Our Kids Play Hockey

🏒 What started as a simple “Day in the Life” became a front-row seat to hockey history.
At the beginning of the season, Hayley Scamurra was facing uncertainty. She was balancing Team USA evaluation camps with a new chapter for the Montreal Victoire, competing for an Olympic roster spot while navigating the demands of a full professional season.
By the end of it, she had accomplished something no woman had ever done before: win an Olympic gold medal and the PWHL Walter Cup in the same year.
In this special edition of Our Kids Play Hockey, we look back at Hayley’s unforgettable 2025–26 season—from Olympic camps and the nerve-wracking wait for the Team USA call, to winning gold, returning immediately to the PWHL playoff race, surviving an incredible postseason, lifting the Walter Cup with Montreal, and celebrating in front of a sea of fans in the streets of the city.
🥇 Inside this episode:
🏒 How Hayley approached Olympic tryouts by focusing on her role instead of comparing herself to other elite players
🇺🇸 The emotional phone call confirming she had made her second U.S. Olympic team
🥇 What finally winning Olympic gold meant after a lifetime dedicated to hockey
🧠 Why visualization, confidence, and staying present became such important parts of her season
✈️ The whirlwind transition from Olympic champion back to professional hockey—with almost no time to recover
🎤 What it was like going from the rink to The Kelly Clarkson Show and meeting Pink
🔥 How Montreal surged after the Olympic break and finished first in the PWHL standings
🏆 The dramatic road through the PWHL playoffs, including an unforgettable Walter Cup Final
💪 Why Hayley’s value went far beyond goals and points—and how embracing her role helped unlock one of the best seasons of her career
🎉 The Montreal championship parade that showed just how far professional women’s hockey has come
For young players and hockey parents, Hayley’s story carries an important lesson: success doesn’t always come from trying to be everything. Sometimes it comes from understanding exactly what you bring to a team, embracing that role, and doing it exceptionally well.
And perhaps the biggest takeaway is bigger than one player, one medal, or one championship.
The history being made by players like Hayley today becomes the possibility young hockey players will expect tomorrow.
Congratulations to our own Hayley Scamurra—Olympic gold medalist, Walter Cup champion, and the first woman to accomplish both in the same year.
🎧 Listen to this special journey through one remarkable season and an unforgettable chapter in women’s hockey history.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: From Olympic Dream to Walter Cup Champion: Hayley Scamurra’s Historic Year in Hockey
Have fun, skate hard, and keep dreaming big.
#OurKidsPlayHockey #HayleyScamurra #WomensHockey #PWHL #MontrealVictoire #TeamUSA #OlympicHockey #OlympicGold #WalterCup #GirlsHockey #YouthHockey #HockeyParents #HockeyDevelopment #ProfessionalHockey
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Hockey IQ: Scanning the ice, recognizing pressure, anticipating what happens next, making the right decision faster. Research shows these perceptual and decision-making skills can actually be trained. With NHL Sense Arena, kids can get extra game-like reps at home, working on hockey IQ, reactions, real stick-handling for skaters, while goalies can train reads and tracking. Save $25 on an annual plan with code OKPH at http://hockey.sensearena.com/okph
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🥅 Want more energy on the ice? Start by looking at what you’re putting into your body.
On this episode of The Ride to The Rink, Lee Elias, Mike Bonelli, and Christie Casciano Burns talk directly to young hockey players about something that can make a real difference in how they feel, focus, and perform: nutrition.
Food is fuel, and just like a car can’t run well without the right gas, hockey players need the right fuel to perform at their best.
The crew breaks down why healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or boring. They talk about building better routines, making smarter snack choices, learning how to cook, trying new foods, and getting the whole family—or even the whole team—involved.
🏒 In this episode, you’ll hear about:
Why nutrition can affect your energy, focus, and performance
🍌 Simple hockey snacks like bananas with peanut butter, yogurt with berries, apples, wraps, oatmeal, and smoothies
Why creating a food routine can make game days easier
How NHL players often rely on consistent pregame meals and routines
Why healthy eating habits are easier to build when you start young
How young players can help prepare their own meals and snacks
Why cooking at home can sometimes be more affordable than fast food
How picky eaters can challenge themselves to try something new
Why eating well works even better when teammates and families do it together
And one of the biggest challenges from the episode?
Try one new food this week without deciding you hate it before you even taste it.
Your hockey development doesn’t only happen at practice. What you eat, how you prepare, and the habits you build away from the rink can all help you become a stronger, more energized athlete.
🎧 Listen now, share this episode with your teammates, and start thinking about one small nutrition habit you can improve this week.
Work hard. Have fun. Fuel well. And keep enjoying the ride.
#YouthHockey #HockeyNutrition #HockeyPlayers #YouthAthletes #SportsNutrition #HockeyTraining #HealthyEating #HockeyParents #AthleteNutrition #HockeyPerformance #HockeySnacks #TheRideToTheRink
Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!
Hockey IQ: Scanning the ice, recognizing pressure, anticipating what happens next, making the right decision faster. Research shows these perceptual and decision-making skills can actually be trained. With NHL Sense Arena, kids can get extra game-like reps at home, working on hockey IQ, reactions, real stick-handling for skaters, while goalies can train reads and tracking. Save $25 on an annual plan with code OKPH at http://hockey.sensearena.com/okph
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🏒 What’s for dinner when practice starts at 5:30, homework still needs to get done, and everyone is heading in a different direction?
For hockey families, feeding everyone during the season can feel like another full-time job. Between practices, games, tournaments, school, work, and travel, the fast-food drive-thru can start looking like the easiest option.
But it doesn’t have to be.
In this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias, Mike Bonelli, and Christie Casciano-Burns tackle one of the most relatable challenges hockey parents face: how to feed your family—and fuel your hockey player—when the schedule is completely chaotic.
🥘 From crockpot meals and rotisserie chicken to breakfast-for-dinner, taco night, prepacked snacks, and tournament-friendly options, the crew shares realistic ideas that hockey families can actually use.
You’ll hear:
🏒 Why meal planning matters more than creating the “perfect” dinner
🥪 Simple grab-and-go foods for busy practice nights
🍌 Easy snack ideas for before and after hockey
⏰ How food choices can change depending on how close you are to game time
🥘 Why the crockpot may be the MVP of hockey season
💰 How planning ahead can help families rely less on expensive fast food
🍝 The hosts’ favorite hockey-family meals that kids actually eat
🧊 Why packing food for tournaments can save time, money, and frustration
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 How involving kids in meal planning can teach habits that last well beyond hockey
And perhaps most importantly, this episode is a reminder that the goal isn’t gourmet—it’s preparation.
Your family dinner may happen at 4:45 one night and 9:30 the next. Some nights everyone may eat together; other nights it’s grab-and-go. What matters is creating a plan that works for your family and gives your young athlete the fuel they need.
As Lee points out, parents spend enormous amounts of time thinking about skating lessons, shooting coaches, camps, clinics, and development opportunities. But something as basic as what a player eats can also have a real impact on how prepared and energized they feel on the ice.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: How Busy Hockey Families Can Make Mealtime Easier and Fuel Their Players Better
🎧 Listen now and steal a few ideas for your next busy hockey week.
Have a favorite hockey-family meal, tournament snack, or crockpot recipe? Send it to team@ourkidsplayhockey.com.
You can also explore books, apparel, partners, and more at OurKidsPlayHockey.com/deals.
#OurKidsPlayHockey #HockeyParents #YouthHockey #HockeyNutrition #HockeyMom #HockeyDad #YouthSportsNutrition #HockeyMeals #MealPrep #HockeyLife #TournamentHockey #SportsParents
Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!
Hockey IQ: Scanning the ice, recognizing pressure, anticipating what happens next, making the right decision faster. Research shows these perceptual and decision-making skills can actually be trained. With NHL Sense Arena, kids can get extra game-like reps at home, working on hockey IQ, reactions, real stick-handling for skaters, while goalies can train reads and tracking. Save $25 on an annual plan with code OKPH at http://hockey.sensearena.com/okph
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🏒 What if your young hockey player could get individualized feedback, video analysis, coach collaboration, and a season-long development plan—all without adding another practice to the calendar?
In this special edition of Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias sits down with longtime coach and player-development expert Mike Bonelli to introduce Mike’s new Player Advising Program, designed to give youth hockey players and families something that can be hard to find during a busy season: consistent, individualized feedback.
Rather than focusing on playing time, rankings, or where a player should play years from now, Mike’s approach starts with a much simpler question:
Where is the player today—and how can we help them make meaningful progress throughout the season?
With more than 40 years of experience in player development, coaching, mentorship, recruiting, and player advancement, Mike has built a program that combines professional evaluation with practical, season-long guidance. He also works directly with each player’s coach so that the feedback supports—not conflicts with—the player’s team environment.
🎯 In this episode, you’ll hear about:
Why the beginning of the hockey season is such an important time to establish a player-development baseline
How individualized video review can help players actually see what coaches are asking them to improve
Why Mike communicates directly with the player’s coach throughout the process
How comparing a player’s film with higher-level players can create clearer teaching moments
Why skate hollow, blade profile, radius, and overall skate setup can make a meaningful difference in performance
How outside feedback can sometimes help young players hear the same lesson in an entirely new way
Why development should be measured across an entire season—not one tournament, practice, or weekend
The Player Advising Program includes an initial one-on-one intake meeting, six individualized player progress reports—including a baseline evaluation, four in-season reports, and a final report—access to a private video portal, professional skate and blade review, and two private speaker-series programs.
💰 Our Kids Play Hockey introductory offering: $225 per player
The program runs from September through February, and space is limited.
👉 Ready to register? Complete the Player Advising Program form here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSch6ZRzHEpzAEHKd5ZDjjbhxwGBGbVSHNg23MUckydf93VOHQ/viewform
📅 Have questions or want to speak with Mike first? Schedule a quick consultation here:
https://calendly.com/mike-mikebonellihockeysolutions/30min?month=2026-09
If your young player would benefit from more individualized feedback, better understanding of their game, and a clearer development path throughout the season, this episode will show you exactly what that process can look like.
Listen, learn, and keep helping your player enjoy the process of becoming the best version of themselves.
#OurKidsPlayHockey #YouthHockey #HockeyDevelopment #HockeyParents #PlayerDevelopment #HockeyCoaching #HockeyTraining #HockeyIQ #YouthSports #MikeBonelli
Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!
Hockey IQ: Scanning the ice, recognizing pressure, anticipating what happens next, making the right decision faster. Research shows these perceptual and decision-making skills can actually be trained. With NHL Sense Arena, kids can get extra game-like reps at home, working on hockey IQ, reactions, real stick-handling for skaters, while goalies can train reads and tracking. Save $25 on an annual plan with code OKPH at http://hockey.sensearena.com/okph
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🏒 Dreaming about playing college hockey someday? The work doesn’t start when recruiting begins—it starts with the habits you’re building right now.
On this episode of The Ride to The Rink, Lee Elias and Christie Casciano Burns are joined by Kiersten Sires, creator of 2aDays, to help young hockey players understand what they can do today to prepare for the opportunities they hope to have tomorrow.
And here’s the good news: you don’t need to be emailing college coaches or worrying about recruiting rankings at eight, ten, or twelve years old.
You need to start becoming the kind of person and player coaches will want on their team.
Kiersten shares why college coaches pay attention to much more than goals, assists, and skating ability—and why your grades, body language, communication skills, consistency, and treatment of teammates can eventually separate you from other players.
🏒 In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why strong daily habits matter long before college recruiting begins
📚 Why your grades can open—or limit—future college hockey opportunities
What coaches notice about your body language and behavior away from the puck
Why being a great teammate matters when you think nobody is watching
How introducing yourself and communicating confidently builds an important life skill
Why young players need to learn how to advocate for themselves instead of always relying on parents
How effort in school, chores, practice, and everyday life helps build your compete level
❤️ Why having fun still needs to be part of chasing big hockey dreams
The message for every young player is simple: work hard, learn something, communicate, be a great teammate—and enjoy the ride.
Wherever you are in your hockey journey, keep building the habits that will help you on the ice and everywhere else.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: Want to Play College Hockey Someday? Start With What You Do Today.
🎧 Listen now, share this episode with a young player who dreams of college hockey, and check out 2aDays to learn more about Kiersten Sires and the college sports experience.
#YouthHockey #CollegeHockey #HockeyRecruiting #CollegeHockeyRecruiting #HockeyPlayers #YouthAthletes #HockeyParents #StudentAthlete #HockeyDevelopment #HockeyLife #TheRideToTheRink #2aDays
Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!
Hockey IQ: Scanning the ice, recognizing pressure, anticipating what happens next, making the right decision faster. Research shows these perceptual and decision-making skills can actually be trained. With NHL Sense Arena, kids can get extra game-like reps at home, working on hockey IQ, reactions, real stick-handling for skaters, while goalies can train reads and tracking. Save $25 on an annual plan with code OKPH at http://hockey.sensearena.com/okph
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