New Hockey Parent Handbook

Welcome to the Minnesota River Bulldogs Youth Hockey Association!

Our Youth Hockey Association is made up of boys and girls ages 4-15, moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, coaches and volunteers that are excited to have you join our hockey family and willing to help with any of your questions. So…Why Play Hockey? According to USA Hockey, here are just a few positive characteristics youth hockey helps bring out in kids…

It’s more than a Game: Hockey develops skills on the ice that build a foundation for a lifetime. In addition to athletic prowess, hockey promotes confidence, pride, focus and responsibility. With an emphasis on FUN, hockey is a game to be played and enjoyed for life.

Life–long Friendships: Starting with the bonds created in the locker room to the relationships formed on ice, hockey creates life-long friendships. This camaraderie shared on and off the ice encourages teamwork and the natural development of leadership skills.

Set up for Success: From learning to balance school, responsibilities at home, time at the rink and playing with friends, hockey encourages kids to learn time management skills that will later serve them in all facets of life. Hockey’s unique source of physical fitness promotes health living.

Hockey is Fun! The thrill of carrying the puck up the ice on a breakaway, the exhilaration of scoring your first goal or making that amazing save is possible due to the encouraging environment hockey provides to try new things and grow as a hockey player and person.

Table of Contents

What to Expect as a New Hockey Parent………………pgs. 1-2 Our Website……………………………………………….pgs. 3-4 Registration, Fundraising and Volunteer………………..pg. 5 Your Child’s Equipment…………………………………..pgs. 6-8 How to Dress Your Player………………………………..pg. 9 Penalties and Referee Signs…………………………….pg. 10 Your Team Manager….…………………………………..pg. 11 Bulldog Committee Contact List…………………………pg. 12 Notes……………………………………………………….pg. 13-14

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What to Expect as a New Hockey Parent:

As a parent, YOU are the most influential figure in your child’s development, both as a hockey player and as a person.

Let kids be kids Be Supportive:

Remember the main focus should be on letting the kids have fun while taking on a supportive role. Don’t forget to enjoy the memories you will be making along the way.

Be Disciplined: Manage your emotions and set a good example. This teaches your child to do the same.

Be Positive Your Child’s Coach:

Our coaches are volunteers, and often also a parent, donating their time to help your child.

Be Respectful Don’t Bully or Harass:

Speak out if you see bullying or harassing behavior from others.

Praise your child’s efforts: This will help them better develop the confidence to meet new challenges and overcome obstacles.

Find a Balance:

Just like everything in life, it is important to maintain a nice balance between hockey and other activities. Encourage your child to become a well-rounded individual by pursuing other activities and interests outside of hockey.

Be Proactive….Volunteer!! Getting involved as a volunteer or coach can give you an even greater influence on your child’s hockey experience. Our Association depends on parents to volunteer their time in order to keep hockey available in our community and at an affordable price so everyone can play. When you join, you are asked to volunteer in the concession stand and meat raffle throughout the season. For tournaments and levels Squirt/10u and higher you are asked to volunteer for penalty box attendant, scorekeeper and clock operator. All

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team levels in our Association will also need a Team Manager.

Fundraising: Similar to volunteering, fundraisers play a critical role in keeping registration fees low. Our Association relies on our members to help with fundraisers.

Last but not least…ENJOY the Youth Hockey Experience: Enjoy this experience with your child as life moves fast and time passes quickly. Make the experience one that you’ll both remember!

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Our Website The Minnesota River Bulldog Youth Hockey website, bulldoghockey.org, is the main information source for Bulldog Hockey. A few of the key items you will find on the site are: Registration Page: Registration for hockey is online. On the Registration page there are instructions to walk you through the steps making the process easy for you to complete. Association Calendar Page: Find the dates and times of Association events, team practices and games once they are scheduled. It is always important to check the website calendar frequently as there are many different factors that cause schedules to change throughout the season. Team Pages: Each team has their own page. Your Team Manager is able to put important information on this page. Information on this page can include team photos, hotel information, team picture date and time, a small article about how a tournament went and much more! Fundraising Page: Lists and describes all the Fundraisers for the hockey season.

News and Contact Information: Keep up-to-date with any events on news. Access the site to find

contact information for the Association board, key committee

contact, coaches, etc Equipment Page: Find information about equipment check outs and check ins for players age 8 and under as well as how to fit equipment and dress your hockey player. Dibs: This online tool houses all the volunteer hours that are available. You must be signed in to your SportsEngine account in order to see the available hours.

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Policies/Procedures: Visit the Policies/Procedures page for documents that provide direction on various policies and procedures for the Association, including the Association handbook and how to access and claim Dibs items (volunteer hours). SportsEngine App: In addition to the website there is the SportsEnging App you are encouraged to download as another source for you to access information and receive messages and notifications for your team.

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Registration What level should my child be playing?

Check our website Registration page for the age charts and participation levels for the upcoming season.

The registration for youth hockey is an online two-step process.

Step 1: Register online with USA Hockey. Once that is completed, USA Hockey will provide you with a confirmation number you will need to use when you register with Bulldog Youth Hockey.

Step 2: Register online with Bulldog Youth Hockey. If you are having trouble registering online, please email the Association Registrar at registrar@bulldoghockey.org

All first time and new players to our Association will need to turn in a copy of the players state issued birth certificate. The hospital issued one with foot prints will not be accepted.

Fundraising and Volunteer Requirements Fundraising and Volunteer Requirements are vital to our Association. It helps keep it affordable for everyone and is the key to making a lot of things possible for our players. Did you know:

1 hour of ice costs our Association on average $150 Our yearly ice bill alone is approximately $90,000 Some other substantial expenses for our Association are:

coaches fees, equipment cost, insurance, referees & officials cost, hosted tournaments and tournament fees.

The Association uses Dibs, on online website, for members to view and sign-up for volunteer opportunities as they come available. Availability changes rapidly so members are encouraged to check Dibs regularly by logging in to their Ngin account used to register their player(s) and visiting the Dibs page. Without the help of our hockey families putting in their time and dedication for our Association we wouldn’t have 195 players in our organization!

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Your Child’s Equipment

This is the biggest thrill for a new youth hockey player…putting on their equipment for the first time! You can purchase your own equipment or you can borrow some equipment pieces from our Association.

If you buy your own, shop around for the best price and remember that you do not need to buy the most expensive equipment.

If you borrow equipment from our Association, you will still need to purchase a helmet, stick, personal protective equipment (supporter/cup), hockey socks, hockey tape and a mouth guard.

What Do I Need and How Do I Know if it Fits?

Helmet with Facemask: Helmets and Facemasks must be of a design and construction approved by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council (HECC).

Shoulder Pads: These are designed to protect the chest, shoulders and top of arms. Line-up the center line of player’s shoulder with the center of the shoulder pad caps.

Elbow Pads: Should fit well enough that they do not move on the arms during play.

Shin Pads: Should cover the knee and shin completely to protect from collisions, sticks and pucks.

Supporter/Cup: Typically these include a one piece short with built in cup and Velcro tabs at the thigh to hold up your hockey socks.

Breezers/Pants: Protection for the lower spine/tailbone, hips and thighs. The length should come to the top of the shin pads. You can also use suspenders to hold the breezers in the proper position.

Gloves: Check for good hand and finger mobility.

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Skates: Get skates that will fit your child today with no more than ½’’ allowed for growth. Seek adequate protection in the ankle, toe and instep areas. Improperly fitting skates will hamper your child’s ability to skate.

Stick: Length of the stick should generally extend from the ground to between the players chin and nose with skates on – an inch or two of length is okay to allow for growth. A straight wood stick is a good starter stick for first time players. As players become more experienced, they can begin to make decisions on curve, lie and the use of composite sticks.

Mouth Guard: Required for all youth players.

Hockey Jersey: Can be purchased but one is provided by the association for first year players in the Mini-Mite and Mite level. Squirt/10u levels and up will need their own practice jerseys and will get their game jerseys closer to their first scheduled game.

Hockey Socks: The socks should cover the shin guards. Should match the team colors; held in place with a garter belt or Velcro tabs on jock short. Our Clothing Committee does have socks for you to purchase.

Undergarments under gear (shirts, long johns, shorts, etc.): Provides warmth and protection from the gear rubbing on the skin.

Hockey Tape: Used to tape the blade and handle of the hockey stick to allow for better grip. Depending on the level of play, the tape may only last one or two games on the blade and then will need to be re-taped.

Garment Bag: Squirt/10u levels and higher need to have a garment bag to carry their game jerseys. The bag must have a closed bottom. Garment bags can be purchased through the Association Clothing Committee or can be purchased elsewhere.

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Note for Goaltenders: Goaltenders do need some additional equipment such as gloves (catching and stick), chest and stomach protection, goalie skates (with protective shell), leg pads, shoulder and arm protectors. At our Mini-Mite and Mite level we do have goalie equipment your child can use if he/she is interested in trying this position. You would just need to let the coach know.

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How To Dress Like a Hockey Player The following link is a YouTube video showing you how to dress your player: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvefXKMi3cU

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Penalties and Referee Signs Ever wonder what the referee just called? Here are a few signals to help you understand the game a little better.

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Your Team Manager

Your Team Manager is there to answer any questions you have and to keep you updated on information coming from your coach or the Association. If your Team Manager does not know the answer to your question, he/she will direct you to who you would need to speak with. The team manager will also reach out to you for:

Events (Parent Meeting, Mite Jamboree, Team Pictures, Hotel information etc.)

For Squirt/10u levels and higher – volunteers for penalty box, score keeper or clock operator.

When they will hand out team jerseys: o Mini-Mites and Mite levels – will typically get their

Association jersey the first day of practice. o Squirt/10u level and higher – will get jerseys before

their first scheduled game.

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Minnesota River Bulldog Committee Contact List

Listed below is the Bulldog Committee members in case you have any questions.

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