La Jolla Program Offers More Opportunity

The Jaguars are doing their best to keep hockey fun, affordable

By Larry O’Connor
California Rubber Magazine
www.rubberhockey.com

The Ten Commandments in La Jolla Jaguar circles don’t bear Moses’ finishing touch, but the prophet would probably sign off on the program’s rink-spun guidelines rooted in hockey fellowship.

The architect of puck-related principles didn’t descend from Mount Sinai. However, the Jaguars’ hockey director and president, Dan Haney, did come to San Diego during the high-rise construction boom in 2002, employed as a construction manager for a large Canadian residential development company.

The program compiled its list through a true team effort involving coaches, parents and players. The commandments cover such things as being a good teammate, working hard and learning from mistakes.

“We’re basically about developing the kids’ hockey skills and making sure they enjoy the sport,” said Haney. “Those are the two most important elements of the Jaguars program.”

Haney assumed the Jaguars’ chief director role three years ago. His mission: restore the San Diego program’s luster.

La Jolla boated promise in the Southern California hockey ranks during the late 1990s and early 2000s, winning a state Pee Wee AA title in 2002-03.

As nearby programs grew, though, the Jaguars’ fortunes began to sag, but Haney, a Thunder Bay, Ontario, native who served as a volunteer coach, saw untapped potential.

“When I got involved with it eight years ago, there really wasn’t much happening with the program,” said Haney. “I saw such a great opportunity here to become involved in youth hockey in Southern California.

“Our rink (Icetown at University Town Center) is in La Jolla, which is a wonderful place. It’s right inside the mall where people can watch games from the food court above.”

This season, the Jaguars have grown to five travel teams at the Mite B, Squirt B (two squads), Pee Wee A (an all 2000 birth year team) and Pee Wee B levels.

This year, the Mite B team captured the Anaheim Jr. Ducks’ Early Bird tournament championship in its division over Labor Day Weekend. The team went 4-0-1 while outscoring its opponents, 31-16.

“It was quite a pleasant surprise for all of us,” Haney said.

Such achievements are cherished, but they’re not the program’s overriding focus. The goal is to develop young players and ideally have them advance to play travel hockey for many years, Haney says. About 100 kids take part in the Jaguars’ house programs.

The organization’s philosophy appears in line with the thinking behind USA Hockey’s American Development Model.

“You could play a system and win more, but ultimately the kids aren’t becoming better hockey players,” said Geoff Leibl, the Jaguars’ secretary. “We just really try to develop kids who fall in love with the game and want to play the rest of their lives – that’s the goal.

“It’s a great game and you want to expose as many kids to it as possible.”

The Jaguars’ brain trust is doing its part to open doors for aspiring hockey players.

Leibl, a Winnipeg native, is a San Diego-based immigration attorney whose clients include NHL stars, and those connections enabled the organization to procure highly coveted autographed jerseys, which will be raffled off during a Jaguars winter carnival scheduled for Dec. 10.

Pure Hockey sponsors the fundraiser, the goal of which is to provide scholarships for at-need families throughout California. The raffle and proceeds are open to all California 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations – not just the Jaguars.

Last year’s raffle raised almost $25,000, which paid for many things, including scholarships, off-ice training and tournaments costs. This year’s raffle has an MVP theme with signed Alexander Ovechkin, Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby jerseys up for grabs and a signed jersey by Cincinnati Reds’ MVP Joey Votto. A special grand prize will be announced on Oct. 15.

For more information, visit HockeyJerseyRaffle.com.

You’ve probably heard it before: stay “square” to the puck. If you stay square, you have a better chance of stopping more shots.

Being square means keeping your body between the puck and the center of the net and your chest pointing straight at the puck. It can be a hard thing to remember to do when you’re first learning to play goalie, so here’s a quick tip to help you remember. Imagine you’re Superman. Superman? Superman is the Man of Steel. When someone shoots a gun at him, what does he do? Does he twist his body to the side to avoid the bullets? Does he turn around or side step to dodge the bullets? Of course not. Superman puffs his chest up and points it right at the oncoming bullets. He stays square to the shooter and lets the shots him right in the chest. By doing so, he maximizes the blocking surface available to stop the bullets, is able to watch what the shooter is going to do next, and intimidates the shooter with how calm and composed he is.

So the next time you’re out on the ice, go ahead and take a page from the Superman playbook. Imagine you’re invincible, keep your chest pointing at the shooter, put your body between the puck and the center of the net, and show the shooters what you’re made of.

It is often stated that skating is the foundation of a hockey players skills. Therefore I believe it is important for players at every level to understand the mechanics of the hockey skate.

In the first of our series on hockey skates we will discuss the edges and hollows of the skate blade.

The skate blade is thin and two-edged, made of stainless steel and mounted in a holder that is fastened with rivets to the skate boot. The blade is contoured which means that not all the blade touches the ice surface at the same time. The blade has a concave groove between the two edges called the hollow. On the both sides of the hollow are the inside and outside edges. Both edges with the hollow in between allows the player to carve, drive and push off the ice with either the inside or outside edge and it also allows them to glide. Glide is the direct result of the hollows low level of friction as compared to the edges high level of friction.

Radius of hollow (ROH) is the term used to describe the depth of the hollow between a blades edges. When you have your skates sharpened you often use the term 7/16, ½ inch, 5/8 etc. This measurement refers to the Radius of hollow (ROH). A blade with a small ROH and a deeper hollow (3/8 or 1/2 inch) gives you less glide and more bite from your edges enabling you to turn sharper and start quicker. A blade with a large ROH gives you a shallower hollow so the blade is closer to being flat between the edges allowing you less friction when gliding but less bite on your edges.

The soft the ice surface, the more bite you will have so it allows you to experiment with a higher ROH to improve your glide. Your weight is also an important factor. Heavier players will still have bite with higher ROHs. Lighter players may need lower ROHs because they need the impact from their edges.

In conclusion, the ideal ROH will allow you to strike a balance between glide and maneuverability.

Next month we will discuss the “Blade Radius” of the hockey skate.

His powerful stride and long reach make him a formidable force. His skill with the puck provides a tremendous amount of leadership on the ice. By taking charge of the play and distributing the puck he assaults opposing defenses and inspires teammates towards victory. His work ethic, passion, and physical style of play all add to his leadership abilities on the ice. His strength as a player is compounded by his hockey intelligence. Expressed in tight situations, he makes the smart play to relieve pressure on his defense showing how hockey sense can be the best form of leadership by example. We are proud of his work ethic and look forward to his continued development with the Jaguar organization. Congratulations Elijah on being July’s Jaguar Player of the Month.

How many times have you found yourself mentally stuck on a goal you let in? Or you find yourself thinking about that last goal that you just should have stopped? You’re only 5 minutes into the game, and you’ve let in a goal, and all you can think about is how your save percentage is now 0.50.  By getting mentally stuck on that goal that you’ve let in, you can easily go from being a good goalie to being a bad goalie for the other 55 minutes of the game. You’ve got to learn to forget the goals that you let in while you’re playing so that you can continue to be effective against the shots that are to come.

One of the things that great goalies do is learn to forget the goals that go in and focus on the present moment. Great goalies stay focused on the puck, focused on the developing play, and focused on being the best they can be in the moment. The goals that have gone in can never be undone — they can only be learned from. So during games, great goalies forget about the goals they let in and focus on stopping all of the next shots.

Great goalies are great at forgetting goals, but they’re also very good at remembering those goals at a later time so that they can analyze how they could have played the situation more effectively. It’s only at the end of the game that great goalies will allow themselves to think about goals that have gone in.

When you’re on the ice in a game, forget about the goals that go in. Keep yourself focused on stopping pucks. Once the game is over, you’re off the ice, and you’re calm and collected, take the time to analyze the goals that went in and figure out how to make yourself an even better goalie. That is how good goalies become great, and that’s what you should be doing to make yourself the best goalie you can be.

by Goalie Coach Matt Hsu

Players and parents, fear not, we have several tips to help you be your best this tryout season. First we provide tips for choosing the right tryout; second, we outline a few key ideas to help prepare you mentally for the tryout; third, we will examine tricks to help you arrive at the rink with the confidence you need to succeed.

To begin, choosing the right tryout location typically is more of a choice for parents than players. You must consider time spent in a car to bringing your son or daughter to hockey practice two or three times a week? Another tip is finding the right combination of players and coaches. For a player, sometimes being around friends makes for a better experience and learning environment. For parents, choosing a team whose coach you respect or admire goes a long way to improving the confidence of your son or daughter. Lastly, when choosing a tryout it is important to learn as much about the hockey program as possible, for example: what is the program’s history, who are the coaches (paid or parents), what is the program philosophy, and what is the level of play? Typically these questions can be answered before getting to the rink, simply by making a phone call to the hockey director.

Second, preparing mentally for the tryout is critical for your success. Parents need to relax and not rush their kids on the day of the tryout. Be sure to help your player pack his or her equipment, have the appropriate jersey (dark and white), and check his/her skates for sharpening. Players, give yourselves enough time to get ready. Don’t arrive too early or too late. Being rushed or sitting around for an hour in your gear is not healthy for a successful tryout. Players don’t need to worry about much except showing up on time. Coaches outline tryouts very specifically to skill testing and drills. Players can help themselves by listening to the coaches. If a player doesn’t understand a drill it is acceptable to ask an assistant coach for clarification or simply stand further back in the line and watch other players complete the drill.

Lastly, having confidence during a tryout will separate you from the other players on the ice. Parents, you can help prepare your player for a tryout by being calm and patient before the tryout begins. Use positive language and be encouraging. It does not help a player to emphasize “needed improvement” areas before a tryout. Players, you have to believe you are one of the strongest skaters on the ice. You need to tell yourself that you are ready and prepared to succeed. This is best attained by using positive self-talk before a drill or taking the ice. In your head, repeat a mantra to help you focus your attention. Parents, you can help your player with a simple mantra – something that worked for me was singing a popular song in my head. It helped me relax and focus at the same time. Importantly, tryouts are very skill focused. Players can separate themselves through attention to coaches, and hard work. Once the drill starts, skate as hard as you can, use starts and stops (not rink turns), and never be the last in a skating drill.

In the end, tryouts are an excellent way for players to familiarize themselves with the competitive side of ice hockey. The more exposure players have to this environment, the more confidence they will develop as they move up in the hockey ranks. Since, there are many talented players in southern California, to stand out, you must be willing to listen attentively, skate harder, and focus stronger than other players. Because hockey requires the efforts of an entire family, tryouts are no different. To have a successful tryout parents, and players can work together to choose the right tryout, become mentally prepared, and display confidence on the ice. Good luck!

By Coach Stuart Grande

Recently the value of having a strong defense and a dependable goalie has been confirmed during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Notably, critical go-ahead goals were scored when backchecking forwards failed to cover forechecking opponents. Despite the high number of goals scored, the games were decided not by the goals, but by the failure to play defense. These epic failures were highlighted and over-analyzed by the media following both the Flyers/Bruins series as well as the Wings/Sharks series. Both series juxtaposed mediocre offensive play against debilitating defensive lapses. For coaches, these examples magnify the soul of the game. As in life, sometimes skill and ability aren’t enough to win. Often, victory is achieved only when one team out plays the other on defense. As any coach or player will confess, nothing kills the spirit of an opposing team more than a stingy defense.

The slightest lapse in concentration, especially on defense, can lead to a season ending goal. I believe it was Don Corleone, the infamous Godfather, who said, “You need to keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” What a great defensive coaching strategy. There is perhaps nothing more sincere or effective a defensive strategy as when players keep an eye on their friends (teammates) but keep a much closer eye on their enemies (opponents). But simply watching the opponent can’t be enough, right?

Absolutely right! A player must do several additional things beyond simply paying attention to the opponent. The following are three important tips to frustrate and demoralize opponents. First, to function effectively in the defensive zone a player must be aware of who is in the slot at all times. This notable area between the face-off circles and in-front of the crease is the most vulnerable area of the ice for any defense. Because most goals are scored from the slot, it is imperative that defensive players keep this area clear of opponents.

Second, a defensive player must keep his opponents stick busy. In a game as fast as hockey one way to confuse and restrain opponents is to stifle his stick. Don’t let the opponent get his stick on the ice to accept a pass or make a shot. While slashing is not recommended, there is certainly an acceptable amount of stick-to-stick contact allowed during the game. Placing your stick over the opponents, minimizing their stick movement, is excellent. Also, “popping the stick” is an effective method of stick-checking your opponent. Get your stick under the opponents, without hitting his hands or legs, then you can pull his stick off the puck just before he receives a pass or attempts a shot.

Third, all players in the defensive zone must try to keep their body between the goal and the opposing player. This will allow the defensive player to position himself in way to prevent either a shot or a pass by the opposing player. In addition, by having the right position on the ice allows the defensive player to see the ice more effectively and make better decisions to help teammates and prevent goals from being scored.

As a coach I believe a strong defense means keeping a close eye on your opponent. Therefore, as a player you must be aware of all the players on the ice during your shifts. Know where your line is, recognize where the opponent players are and be an active player without the puck. Anticipate where the play is going, who is open, where the passing lanes are, and how to position yourself between the goal and your opponent. If you practice these three simple strategies, and execute them during your next game I promise you will frustrate and dominate your opponents.

~Coach Stuart Grande

Perhaps it is his Québécois roots, which drives him on the ice. More likely, it’s his love of the game that propels him on the ice. Ethan demonstrates this passion for the game every time he steps on the ice. He’s constantly pushing himself in drills, testing newly acquired skills, and demanding the most from himself. We can only hope that his energy and passion for the game rubs off on his teammates. In a game where skill development never ceases, Ethan will only get better and better as he gains experience through competition.

It is, indeed, during the on-ice battles where Ethan shines. He welcomes one-on-one battles, and any chance to go to the net. The Jaguar Organization is proud to profile Ethan as this month’s Jaguar Player of the Month because he exemplifies the personality, strength, and tenacity we want to encourage in all our Jaguars. Congratulations Ethan!

Icetown and the La Jolla Jaguars are holding a FREE transition to travel hockey seminar.  This seminar is geared towards hockey families that are interested in moving into competitive  travel hockey with the La Jolla Jaguars Hockey Club.

When: Monday, June 6, 2011 @ 6PM

Where: Jaguars Locker Room #4

Who: All families interested in more info on travel hockey

To reserve your spot, please email Dan at dhaney@lajollajaguars.org by June 4, 2011.