• It is imperative that all local programs have an adult (coach, assistant coach, team manager) present in the locker room, or at the locker room door, to assure that only players, coaches and approved team personnel are permitted in the locker room.
• Further, coaches/team managers must personally monitor the locker room environment at all times while players are present and also make sure the locker room is appropriately secured during times when players are on the ice.

Please make sure this information is shared with those appropriate and thank you in advance for your immediate and on-going attention to this matter.

Dave Ogrean
Executive Director
USA Hockey

Here are ten great ways to celebrate Hockey Weekend Across America:

1. Wear your jersey to school
2. Bring a friend to a public skate
3. School project: Who is your favorite hockey player, why?
4. Informational table at mall or high‐traffic area
5. School seminars where they teach hockey and do demonstrations (put on hockey equip)
6. Try Hockey for Free
7. Shoot the puck expo
8. Invite a neighbor to practice
9. Hockey 101 courses
10. Bring a friend to a game

For more great ideas click here (pdf).

Editor’s Note: Thank you to USA Hockey for these great ideas!

This is a countrywide effort to have local rinks and associations offer a free sample of hockey at a consistent time with the maximum amount of ease. The goal is to have least 200 rinks offer the program from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm their local time zone. For other questions, please email growthegame@usahockey.org.

Editor’s Note: For more information on Hockey Weekend Across America, please click here.

A two-time Olympian. An NHL coach who helped create the National Team Development Program. A pair of highly respected Division I college coaches. A decorated Air Force officer with hockey experience at the highest levels. If Ken Martel has proven anything during his years as the recruiting coordinator for the National Team Development Program, it is that he knows talent when he sees it.

Martel, the director of the American Development Model, has put together a staff that will carry the word of USA Hockey’s revolutionary program, designed to improve the quality and quantity of American players involved in the game from Mites to Midgets.

“You win with the quality of people you have, and we have tremendous people with great backgrounds in hockey,” said Martel, who was one of the main architects of the program. “By the time we’re done, we’ll have 150 years of hockey experience working for the ADM.”

To date, Martel has hired five of the six regional managers who will serve as mentors for associations around the country. He is hoping to bring in the final member of his team in the coming weeks. Each member of the team not only brings an impressive resume to the position but also the passion to usher this groundbreaking program into this season and beyond.

• Roger Grillo, who spent the last 12 seasons as the head coach at Brown University, will serve as the ADM regional manager for New England and Massachusetts.

• Scott Paluch, who coached his Alma Mater at Bowling Green State University for the past seven seasons, will work the Mid-Am and Southeast Districts. “It was a difficult decision only because I spent the last 20 years as a college coach,” said Paluch. “It was an easy decision because of the merits of the ADM and the ability to make an impact on youth hockey.”

• Joe Doyle, a 20-year veteran of the United States Air Force with more than 35 years of experience with USA Hockey as a player, coach, evaluator and volunteer, will oversee the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Districts.

• Bob Mancini, who spent the past two seasons as a development coach for the Edmonton Oilers and has extensive coaching experience in the collegiate ranks and with USA Hockey, will oversee Michigan and parts of the Central and Mid-Am Districts. “I’m thrilled to be back,” said Mancini, one of the original coaches with the NTDP. “As much as I love the NHL and the Edmonton Oilers, this was too good an opportunity to be involved with. “I believe in USA Hockey, and the ADM. I believe in making kids better and improving their environment. I really believe that this is a position where we can really make a difference.”

• Guy Gosselin, a member of the 1988 and 1992 U.S. Olympic Teams, will lend his considerable expertise to coaches in Minnesota, the Dakotas and Wisconsin. He has extensive experience working at both the youth hockey and collegiate levels, and has worked in the rink industry in suburban Milwaukee.

The final regional manager is slated to work with the New York and Atlantic Districts. While no timetable has been set, Martel is working hard to narrow down a list of candidates in hopes of filling the position as quickly as possible.

“There’s still so much that needs to be done,” said Martel. “We could’ve used this program in place 10 years ago. Think of how far we’d be as a hockey-playing nation if this were put in place 10 years ago. We feel like we’re taking baby steps, but getting things done takes time.”

Editor’s note: For more information on USA Hockey’s American Development Model, Please click here.

How can the sport of hockey be so important – instrumental even – in the future success of a young man or woman? After all, it’s just a game. But it can be so much more than that. It’s a beacon of hope for wayward kids. A fitness program to fight the epidemic of childhood obesity. A meeting ground for lifelong friends. But at its heart hockey is, and should be, fun. A chance for kids to pour out their passion and creativity on the ice. For them to learn and grow with every practice. To just be a kid and enjoy the game. That’s what the ADM is all about.

So while we honor our past accomplishments, we need to look ahead and create a brighter future for all. With your guidance, the ADM will provide those great moments for our kids. That is, if we’re forward-thinking enough to see it through.

Put yourself in the shoes of an 8-year-old and ask yourself some questions. What’s important to you? What kinds of things do you want to be doing? (And, maybe most important, what’s for dinner?) Now list the things that would be appealing to the 8-year-old you – Family, Playing with friends, Goofing off. Because this is what kids do. They act like kids.

There isn’t a parent, teacher or coach who wouldn’t agree that today’s kids are brimming with potential. There’s that word: potential. It’s the great “what could be” in a kid – if given the proper push. A push from an encouraging parent, great friend or dedicated coach. Wherever that potential forms, it takes time to develop and it’s different for each kid – The potential to be a doctor, a Hollywood star or even an NHL center. The mission of the ADM is to pull out that vast potential in every kid.

Editor’s note: For more information on USA Hockey’s American Development Model, please click here.

S is for Stamina, Strength, Speed, Skill and Suppleness -  These are the five trainable physical capacities that can be improved during age-specific periods of a child’s life.

T is for Touches (Practices and Games) – At each age level, there are prescribed numbers of ice touches to provide maximum opportunities for skill development while keeping the sport affordable for families.

U is for Under-Training -  We have created a system where Squirts are playing more games than an NHL player. The amount of time spent on skill development and athleticism has given way to competition.

V is for Voluntary Program - While USA Hockey strongly encourages all youth hockey associations to follow the principles of the ADM, it is still a voluntary program.

W is for Windows of Trainability – These are the identifiable stages during a child’s physical and psychological development that offer optimum opportunities to develop particular physical capacities, such as stamina, strength, speed, sport skills and suppleness (flexibility).

X is for X-Ice – This is a more efficient use of ice time and space, allowing more kids to be on the ice at the same time, which keeps costs down and aids in skill development with the use of small area games. Grouping kids according to age and size also increases participation and skill development through more puckhandling, more shots, more saves, more goals and more fun.

Y is for Youth Hockey - This program is designed for every player in youth hockey, whether that player has set his or her sights on competing at an elite level or wants to pursue a recreational path.

Z is for Zero Time To Waste – Our hockey cultural has evolved over time, and in order to catch up to other countries, grow our ranks of players and increase the number of high-level players every youth hockey association around the country needs to adopt the principles of the ADM right away.

Editor’s note: For more information on USA Hockey’s American Development Model, please click here.

I is for Implementation -Support from around the country has been overwhelming as many local associations, affiliates and districts will begin phasing in the ADM at the Mite level starting with the 2009-10 season.

J is for Jamborees – Cross-ice or half-ice jamborees can be included in a Mites’ season schedule to showcase each players’ skill development and add interest for parents.

K is for Kingston – A 1976 study by George Kingston found that the average player at the 6- to 8-year-old level touches the puck  for only 20.7 seconds over the course of a 60-minute full ice game. This study has been repeated and proven with similar results  over the years.

L is for Long-Term Athlete Development - The cornerstone of the ADM, forming the foundation for developing athletes. It integrates training, competition and recovery programming with relation to biological ages and maturation.

M is for Multiple Sports - Players are encouraged to play other sports to improve their physical literacy and overall athleticism by taking a mental and physical break from the rink.

N is for NHL – A generous grant from the National Hockey League will provide the financial backing to get the ADM off the ground and moving forward.

O is for Off-Ice Training – Conducted once or twice a week, before or after on-ice practice, to focus on agility, balance, coordination and speed.

P is for Periodization – This means dividing the calendar year into intervals for preparation, competition, rest and recovery.

Q is for Quality Over Quantity – A basic principle of the ADM is to make better use of the time a player spends on the ice, mainly through skill-developing practices, rather than increasing the number of games played during a season.

R is for Regional Managers - There will be six regional managers strategically located around the country to implement the principles of the ADM by providing full-time staff support and guidance to youth hockey associations in their area.

Editor’s Note: For more information on USA Hockey’s American Development Model, please click here.

• A  is for ABC’s – Improving agility, balance and coordination among all youth hockey players is a main goal for the ADM.
• B is for Balyi – Internationally recognized coaching educator Istvan Balyi developed the Long-Term Athlete Development model based on scientific data of how young people develop their maximum sporting ability, linking more closely coaching and the development of players to their physical and psychological growth.
• C is for Competition – While competition is great at older ages, it is not the best way for younger players (ages 8 to 14) to develop their skills. Studies have proven that the average player touches the puck a little more than 20 seconds during the course of a game.
• D is for Development Stages – The eight stages of long term athlete development are active start, fundamentals, learn to train, train to train, learn to compete, train to compete, train to win and hockey for life.
• E is for Equal Ice Time – At the youngest age levels, all players should receive the same number of ice touches, opportunities and exposure to quality coaches. This is a stark contrast to the current structure where early bloomers are given more and better opportunities to the detriment of kids who grow slower and develop later in life.
• F is for Fun & Fundamentals – Keeping things fun and more age appropriate while helping every player improve his or her fundamental skills will help create more hockey players for life.
• G is for Growth & Retention – Getting more kids to try hockey and keeping more kids in the game for life is vital to the growth of the sport. Too many families are leaving hockey because of the cost, time commitment and win at all-costs attitude that is pervasive in our sport today.
• H is for High Performance Clubs – High Performance Clubs will be located around the country with teams at the 13U, 14U, 15U, 16U and 18U levels to compete in a National HPC League.

Editor’s Note: For  more information about ADM, please click here.

The number of children between the ages of 4 to 8 playing hockey has been shrinking. Over the last 10 years, acquisition of new players has dropped from 47,752 to 39,212  in 2008-09. To add to the shrinking numbers, 43.1% stop playing hockey by age 9, showing that retention is as important as recruitment.

The 2 & 2 National Challenge is a call to action for local associations. USA Hockey is asking hockey associations to recruit two more players than last year. For example, if an association brought in 22 new 4 to 8 year olds last year, then next year they should aim for 24 players.

The second half of the challenge is to improve the retention of 4 to 8 year olds by two players. If  a club retained 30 players from the previous season, next year they should shoot for having 32 hockey players back on the ice.

For more information on the 2 &2 Challenge program click here (pdf).

From USA Hockey:  We’ve worked with our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Michael Stuart, to provide you with pertinent regarding the H1N1 virus, including recommendations to reduce the likelihood of spreading the infection.  Specifically, USA Hockey recommends:

• Provide individual water bottles for players; do not share water bottles
• Regularly wash hands
• Clean workout gear for each practice/competition
• Keep gloves on during the traditional handshake with opponents

You should be aware that symptoms of the virus include: fever (102 degrees fahrenheit or greater), cough, muscle aches, runny nose, headache or sore threat, with the potential for more serious complications, including pneumonia.

Those affected by the H1N1 virus typically have been children and young adults.

Transmission of the virus may occur from the day before the onset of symptoms and during the five to seven days that the symptoms are present. Infected individuals should stay home until signs and symptoms have resolved, with no fever present for at least 24 hours. The 24-hour no-fever timeline should be achieved naturally, without the aid of fever reducing medications.

Additional information regarding H1N1 is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by visiting www.cdc.gov/H1N1Flu/.