Safety, Skills, and Scrimmage Clinic: A Between Seasons Activity.

We are closer to developing a clinic that focuses on player awarness for safety, mental and physical skills, and scrimmaging. This will fall in the off-season and probably run for about 10 weeks. It will use the Zero Tolerance rule for hitting a player in the neck, head, and back during practice or scrimmages. We believe the player is responsible for controlling their actions. The player will have to sit out. That being said, players will be fully reminded of the rule and will be taught how to check appropriately.

The clinic won't be just about skating or shooting. Each skill will be modified to not only teach the physical skills needed to play hockey but also the mental aspects and ice awareness skills. The players will learn to anticipate, plan, and make decisions before the puck even comes to them. Ice awareness and strong mental skills will better protect players.

Players will learn skills during the week and be instructed to use them in the scrimmage. The scrimmage teams will compete for the right to hold the weekly Golden Scrimmage Cup. The winner of the game will be based on standard play and number of goals and modified goals. In order to help players use the weeks lesson plan, showing off what you learned in the scrimmage might pay dividends for the player's team.

We are currently determining weight and age requirements, developing the weekly lesson plans, securing ice, and looking for a paid coach and unpaid volunteers.

Our hope is to create an off season activity for the youth players that helps them improve on their mental and physical game skills, teaches them how to have greater ice awareness (for safety), and provides them with a competitive scrimmage that they all will enjoy.

This is are pilot. We hope it grows.