Our Kids Play Hockey | Hockey Stories & Teamwork Tips

🥅 What really separates a great young goalie from everyone else?
According to former NHL goaltender, Calder Trophy winner, coach, and analyst Andrew Raycroft, it is not just size, technique, or flashy saves.
It is perseverance.
It is skating.
It is belief.
It is learning how to handle failure.
And sometimes, it is being just a little bit delusional.
In this episode of Our Kids Play Goalie, Lee Elias, Mike Bonelli, Christie Casciano-Burns, and Andrew Raycroft dive into what young goalies and their parents should actually focus on as they develop.
Andrew shares lessons from his own journey from minor hockey to more than 100 NHL wins, explains why he worries that youth hockey sometimes prioritizes size over skill, and talks about why smaller, athletic goalies still deserve real opportunities.
The conversation also goes deep into the mental side of the position: how goalies respond after bad goals, why resilience matters, what parents should do during tough stretches, and how social media can quietly destroy confidence by making every other goalie look perfect.
🎧 In this episode:
🥅 Why perseverance may be the most important goalie trait
⛸️ Why skating ability stands out immediately in young goalies
📏 Why coaches should not automatically choose the biggest goalie
🧠 Why some goalies naturally handle failure better than others
💪 How to build resilience after rough games and difficult stretches
🚫 Why parents should avoid overanalyzing the car ride home
📱 How social media creates unrealistic comparisons for young goalies
🔥 Why belief and even a little “delusion” can be powerful
🎯 How to judge your performance beyond just the final score
👀 Why hockey IQ becomes a major separator as goalies get older
📺 How actually watching full hockey games can improve goalie instincts
❤️ Why parents should focus less on outcomes and more on whether their child still loves coming to the rink
One of Andrew’s most important messages is simple: you cannot force the path.
One kid may develop faster.
Another may be smaller.
Another may struggle for a month and then take a huge step forward.
The goal is not to compare your child to every highlight clip online.
The goal is to help them keep showing up, keep learning, keep believing, and keep enjoying the position.
Because the lessons a goalie learns in the crease—resetting after failure, owning mistakes, competing through adversity, and believing in yourself—go far beyond hockey.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: What Really Makes a Great Young Goalie? Lessons from Andrew Raycroft
#OurKidsPlayGoalie #AndrewRaycroft #YouthHockeyGoalie #GoalieDevelopment #HockeyGoalie #GoalieParents #YouthHockey #GoalieTraining #HockeyMindset #GoalieConfidence #HockeyIQ #HockeyParents

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🏒 What happens when a young player still loves hockey—but the schedule is starting to wear her down?
In this episode of Our Girls Play Hockey, Lee Elias, Mike Bonelli, and Olympic gold medalist and Walter Cup champion Hayley Scamurra respond to a powerful parent email about a 12U player facing three practices a week, dryland, video sessions, and roughly two hours of driving for every practice.
The player still loves the game.
But she and her parent are exhausted.
So the question becomes: Is more hockey always better?
Hayley reflects on her own youth and high school experience, including long drives, missed practices, school commitments, and the importance of doing what was best for her overall development and well-being. Mike and Lee add the coaching perspective, discussing commitment, communication, age, team expectations, multi-sport participation, and the difference between occasionally needing space and consistently avoiding responsibility.
🎧 In this episode:
🏒 When missing a youth hockey practice can actually be healthy
🚗 Why travel time should count as part of a player’s workload
🔥 The difference between schedule fatigue and true hockey burnout
❤️ Why protecting a player’s love of the game matters more than squeezing in one more practice
🗣️ Why honest communication with the coach is essential
💪 How young female athletes can learn to advocate for themselves
⚖️ Why age and competitive level should change expectations
🏃 Why playing multiple sports can support hockey development
📆 How families can experiment with a lighter schedule without locking into a full-season decision
🎯 Whether doing less means another player will “pass you”
🤝 Why accountability still matters when a player misses practice
🧠 How coaches can create environments players actually want to show up for
One of the strongest messages in this conversation is that a 12-year-old should not feel like an entire hockey season is something she has to “grind out.”
Competing hard in a difficult game is one thing.
Grinding through an exhausting schedule for months at a time is another.
If a player still loves hockey, protect that love.
That might mean taking a night off.
It might mean choosing another activity.
It might mean changing teams.
It might mean having an uncomfortable but necessary conversation with a coach.
And it might simply mean giving a young athlete enough space to miss the rink—and want to come back.
There is no single perfect answer for every family. But communication, health, accountability, and joy should always be part of the decision.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: When Youth Hockey Becomes Too Much: Burnout, Travel, and Protecting the Love of the Game
#OurGirlsPlayHockey #GirlsHockey #YouthHockey #HockeyBurnout #TravelHockey #HayleyScamurra #WomensHockey #HockeyParents #YouthSports #MultiSportAthlete #PlayerDevelopment #HockeyBalance

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🏒 What does being “coachable” actually look like during a hockey game?
In this episode of The Ride to the Rink, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli speak directly to young players about how to listen, learn, and stay engaged when coaches are talking to them on the bench.
Being coachable is not about blindly agreeing with everything you hear. It’s about being present, being willing to receive information, and looking for something useful that can help you on your next shift.
Mike shares a few simple habits coaches notice right away: sitting with your linemates, encouraging teammates, making eye contact with your coach, listening when someone is trying to teach you, and staying mentally connected to the game instead of drifting into unrelated conversations.
Lee adds an important reminder: coaching is not judging.
When a coach tells you what they want to see differently, that does not automatically mean they think you are a bad player or that you ruined the game. Most of the time, they are simply trying to help you improve.
🎧 In this episode, young players will learn:
🏒 What coaches notice when players come back to the bench
🤝 Why positive communication with teammates matters
👀 Why eye contact and attention show coaches you are ready to learn
🧠 How to pull one useful takeaway from coaching instructions
🎯 Why staying present matters in a fast-moving game
📈 How every mistake can become a learning opportunity
💬 Why coaching feedback is meant to help—not blame
⭐ How being coachable builds trust with coaches and teammates
The goal is simple: every shift, try to learn something.
Maybe it’s finding more open ice.
Maybe it’s making a better pass.
Maybe it’s supporting a teammate.
Maybe it’s just being more aware.
You do not have to become a perfect player in one shift. Just try to become a little better each time you step onto the ice.
Stay engaged. Stay curious. Help your teammates. Listen for the lesson.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: How to Be More Coachable—and Learn More From Every Hockey Shift
And remember: we believe in you—but you should believe in yourself too.
#TheRideToTheRink #YouthHockey #HockeyKids #BeCoachable #HockeyDevelopment #HockeyMindset #YouthHockeyPlayers #HockeyCoaching #HockeyTeammates #PlayerDevelopment

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🏒 Are you coaching the players on your bench—or shouting instructions at the players already flying around the ice?
There’s a big difference.
In this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli tackle one of the most common habits they see in youth hockey: coaches trying to control every decision from the bench.
After more than 50 years of combined coaching experience, Lee and Mike admit they’ve both evolved. The younger versions of themselves yelled more, talked more, and believed they could influence every play as it happened.
Today, they see the bench very differently.
The game is where players apply what they’ve learned. The real teaching happens through practices, preparation, video, repetition, and conversations before and after the action.
🎧 In this episode:
🏒 Why shouting constant play-by-play instructions isn’t really coaching
🧠 Why players—especially younger players—struggle to process tactical information during a shift
📋 How to enter every game with just a few clear points of emphasis
🍩 Why simple code words like “donuts,” “butter,” and “go hunting” can communicate more than a long speech
📝 How Lee and Mike use notes, lineup sheets, and game observations to improve future practices
🔄 Why good bench management includes line rotation, fair ice time, substitutions, and situational awareness
👥 How head coaches can better utilize assistant coaches
⏱️ What to say between periods when you only have a few seconds
😤 Why a coach’s emotional state can quickly become the team’s emotional state
📣 Why parents coaching from the stands can make things harder—not easier
🎯 How the definition of success should change depending on the age and developmental level
❤️ Why youth hockey coaching ultimately includes teaching character, empathy, and life lessons
One of the biggest takeaways?
In-game bench management may be the least effective time to teach hockey.
Save the detailed teaching for practice. Save it for video. Save it for the locker room.
On the bench, manage the environment. Communicate simply. Keep players engaged. Control your emotions. Help them compete.
And then let them play.
For coaches trying to become more effective—and parents wondering what good bench coaching should actually look like—this is a conversation worth hearing.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: How to Coach a Youth Hockey Bench Without Overcoaching the Game
#OurKidsPlayHockey #YouthHockey #HockeyCoaching #YouthHockeyCoach #BenchManagement #HockeyDevelopment #HockeyParents #CoachDevelopment #HockeyPractice #PlayerDevelopment #PositiveCoaching

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🏒 What do you do when you don’t get along with a teammate? How do you make friends on a new team? And what separates a good captain from a truly great leader?
Olympic gold medalist and PWHL forward Hayley Scamurra is back for Part 2 of our Our Girls Play Hockey Q&A, answering real questions from young players about some of the hardest—and most relatable—parts of being an athlete.
From navigating difficult teammates and coaches to joining a new locker room, managing pre-game nerves, and learning what elite leadership actually looks like, Hayley shares lessons built from youth hockey, Team USA, the Olympics, and the professional game.
She also takes us inside what makes leaders like Hilary Knight and Marie-Philip Poulin so impactful—not just because of what they do in big moments, but because of how they show up for teammates when nobody is watching.
🎧 In this episode:
🤝 How to handle teammates you don’t naturally connect with
⚡ Why protecting your energy matters in a team environment
👋 How shy players can make friends on a new hockey team
🏒 Why small locker-room conversations can build big connections
⭐ What Hayley looks for in a great captain and leader
🇺🇸 What Hilary Knight’s intensity brought to Team USA’s gold-medal run
🍁 How Marie-Philip Poulin leads through consistency, sacrifice, and genuine care
🧠 How elite athletes separate nervous thoughts from real confidence
🥇 Why Hayley believed she would make Team USA—and win Olympic gold
🌎 Her favorite memories from competing at the Olympics
🥦 And, in perhaps the most important question of all… does Hayley eat her vegetables?
One of the biggest messages in this episode is simple: you do not have to be best friends with everyone on your team to be a great teammate.
Find your people. Make an effort. Be respectful. Support the players beside you. And remember that the way you respond to difficult situations is one of the few things you can always control.
For every girl navigating a new team, dealing with locker-room dynamics, learning to lead, or wondering whether nerves mean she isn’t ready—this episode is for you.
Keep showing up, keep connecting, and keep believing that you belong in the room.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: Finding Your People, Leading with Confidence, and Handling Pressure in Hockey
#OurGirlsPlayHockey #HayleyScamurra #GirlsHockey #WomensHockey #YouthHockey #HockeyLeadership #TeamUSA #HilaryKnight #MariePhilipPoulin #PWHL #HockeyConfidence #HockeyTeamwork #OlympicHockey

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