Written by Adam Burke

---

USA Hockey continues to be competitive on the international stage, with a good showing at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Ufa, Russia. The team went 2-2 in pool play, losing one-goal decisions to host Russia and Canada and winning in blowout fashion over Germany and Slovakia. Team USA will play the Czech Republic in a quarterfinal match on Wednesday.

Watching these international tournaments makes me reflect on my involvement with USA Hockey. I was a member of USA Hockey as a player in high school and now continue to be a part of the organization through being a USA Hockey Official. By my count, there are 143 teams in the Cleveland Suburban Hockey League, which includes teams from as far south as Columbus, as far west as Fremont and as far east as Canfield. With a very rough estimate of about 10 players per team, that means there are close to 1500 kids in the Cleveland area playing hockey.

I’m lucky to be a part of that. As somebody who has always felt I would make a better coach than a player, I may not be behind the bench, but being a referee at the lower levels of hockey makes one a de facto coach. Every penalty I call comes with an explanation, whether it’s to a dumbfounded seven-year-old or a 14-year-old who should already know better. Learning how to play the game within the rules may not be as important as knowing how to skate, stickhandle, and pass, but it certainly has its place and makes a difference to a player.

Because USA Hockey recently changed its rule on hitting, players cannot hit until they reach the bantam level, which is mostly ages 12-14. As a result, there is a lot of stickwork at the lower levels, some of it legal, some of it illegal. The precision it takes to lift a player’s stick and take the puck away without committing a penalty is more advanced than you might think, especially for kids who are just learning to develop their hand-eye coordination and other motor skills, and the kids who excel at it are definitely the most talented offensive players on the team.

I have seen a wide range of talent in the five years that I have been a referee. As far as I can remember, I don’t think I’ve ever reffed a player with a high ceiling like “future NHL player” or anything like that, but certainly some kids who could make a collegiate impact one day. Nevertheless, it’s a rewarding experience to help grow the future of hockey. Not only that, but a lot of little girls play and I have done games with kids who have learning disabilities.

More often than not, I’m amazed by the kids I ref. Even in the lower divisions of squirt, mostly ages 7-9, the players are really advanced. Some of them are very good skaters, some of them are good puckhandlers, and I’ve seen some really nice goals. The hardest part for them to grasp is handling the puck and skating with their heads up, but I’ve kept my standards low for that. The goaltending play is a big surprise. Considering that most of the coaches are just parents who teach the most basic of concepts to their players, the instincts that some of the kids exhibit is truly incredible. It’s not like playing hockey is some inherited trait for most kids. Yet, some are well beyond their years as players.

There’s something pure about watching kids play hockey. Outside of the occasional coach yelling in my ear or annoying parent, it’s a lot of fun. The kids dance around to the music during breaks between play or while waiting for the faceoff, yet, when the puck drops, it’s all business for them again. As somebody who doesn’t have kids and doesn’t have any young kids on my side of the family, I probably underestimate what kids are capable of.

As I sit here and write about this, I think about the players in the NHL, the World Juniors, or playing in competitive leagues all around the world and realize that they started at this age. They either played on ponds until it got dark or in small local arenas. The majority of them had to be visibly better than the other kids on the ice from a very young age and simply dominated the game. What I respect the most from those players is the level of drive that they, and their parents, have. Hockey is a very demanding sport, especially the higher up you go. Daily practice at odd hours. Long trips to games or tournaments. Entire weekends spent at the ice rink. For a lot of the kids I ref, the game ends when they leave the rink. For the ones who have gotten to the sport’s top levels, the game never ends.

If you do read this column and have young kids, I encourage you to look into getting them up on skates and playing hockey. Not only will hockey help them make friends and use up some of that endless energy that kids seem to have, but it will help them with a lot of other things like balance, coordination, and work ethic. Also, with a lot of falling down, it teaches you that you have to get back up. Every local rink has open skates during the week and on weekends to help get them acclimated to skating before putting on pads and giving hockey a try. Just give it a shot and see what happens.

Happy New Year to my readers out there. I wish you good fortune in 2013.