Aberdeen Wings netminder with a famous last name coming into his own   Mike Vernon did not necessarily want his son to play goalie growing up.                Matt Vernon found himself pushed toward the position, not by his father, but because of his father, the 1997 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs […]

Another key aspect is explaining to players how their actions affect the rest of the team, as young players may not understand the ripple effect that occurs. At times, it seems like every team has one. That one kid who refuses to pass the puck, regardless of how open their teammates are. To say it’s […]

“Hockey provides the opportunity to continue to play long into adulthood, and more importantly, to be able to meet and play with remarkable people on and off the ice,” By day, the majority of The Lawyers hockey team members are fierce while immersing themselves in a case in court. It’s a win-at-all-cost mentality. When the […]

Nayagam’s coaching career began there and has continued through his move to Minnesota, where he attended law school. He got his degree, but ultimately discovered his true passion was teaching and coaching hockey. Coaching career boosted by attending USA Hockey National Coaches Symposium Just like in any career path, sometimes hockey coaches around the United […]

When you set a goal, regardless of what it is, there has to be a willingness to do what it takes to get there. If the player is willing to do that, they’ve got a good chance of achieving it. “Getting up” for every single practice and game can be a challenge even for NHL […]

“It was a revolutionary concept at the time, but approving the ADM has done great things for American hockey and American youth sports as a whole,” BOARD OF DIRECTORS VOTE INITIATES NEW ERA IN AMERICAN YOUTH SPORTS Ten years ago today, the USA Hockey board of directors unanimously approved the launch of a new paradigm […]

Coaches and parents can try these five tips to keep practices fun

There are so many facets to scoring and shooting. Follow it up. Stop in front of the net. Put yourself in a position to clean up those rebounds. Here’s one resolution for the New Year: Break one bad hockey habit before the end of the season. Bad habits are easy to form, but their long-term […]

Through all of his experiences over the years, Bertagna is still as enthusiastic about hockey as he was when he first got into the sport. The longtime administrator has been involved in hockey almost all his life During a six-year span in the late 1960s and early ’70s, Joe Bertagna had the honor of being […]

“You have to be on top of the play at all times because the penalties are much more subtle and much more difficult to see. You have a stick that’s only 100 centimeters long, so that hook is really hard to see.” One phone call led Johnathan Morrison into a tenured career with the International […]