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[TomM]

Bob, I don't think it is an either or question. Malkin and anyone else that goes trough a gruelling pro season where they play about 100 games in 8 months and are on the ice for regular and pre game practices almost every day needs to take off a few months for physical and mental recovery. He will be doing off ice training and probably playing tennis etc.

If an on ice spring or summer program is well run and the kid's have fun I don't understand why there is anything wrong with it.

I have had experience all over the world with off season programs (Finland, Austria, Czech Republic, USA, Canada, Norway, Korea, Mexico) running camps, hockey schools and pro guest coach. The players at these camps want to get better and have fun while learning from good coaches, which they don't always have in the regular season. Most of these players do other sports at the same time.

You can get carried away like a Korean pro team I worked with whose schedule was like this. Monday to Saturday. 4 week camp
Wake up 6:30
-morning 30 min. Light run
-breakfast
-8-10 on ice practice
-rest
-lunch
-2-4 on ice practice
-supper
7-9 m,w,f weights
7-9 t,th,sat plyo's
Sunday off.

This was a 4 week camp and they got 96 hours on the ice. A few benefits. 1. We beat the U of Calgary 2 of 3 games and Dany Heatley practice every afternoon and went from being a non drafted bantam to the best AAA midget player in the country. (plus he grew about 6 inches)

My grandson who is 10 didn't want to play soccer this spring. He didn't enjoy it. Instead he spent April and May in a spring program that was really well run by one of my former university players who is a teacher. He ran very good practices with good technique and a lot of competition. They played a few games but it was mostly practices. He loved it.

He bikes and plays with his friends all of the time.

Now he is in a summer sports camp for his day care and they do many sports. He will be at our hockey camp in Jasper in a few weeks and get an Olympic skating coach for 7 sessions and me and my son for another 7 sessions. Between sessions he will play in the skateboard park and do a lot of biking with his parents. I can't think of any negatives. He loves it.

So I don't think you can say that summer hockey is bad or always good. If the kid wants to do it, it is a good program and he has fun and a chance to get better what more can you ask for.
Tom