Improving Montana's Hockey Culture
Over the past several years I have noticed a gradual decline in the respect that players, coaches and parents show for each other and the officials trying to referee the Montana Hockey games, specifically at the upper age levels. We have had numerous Zero tolerance abuses by players, coaches and parents that have been poorly addressed at the local and state tournament levels. I believe this whole lack of enforcement and respect by everyone involved has allowed the escalation of poor sportsmanship and much more significant infractions on the ice. If we don't reverse this trend, it could well result in significant injury to a child that could stay with him/her for the rest of his/her life. An example is what happened in Minnesota this past season.
We, as the Board of Directors and officers of MAHA, need to stand up and put some teeth into changing the culture of Hockey in Montana. After all it is just a game and must be played within the rules that are set up. At the recent Development Camp, I discussed this issue and of course some parents felt that it is the Refs fault, others blamed coaches, the other teams and of course MAHA. Frankly, it was everyone's fault but mine and my child's. We, of course have never done anything wrong.
The fact of the matter it is all of our faults: players, parents, coaches and administrators. So who is in charge of changing the culture of Hockey in Montana--we all are. Who has to start the ball rolling--MAHA does.
We need to start an aggressive campaign to ensure that everyone is doing their respective jobs in hockey: Players play the game within the rules and don't take on the role of referee or talk back to the refs; Coaches coach their players and don't holler at the refs; parents cheer their team on and don't try to coach or referee the game from the stands; referees call the games very strictly in accordance with the rules; and administrators put rules in place to make sure everyone in doing their assigned job. i.e. coaches aren't refs.
As a part of changing the Culture of Hockey in Montana, I would like the board to consider the following mandates for every association involved with teams registered in Montana:
1. Association will insist that every player, coach and parent attend a Zero Tolerance Meeting annually before the player is allowed on the ice. Attendance will be kept and mandatory.
2. Coaches and parents will annually document that they have gone over and discussed the Player's code of conduct with their child and sign that form that will be kept in the team notebook and on file by each association.
3. Coaches will read, understand and sign annually a USA Hockey Coaches' code of conduct form that will be kept with each team's notebook and a copy of it will be kept by the individual Association.
We, as the Board of Directors and officers of MAHA, need to stand up and put some teeth into changing the culture of Hockey in Montana. After all it is just a game and must be played within the rules that are set up. At the recent Development Camp, I discussed this issue and of course some parents felt that it is the Refs fault, others blamed coaches, the other teams and of course MAHA. Frankly, it was everyone's fault but mine and my child's. We, of course have never done anything wrong.
The fact of the matter it is all of our faults: players, parents, coaches and administrators. So who is in charge of changing the culture of Hockey in Montana--we all are. Who has to start the ball rolling--MAHA does.
We need to start an aggressive campaign to ensure that everyone is doing their respective jobs in hockey: Players play the game within the rules and don't take on the role of referee or talk back to the refs; Coaches coach their players and don't holler at the refs; parents cheer their team on and don't try to coach or referee the game from the stands; referees call the games very strictly in accordance with the rules; and administrators put rules in place to make sure everyone in doing their assigned job. i.e. coaches aren't refs.
As a part of changing the Culture of Hockey in Montana, I would like the board to consider the following mandates for every association involved with teams registered in Montana:
1. Association will insist that every player, coach and parent attend a Zero Tolerance Meeting annually before the player is allowed on the ice. Attendance will be kept and mandatory.
2. Coaches and parents will annually document that they have gone over and discussed the Player's code of conduct with their child and sign that form that will be kept in the team notebook and on file by each association.
3. Coaches will read, understand and sign annually a USA Hockey Coaches' code of conduct form that will be kept with each team's notebook and a copy of it will be kept by the individual Association.