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The Candilan Champion FridaY, Mafch 3, 2000 -23 Almost everything is right with minor hockey 1 tram WHAT'S on page 22 be if kids listened to that advice. Not only would bis teammnates flot want to Play with him, coaches wouldn't even want him on their team. Besidea, it would only work in bouse league. I've seen many of the best AAA peewee players in Ontario and the United States thia year. Plenty of them have the opportunity on the ice to show individual skilla as welI as team skills. Puck hogs get checked and their team suffers. Part of the Canadian hockey way is teamwork, commitment and character, whicb we are better at than sny country in the world. Why would we want to destroy that? - Coaching. Coache's have the' opportssnity to he as good a coacb and as knowledgeable as they want to be. Ibers are clinica and there are certifi- cate levela. They can get as much out of it as they have urne or deaire. They didn't have that 25 years ago, Sa it'a a big change. - Parental interference. They didn't have that as much 25 years ago, either. Unfortunately, I've heard that a couple of the heat and moat succesaful coaches I've ever known are tired of the wbole interference issue and aren't going ta coach anymore after thia year. Too bad. It's a tough issue to set- tle because parenta feel they have evcry right to question the coach when it concerns their kids. In this genera- tion, parents look out for their children more than any other generatian. T'hat's flot ta aay that's a bad tbîng, but it does present problema. One tbing that a lot of teama have in place la a 24-hour mIle, which meana parents can't camplain to the coachbhefore that time. Othera allaw griping ses- sions. A good ides may be ta institute s parent-coaching liaison. He or she can take a parent's concernas ta the coach. It has heem s prohiers on any team I've ever been associated with, except a girls hause league team my daugbter played an. There waa no pressure oit aiiybody. They just went ont and bad fun, which is wbat it's supposed ta be aIl about. You'll notice I baven't yet said what's right with minor hockey.' Nohody seems ta want ta take that particular angle. In my mmnd, the answer is that slmost everything is right with minar hockey. For'starters, 1 think that people run- ning the game have the kids' heat intereats as beart. Every year there is some kind of rûIe change or approacb designed ta make the game better. Tbey're not always successful, but the intent la there. Violence, for one, is met witb strict suspensions and the tolerance level bas gone dowîî îo almoat zero. The kida lave plsying thse sport, and wbile there are problema, these are juat some of the things they get ont of it that can make s difference in their lives, on top of junt having fun: disci- pline,. self esteem, prestige, increased social akilîs, the proof that bard work is rewsrded, problem salving, ca- operation, and respect for others. This is thefirst of a two-part column serti.es on minor hockey by Murray Townsend. See the second part in Tuesday's Champion. USIPCKSKCILOFla a prnud spoêiser of fUIwaI Milton Minor Hockey ZO Hem 066n JEEP ote ocal 013999 Milton Minor Hockey A~ ~sociatîon March 4q PLAVOFFS _GAME 6 DIVISION TEAM VS TEAM TIME ARENA MAR 4 BEGINNERS RED TIMBITS WHITE TIMBITS 7:30 AM THOMP GREEN TIMBITS BLACK TIMBITS 8:30 AM ASENA MAR 4 PRE/NOVICE KNUCKLES I BRUCE HOOD 7:30 AM TNOMP KNUCKLES 2 LITTLE FRIMEN 8:.30 AM ARENA MAR 4 MINOR ATOM HOME CINEMA VIDEO GORRUD AUTO 7:00 AM TONELLI HUNT CHRYBLER JEEP LIFESTYLEICAR GUYS 8:00 AM ARENA MAS 4 MAJOR ATOM GALLINGER MOTORS REBEKAH LODGE 9:00 AM TONELLI DIRECT T.V. MCCUM0G INSURANCE 10:00 AM ARENA MAS 4 MINOR PEE WEE ABSOLUTE TRANSPORT NU-TECH RECRUITERS 3:00 PM TONELLI TOWNE DENTAL GOLD CONNECTION '4:15 PM ARENA MAR 4 MAJOR PEE WEE BRIAN'S AUTO KENTUCKY FRIED CHICICEN 5:30 PM TONELLI PRESSE LAW KWUC KOPY 6:50 PM ARENA MAR 5 MINOR NOVICE 0000 LIFE BLACK GOOD LIFE BLUE 3:00 PM THOMP 0000 LIFE RED 0000 LIFE GREEN 4:30 PM ARENA MAR 5 MAJOR NOVICE HUNT CI4RYSLER JEEP BRIAW'S AUTO 5:30 PM THOMP SHOPPERS DRU0 MART CANADIAN TIRE 6:30 PM ARENA MAR 3 BANTAM KCK TEAMWEAS DURANTE'S 5:30 PM TONELLI PLAYOFFS MILTON DODGE JEEP MARMAC 7:00 PM ARENA CAME 8 MAS 4 BANTAM ABSOLUTE TRANSPORT DOCS & DENTS 11:20 AM THOMP PLAYOFFS GAIJE 9 ASENA BANTAM PLAYOFFS GAME 10 G GoldProud G 'ûC Connection rb "Best of Iuck K~I --Sponsors of M_ to ai the ýj 4%0i&ÉMw Milton Minor "Proud sponsors of I2J teams. ... laiusai Hockey Milton Minor Hockey" "Proud sponsors of 100 Nipisaing Road, Unit 9 Milton Minor Hockey" Miltoni, Otaio L9T 5B2 Tel:876-4647 Fax:876-1 100 I218 Main St. 8529 Milton 8529 500 BrneS. .Mlo DATE MAR: 5 0005 & DENTS MILTON DODGE JEEP KCK TEAMWEAR DURANTE'S ABSOLUTE TRANSPORT MARMAC Il 5:30 PM 7:00 PM 8:30 PM TNOMP ASENA