Our Kids Play Hockey
Our Kids Play Hockey is a podcast that focuses on youth hockey, offering insights, stories, and interviews from the hockey community. It provides valuable advice for parents, coaches, and players, covering various aspects of the game, including skill development, sportsmanship, teamwork, and creating a positive experience for young athletes. The show frequently features guests who share their expertise and personal experiences in youth hockey, both on and off the ice.
The show features three hockey parents, who all work in the game at high levels:
- Christie Casciano-Burns - USA Hockey Columnist, Author, and WSYR Anchor
- Mike Bonelli - USA Hockey Coach and Organizational Consultant
- Lee M.J. Elias - Hockey Entrepreneur, Author, and Team Strategist
In addition to the main podcast, there are several spin-off series that dive into specific aspects of youth hockey:
1.Our Girls Play Hockey – This series highlights the growing presence of girls in hockey, addressing the unique challenges they face while celebrating their accomplishments and contributions to the sport. Each episode of Our Girls Play Hockey is also hosted by Sheri Hudspeth who is the Director, Youth Hockey Programs and Fan Development for the Vegas Golden Knights.
2.The Ride to The Rink – A shorter, motivational series designed to be listened to on the way to the rink, offering quick, inspirational tips and advice to help players and parents get into the right mindset before a game or practice.
3.Our Kids Play Goalie – This series is dedicated to young goalies and the unique challenges they face. It provides advice for players, parents, and coaches on how to support and develop young goaltenders, focusing on the mental and physical demands of the position.
Together, these shows provide a comprehensive platform for parents, players, and coaches involved in youth hockey, offering insights for all aspects of the sport, from parenting, playing, or coaching to specialized positions like goaltending.
Our Kids Play Hockey
The Ride to The Rink - Comfort Over Cost: Building Confidence with the Right Equipment
🏒 Ready to gear up for hockey season without breaking the bank?
"Ride to the Rink" hosts Lee MJ Elias and Mike Bonelli tackle the age-old question: Does expensive equipment make a better player? Spoiler alert: It doesn't! This episode is packed with practical advice for young players and parents navigating the world of hockey gear.
From timing your purchases to finding the perfect fit, our hosts share insider tips that'll have you feeling like a pro—without the pro-level price tag. Ever wondered why even NHL stars sometimes stick with their old favorites? We've got the scoop!
Key Points:
- Spring cleaning for your gear closet 🧹
- The off-season experiment: Try before you buy!
- Why comfort trumps brand names every time
- Sidney Crosby's surprising equipment choices 🤯
- Budget-friendly alternatives that don't sacrifice quality
Remember, it's not the stick that scores the goal—it's you! Tune in for a game-changing perspective on equipment that'll boost your confidence on the ice and keep your wallet happy.
Got questions about finding your perfect gear match? Hit us up at team@ourkidsplayhockey.com!
#RideToTheRink #HockeyGear #YouthHockey #SmartShopping #PerformanceOverPrice
Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!
🚨 The Puckaround™ Pro Training Puck is being called the best off-ice puck ever — same weight, size, and feel as the real thing. Perfect for training in the driveway or on the outdoor rink.
🎁 Use code OKPH at hockeywraparound.com for a special discount on a 2-pack — just for our listeners.
Let’s puck-around and find out. 🏒
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Lee MJ Elias [0:07 - 0:44]: Hello, hockey goalies and skaters around the world. Welcome back to another edition of the Ride to the Rink. It's Lee and Mike with you today. And I don't know how many gearheads we have out there, but the kid who loves the stick, you love the proto. They gotta have the proto stick. You gotta have whatever new skates, new gloves, new helmet, new shins, new shoulders, new elbows, new pants. I don't think I forgot anything there, Mike, but it's the time of year we're recording this in the spring. Probably looking at some new gear for the new season. Some new things are coming out. Mike wants to share some advice with you on maybe how to approach that, keeping in mind you might grow five inches this summer, which can be a hurt to the wall for the parents. But, Mike, why don't you dive into it?
Mike Bonelli [0:44 - 1:17]: Yeah, well, the growth part is a problem, obviously, because you might be growing out of stuff. But if you're going through, if you're somebody that, you know, never feels comfortable in shoulder pads or your elbow pads or you want to try a different pair of skates or you wanted to. I was thinking more like, you know, if you're, if you're getting older, you want to try different profiles and you want to try different skate sharpening and somebody's saying, oh, you should be in five ace, and you should be in half inch or you should be in one quarter. Like, this is the kind of stuff you want to educate yourself with. And this is the time to try those things. November and December probably isn't the best time to try out different gear.
Lee MJ Elias [1:17 - 1:17]: No.
Mike Bonelli [1:17 - 1:42]: But now, you know, the pro shops are a little lighter. There's not as many people running in and out of there. But it's a really good time to go in and sit yourself down for, you know, a half hour and just, just try different things on, find like the different gloves that fit. It's not because as you get older, it's not only about, you know, how cool the stuff looks, and it's not always about, oh, because this, my favorite player wears this is this. Does this, this fit my hand?
Lee MJ Elias [1:42 - 1:42]: Right, right.
Mike Bonelli [1:42 - 2:32]: Does this fit my, you know, you know, I like these elbow pads because. But I wear short sleeve shirts. So these elbow pads don't work well with me because they. The Velcro hurts my arm. So instead of going through nine months of pain and discomfort, just find it out now. This is the best time to go in, try different things out, try different curves. I know most of us probably, on listening to this are too Young Thunder. You know, to know what a lie of a stick is. But understand that sticks have different ways that they lay down and, and, and hit the ice. Try those different things, right? Different tape jobs, different, you know, not, you know, butt end jobs, flexes. Yeah, these are, these are all the times to do all these little things. Especially when you start feeling a confident about your skills and saying, yeah, you know, I really like this and I don't like this and this is something I want to focus on. This is the time of year to do it as you go through spring, summer, you know, into your hockey season.
Lee MJ Elias [2:32 - 4:07]: Yeah, and I'll add it on to that, Mike. That Mike brings up a great point about the commercialization of the gear, kids. And what I mean by that is the equipment companies have done a really great job of making you believe that the flashiest, newest thing is the best thing. And I'll tell you right now, while there are advancements in, in technology and equipment, I'm not, I'm not going to deny that every once in a while there is a huge advancement. They don't come that often. And if you need any more proof, Sidney Crosby playing in the double IHF World Championships right now looks like he's wearing 10 year old skates, which is probably not true, but they're older. His stick is a ribcore ccm. That's an older stick, if I'm not mistaken. A lot of his pads he's been using his whole career. It's not the equipment that makes you great, it's you make the equipment great. I'm gonna repeat that for you kids. It's not the equipment that makes you great, it's you that makes the equipment great. I will say you gotta feel good though, as Mike said, okay? You want to feel good, feel good, play good, I do believe in that. But feel good has nothing to do with the flashiest, newest 400 stick. That does not. That's not a feel good. That's you spending your parents money. I'm turning into a dad real quick. I'm sorry kids. You make your equipment great. I guarantee you right now an NHL player, if that's what you aspire to be, can pick up almost any stick, almost any stick, including the old wooden ones, and probably make it work for themselves. I'm not going to say they're going to like it, but that's their talent shining through. Build your skills, don't empty your parents wallets, okay?
Mike Bonelli [4:08 - 4:59]: That being said, you don't have to have the highest end stuff to feel comfortable True. You certainly don't have to have the highest end stuff to perform the best. But what I'm saying is take the off season. Take the time that you have. You know, you could go on, I don't know, sideline swap or something, get something that get. Get a different brand that maybe you wouldn't have normally got. Try it out. If you don't like, you send it back. I mean, there's so many different options for you buy things and get rid of them that it's so easy to do this. And once you find the. Know your, your niche or what you like or you like the, the way gloves are shaped, like there's a big difference in all these different things. There's a reason why it's just not. They don't just make one glove and say, hey, here's the glove. So, you know, try different. You know, try to find different things that fit your style, your needs, your comfort level, and then. And then use that for your basis of how you want to go into the season.
Lee MJ Elias [4:59 - 5:18]: I love it, Mike. And like I said, I'll just say in closing too, that, you know, when I go get new skates or new gloves, I don't. I try not to look at the price tag. I try and blindly do it like what feels the best. And I. Kids, I'll tell you 50 of the time, it's not the most expensive piece of equipment there, all right? And I feel way better on the ice using that.
Mike Bonelli [5:18 - 5:19]: All right?
Lee MJ Elias [5:19 - 5:51]: So listen, not trying to poo poo on you, getting the best stuff that you want to get. I know things are flashy. I'm. I'm just trying to say, and Mike's just trying to say, if you want to be the best player you can be, it's about you developing. It's not about the gear, but this is the time to try it out. Sidelineswap.com if you haven't checked it out or go to your local pro shop, see if they'll let you just play around with some stuff without taking it outside and off ice stuff, too, this time of year. Just as a healthy reminder. All right, kids, no matter where you're at in a hockey journey, remember, we believe in you. You should, too. Skate hard, have fun. We'll see you in the next ride of the ring. Take.
