Ongoing NHL Thread - Part Brock and Roll Four Lines

[forty_three]

All sports are the same these days. You are going to have to shell out if you want your kid to always try and get to the next level (friend of mine rails against travel ball/baseball).

Kids and families are getting squeezed out or not able to even start certain sports because of cost so programs like the one you are involved with are good in so much as they introduce kids to the sport ... but ... big but... then if the program doesn't continue supporting those families/kids as they age, theres no path forward to continuation of the sport. There is a whole demographic of kids that play sports that never get a chance because they never enter the organized sports stream.

Last night my son was at a tryout camp (id camp for AP players on a local junior B team ) .... throwing back to this old post of mine : The new footy thread ) ... I went for a walk (because I could not bare the nerves to watch my son tryout lol) around the track of this rec centre complex ... in the middle of the full turf soccer field was a team practicing using the whole length of the field ... 14 and 15 year olds I think ... all decked out in their practice uniforms ... they kinda sucked lol ... as I round the track to the end there is the area of turf behind the goals so like a 7/8's sliver of the field ... and this rag tag collection of little kids playing a game ... no coaches or adults to be seen ... and they were amazing. They looked to be middle eastern 11 maybe 12 year olds ... werent speaking english but they were better players than the older kids. Was a crazy compare and contrast moment.

And really who knows ... maybe these kids are/were actually involved in organized sport/soccer. Point is though, for those that arent, programs have to exist that give these kids a chance. And corporations that profit from sport, should see the benefit in being involved in these programs if they have any long term vision.

Don't get me started on "Select Elite Super Snowflake" teams. We have a ton of them here and it seems a new one got stood up every time some doctor's kid doesn't make the last one. The Jackets are fixing that too. We used to have 5 different Youth hockey programs around the city and each one had house, A, AA, and Travel. Then some had a second Travel team. Then "Prep" squads. Pre/Post season "Elite Teams" blah blah blah.

The Jackets stepped in and took over house hockey. One organization from Mini Mite/Learn To Play to Bantam for house/rec hockey. The other five programs still exist, but can have one travel team per age group and that's it. AA teams are now part of the BlueJackets AAA program, and it's one team per age group in the whole city as well.

 

[puckhead]

back in my day, sponsorship meant a local autobody shop bought your jerseys for you.
end of story. I think we might have gotten a 10% discount at that autobody shop as well.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Don't get me started on "Select Elite Super Snowflake" teams. We have a ton of them here and it seems a new one got stood up every time some doctor's kid doesn't make the last one. The Jackets are fixing that too. We used to have 5 different Youth hockey programs around the city and each one had house, A, AA, and Travel. Then some had a second Travel team. Then "Prep" squads. Pre/Post season "Elite Teams" blah blah blah.

The Jackets stepped in and took over house hockey. One organization from Mini Mite/Learn To Play to Bantam for house/rec hockey. The other five programs still exist, but can have one travel team per age group and that's it. AA teams are now part of the BlueJackets AAA program, and it's one team per age group in the whole city as well.

at the non junior lower levels/ages here, we have the non Hockey Canada affiliated ( RENEGADE!!! - lol ) leagues locally ... I cant even keep track of them YPHL EPHL so many acronyms lol ... my son tells me about all the kids who leave/disappear from the association for these leagues after they get cut from the rep teams

I cant really complain about them though ... its like a twisted up 2 tier health system ... the renegade leagues get the shitty rich kids out of the system when the roster spots are taken up by those of more modest means with better talent lol

they are in an advantageous position to improve thanks to daddy spending 5 times the registration price I do for extra ice time/training but they are pretty much the kids never to be heard from again lol

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Post COVID gear prices have gone insane, and it wasn't great before. Our club has a 20k sq ft warehouse space filled with gear and we get 50 grand from the Blue Jackets every year to keep it stocked and buy ice. In General, our former players donate stuff to us so we have a solid mix of new and used gear. I have been able to fully outfit 15 goalies the last 3 years at no cost to them. Not sure how much longer we can do that if prices keep going mad, though. While recovering from my knee surgery I went in and scavenged straps, snaps and bits and pieces from every piece of old gear I could to make sure the relatively modern stuff can continue to be used as long as possible.

The cost of ice has doubled since 2021, and all of our local rinks have put in LED lighting and new cooling systems that are more efficient. Like, shouldn't that *lower* costs?

Seems like a recurring theme in the US - the pro clubs are actually making an effort to support the junior game.

Whereas in Canada it's more just taken for granted that kids will play hockey so the NHL teams don't do much. At least doesn't seem like it. Maybe it just isn't discussed much up here.

/Also, arenas & community centres suddenly cost an absolute fortune to build and cities keep hiring starchitect firms to design them to just add to it. Not sure what ever went wrong with just having a few barn rinks around. Someone tell me how a community centre should cost a quarter billion dollars lmao

 

[forty_three]

Big week for the best hockey player in the Kessell family. Congrats to the happy couple!

 

[forty_three]

So either:
1) He heard through the media that Rutger didn't want to sign and why and never bothered to talk to the player or his agent to figure out if there was anything they could find middle ground on

- or -

2) All of his own comments about why it was so difficult to find a trade for him means he did have those conversations and is trying to save face now.

 

[forty_three]

Good idea to trade Ullmark before getting an extension in place for Swayman.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Good idea to trade Ullmark before getting an extension in place for Swayman.

Worst case they take his arb award no? He's not going anywhere at least this season.

Hopefully no later than next summer though lol

 

[KennyBanyeah]

Good idea to trade Ullmark before getting an extension in place for Swayman.

The thought of the Bruins opening the season with Korpi5alo as their #1 goalie has really spruced up my day.

 

[forty_three]

Worst case they take his arb award no? He's not going anywhere at least this season.

Hopefully no later than next summer though lol

Yeah, they pretty much have him this year but how happy is he going to be? Edit: No. Neither he nor the club filed arbitration this year. That was last year.

And they handed him all the cards by trading Ullmark, showing a commitment to him. He knows the salary cap room available and short of going after Askarov, there is no trade to be had. He also know that no contender will want to roll with Crazy Legs. He's barely serviceable on a rebuilding / up and coming team.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Yeah, they pretty much have him this year but how happy is he going to be? Edit: No. Neither he nor the club filed arbitration this year. That was last year.

And they handed him all the cards by trading Ullmark, showing a commitment to him. He knows the salary cap room available and short of going after Askarov, there is no trade to be had. He also know that no contender will want to roll with Crazy Legs. He's barely serviceable on a rebuilding / up and coming team.

Yeah I didn’t realize he didn’t file. Weird.

Hope they bungle this!

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Welp.

 

[forty_three]

Welp.

Well, he's gonna get a lot of playing time in San Jose.

And a ton of shots

 

[Slimpikins]

Nice, Sharks could be a fun young team to watch pretty soon if some of these guys pan out

Also that return doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it was going to

 

[forty_three]

Nice, Sharks could be a fun young team to watch pretty soon if some of these guys pan out

Also that return doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it was going to

It's basically Hertl for Askarov which is a huge win for Grier.

 

[KennyBanyeah]

It's basically Hertl for Askarov which is a huge win for Grier.

If I was a fan of the Sharks I'd be happy right now but it's far from a slam dunk. Askarov still has to prove he's a legit NHL starter.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Flip side, that's 3 first rounders for Nashville next summer.

That's enough to get Marner out of Toronto today I think.

 

[dash]

Flip side, that's 3 first rounders for Nashville next summer.

That's enough to get Marner out of Toronto today I think.

BBB is going to drive him to the airport

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

BBB is going to drive him to the airport

Going to Toronto next week and that is on the list right after driving Shatkins into Lake Erie.

 

[esls79]

BBB is going to drive him to the airport

Just hope they don’t get carjacked on the way there.