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[ctblu40]

Originally Posted by DG

I think we are getting some opinions here from some who have never coached a youth league team at all, and/or never coached an all star team.

I think you're missing my point. Let me try another approach.
I have a very good friend who is an NCAA D-2 hockey coach. Every year, he has players arrive on campus who have always been in the top 5% of every team with which they've played. Perennial All Stars at every level. They stride into the locker room at the start of the season only to find that the room is full of all stars. During the course of the pre-season, it's apparent to coach that they're very good players, but he wants to redshirt them for a year. Many times, these kids either transfer to a smaller school or quit playing all together because the've never had to deal with this type of disappointment before. That is a shame.
Youth sports are supposed to build character. What is learned by constantly shielding youngsters from disappointment. Let kids experience the agony of defeat, that makes the sweet smell of victory that much sweeter.

BTW- I have coached both LL baseball and youth hockey. I have always followed the MPR for little league because that's the rule. On the ice, I almost never tried to match-up line changes, although, at times when the game was on the line, the weaker players may have sat in order to preserve the tie or win. In 10+ years, the only parent to complain about her kids ice time was the mother of my son.

[DG]

Originally Posted by ctblu40

I think you're missing my point. Let me try another approach.
I have a very good friend who is an NCAA D-2 hockey coach. Every year, he has players arrive on campus who have always been in the top 5% of every team with which they've played. Perennial All Stars at every level. They stride into the locker room at the start of the season only to find that the room is full of all stars. During the course of the pre-season, it's apparent to coach that they're very good players, but he wants to redshirt them for a year. Many times, these kids either transfer to a smaller school or quit playing all together because the've never had to deal with this type of disappointment before. That is a shame. Youth sports are supposed to build character. What is learned by constantly shielding youngsters from disappointment. Let kids experience the agony of defeat, that makes the sweet smell of victory that much sweeter.

Your point was that MPR chap your a**. NCAA sports and youth leagues are entirely different. And hockey is a different forum.

[ctblu40]

Originally Posted by DG

Your point was that MPR chap your a**. NCAA sports and youth leagues are entirely different. And hockey is a different forum.

Ok.... I'll spell it out for you. My point wasn't that MPR chaps my a$$, but rather that such rules only serve to strengthen the feeling of entitlement that far too many kids possess. The chaping is not a result of the fact that Johnny must play, it's a result of what Johnny learns from this sitch (ie that I deserve this just because I'm here). Far too many young people have the opinion that they are owed something. That was my point.

BTW- these NCAA kids are learning this at a very young age. They learn it from Mom and Dad, the schools, and youth sports.