Back before everyone was registering with USA Hockey and following a certain development model, there was a youth hockey league in the Northeast...

It doesn't matter where you slash a player, or even if you hit them or not. Hitting, or even attempting to hit, another player with your stick is "slashing".

You know what? Players on elite teams are better but that doesn't mean you should be afraid to try out.

One factor that quells a lot of hockey families from even considering elite hockey is the cost.

Style points aside, there is a proper way to do it -- and the science behind it matters more than you'd think!

Are you completely missing the mark on how good your child's hockey coach actually is? I certainly was...

Maybe it's a case of "the grass is greener on the other side" and they just switch programs chasing something different? Or maybe it's something else...

A blasphemous statement, huh? Especially coming from someone living in New England. But hear me out...

A great coach instills confidence and pulls talent out of players that otherwise seem, well, like they're just skating in circles out there...

Outside of a handful of Google searches I made in a last ditch effort to see what I should be prepared for, I was really heading in to this blindly...

I love talking youth hockey, obviously, but have I become a total snob over the years? Self awareness is super important...

The articles in the USA Hockey magazines certainly push a few agendas and this is one of them. Does the level your kips play when they're youngsters really not matter?

Nearly all youth hockey parents are just winging it once terms like select, elite, premier, AAA, national, and tier enter the conversation...

Thinking of signing on to play for a Spring or Summer Tournament team this off-season? Perhaps you should re-think that...

When picking a program for your child to skate with, one of the more important things to take into account is the coach and, more specifically, their coaching philosophy.

You might be your their chauffeur...but you're not their mule. Don't be an enabler. If your kids really want to play hockey, make them carry some of the weight too.

My kids aren't yet old enough to be living with billet families or routinely going to games on a team bus but like all hockey parents, we can relate to the despair.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard youth hockey parents say this. Sorry to spill the beans, though, if you want your son or daughter to be 'found', you need a plan...

I've been fortunate to have been given advice, right from the mouths of NHL Talent, on what path to take for my children's hockey development...

Clearly, individual sports like swimming, figure skating, golf, or even baseball are where it makes the most sense to have a private coach. But what about hockey?

It's a disservice to your player if you're not looking for a perfect fit by routinely playing with the same program season after season...

MyHockeyRankings.com heart is in the right place but at this point, in my opinion, it's kind of soured into something very, very, well, bad for youth hockey...

The kids that can be coached all excel. The kids that can't...well, they peak at around 10 years old and then everyone else passes them by...

Ice hockey is a sport that you need to start early in order to excel. If you start late, it's really, really, tough to catch up. But what if you're ahead?

Considering saving a few bucks by purchasing used equipment for your little hockey player?

Sometimes having options makes things more difficult as there are different paths to choose.

A well rounded athlete is certainly a good thing. You can't argue with that but...

Players in to pro ranks take their diets very, very seriously. But youth players?

How often? Where? And how much? Some parents insist on weekly sharpenings but...

I can't tell you how many times I've been asked by other hockey parents why we chose to move our kids from a local town league hockey program over to an "Elite" program...

While many purists immediately write off roller hockey (or dek hockey) as a joke and complete waste of time...

USA Hockey requires youth hockey programs to use for the U8 level of hockey...and that's a terrible, terrible idea.

I play with a guy who loves the look of a freshly taped blade and always makes sure that it...