Our Kids Play Hockey

🏒 What if the most important hockey development tool isn’t a skills coach… but a backyard rink?
This week on The Ride to the Rink, Lee and Mike are joined by Stanley Cup Finalist, Team USA alum, and all-around great human Ryan Carter — and he’s taking us back to where it all started.
Not in a fancy arena.
 Not at an elite showcase.
 But on a Minnesota cul-de-sac with a tennis ball.
Ryan shares how street hockey, outdoor rinks, and unstructured play shaped his hands, his hockey IQ, his toughness — and most importantly — his love for the game.
🔥 In this episode, we talk about:
🏒 Why outdoor hockey is the “real-life YouTube” for skill development
🧠 How free play builds creativity you won’t learn in structured practice
💪 The moment Ryan realized he could compete with older players
⏳ Why hockey development is a slow cooker, not a microwave
🚨 Getting placed on NHL waivers — and how it led to a Stanley Cup Final run
❤️ How to keep your love for hockey alive at every stage
Ryan’s message to kids is powerful:
 You’re never out of it. Keep playing. Keep loving it. The game will give back what you put in.
Parents — this one’s a reminder that sometimes the best development happens when you just drop them off at the rink with a lunch pail and let them play.
🎧 Listen in, then grab your stick and go create your own highlight reel — outside.
Because wherever you are on your journey… we believe in you. You should too.
#RideToTheRink #RyanCarter #OutdoorHockey #HockeyDevelopment #YouthHockey #StreetHockey #BackyardRink #HockeyMindset #StanleyCupFinal #LoveTheGame
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Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽
Trusted by our kids! Trust it with yours! Trusted at the NHL level through youth hockey, Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace. 
🎯 Visit NHL.SenseArena.com/OKPH for their lowest price of the season and use code OKPH to get $25 off an annual plan or headset bundle.
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🏒 What if chasing the “best” team is actually holding your player back?
This week on Our Kids Play Hockey, we sit down with former NHL forward and Stanley Cup champion Ryan Carter to unpack the truth about youth hockey development — and why the “slow cooker” might beat the “instant pot” every time.
From growing up in White Bear Lake, Minnesota to carving out a 10-year NHL career (after going undrafted), Ryan shares the mindset shifts, parenting lessons, and culture-building philosophies that shaped his journey — and how he’s now passing them on through broadcasting and ETS Performance.
This is an episode every hockey parent and player needs to hear.
🔥 Inside This Episode:
🥣 Why development should be a crock pot, not an instant pot
🏒 The real difference between good players and NHL players
💡 Why “Plan B” might secretly sabotage “Plan A”
💪 The power of environment in player development
🚗 What parents should (and shouldn’t) say in the car after games
🎯 Why belief sets your ceiling — and how to raise it
👥 The importance of team-first thinking (high tide raises all ships)
Ryan also opens up about:
Playing alongside legends like Teemu Selänne
His first NHL game nerves in the Western Conference Finals
The surprising role of luck and stick-to-itiveness in making the NHL
Why confidence and belonging are everything at the highest level
This conversation is honest, practical, and deeply encouraging. Whether your player is on the A team, B team, or just starting out — this episode will reframe how you think about development.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: Slow Cooker Development: What Ryan Carter’s NHL Journey Teaches Hockey Families
📩 Got questions? Email us at [email protected]

 📚 Check out our children’s book When Hockey Stops at WhenHockeyStops.com
Enjoy your hockey. Enjoy your day. And remember — development is a marathon, not a sprint.
#OurKidsPlayHockey #YouthHockeyDevelopment #HockeyParenting #RyanCarter #NHLJourney #HockeyMindset #TeamCulture #ResilientAthletes #SlowCookerDevelopment
Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!
Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽
Trusted by our kids! Trust it with yours! Trusted at the NHL level through youth hockey, Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace. 
🎯 Visit NHL.SenseArena.com/OKPH for their lowest price of the season and use code OKPH to get $25 off an annual plan or headset bundle.
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🏒 What does it actually feel like to get the call that you’ve made Team USA?
In this unforgettable episode of Our Girls Play Hockey, hosts Lee Elias, Mike Bonelli, and Hayley Scamurra sit down with Boston Fleet rookie and newly named Team USA Olympian Haley Winn to talk about the moment her childhood dream became reality.
From backyard battles with her three older brothers to the USA Hockey Development Program, starring at Clarkson University, and now playing professionally in the PWHL — Haley’s journey is a masterclass in discipline, confidence, and trusting the process.
And yes… she just scored her first PWHL goal. 👏
But this conversation goes far deeper than stats.
✨ Haley opens up about:
The mental shift required to move up each level of USA Hockey
What “process goals” really mean — and how they fueled her Olympic path
Balancing Division I academics and elite hockey at Clarkson
The jump from college to the PWHL and adjusting to pro-level physicality
Representing the United States on the world’s biggest stage 🇺🇸
Handling success with humility when others fall short
Hayley Scamurra also shares powerful insight from her own Olympic experience — including what it’s really like to walk into Opening Ceremonies and feel the weight (and privilege) of representing your country.
💬 One of our favorite takeaways:
“If you hold onto the outcome too tightly, it moves further away. Focus on the day-to-day, and it’ll come to you.”For every girl dreaming of the Olympics… for every parent wondering what it truly takes… this episode is your blueprint.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: From Backyard Ice to the Olympic Stage: Haley Winn’s Journey to Team USA
🎧 Listen now, and remember — dreams become reality when you fall in love with the process.
#OurGirlsPlayHockey #WomensHockey #TeamUSA #HaleyWinn #HayleyScamurra #PWHL #BostonFleet #GirlsHockey #OlympicDream #USADevelopmentProgram
Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!
Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽
Trusted by our kids! Trust it with yours! Trusted at the NHL level through youth hockey, Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace. 
🎯 Visit NHL.SenseArena.com/OKPH for their lowest price of the season and use code OKPH to get $25 off an annual plan or headset bundle.
Have A Topic You Want Us To Cover? Let us know!

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📊 Stats. Love them. Hate them. Ignore them.
No matter where you fall on the spectrum, one thing is certain — statistics are part of hockey, and how you use them can shape your growth as a player.
On this episode of The Ride to the Rink, Mike and Lee dive into one of the most emotional and misunderstood parts of the game: hockey stats. Goals, assists, plus-minus, turnovers, save percentage — they can motivate you, frustrate you, or even expose parts of your game you’d rather not see.
🚨 But here’s the truth: stats aren’t the enemy — misusing them is.
In this conversation, Mike and Lee break down:
Why stats can reveal both strengths and blind spots
How to avoid becoming defined by one number
Why coaches use stats — and how players should respond
When stats matter… and when they really don’t
How elite players use uncomfortable stats to improve
Why being a well-rounded, reliable player matters more than chasing points
🏒 Whether you’re a player who checks the stat sheet daily or one who avoids it completely, this episode will help you rethink how stats fit into your hockey journey — and how to use them as a tool, not a trap.
💡 Remember: the stats are in the past. Your effort, habits, and mindset decide what comes next.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: Stats Don’t Define You — How Hockey Players Should Really Use Numbers to Get Better
🎙️ Wherever you are on your hockey path, we believe in you. You should too.
 #RideToTheRink #HockeyStats #YouthHockey #HockeyDevelopment #TeamFirst #HockeyMindset #PlayerDevelopment #HockeyParents #HockeyLife
Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!
Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽
Trusted by our kids! Trust it with yours! Trusted at the NHL level through youth hockey, Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace. 
🎯 Visit NHL.SenseArena.com/OKPH for their lowest price of the season and use code OKPH to get $25 off an annual plan or headset bundle.
Have A Topic You Want Us To Cover? Let us know!

Please Be Sure To Subscribe & Leave A Review For Us On Apple Podcasts, doing so helps our show grow!

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📬 It’s time to open the mailbag — and these questions go way deeper than you might expect.
In this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee, Mike, and Christie tackle two listener questions that hit at the heart of youth hockey development — accountability, stats, and how parents can support learning without getting in the way.
First up, a coach asks a question we hear all the time:
👉 Is there a stat that shows how many mistakes lead to goals — and how do we help kids understand that goals aren’t just on the goalie?
From blue line turnovers and unforced mistakes to age-appropriate stat tracking and accountability, this conversation goes far beyond analytics. It’s about teaching the game, not blaming the game — and knowing when to coach skills, when to coach decisions, and when to let players take ownership.
Then, we shift gears to a brand-new hockey family with a 5-year-old who’s obsessed with skating. 🥹
 🏒 When should kids stop using rental skates?
🏒 Do sticks matter at this age?
🏒 How much should parents really invest early on?
This episode is packed with real-world advice, honest perspective, and reminders of what youth hockey is actually about — development, patience, and love for the game.
🎧 Episode Highlights:
Why every goal is a team mistake, not just a goalie mistake
The one stat coaches can track at any level (and how to use it properly)
How turnovers at the blue line shape wins, losses, and learning
The fine line between reducing mistakes and killing creativity
What parents of young players should (and shouldn’t) spend money on
Why rentals hold kids back — and how to upgrade without breaking the bank
💬 Have a question you want answered on a future mailbag episode?
 Email us at [email protected]
or use the link in the episode description.
🏒 Enjoy the ride, enjoy the rink, and thanks for being part of the Our Kids Play Hockey community.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: What Stats Really Matter in Youth Hockey — And When to Buy Your Kid Their First Skates
#OurKidsPlayHockey #YouthHockey #HockeyParents #HockeyCoaching #
Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!
Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽
Trusted by our kids! Trust it with yours! Trusted at the NHL level through youth hockey, Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace. 
🎯 Visit NHL.SenseArena.com/OKPH for their lowest price of the season and use code OKPH to get $25 off an annual plan or headset bundle.
Have A Topic You Want Us To Cover? Let us know!

Please Be Sure To Subscribe & Leave A Review For Us On Apple Podcasts, doing so helps our show grow!

Follow Us On Social Media:
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