This month One Million Skates is looking at how one very special person has influenced everyone’s ability to love the game of hockey. The unsung hero in many families – Mom. 

Inside this month’s issue, we’ll share stories of how hockey moms have taken their share of hits; getting everyone ready for early practice, driving countless hours to the rink and even being ignored on birthdays by their NHL JRNYMN son!  

Enjoy!
The Writers at One Million Skates

Starting this month, One Million Skates ― a dynamic online lifestyle publication dedicated to passionate, on-the-go minor hockey families ― will become an official HEROS publication. 

Presented by TELUS and supported by the NHL Player’s Association, HEROS is a registered Canadian charitable organization committed to empowering children through ice hockey. The premise of HEROS is to use the game of hockey as a catalyst to attract youth to a program offering support for education, self-esteem building and life-skills training. The program focuses on boys and girls of diverse ethnicity from economically challenged neighbourhoods throughout Canada, including Vancouver, Sechelt/Gibsons, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and a partnership program in Dublin and Belfast, Ireland. HEROS programs provide youth a team for life by celebrating in their first goal on the ice and assisting in their dreams off the ice in an environment of fun and safety where each child is considered to be a “hero.”

HEROS participants across Canada

“HEROS is making a real difference in the lives of many deserving kids,” said Christie Judson, OMS co-founder. “This union will help all young hockey players to experience the best of this great game and to feel valued, inspired and connected ― no matter where they come from or what circumstances they face.”

For more information, visit www.heroshockey.com.

About One Million Skates

OMS is a dynamic online lifestyle publication dedicated to passionate, on-the-go minor hockey families. An official publication of Hockey Education Reaching Out Society (HEROS), it features inspiring editorial content, practical lifestyle information and unique tools and resources to help players and their families, coaches, associations and communities experience the most rewarding hockey experience possible. For more information, visit www.onemillionskates.com.

Glen Williamson, a former scout with the Los Angeles Kings, tells our players every summer at Prep Camp that it is a rare occasion when one player is a perfect “5 out of 5” in every category. Rather, players need to play to their strengths and be a 5 out of 5 in their strongest categories. Every player is unique. Intangible attributes are often the ones that can prolong a career or open up new opportunities for a player. 

Scouts and coaches are always looking for players who can skate and read the game, and who are willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win and add to team chemistry. 

Young players need to realize that someone is always watching. Consistent behaviour and performance day in and day out are keys to success. They must do something to “get noticed.” That “something” can come from a wide range of plays — something that catches the eye of a scout, and makes the scout take notice enough to remember the player once the game is over.

The following list will shed light on just some of the subtleties of the game that scouts and coaches look for in identifying good players. 

Players should:

- block shots

- shoot the puck

- head-man the puck well

- pass the puck unselfishly

- communicate verbally on the ice and from the bench

- finish checks

- minimize turnovers in high risk areas

- identify defensive responsibilities

- drive the net

- create offensive-zone scoring chances 

- use their sticks to take away passing lanes

- keep their bodies in the shooting lanes by staying between their checks and the net (also known as defensive-side positioning)

- stay on the defensive side in battles for the puck

Extra position-specific cues include the following.

Forwards should:

- support the puck

- keep a forward high in the offensive zone

- backcheck through the middle of the ice

- minimize turnovers

- cover for pressured or pinching defensive players

Defense should:

- get up-ice with the play to minimize gaps

- keep attacking forwards to the outside

- stay between attacking forwards and the net

- use their partners instead of throwing the puck away under pressure 

- get shots past shot blockers

Goalies should:

- minimize rebounds that bounce into the slot

- battle to make second saves (rebounds)

- communicate with the defense in the defensive zone

- play the puck on dump-ins by setting it behind the net for a teammate or by passing it to the defense

- never quit until the puck is covered or is in the net

- deflect saves to corners

- skate hard to the bench on delayed penalties

- be square to shots by moving well in the crease and anticipating the play

- challenge shooters with appropriate depth, depending on shooter position and other scoring threats

The most skilled players in the world will always find a team that wants them, even if their attitude is not the best. However, these players are few and far between, and they often bounce from team to team until their luck runs out. Every team needs a player who can lead the league in scoring or stop the puck. However, they can only deal with a poor attitude for so long.

Beyond pure skating and puck skills, the above-listed characteristics all relate to a player’s ability to read the play and to make decisions that are best for the team. The best players in the world are not always the best skaters, and they don’t always have the hardest shot or the fastest glove. To have the best chance to move on to the next level, a player needs athletic instincts, a team-first mentality and a passion for improving physical and mental skills.

By the time the hockey season is over, you might feel like you’re ready to sit on the couch and forget about it all. Don’t be tempted! Off-season is a very important time to perfect your nutrition habits so that you’re ready and fully charged for the following year.

It is vital to stay consistent with your nutrition plan — even in the spring and summer. If you swing back and forth between healthy eating patterns and poor ones, you might end up feeling defeated and nowhere ahead the next season. To be really successful the next season, you want to maintain all of the hard work you’ve invested. This will allow you to see results in your health and performance for the long term.

Here are some top strategies to maintain in the off-season:

• Always carry a water bottle with you. Having lots of fluids prevents you from overeating and fatigue.
• Eat a healthy breakfast every day. This is the single most important habit for an athlete to ensure their performance is at the top of their game. Never skip this meal, especially during the season — your body will rely on the fuel it provides.
• Include vegetables at lunch, supper and as snacks. If you don’t give yourself more than one opportunity a day to eat them, you won’t get enough.
• Keep the desserts, chips, fries, ice cream, pop and juices at a minimum. Allow yourself a maximum of only one indulgence a day.

During the off-season you will have a lot of time to create inspiring goals and figure out ways to reach them. Here are some tips:

1) Invest some time. Think about your present life and set goals that will help improve your health and performance. Decide how you will take the steps to achieve them.  

2) Set mini goals. Start with one or two goals that are manageable and that you can accomplish in the next week. The following week, reassess. If it was too easy, add a new component. Otherwise, it’s ok to work on the same goal for a few weeks in a row. Get used to your goal until it becomes a part of everyday life and you don’t have to think of it anymore!

3) Start easy. An easy goal is much more likely to be accomplished than a complex one. Ask yourself, on a scale of one to 10, what is the likelihood that you will accomplish the goal. If it’s not an eight or a nine, you should re-evaluate and make sure the goal is something more reasonable.

4) Be super specific. Think of where, when, and how you plan to work on your goal. For instance, if you want to include more vegetables in your diet, your first goal could look like this: I will add cut-up carrots to my school lunch every day to eat as a snack for around 2 p.m.

5) Think about barriers. What are some barriers to your goals? Do you have people who support you? Telling someone your goal and plan for the week makes you much more likely to achieve that goal. Use the buddy system!

1. The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team by Wayne Coffey
2. Net Worth: Exploding the Myths of Pro Hockey by David Cruise
3. The Red Machine: The Soviet Quest to Dominate Canada’s Game by Lawrence Martin
4. The Best of Down Goes Brown by Sean McIndoe
5. Journeyman by Sean Pronger with Dan Murphy
6. The Hockey Sweater (children’s) by Roch Carrier
7. The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting And Retaliation In The NHL by Ross Bernstein
8. Behind the Moves: NHL General Managers Tell How Winners are Built by Jason Farris
9. The Best Game You Can Name by Dave Bidini
10. Breakaway: From Behind the Iron Curtain to the NHL — The Untold Story of Hockey’s Great Escapes by Tal Pinchevsky
11. Number Four, Bobby Orr! (children’s) by Mike Leonetti
12. The Greatest Hockey Stories Ever Told edited by Bryant Urstadt

Five different players scored en route to the win, with Daria O’Neill (Cochrane, Alta.) and Alex Serpico (Calgary, Alta.) both scoring on power plays in the first period, Emily Monaghan (Calgary, Alta.) notching one midway through the second and both Karly Heffernan (St. Albert, Alta.) and Cassandra Vilgrain (Calgary, Alta.) scoring empty net goals in the last minute of the third period. Netminder Emma Pincott (Cochrane, Alta.) earned the win between the posts.

Sunday’s gold medal game was the second meeting in four days between Okanagan Hockey Academy and the Edge School for Athletes. Emily Clark (Saskatoon, Sask.) had the shootout winner, as Okanagan Hockey Academy scored a 4-3 win in the tournament opener for both teams Thursday afternoon.

Earlier Sunday, the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy (Kelowna, B.C.) edged Shaftesbury Hockey Academy (Winnipeg, Man.) 1-0 to win the bronze medal. Halli Krzyzaniak (Neepawa, Man.) scored the lone goal of the game on a power play at 11:31 of the third period. Sara Besseling (Vaxholm, Sweden) recorded the shutout for Pursuit of Excellence.

In Saturday’s semifinal action, Okanagan Hockey Academy blanked Shaftesbury Hockey Academy 3-0, while the Edge School for Athletes beat the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy 6-4.

The tournament all-star team for the 2013 Female World Sport School Challenge was also announced Sunday, with forwards Hannah Miller (North Vancouver, B.C./Okanagan Hockey Academy), Sarah Potomak (Aldergrove, B.C./Pursuit of Excellence) and Cassandra Vilgrain (Calgary, Alta./Edge School for Athletes), defencemen Halli Krzyzaniak (Neepawa, Man./Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy) and Marie-Jo Pelletier (Dalhousie, N.B./Rothesay Netherwood School) and goaltender Rachel Dyck (Winnipeg Beach, Man./Shaftesbury Hockey Academy) earning spots on the team.

The Female World Sport School Challenge is a new event that is expected to become an important venue for elite female players attending prep schools to compete in front of scouts from post-secondary institutions across North America, including from Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), as well as scouts for Canada’s National Women’s Program.

The event was developed in line with a commitment made by Hockey Canada to help sport schools across the country as they create learning environments for players that are both encouraging and competitive, while promoting a positive balance between academic and athletic achievements. Hockey Canada is also dedicated to offering these specialized schools flexible infrastructure so that they can help their student-athletes reach their goals of being the best they can be, both on and off the ice.

Hockey Canada currently supports 15 sport schools across the country through formal partnerships that enhance learning opportunities while developing hockey skills. This year’s Female World Sport School Challenge host team, St. Mary’s Academy, has been an official Hockey Canada sport school since 2011, establishing a respected and reputed program, with teams that participate in games and tournaments across Canada and the United States.

For more information about the 2013 Female World Sport School Challenge, follow along via social media at www.twitter.com/wsschallenge and www.facebook.com/wsschallenge, and please visit www.hockeycanada.ca/fwssc.

As a member of Team Canada and an idol for many aspiring female hockey players, which skills do you believe are the most important for players to focus on at the minor hockey level? 

L.J. — Vancouver, B.C.

Every hockey player is asked many times throughout their career how old they were when they first started playing hockey. I started playing ringette at five years old and was seven years old when I started playing hockey. But before I did either, I learned how to skate. 

In my opinion, the absolute most important skill that you can possess as a hockey player is the ability to skate. I don’t just mean being able to make it up and down the ice. I believe that having the “ability to skate” means that you are fast, explosive and agile in all situations on the ice — both forwards and backwards. 

I am thankful that my father, who is a former NHL defenseman, emphasized the importance of skating to me and my brother, Brendan, at a very young age. Brendan (now an NHL defenseman with Tampa Bay Lighting) and I spent countless hours at power skating schools — whether it was in the summer or mid-season — working on the technical aspects of our skating. It has, without a doubt, been the most valuable tool in both of our games, and it is a skill that I continue to work on developing to this day. 

Beyond that, the skills that every hockey player should focus on the most are whichever ones are their weakest. To maximize your potential as a hockey player, it is important that you work hard and, even more importantly, that you work smart! 

Sit down and analyze all of your skills. What are your strongest and your weakest skills? What areas of your game need to be improved the most and how exactly can you make those improvements? 

Spend time continuing to develop your strong skills, but spend even more time developing your weak skills. Players like to practise the things they are good at (their strengths), because there is little satisfaction gained from plugging away at the things you don’t do well. But therein lies the gold! Order your skills from your strongest to weakest. Take your two weakest skills and vow over the rest of the season to make them your strongest skills by devoting 80-90 per cent of your practice time to these areas. Imagine what that will do for your overall game! Repeat this process each year to make each of your two weakest skills your strongest and, over time, you will see great leaps in your overall effectiveness as a hockey player. 

As you work on your skill development, it is important to understand that making significant improvements in your areas of focus takes hours and hours of practice. I say this not be discouraging, but rather to encourage you to be patient in your development. Remain diligent and your smart work will pay off!

Would you like to have Meaghan discuss a specific topic or give tips on certain areas of the game? If so, please send your request and/or specific question to editor@onemillionskates.com. Then stay tuned for Meaghan’s response next month! It could be to you!