Problems with Hockey Parents

[eyecycle]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

One of the funniest memories I have is when my daughter was playing Atom on a boys competitive team. There were twin boys on the team whose nervous Mom screamed ICE IT at the top of her lungs every time one of her boys touched the puck. Should I mention that this often occurred while the team was on the PP.

These same twins got in a fistfight with each other on the ice while we were away at a tournament as the play was going on. The officials were stunned and the Mom shouted at our coach to get on the ice and do something. At the same tournament, one of the twins was yelling at his mom from the bench that he was hungry. A few minutes later, there she is at the bench handing 2 hotdogs to the coach for her boys.

Looking back on it now, it's pretty hilarious. The coach definitely earned his money that year.

 

[posttopost2]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

While surfing the web, I came across this story. http://ccghl.org/ I actually know the parent of one of the kids involved in the sad story and the parent who did this web site did it because her kid was the bad apple on the team and didn't get the "credit" that the parent thought she should. After the final game, lets just say that the parents wanted the coaches, the officials and one of the other players parents "taken out".
Fortunately, none of the girls who were the actual problems on this team were invited back, and from what I heard, during the first game of the States for this team, 6 players dressed late for the pre-game warm-up and when they did hit the ice 5 minutes into the warm up, the coach told the girls to leave the ice and two of the players who were warming up (including the goalie who from what I heard was a hugh part of the problem), skated off of the ice and the back up goalie came in to try and save the game down 8 players. The parents of the girls who were told to leave the next day started an evil smear campaign against the back up goalie (who was actually the better of the two - better stats) and the school officals had to get involved. Four of the girls ended up changing school the next year.
It was ugly from what my friend said.
The next year, the team did extremely well without all the drama.

 

[Veritas]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

Boy this thread brings back memories. I was the assistant coach for my sons squirt team and although not officially coaching him as a peewee ended up coaching three or four of his peewee games when the head coach got thrown out for swearing at the ref and the assistant coaches were not "patched" at the right level to coach Peewee.

What I remember most was a couple of mothers with stopwatches who timed each shift and whined about ice time. One game a mother came down screaming at me during the first period about unequal ice time and during the second period, during play, screaming about the first line getting an average of 63 seconds per shift and her sons third line getting only 49 seconds per shift and she paid as much for ice time as the first line parents and then she dragged to poor kid out of the bench and off to home.

Someone earlier in the thread joked about a kid probably playing for a prison team. Two of the kids I coached, brothers, are in prison right now. Their father was one of three hockey dads who would drop the kids at practice or a game and head to the nearest bar to see how much they could drink before the game/practice was over. They hated Sunday AM games as the pubs don't open until noon here on Sunday.

Some parents were great though. I had two boys from two "two Mommy" families. The second mom of one of the boys was a certified Emergency Medicine doc at a local hospital. Great help when a boy was hurt. When a ref would come over to ask me onto the ice I would say I had a parent who was a doc and the ref was very happy to help her onto the ice so she could evaluate a kid. The other "two mom" pair took on the job of washing the game jerseys and putting them on hangers in numerical order for the next game.

 

[Ralph Kramden]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

Boy this thread brings back memories. I was the assistant coach for my sons squirt team and although not officially coaching him as a peewee ended up coaching three or four of his peewee games when the head coach got thrown out for swearing at the ref and the assistant coaches were not "patched" at the right level to coach Peewee.

What I remember most was a couple of mothers with stopwatches who timed each shift and whined about ice time. One game a mother came down screaming at me during the first period about unequal ice time and during the second period, during play, screaming about the first line getting an average of 63 seconds per shift and her sons third line getting only 49 seconds per shift and she paid as much for ice time as the first line parents and then she dragged to poor kid out of the bench and off to home.

Someone earlier in the thread joked about a kid probably playing for a prison team. Two of the kids I coached, brothers, are in prison right now. Their father was one of three hockey dads who would drop the kids at practice or a game and head to the nearest bar to see how much they could drink before the game/practice was over. They hated Sunday AM games as the pubs don't open until noon here on Sunday.

Some parents were great though. I had two boys from two "two Mommy" families. The second mom of one of the boys was a certified Emergency Medicine doc at a local hospital. Great help when a boy was hurt. When a ref would come over to ask me onto the ice I would say I had a parent who was a doc and the ref was very happy to help her onto the ice so she could evaluate a kid. The other "two mom" pair took on the job of washing the game jerseys and putting them on hangers in numerical order for the next game.

On another of my son's teams, one of the premier programs in the country at the time, very often the head coach was MIA at practices and games. Eventually it came out that he had been arrested for felony embezzlement and another parent was put into his spot. Late in the season, the replacement came under fire for grabbing a player by the throat during a game. Kind of a tossup as to whether any reasonable person would have done the same thing but my son, an assistant captain, turned in his jerseys and skipped the last month of the season. It doesn't end there however as the kid who the coach grabbed by the throat moved to the same program that my son did the next year, bringing with him a ten game suspension, ordered by USA Hockey, for punching a referee who was in the process of throwing his Dad out of the rink. High BAC as usual. Much more to the story and next time I'll explain how that ten game suspension became 20 games and a coach was barred from coaching.

 

[nogoal]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

I like this thread, I think it helps keep me from being a story here. I was going to post about the speaker in the helmet but was beaten to it. This must be the same family. They moved on to different teams in different states and should be ready for college.

 

[ARM]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

As with any other group in life, the "bad" parents get way more attention than the large percentage of great people one will meet. Sure, most tend to focus on their child to some extent, but I think that is just human nature. If there weren't hockey parents, I'd be stuck watching basketball.

 

[scores]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

It may not be the parents!!@@#$

I think hockey in New England is really messed up but its really bad in the girls section. Its a small avenue for girls and they can take it away from a kid in a heartbeat.

It's funny because I just had a conversation with an old friend I saw in the mall last night. She had two daughters that were figure skating. They were thinking of playing hockey I explained to them how bad it was in girls hockey here in New England I provided her examples of two families that were involved and said it gets very ugly and they should stay away. Her husband played D1 college hockey in Boston as well. He knows the families and I said they should call them up and ask.

I also directed to this web site so she could see for herself and explained there are not that many kids in New England making the grade at the higher level what does that tell you?

They think its entitlement not skill that should get them to the next level..

Sorry I call it as I see it with so many HS girls quitting..

 

[vellnueve]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

I think that rinkrat890890 character was a little bit of a crazed hockey parent...

(j/k )

 

[Redhead'sDad]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

I live in New England, and have a daughter who has played for seven years now. She is a very good player, but we have always been realistic about the game, and the chances of playing in college, and that has worked well for us.

While there are certainly some difficult parents (and occasionally, players) I would not label the entire New England region as poisonous for girls hockey. We have a lot a great girls who play the game, and fine parents, too. The game gives girls confidence, and a sense of what it takes to work together. For some girls, it has given them opportunities to attend prep schools that they might not have been able to afford without their hockey ability.

Don't misunderstand me. I have seen plenty of problem parents, and problem coaches. But I know many more people who have shown great integrity and sportsmanship. On balance, we have received far more from this game than we have given.

This thread makes many of the unpleasant experiences seem tame compared to those of other families. Perhaps that is the best thing I have taken from it.

 

[rinkrat890890]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

I think that rinkrat890890 character was a little bit of a crazed hockey parent...

(j/k )

Haha. I might be now that I don't have a kid playing however I was NEVER like that when the kids played youth.

 

[dontyelldad]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

Watching my daughter's U19 game this afternoon, was in the stands with another dad. We usually watch from the corners, but that wasn't an option today. My comment to him: The other team's parents work so hard -- not only are they reffing the game, but they're coaching every shift, too! His response: Now I remember why I watch from the corner!

 

[scores]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

Parents are spending a lot of cash on this sport and this economy is very stressful this sport is full of adrenaline. If someone gets a little excited
yeah it happens.

I see some hard times coming down the line for hockey on general. If anyone was around in the early to mid 80's we almost lost the boys programs here in
New England. Rinks were closing not one here and there but everywhere.

I think if things do not change hockey and mainly girls hockey could really spiral down in the next 5 years. When people start to realize if they do not spend x amount of dollars you daughter is done.

They better address this issue at the top there are some serious issues in New England and mainly how many kids we have involved and look at what is being recruited by D1 colleges????

We have the Olympics coming up which will excite little figure skaters and little hockey players.
However, I think when they(the parents) realize the cost and the jockey an that goes on
they would be better off in a better or more economical sport.

You think yeah sure ...well history repeats in economics..

 

[Hockeydad4two]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

Watching my daughter's U19 game this afternoon, was in the stands with another dad. We usually watch from the corners, but that wasn't an option today. My comment to him: The other team's parents work so hard -- not only are they reffing the game, but they're coaching every shift, too! His response: Now I remember why I watch from the corner!

My wife thinks I stood down there because I couldn't stand still! Little did she know that some of our own parents were unbearable.

 

[brookyone]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

http://www.comcast.net/video/raw-video-hockey-coach-lashes-out-over-ref-call/1326494031

Everyone's a critic when it comes to officiating.

 

[pakidnyc]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

Just today I was at a u12 girls' tournament championship game and a dad from the other team was repeatedly yelling loudly, "Take her out!" to be heard all around the arena. I am not exactly sure what he meant by that, but it made me think of this thread!!

 

[Trillium]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

I think that rinkrat890890 character was a little bit of a crazed hockey parent...

(j/k )

Rinkrat strikes me as one of the good ones.

As Redhead's Dad says, you really do meet far more great people in hockey than the ones who make you shake your head.

Funny thing though, when this thread reminded me of some of the stories that happened along the way, a good number of them involved parents with players who've ended up in D1 hockey. Kinda makes you go hmmm

 

[OnMAA]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

Just today I was at a u12 girls' tournament championship game and a dad from the other team was repeatedly yelling loudly, "Take her out!" to be heard all around the arena. I am not exactly sure what he meant by that, but it made me think of this thread!!

Suspect it may not have been a "Dinner Invite"

 

[notfromaroundhere]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

Suspect it may not have been a "Dinner Invite"

ROFLMAO

 

[leswp1]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

My son left a program earlier this yr because 2 of the coaches sons (with their parent's permission according to them) decided to beat him up in the locker room and then the head coach kicked my son off the team for being a bad influence. Turns out that this is a repeated story with these coaches. Sad. With the polotics in Mass Youth Hockey we can't do a thing about it. (My kid is now with another team thankfully. The coaches love him and he was player of the week last week for team play and being a good teammate. God takes care of things).

We had a peewee experience with one of those timing parents and his kid. The kid was a mediocre player who thought he was an NHL prospect, as did his Dad. Kid played defence (take that loosly- he played where ever he felt like it including L d when my kid was playing L D) The kid got paid if he got up after being hit and for goals. One game we played a pretty bad team and the kid scored. 2 other kids had hattricks and a number of assists. The kid came into the lobby telling his dad how much money he was owed and how his goal was the best of the game. I made a comment that eveyone seemed to have played well, it was a good game. (bad parent but I couldn't stand this kid always bragging and never acknowledging his teammates) The kid turned to me and said something to the effect that he had so many points for the game, that he had so many points for the year and that my son only collected a ton of penalty minutes (he had some miniscule amt of penalties). While my mouth hung open the father made a comment in agreement and off they went.

This guy was removed as head coach for favoring his kid the year before and timed every shift. Granted there were problems with time. The D coach's kid and his pair got 2 min shifts and who ever played with my son got about 30 secs. There were only 4 D so they all got on the ice a lot. Stuff happens. This guy kept spread sheets and brought them to the board meetings.

This family was so bad we left the team for a year because I couldn't stand the guy always coming over to me to tell me my kid sucked and his kid doing stuff to mine. His kid used to throw my kids gear inthe running shower among other things. (We finally told our kid free for all and he flattened the little Ba5tard). Sadly we were not the only family to leave because of them.


THe kid finally quit playing because he wasn't getting a fair shake and they weren't paying that kind of money to get short shifted.

 

[Grim Reaper]

Re: Problems with Hockey Parents

I witnessed first hand(as my daughter played for the winning team),a game where we mercied the team in the first period,as the players came off the rink one dad grabbed his son by the shirt collar and jerked him off his feet and slammed him into/onto a medal picnic bench and proceeded to spew profanities at his son,2"from his face.....my first thought was where is the support? he just got thumped and he was visibly upset at the loss and the very person he should be able to get comfort and reassurance from is going balastic in front of everyone and causing even more embarassment!!! I am sure the dad was embarassed at his son's performance so that is how he decided to handle it....

I couldnt stand by and watch, i had to intervene even though i didnt know them at all.......needless to say the dad wasnt too happy with me and told me to mind my own business...which i didnt...

sad very sad scenario...sometimes parents get so caught up,they forget the important things in life......and having the best player in the world...isnt it! Always being there for your child is.....