Randall makes an observation that almost all players who make it to the NCAA share.  He's seen a lot of fast, skilled kids bail out of hockey.  He's never seen kids with this attribute get drummed out of the sport. Lance talks about the idea that concussions lead to more concussions.  What evidence is there? Rolly takes a nasty swipe at Randall, then makes an excellent point about new tech that might help with concussions.  Randall rises above the abuse and finds common ground with his old friend ..read more

Randall gets into the idea of goals being disallowed.  Is there a mathematic theory that can explain the way they are called? Lance talks about great trainers who have small character issues. Coach talks about how performance is not always recognized by those in charge of picking youth hockey teams.  The people who are on great teams are still often not getting their kid developed ..read more

Randall is about to take a trip on Spirit Airlines.  It was fun knowing all of you. Lance talks tournament schedules that can't get out the details until the ten minutes before the puck drops.  How can a person plan a weekend when there is no schedule of games?  Come on tournament people. Rolly has some shocking stats on point distribution among teams in So. Cal.  It won't shock anyone who has played in certain rinks, but some teams get statistically more points per goal than others.  It might not be wrong, but it sure tells a story ..read more

Randall looks at jumping levels as a double-edged sword.   It can really damage the social group around a talented kid.  It's great if it works, but there are stories where the kid gets punished for moving up without his friends. Rolly talks about the way the locker room can move against a younger player if there isn't careful monitoring and adjustment by all of  those involved. Lance remembers when a coach and a parent tried to force two kids to be friends.   The result was predictable ..read more

What do people do at this point of the season to set themselves up for the next?  Stories of skating with the next coach while still on the old team. How does the transition to prep school work out best?  What did Lance go through when his kids were going to Minnesota. Is it good to build a team?  There are mistakes that can be made and friendships are tested.  Strained. And sometimes marketing a team can leave you on the hook for a bad season.  Still, it can be great to put together a team that exceeds expectations ..read more

Lance talks about what he would have done differently in his hockey journey.  Randall and Dave get into a brawl.  Dave wins easily but Randall lands some haymakers (unfortunately they landed on Lance). Randall sees the landscape of hockey at the end of the season.  What are some of the things you have to do to get ready to move on to the next year that start at the end of this year. Rolly talks about how specialization can be dangerous in young athletes.  It's so logical and well reasoned that it starts a fight ..read more

Randall tees up hotel stories from travel hockey.  There are some details that should be left on the road.  Or on a podcast. Lance has two stories that each have police arriving at the end. Rolly smells the stench of cattle as he pulls up to the team hotel.  How did the weekend go?  He can't remember ..read more

Randall talks about building lines.  What kind of players naturally complement each other?  Is there a recipe for the best combination? Lance talks about some line woes of the past.  Where did he make mistakes with his top-tier sons? Rolly talks chemistry.  It's not about player types, it's about how any three kids blend and get coached ..read more

Randall talks to a hockey mom who has a kid who leads the league.  She was very angry that he hadn't scored for three games.   Rolly talks about blowouts.  He thinks they might not be as bad as some parents make them out to be.  The idea of parity is not every going to work out well, so let the kids play. Lance remembers a AAA story about a losing team.  He dodged a slapper there.  Lance has a theory about MN hockey too ..read more

Randall finds a reason to be happy during a loss.  It's not the same as winning, but there are some good things to pull from some losses. Lance talks about how a few parents he knew rooted against their own team when their kids weren't on the first line.  Ouch.  It sounds like the kind of thing that is hard to handle. Rolly has ideas about what happens when a kid is much lower than the level he plays at.  He is kind, but firm ..read more