Ray Ferraro message to parents...
Former NHL star Ray Ferraro was asked to talk to parents of a hockey club that
was going through a tough time and with parent expectations at an all-time
high. This is what Ferraro told the parents.
– Minor hockey is out of
control in terms of Parents chasing the dream for their kids instead of kids
deciding on their own how passionate they are for it and how bad they want it.
– In the last 10 years only 21 kids who either played at NSWC or
BWC have appeared in at least ONE NHL regular season game. Point is if your
banking on your son collecting an NHL pay cheque to solidify his and yours
financial future you seriously need to stop and come up with a new plan and
now.
– The odds of going pro are extremely low but the odds of having
to find a career and a job to pay bills and be a husband and father are
extremely high and it’s not dictated by if you played AAA hockey
– Parents need to enjoy the ride while you have it … your son’s
minor hockey days end too quickly and often times people end up regretting what
they did not know then and what they ending up missing because they were
focused on everything but their kid having fun
– As a parent who devotes time and money to your son, the only
right you have to ask is they give it their best … not how much ice time they
get, if they play on the PP, who is their winger or D partner
– Don’t pay for power skating, dryland training, skill
development and expect your son to score 50 goals, if you decide to invest in
extras do it because your son asked for it and wants to improve and has a smile
on his face each and every time … too many parents decide what they want their
kids to do instead of their kids asking to do it.
– 12 month hockey is wrong … organized skills sessions, tryouts,
spring hockey is too much and too taxing … kids can shoot pucks, stick handle,
play street hockey but they need out of the mental insanity of a hockey rink
and need to be engaged in something other than hockey … the time away
reinforces the passion to want it
– Coaches are coaches...we all know the game and think this
should be done a certain way … how come we never tell our kids math teacher how
to teach calculus but we think as parents we have the right to tell a hockey
coach how they should coach or whom and when our kids should play.
– When you evaluate your kids season, never base it on how many
banners they won, what provincial they won, what tourneys they went to and won
… ask yourself what improved from September to April, what did he learn or
improve upon including non-hockey stuff … evaluate the season besides wins and
losses but gains and improvements. Just let them play, learn and develop.
Pressure is high enough, no need to make it worse.