Is it too late for 9 y. old boy to learn hockey? (Duluth: transfer to, buy)

[Laggard]

Great doc on PBS last night on pond hockey in MN. Hope everyone who enjoys the game got a chance to see it.

[cheddar]

Right, 9 years old is not too late but you should be going to open skating as much as possible and perhaps sign up for skating lessons this spring. Then in the fall your son would be a C squirt. The costs of being a squirt depend on where you sign up. In Saint Paul, for example, being a squirt for rec programs like Langford or Edgcumbe would be half the price of signing up with Johnson-Como or Highland. In our neighborhood, the popular soccer organizations are starting registration about now or within the next month for the late spring and summer. If you told us where you lived you might get more specific info about signing up.

[knke0204]

I still say 9 is too late.
Too late if you want your kid to be one of the standouts. Not too late if you want your kid to be average. I go to the local rink every once and awhile and most the little kids playing are 8 or 9 and they can nearly skate circles around me. At the Varsity Level you can tell the difference between a kid that started at age 4 or age 9.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by knke0204

I still say 9 is too late.
Too late if you want your kid to be one of the standouts. Not too late if you want your kid to be average. I go to the local rink every once and awhile and most the little kids playing are 8 or 9 and they can nearly skate circles around me. At the Varsity Level you can tell the difference between a kid that started at age 4 or age 9.

Sure, one of the standouts in the 10 year old league maybe. I've coached a few sports for many, many years and its a rare 9 year old that is the standout as a 9 year old and an 18 year old. At that age the kids that are a bit bigger at age 9 tend to be the better players, at any sport. Then around age 13-14 as the other kids catch up in size, and usually surpass the 9 year old standout, that 9 year old end up playing JV in high school, why, because the other kids had to work harder at a young age and developed better skills for the older leagues. I've seen this happen in every sport. The exception might be gymnastics mainly because as kids get older their bodies don't respond to the torture of gymnastics as well (which is why you see the "16" year old Chinese gymnasts that still have babyteeth) .

[knke0204]

Tiger Woods As A Child Pictures little boy kid baby mike douglas show - YouTube

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by knke0204

I still say 9 is too late.
Too late if you want your kid to be one of the standouts. Not too late if you want your kid to be average.

There are two ways to get better. Skills development and lots of ice time. To get more ice time, parents that step as coaches seemingly always screw the other Kid's by putting their precious child in every key situation. The politics gain momentum in B2 Squirts. If you are not a coach, the next best thing a parent can do is sell his sole by kissing the coaches family butt. I'm taking about chapping your lips (not just an occasional peck). Think dinner and drinks, family vacations etc. While at the arena, don't forget to high-five the coaches Son. You want your Kid to be friends with him! That way next season Johnny will have a much better tryout opportunity. He will be picked for the better team the following year as most coaches get to pick much of the team. Generally speaking, running for the association board won't get your kid rounded up. I heard that is a waste of time without results.

With enough ice time and key opportunities, the coaches Kid and their butt kissing entourage WILL get better. Most of those bubble Kid's that are equal but different skills will drop one-by-one. The key is to be one of the best in the pack (natural athlete with hard work) so you don't have to chap your lips over the coaches cheeks.

Therefore knke0204, I do understand why you say it's tough to start at age 9. This is especially true with a team sport such as hockey. In high school, the politics are dropped and performance is the only judge (other than when the couches have Kid's at the high school level which is all too common).

If you are lucky enough to get a couch that doesn't have a Kid in hockey, then the politics are reduced.

[nowitsshowtime]

Certainly not, but what are your standards. Is it too late to start with hopes to join the NHL? Also, MN likely has a higher level of hockey players than lets say NC, its just more in the culture.

To play varsity and even college, I'll say no. We had guys that played roller hockey for a few years, start ice hockey freshmen year of HS, and be first line varsity, so a lot depends on his natural abilities. I think I started around that age and played varsity and even could have played college, but opted out for some dumb reason (20/20 hindsight).

Certainly give it a try, its a great game, and one of the few sports I love. Do keep in mind that hockey is very expensive. The more he plays to get better, and the better leagues (as you move into travel hockey), will add up. Hopefully HS is free ice time for you as it was for us.

If you want to save some money, have him start with roller hockey first for a little to get the basics, then move to ice. He'll pick it up quick.

[StilltheSame]

Originally Posted by knke0204

I still say 9 is too late.
Too late if you want your kid to be one of the standouts. Not too late if you want your kid to be average. I go to the local rink every once and awhile and most the little kids playing are 8 or 9 and they can nearly skate circles around me. At the Varsity Level you can tell the difference between a kid that started at age 4 or age 9.

I think the manner in which playing hockey is handled, discussed etc is sad for little boys and girls who may become interested a little later. To say to a child - because you weren't born here; didn't become interested until you were older; will not be a superstar - you should not participate in a sport ignores what I consider to be the benefit of childhood sports. When 9 is too late - some re-calibration is probably needed. Perspective seems to be lost in participation vs domination.

Being from the south where they grow football players - NFL - you still would not hear that a 9 year old would be too old to take up the sport. Thankfully my 9 year old wants nothing to do with hockey and based upon what I have seen and heard - I am grateful.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by StilltheSame

Being from the south where they grow football players - NFL - you still would not hear that a 9 year old would be too old to take up the sport. .

In all fairness, football isn't comparable. It's very common for Varsity football players to start in their teens. Football has a lot to do with size, strength and speed. Of course there are a lot of skills. In hockey, you are riding on a skinny blade and you are required to look up (not down) while your are stick handling and trying to figuring out where you precisely need to shoot the puck. We are talking about a different skill set that needs countless hours of practice. You need to work on your stride, edge work, stick handling, shooting, strength, the game, see the entire ice, speed, etc. Quarterbacks are more closely related to the skills that you need in Hockey. I think a QB is analogous to the skills of hockey.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by nowitsshowtime

We had guys that played roller hockey for a few years, start ice hockey freshmen year of HS, and be first line varsity, so a lot depends on his natural abilities. I think I started around that age and played varsity and even could have played college, but opted out for some dumb reason (20/20 hindsight).

.

In NJ (where you are from) there are 161 schools who have a hockey team. See High school ice hockey in New Jersey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .
In MN, there are 500 Minnesota State High School League - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .


NJ is 1.6 times bigger than MN. So if you normalize it, it's like 161 high schools in NJ compared to 820 in MN. I predict a 4th line Varsity Kid from MN would be a stud in most other States. I recognize if you pick the best of the best players from say Texas, they can have some pretty good teams. But the competition is fierce to make most high school teams here in MN. In many districts, you need to be great in order to make the high school team.

The Maple Grove MN high school team for instance has 3 future D1 players. The Edina MN bench has 2 ex Pro Players as coaches. In MN high schools, you are playing against players that go PRO. Apples oranges when comparing NJ to MN. But it can be done (starting at age 9 and playing Varsity) in MN but it depends on the strength of the association. It's the exception not the rule.