Defining Qualities

Qualities that players can only possess by making up their mind that it's important to them:

Interest in learning the game

Desire to improve

Desire to win

Qualities that players can gain through playing in drop-ins and game situations: 

experience

situational awareness

confidence

Qualities that players can gain through attending clinics and formal practices:

skills

techniques

understanding

Qualities that players can develop if they work hard:

speed

strength

agility

deeper understanding of the game

Qualities that players are born with:

size

innate talent

Make sure that you're not confusing experience with talent or skills.

The teams that win in this league have situational awareness, confidence, and experience.  Not size or talent.

So the question is, grasshoppa, which of these qualities do you feel you can possess yourself?  If you're frustrated with being a "Hockey Have-Not" and resent the "Hockey Haves", maybe you should ask yourself if you're doing everything you can do to improve, both as an individual and AS A TEAM?  

If the answer is no, then put a cork in it, or quietly live with that choice.  If the answer is yes, then you probably aren't voicing frustration, you're sitting quitely and taking note of how winning teams handle themselves.  You don't have to agree with the way particular individuals behave during games.  Just pay attention and know that if you want to, you can be in their skates someday, and know that you will handle yourself appropriately.

Dickie.

A Request for Transparency

We have a lot of discussion lately about competition in our league. Good. All opinions and comments are welcome, if they are reasoned and well thought out.

If you want your opinion to carry more weight in the discussion, please include your name, or your team name and jersey number at the end, or some unique nickname.

It's hard to respond and openly converse with someone who posts an opinion, but doesn't use any sort of unique moniker.


Dickie Dunn

Killer's Idea for a Solution to the Bronze League Problems

Based on all the comments on the Stingers Back Story Post, The Killer has a few ideas on how to "fix" the i-league.

First of all we have a third party come out and watch every single game two weeks straight. This party would be a hockey coach who has no vested intrest in Nytex, the Brahmas, or our league. He/she would have a roster from each team, and make notes on each player. Things like, how well does he/she move on their feet, stick handle, shoot, pass, hockey knowledge, etc. Then that party would label players either A, B, or C. A meaning solid, ready for the move up to the D League, B meaning a player still learning, and C would mean someone that needs help, and lots of it.

Now at the end of the season each coordinator would get the results of the above mentioned experiment. Coordinators would be allowed to keep 8 players on their roster, two A's, two B's, and two C's. Everyone else would be placed into a pool of players that all the teams would draft from.

Then we would have the draft, team starting with who had the worst record would pick from the pool of avaiable free agents until the free agents are all gone. After that you could trade players if you like, but the idea would be that the teams all get an even number of people, and all have an even ammount of good players, bad players, and in between players.

Now there are people who will object to this like the Stingers who have been playing together for a long time, and are a very tight knit group. I know lots of guys on the Senators all work retail, and as such have to play in the late games on Saturday.

But I think if we did this, it would solve lots of issues. Then from a league standpoint you charge slightly more but offer a jersey with each paid player. This way, we eliminate teams with five or six different jerseys on the bench.

Also a rule of the new league would be players can ONLY play for one team. This would eliminate guys playing for two, three, or even four teams in one night/season.

This is all off the top of the Killers head, so feel free to trash this idea, add your thoughts, or whatever. Its good to air out your opinions so that Nytex can hear all this, and take steps towards making everyone happy. The Bronze league this year is great, the fact that there is a playoff format in place, and more teams are getting uniforms (Stingers, Senators, Bullets, Hurricanes, Gators, Monkeys) is a step in the right direction.