better at the game when players are just throwing the puck away.

It's also brutal to watch -- kinda like the dying seconds of a football game where the quarterback just takes a knee.

Why is that accepted?

I get it -- they don't want injuries or whatever...but maybe make it an automatic total loss of downs. That would make the end of football games really interesting!

Back to hockey, it's the same deal for clearing the puck over the glass -- it's a giveaway.

It's a time waster.

That one, though, actually gets the guilty player two minutes in the box

And for goalies covering the puck -- the faceoff is in the zone because it's another soft "penalty" for stopping the flow of the game.

Hockey is fluid game -- line changes happen on the fly, unlike any other sport -- so anything that generates a whistle and stoppage, well, that's something to discourage...especially at the youth levels.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know -- I love the feedback from all angles!

Chris Rutsch

Hockey Dad

Year round, I spend a significant amount of time and money transporting my three boys to and from freezing cold ice rinks. Not because I expect them to make it to the NHL but because I know the rigorous youth hockey experience will serve them well in the future.