Our Kids Play Hockey

🚗💨 Kids, buckle up — this one’s special.
On this episode of The Ride to the Rink, we’re joined by one of the most creative and recognizable puck handlers in the world — Pavel Barber.
If you’ve ever dreamed of dangling like the pros, pulling off trick shots, or making defenders look silly… Pavel is here to tell you what actually matters most when it comes to getting better at hockey.
And spoiler alert: it’s not the tricks.
🏒 In this episode, Pavel shares:
Why skating and edge work matter more than hands or shooting
How puck control really works (hint: it’s about options and awareness)
Why failure isn’t something to avoid — it’s something to chase
How to manage your ego when trying new skills feels uncomfortable
When creative moves do make sense — and when they don’t
A powerful message for kids with big hockey dreams 💙
This is a masterclass in patience, confidence, and trusting the process, delivered in a way every young player can understand.
👊 Kids — listen closely. If Pavel Barber is telling you skating comes first… that’s something worth remembering.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: What Pavel Barber Wants Young Hockey Players to Understand About Getting Better
🎧 Take this conversation with you to the rink, the driveway, or the basement — and let it shape how you practice, how you think, and how you grow as a hockey player.
👉 Have fun. Work hard. We believe in you.
#TheRideToTheRink #PavelBarber #YouthHockey #HockeySkills #HockeyDevelopment #EdgeWork #HockeyMindset #FailToSucceed #OurKidsPlayHockey
Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!
Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽
Heading into 2026, hockey families are asking: How do we get better? More ice time isn’t always realistic — but smarter training is. Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace.
🎯 Visit SenseArena.com/OKPH and use code OKPH to get 50% off plus $25 off an annual plan or headset bundle.
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🏒 Is creativity in hockey being misunderstood… or mis-taught?
If your player loves skill moves, toe drags, and trick shots — but struggles to know when to use them — this episode is a must-listen.
This week on Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias, Christie Casciano-Burns, and Mike Bonelli are joined by global skills coach and viral hockey creator Pavel Barber for a powerful, thoughtful conversation about skill development, creativity, and application in today’s game.
Pavel pulls back the curtain on what truly matters in player development — and it might surprise you coming from one of the most skilled puck handlers on the planet.
🧠 In this episode, we dive into:
🔄 Creativity vs. application — why skill only matters if it solves a problem
🏎️ Why skating is still the foundation (yes, even according to Pavel Barber)
🎯 How to teach kids when to use moves like toe drags and Michigan attempts
🧩 Helping players build their own identity, not just copy what they see online
❌ Why labeling moves as “flashy” can actually stunt development
🔁 How failure, when done right, accelerates growth and confidence
This conversation is packed with practical insights for parents, coaches, and players navigating modern youth hockey — especially in an era where highlights are everywhere, but understanding often isn’t.
⚠️ Important note: This is Part 1 of a 2-part series. In Part 2, we’ll go deeper into Pavel’s journey as an international athlete, his discipline behind the scenes, and the mindset that separates good players from great ones.
🎧 Listen now — and then bring this conversation to your next ride to the rink.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: Creativity, Skill, and the Truth About Development: What Pavel Barber Wants Hockey Families to Understand
👉 If you found value in this episode, please rate, review, and share it with another hockey family.
📘 Don’t forget to check out our children’s book When Hockey Stops at WhenHockeyStops.com.
#OurKidsPlayHockey #PavelBarber #HockeyDevelopment #YouthHockey #HockeySkills #CreativeHockey #HockeyParents #PlayerDevelopment
Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!
Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽
Heading into 2026, hockey families are asking: How do we get better? More ice time isn’t always realistic — but smarter training is. Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace.
🎯 Visit SenseArena.com/OKPH and use code OKPH to get 50% off plus $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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💥 This is one of the most requested topics we’ve ever received — and for good reason.
Body image. Confidence. Strength. These are conversations that affect almost every girl hockey player and family at some point… yet they’re rarely talked about openly.
In this powerful and honest episode of Our Girls Play Hockey, Lee Elias and former Olympian Hayley Scamurra dive deep into the evolving definition of strength in girls hockey — from youth levels all the way to the pros.
Together, they unpack:
The body image pressures female athletes face (often starting way earlier than we realize)
Why the number on the scale is not a measure of performance or worth
Strength training myths — including the fear of “getting too bulky”
How social media fuels comparison (and how to protect confidence in a scroll-heavy world)
Why reframing strength as what your body can do changes everything
Hayley shares her own journey — from struggling to fit into jeans as a kid, to embracing her physical strength as one of her greatest assets on the ice. Lee brings the perspective of a coach, parent, and lifelong hockey advocate, challenging outdated narratives around health, fitness, and confidence.
💬 This episode isn’t just for players.
It’s for parents, coaches, and hockey dads who want to support girls the right way — with empathy, education, and leadership.
📩 We want to hear from you.
 If this episode resonates, email us at [email protected]
or use the text link in the show notes to share your thoughts or questions.
Have fun, work hard, get better — and remember: strong looks different on everyone.
#OurGirlsPlayHockey #GirlsHockey #Confidence #BodyImage #FemaleAthletes #HockeyParents #StrengthTraining #YouthSports
Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!
Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽
Heading into 2026, hockey families are asking: How do we get better? More ice time isn’t always realistic — but smarter training is. Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace.
🎯 Visit SenseArena.com/OKPH and use code OKPH to get 50% off plus $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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🏒 The season is winding down… but the work isn’t over yet.
As playoffs approach — or the final games come into view — this episode of The Ride to the Rink is all about how you finish. Because whether you’re chasing a championship or counting down the last few skates, the habits you build right now matter more than you think.
In this solo ride, Lee shares the exact messages he’s delivering to teams across age groups as the season enters its final stretch — lessons that apply no matter where your team sits in the standings.
🚨 In this episode, we cover:
Why the end of the season is the best time for honest self-reflection
How to fight burnout, refocus your mindset, and reset your standards
Why “slow starts” and “slow finishes” are team habits — not accidents
What coaches really notice during the final games and evaluations
Navigating ice time, shortened benches, and understanding your role
How finishing strong impacts how coaches, teammates, and organizations remember you
💡 Whether you’re a player fighting for every shift, a leader trying to pull your team together, or a parent listening along in the car — this is a reminder that character shows up loudest at the end.
📩 Have a question you want us to answer on the show?
 Tap the link in the episode description to send it in — anonymously or by name.
👊 Finish strong. Always.
#RideToTheRink #YouthHockey #FinishStrong #HockeyMindset #Playoffs #TeamCulture #HockeyDevelopment #OurKidsPlayHockey
Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!
Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽
Heading into 2026, hockey families are asking: How do we get better? More ice time isn’t always realistic — but smarter training is. Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace.
🎯 Visit SenseArena.com/OKPH and use code OKPH to get 50% off plus $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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We’re closing the book on 2025 with our annual Year in Review—and the numbers are WILD. From 156 episodes (yep—3 per week) to 4,454 minutes of content (74+ hours) and listeners in 100 countries, this show continues to grow because of one thing: the hockey community sharing it.
We also count down the Top 5 episodes of 2025 (plus an honorable mention), talk through the topics parents are clearly searching for most (tryouts, development, myths, and expectations), and pull back the curtain on what happens after we hit “end recording”—including how titles, transcripts, and social clips help families actually find the episodes they need.
And if you’ve ever wondered whether the show is still growing… November + December 2025 were the two biggest months we’ve ever had. Hockey-stick chart. Straight up.
Key Takeaways
Consistency wins: 156 episodes in 2025 and no missed weeks in 6 years
Global reach: listeners in 100 countries and 3,853 cities in 2025
Top cities: Toronto #1, followed by Minneapolis and Chicago
Top 10% on Buzzsprout: driven by listens per episode + community sharing
The search effect is real: the episodes that rank highest are the ones parents need answers to (tryouts, benchmarks, myths)
The Top 5 Episodes of 2025 (Countdown)
#5: Do Early Hockey Stars Stay Ahead? (Ep. 399)
#4: What Skills Should My Kid Have at Their Age? (Ep. 390)
#3: 3 Pieces of Advice Hockey Parents Ask For… and Ignore (Ep. 376)
#2: Debunking Youth Hockey Myths w/ Bruins Performance Coach Kevin Neal (Ep. 358)
#1: The Truth About Tryouts and Evaluations (Ep. 355)
Honorable Mention: The Underappreciated Defenseman (Ep. 343)
Practical Tips for Parents (takeaways from this discussion)
Don’t panic over a 2–3 day tryout window—evaluation happens all season
Use benchmarks as guardrails, not pressure—kids develop at different speeds
When you’re stuck at the rink… search the website + share the episode
Send questions in—some of the best episodes start with a listener email
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Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!
Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽
Heading into 2026, hockey families are asking: How do we get better? More ice time isn’t always realistic — but smarter training is. Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace.
🎯 Visit SenseArena.com/OKPH and use code OKPH to get 50% off plus $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:
Facebook Group
X
Instagram
LinkedIn
YouTube