NHL Off-Topic thread

[Money99]

Quote: Originally Posted by redsox4evur

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/pat...van-nhl-abuse/ Horrific read on Patrick O'Sullivan and his childhood.

Read his book last week. Very good book and too many cringe-worthy stories inside.
At the end of the book, he goes back to speak with a lot of his youth coaches to ask if they saw any signs of the abuse and if they did, why didn't they speak out.
All the coaches but one said they knew he was being abused in some shape or form, but only 1 of those coaches accepted all the blame - the Ice Dogs assistant coach.
He said he should have known better and should have done more.
The scary part was, he was a youth worker for abused children. yikes.
But this man did make up for it in a way because it was him that helped counsel Patrick after he broke free from his dad.

Quote: Originally Posted by ImTellinTim

Yeah, but the thing I found most interesting in that article wasn't about the abuse. It was the thing that I think youth sports across all sports in America is getting away from - letting kids play pickup on their own. Brazil isn't great at soccer because they have the best youth programs and training facilities. They're good because kids just go out and play soccer all day with their friends.

Quote: Originally Posted by redsox4evur

Yea that's definitely something I picked up on but already knew about because I am studying sports management in school. And I took a Sport Society/Ethics class and we spent a week talking about that. So I knew that was already happening. Also where I umpire Little League baseball, before games and after games you hear the parents talking about how there son is playing for this travel team and they have 4 games this weekend (doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday). And I have even heard one parent say their kid (age 12) threw like 140 pitches in one weekend with no real rest. Pitched one game Saturday and then pitched again on Sunday.

Agreed on all fronts.
Kids need to have more unsupervised play. That's where they learn most of the skills that make them great athletes.
I remember playing countless forms of baseball with my older brothers growing up.
We'd also play football and some road hockey too.

I think the problem with that today is two-fold:
1. Most kids would rather sit inside in a comfy, climate controlled house, with a 70" tv and gaming console. And too many parents (me included) allow it too much.
There's no incentive to go outside and play with friends - another thing that's allowed less and less due to fear of kidnappers, etc.
2. The kids are too busy playing organized sports.

My 8YO son played travel ball this year where he was on the field nearly 90 times in 4 months.
There were stretches where we'd be on the diamonds 5 out of 6 days or 9 out of 12.
He enjoys baseball but that nearly killed all his interest in the game.
He started playing soccer that spring too and instantly fell in love. Only on the fields 2x a week, no strict instruction - just run and play.

He's told me he only wants to play rec ball this Spring and concentrate more on soccer.
While baseball is my favourite sport and I think it's the sport he's best at, I'm all for it.
I'd be lying if I said I don't want him playing travel ball again, but I barely got to enjoy hanging out with him and his older brother, just playing catch in the backyard.
I want that back. And if that means 'only' rec ball (they're all headed to slowpitch as adults anyway), then I'm fine with that. As long as he's still playing, I'll be happy.

OFFTOPIC:
redsox4evur, you're in sports management?
I noticed our local college just started offering a 3-year program. Man I would have loved something like that when I was in college.
I'm 41 now and it's way too late to go back. Plus, who knows where I'd have to go in order to get a job in the field.
But I would have loved, loved, loved to study that field.
I know of a guy, who knows a guy, that took sports management in Toronto someplace.
He's an assistant GM for a AAA ball club now.
Another guy I know is helping with the Windsor Spitfires.
What I wouldn't do to go back and do something similar.

[slickdtc]

I totally agree just going out and playing is getting lost as parents and kids are trying to turn youth sports in to serious business.

I only played a year of organized baseball and football, though I played multiple years of organized roller hockey. But it was extremely recreational; no practices, just one game a weekend.

I have way more fond memories of playing sand lot football with my best friends from 8th grade when we made football on Friday's after school a tradition through pretty much every weekend of high school. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. We still talk about the crazy plays and games we had. Reminisce about how we played so much, though some of our bodies feel it now. (Better then the constant head trauma of fully padded football.)

We also played a decent amount of street hockey. Best times.

The decision to work out and breathe the game nonstop should be up to the kid playing, NOT the parent. They're so easily influenced that it's not right for a parent to steer them so aggressively to the point that they'll resent their parents, coaches, and the game. Sports are meant to be fun. I think I always knew that because I hated practice. I was always a game performer, not a practice superstar.

Luckily, I don't come from a big town or state so the pressure of high end athletics didn't really weigh down on me or my friends. I can imagine being a football player in Texas or hockey player in Canada, the stakes are much higher. Someone needs to advocate for those kids because they really have no choice if their parents are deadset on living through them. Not to mention when it's their ticket out of poverty to land a college scholarship and potential professional career. There's a lot of factors going in to it but no one should have to deal with what people like O'Sullivan beared.

When I have children of my own, damn right Id be ecstatic if they share my love of hockey and want to play. But if they instead want to take art classes to be a cartoonist or something like that, I'm all for it. Let them discover what they will love, not command them to be a sports star. How lame.

[Majingir]

Leafs changing jersey/logo for 100th year. I hope rebrand goes well. Their current logo is one of most unsuccessful looks in pro sports history. Current has been around for 25 years,but same design scheme for 45 years.

I mentioned it before,i wouldn't mind either a similar look to their logo in 50s-60s, or one similar to Canadian flag maple leaf or Blue Jays maple leaf

[l3ulvl]

Good, nobody likes stems

[Majingir]

lol,really though,I hate to love looking at jersey concepts. Looking at some cool designs,knowing the actual ones will be nothing like it. This logo is a huge fan fave. Was their primary in the 60s,and alternate for several years recently too. Just bringing back an old fan fave,and instantly profits will be boosted so much. Look at the Jays, all they did was make small changes to their original logo,and now they have a logo that fans love so much,and even players really like the look too.

[Money99]

Jonathan Toews has 17 points in 31 games. Sure looks like he's worth $10M/year.

Meanwhile, Ryan O'Reilly and Pat Bergeron are both just as good defensively (if not better) and putting up nearly a point-per-game. And at a cheaper rate.

This only helps to further my campaign to prove that Toews is one of the most overrated players in the NHL.

Bring on the torches!!

[SPTO]

Regarding the Leafs, i'm hearing the rebrand is going to be completely off the wall. They're totally changing everything.

On another Leafs related note there's an unconfirmed report stating the Leafs will host the Rangers at BMO Field for the 2017 Winter Classic to commemorate the NHL and the Leafs' 100th anniversary.

[Majingir]

Quote: Originally Posted by SPTO

Regarding the Leafs, i'm hearing the rebrand is going to be completely off the wall. They're totally changing everything.

They better not change it up too much,but this is the same ownership group which provided us with a basketball with claw marks as a logo, and a circular logo that ripped off another teams logo.

Jerseys should remain mostly unchanged.

I could see them just doing the logo like a maple leaf on the Canadian flag. At least I hope so, if they decide to do some circular logo, or a blank version of their current logo,that'd suck.

Just don't anger one of the biggest fanbases in the league. I've never trusted MLSE with anything ever, if they ruin the image of a franchise that goes back 100 years, they'll definitely hear about it from the fans.

Quote: Originally Posted by SPTO

On another Leafs related note there's an unconfirmed report stating the Leafs will host the Rangers at BMO Field for the 2017 Winter Classic to commemorate the NHL and the Leafs' 100th anniversary.

Too bad it's the Rangers. I know it's done cause of the original 6 stuff and everything, but Rangers I'd say are 4th on that list of original 6 rivals to the Leafs. But since Habs/Bruins doing it this year,and Leafs-Wings already happened, it'll just have to be Leafs-Rangers. Should've been 2 Canadian teams in it though.

Who gets Nick Kypreos in alumni game? lol