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ee

or Nightmare?

Patrick Witwicki Former OP Sports Editor

His mother was so excited, she nearly fell from the bleach- ers.

Her son, Peter, had just scored to tie the game at one. This was the Atom “A” hockey playoffs, and the team needed to win. The goal itself could be called “typically Canadian”: a mad scramble in front of the net, and Peter jamming in the rebound, as he fell to the ice. A grinder’s goal, much like goals Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames or Brendan Shanahan of the Detroit Red Wings score on a regular basis. They epitomize the bushel of future hockey players coming out of Canada’s minor hockey program. But is that a good thing?

Coquitlam ends up winning the game, and Peter will get the chance to lace up the skates at the provincials. He is only ten years old, but anyone can tell he is just as excited as his moth- er. “I can't wait,” he says, smiling in wonder. His mother ruf- fles his hair, and says, “He works so hard. He's going to be great.”

“I want to play for the Canucks with Peter states. Lofty dreams, but he isn’t the to dream of a future i Canada, kids wearin: that they're playing for one percent of those d

The only way to the | through the Can: / player, even as route he wants to also known as “ Hockey League (BC Boileau has been Preside is also a hockey historian, and ing back to 1932. He can even’ goal when Vancouver (at that tim only Stanley Cup in 1915.

But his astute hockey knowledge has else over the past decade: the skill level players has declined. Where are the next Mario Lemieuxs? “There's not a lot of skille there,” admits Boileau. “This year’s [NHL] draft the poorest ever. And we've heard that for the last years. We should be getting stronger, shouldn't we

Even so, junior hockey has continued to Boileau took over as President 12 years ago, teams. Now the league has 17 in total. The expanded, to the point where the league can now have a B division by itself. Less than a decade ago, the only BC teams were in Kamloops and Victoria. So, it appears that there are more options for kids coming out of minor hockey. “There are kids out there who do their homework, and research it proper- ly,” says Boileau, commenting on how kids decide which league to play in. “The ones who are most successful in life are those with a good education.”

But what kind of education is happening at the grass-roots level? According to a recent census by the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association (PCAHA), who govern minor hockey in the Lower Mainland, over 19,000 kids were enrolled in hockey in 2000. There are so many kids playing minor hockey, some associations have waiting lists of over 500. Dave Griffith has coached minor hockey for 11 years, and most recently coached the Maple Ridge Midget B team. And he agrees that minor hockey isn’t doing a good enough job devel- oping young players. “There’s too much emphasis on games over practice,” he sighs. “From the age of 10 and up, they add more games, and the finer skills are lacking.” Many players, uncertain of their skill level, don’t believe they're good enough to even try out for a junior team. “I'd say 20 to 30 percent feel they have the ability, but only 5 to 10 percent will try out, unless they're asked,” Griffith says.

“Asking” happens from time to time. All WHL teams have

ninor hockey, it seems, is . A young BC hockey t thinking about which ockey League (WHL — ), or the British Columbia nown as Junior “A”). Ron L for 12 years now. He HL media guide dat- ored the winning ires) won their

huge scouting staffs, and they regularly attend rinks all over BC, trying to find the next “great” 14 year-old (Bantam) hock- ey player. The BCHL doesn’t follow this trend, and instead, lets players come and try out instead. “We don’t have any protect- ed lists,” says Boileau. “The players decide on their own who they want to play for.” But nog oming kids are trying out. Who's getting left behin

Director of

playe ected” list. Kelso is convinced the Bantam

o a winner.” tement could be the main probl

g is probably empty. So, this pa argument supports the Bantam draft. Get the kid while he’s still young, and he can develop with the team. And the WHL doesn’t shy away from their true mandate: their goal is to devel- op players for the NHL. Boileau questions this perception. Just because a player is in the WHL doesn’t guarantee he'll get drafted by the NHL. “Every year, only 20 to 25 players [out of approximately 500] get drafted,” he says. “And out of that, maybe one will actually make it [to the NHL].”

So, are kids being pushed into junior hockey too quickly? Don Cherry, host of “Coach’s Corner” on Hockey Night in Canada, recently said, “They're bringing these kids up too fast. They bring them up so they can sit on the bench all game? It’s sad, really sad.” But Laurence Heinen, editor for BC Hockey Now, disagrees. He covers various minor hockey tournaments every year for his publication. “I hear people say minor hock- ey is in trouble, but the rinks are always full. Minor hockey tournaments get huge turnouts.” Right, because there’s a prize. Someone will win something.

Boileau considers this “winning” mentality as the main problem. “Parents always get talked into chasing that [NHL] WHL scouts],” he says. “Parents aren't int i

minor hockey has to “We need to take the focus on skill develop During a game, they’r puck once or twice.”

tice arent available, “Kids that don’t pi chance,” he says. “It’s top 10 to 20 pera

way from winning, and just they’re [at least] 13,” he says. ucky if they get to touch the e the opportunities for prac- hat some kids are missing out. t away aren't getting a proper in school: if youre not in that “not getting what you need to

develop.” Kelso admits ¢ practice time at the minor league level would help. filter down to our level. Pat Quinn

(co-owner of the Giants) once said that the kids coming out of major junior were like robots,” he says. Two years ago, the Canadian Hockey Association (CHA) held a summit, and con- ducted studies on what was wrong with Canada’s game. Several startling facts were discovered from that study. In Finland, for example, a practice to game ratio was 3 to 1, completely the opposite of most areas in Canada. Many European countries had similar ratios to Finland. Is it any coincidence that over the past decade, more and more European players are being draft- ed for the NHL and fewer and fewer Canadians? Or, that most current Canadian NHL players (like Iginla and Shanahan) are

referred to as “grinders,” while European players like Naslund are considered as “skilled?”

The CHA is determined to make changes, and after that summit, both Gretzky and Bob Nicholson (CHA President) offered recommendations. The main one was to put more emphasis on practice time. This will put more emphasis on developing players’ skills, as opposed to always trying to “win.” Some associations have already taken the necessary steps to put those recommendations in motion. But not all associations are doing enough. And if you add in the various problems with parents abusing officials, or fighting each other in the stands, minor hockey is far from being fixed. Recently, there have been two separate incidents in Port Moody where fans fought, while the kids on the ice simply looked on. And a separate incident a few years ago in Port Coquitlam still stands out, where the building had to be cleared, and the cops called in, before the two Bantam teams on the ice could finish their game.

So, is there a solution? Yes, some will say, “What problem?” ent victory at the 2002 Winter Olympics, it id argument. But what can be done at the ensure Canadian hockey doesn’t contin- level of the Europeans? Well, until the rest

's recon dations, it’s up to the extra time,” e his backhand d summer hock- ‘ow all year-round,”

he says. But the facts are obvi on minor hockey standards

The future of Cana person will probably [Canadian Hockey] going

“They kind of lost track caught up to us.” Fact

may seem confusing. Every ent answer. “They're »” Kelso claims. d the Europeans ‘the women’s hockey Ive to ten years could be

y Flames forward, claims, “Kids, and even more so, parents get so caught up in the game, they forget to have fun.” Fun. Hasn't minor hockey neglected that lately? Are the ents who are fighting in the stands having fun? What about h who is constantly yelling at the referee? Parents push and spend a lot of money in the hopes that one day, their little Johnny will sign that lucrative NHL contract. Everyone is under so much pressure to win, the focus on a player’s development is lost.

But if the practice to game ratio becomes a reality, maybe the game can evolve and get back to the point where Canadians can stand by the claim that “hockey is our game.” After all, there are skilled Canadian players out there. Paul Kariya made it. There must be others, right? “They are out there,” smiles Boileau. “We just have to work harder to find them.” As for him, he has no intention of stepping back from the BCHL any time soon. “I would do it for free if I didn’t need the money to support myself,” he laughs. And of course, he loves the game of hockey, Isn’t that why we attend hockey games? Because we love the game? Most of us watched that game on February 24, and felt proud to be Canadian. So, maybe we can get hockey back, and make it ours once again.

Peter has a similar opinion on the subject, but his future concern is more current. He is thinking about the provincials. “We can win,” he smiles. “I know we can.” His mother simply beams with pride. She believes minor hockey is just fine, thank you very much, and her dream is reflected in her son’s eyes that maybe one day, after all his hard work and dedication, he will live the Canadian dream, and play in the NHL.

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