Super Common End of Season Mistake

This is going to sound really inconsequential but I notice it every March and I won't say it makes me cringe -- that's an overused term these days -- but it does make me wrinkle my nose a little bit so I think it warrants mentioning.

It's when I see players or parents removing helmet stickers.

Worst case is when you see a player peeling them off following the last practice of the season in a dramatic attention-grabbing display -- see ya, bye.

It's like a symbolic "FU" to the program or team or coach.

And I understand that -- youth hockey can get petty so it feels like an appropriate response but I find it a little obnoxious. Long term, it's a terrible move though...

You see it a ton at the U14 level where kids suddenly decide they're "men" and feel the need to crumple up their "little kid" hockey stickers as if it's some sort of rite of passage.

It's not.

They're wrong.

Fact is, and the reason it's such a huge mistake, is that that little vinyl helmet sticker opens doors.

You might not think it does...but it does.

The team doesn't even matter.

And here's why...

Those are the helmets we have that haven't been sacrificed for parts yet...and every one of those stickers has opened a door to a new opportunity.
Every single one.

I've mentioned it in passing many times on this website that when we're at tryouts or camps or even group skill sessions, the kids size one another up based on their gear.

First spot, the logo on the bag. (Always use a team bag -- those Conway | Banks or wheelie bags are for in-house players. If you're on a team and, for some odd reason, they don't require you to use the team bag, buy the team bag anyway.)

If you've ever been to a tournament team tryout, there's one thing you'll notice -- lots of identical bags in the locker room and lobby from maybe a handful of teams. There's a commonality.

Once you have a few years of youth hockey parenting under your belt, you'll start to recognize the team logos of the programs at your player's level and become keenly aware of them.

Before you even step on the ice, you'll confidently know if you're in the right place or not.

Next spot is the helmet sticker. Glove and shells are secondary...but the helmet sticker is a definitive indicator of where your player is coming from.

This matters at tryouts.

This matters immensely.

I often say that contacts, the people you know, outweigh talent in most evaluation instances...but if you lack the actual contact...a helmet sticker is the next best thing.

It precedes you.

It's like a resume emblazoned on both sides of your player's head -- for other players and coaches.

It's a connection. Not direct...but indirect. And that's better than nothing. Inclusion is everything.

Like, my oldest son's hockey social circle is immense. I used to joke on this site that he had maybe 2 degrees of separation from every single AAA hockey player from Florida to Nova Scotia...before he was even 10 years old.

He's pushing 16 now. And I still believe that's true.

In the AAA bubble, the teams he's played for are a known. The logo on his helmet is a known. The tiny league sticker on his helmet is like a merit badge.

Before his blades even hit the ice, the assumption is already that he's gonna be pretty good...whether it's true or not.

He was on that team, played in that league and, yeah, he earned the right to wear that logo. Just letting everyone in the building know.

The stickers on his helmet have been the welcome mat -- "Hey man, you know Charlie? I think he used to play for those guys... Good dude, played with him last season..."

Boom -- another degree closer. Common connections open doors.

It's like a license plate on your car -- living in Connecticut, I have a "closer" connection or commonality with people from Massachusetts than I do people from Arkansas. We both know I-91 and the Mass Pike like the back of our own hand.

There's a common connection there; instant ice breaker. That stuff matters.

So in an evalation setting, the evaluator or coach might not know who your player is...but just having a certain helmet sticker will get you moved up the list.

That helmet sticker will also attract other players to include your player -- again, inclusion matters -- we've all been in a tryout where your kid is out there in a white helmet with four kids in red helmets. That puck isn't coming...

Showing up to a tryout in a blank helmet, well, you're relying entirely on what the player is going to do for the next 60 minutes.

You are officially an anonymous rando. By choice.

No one knows who you are. No one knows your level of play.

That's a TERRIBLE strategy.

And I know what you're thinking -- our old team sucks, we don't want anyone to know we played there, screw those guys, we're looking for something new.

And I get that...but I'm telling you, every coach, every player, every keen eyed hockey parent counting how many skaters are on the ice look at your kid as a wild card.

The kid over there with the green and white stripe down the center of his helmet...is a lock.

And all they've done is a single warm-up lap.

Teams are picked before tryouts. Most of them, anyway...

If you're not already on the team when tryouts begin, it's a pretty smart move to "wear" your hockey resume. It greatly increases your chances.

And, real life example here as I witnessed it just last week with U15 and U16 tryouts, let's say your son or daughter is aiming really high and trying out for a team way beyond their skill level.

Same advice applies.

First, you should be aware going in that it's a long shot right out of the gate. It's not likely they'll suddenly perform at a level you've never witnessed before just because they're on the ice with higher skilled players. That pretty much never happens.

As a hockey parent, try not to ever put all of your chips in on a single hour of ice time. That's not how it works.

Hockey is a marathon, not a sprint. Takes some lucky breaks, some even luckier bounces, and crossing paths with the right people...but they'll never all come during a single hour.

Kills me at every tryout I've ever attended, the whole vibe of the rink and lobby weighs heavy with so many overly stressed out parents intently watching. Tonight matters, absolutely...but it doesn't. Well, unless you're a rando.

And, yeah, there'll be some juvenile snickering in the locker room -- "Why is that kid here?"

Kids are mean. I can't sugar coat that.

But I'll tell you what...everyone who matters loves an underdog.

The coaches and evaluators and the players that aren't self centered douchebags pick up on that. They'll notice the stickers -- they'll want your son or daughter to succeed.

Every hockey player knows that the biggest bench celebrations always occur in February when that lone player on the team finally gets their first goal of the season. My oldest usually scores less than a handful per season...but you can't wipe the grin off his face when the seldom used 4th liner puts one in.

Nobody cares when Jeff scores his 30th or Duncan scores his third...but when Doug finally puts one in, it's as if the entire team just won the cup. Hockey is amazing in that regard.

Skilled players, again, the ones that aren't self centered, do that in tryouts where they know they've already made the team -- now they're gonna go out there, pump somebody's tires, and make their day.

It's advantageous to be that player, the one with the learn to skate name tag on their helmet, too.

On top of it, and maybe it's just one of my own traits that has nothing to do with hockey, but I've always been the type to be openly proud of where I came from.

Whether it's my country, my home town, my family, my elementary school, my high school, my university, my major, my workplace, the place I live now, and, yeah, even the team I used to played for...even the one that I'd never play for again.

Be authentic. Be honest. Be transparent. Be real. Own it. Represent. People appreciate that sort of thing.

But, yeah, resist the urge to become an anonymous rando in hockey circles.

I've said before that exposure matters. Make sure that every possible thing you could have in common with the folks evaluating you is in plain sight. Don't hide it. Use it to your advantage.

Leave the stickers on.

Wear the shells all summer long.

Guide your kids to not leave any situation in nuclear fashion. The people you meet and the places you play matter. Broadcast it.

Ride it out until the new stickers come in...and then peel them off.

Pro tip -- hit them with a hair dryer for 20 seconds or so and they'll come off nice and clean.

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.