By Jim Clare, AHAI VP of Membership - USA Hockey's Try Hockey For Free Day is in its 10th year with over 200,000 kids haven taken part in the event during that time. This year there were 11,500 skaters nationwide that participated in the November 9th THFF day. In Illinois, we had 15 associations/rinks participate with 258 young skaters lacing them up as part of the day's festivities. Many locations hosted parties for the kids after the on-ice instruction, all in an effort to attract new skaters to our great game.

Firewagon Hockey led the way with 77 skaters at the Crystal Ice House, followed by the Admirals (Center Ice of DuPage) with 32, the Chicago Hawks (Darien Sportsplex) with 31 and the Cyclones (Fox Valley Ice Arena) with 28 skaters. Other participating associations included: Northbrook (Northbrook Sports Center), Sabre Hockey (All Seasons Ice Rinks), Franklin Park (Franklin Park Ice Arena), St. Jude (Southwest Ice Arena), Hoffman Estates Park District (Triphahn Center), Kankakee Youth Hockey (Ice Valley Centre), Decatur Youth Hockey (Decatur Civic Center), Peoria Youth Hockey (Owens Center), Springfield Park District (Nelson Center), Ice Dogs (Glacier Ice Arena), and Evanston Youth Hockey (Robert Crown Center).

This day is not necessarily measured by the number of skaters, but rather by the skaters attending and how many “smiles per hour” achieved! Our sincerest hope is that more rinks and associations will participate in the next Try Hockey For Free Day on February 22, 2020, as part of Hockey Week Across America.

Q: My son is a goalie and he has a goalie partner who is really good, at least one step ahead of my son. The coaches are great, and play both goalies equally, they split every period and alternate who is the starter and who is the closer. After games, what should I tell my son to encourage him even when he has given up more goals than his goalie partner, and sometimes it results in a loss for the team?

A: Many parents of goalies struggle with what to say when goaltending is sometimes viewed as an individual sport within a team game. Click button for some helpful advice.

By Michael Rand, USA Hockey - At a time when player safety and sportsmanship are hot-button issues in youth sports, USA Hockey took a proactive step this summer toward reiterating how seriously it takes such matters.

The governing body unanimously ratified the Declaration of Player Safety, Fair Play and Respect as a means toward re-emphasizing its zero tolerance policy regarding hits to the head, hits from behind and late hits – as well as to clarify what a legal body check looks like in particular as it becomes more top of mind at the 12U level.

By Minnesota Hockey - When it comes to effectively running a hockey bench during games, it’s easy to picture respected NHL or NCAA coaches. After all, they’re the top coaches at the highest levels of the game for a reason.

However, the typical stoic looking coach who is focused on line matching and in-game adjustments isn’t necessarily the best fit for your daughter’s 10U game. There are certainly characteristics of great hockey benches that translate to youth hockey, but it’s important for coaches to understand their age group and adapt accordingly. Click button for five signs of good bench management in youth hockey.