Reply To: Hockey in the New Millennium

[RookieCoach]

Tom,

There was a new arena open in our area this year. I went to check out this new facility and found a picture from 1913 of my grandfather's team hanging on the wall. He was 21 at the time this picture was taken.

Looking at the equipment or what you would call equipment.

Skates were a thin piece of leather with steel blades. Not very much support compared too today's skates.

I wonder what kind of edge was put on the skates back then ? Profiled ?

What about the sticks ?

Heavy wood sticks with NO curve. Imagine a stick with no curve.

Now every player young and old has a composite stick. I'm sure we could find a few exceptions.

Is it just me, or does anyone else notice that during in this series between Boston and Vancouver , how many missed hits or hitting their own player with a body check. Don't get me wrong , I do enjoy the speed and physical play . But it seems like players are just throwing themselves recklessly and their opponent.
They try so hard at making contact or the big hit that they take themselves out of the play creating odd man rushes the other way.

Do they over do the body contact sometimes losing focus on the play ?

We all seem to like this hockey ?

With the size of the players and the speed of the game , I don't know how their bodies take all this contact. But it is an exciting game.

How will the game look 10 years down the road ?

How do you see the coaching styles in 10 years.?

RookieCoach