USA Hockey Adult Hockey

Hockey promoters expend a great deal of time and energy trying to get people of all ages, shapes and sizes onto the ice. But sometimes, the opposite message needs to be delivered, particularly when it comes to a certain type of adult hockey player: the one who logs a little too much ice time at the expense of others.

In adult leagues across the country, there are certain players – you’ve played with them, played against them, and maybe you’re even one of them – who hog precious ice time because they fancy themselves top-notch players, they value their time more than that of their teammates or (just as likely) don’t realize that they’re not giving everyone a fair chance to skate.

Katie Holmgren, USA Hockey’s adult hockey manager, has some tips and thoughts about this widespread issue.

Don’t Overvalue Yourself

While ice time issues don’t fall directly under USA Hockey’s broad oversight, Holmgren says she sometimes hears complaints while hanging out at rinks and tournaments.

“I think it’s definitely something that almost every team deals with,” said Holmgren. “We sit in rinks all weekend and we hear people complaining about the guy who was on the ice too long or the guy who couldn’t get on the ice.”

The main culprits are often those who are taking every shift a little too seriously, or in some cases, not seriously enough – and perhaps thinking too highly of their own skills. And it doesn’t matter what level of adult hockey we’re talking about.

“In my experience – whether I’ve played, managed or just seen it – they can be found at every level,” Holmgren said.

Know Your Role

That said, there is also a time and place for the best players on a team to see a little extra ice time. It’s all about fun, but part of fun is winning. To that end, Holmgren offers herself as an example of how to avoid being on the ice too much in the wrong situations.

“I play on a pretty high level women’s team, but I know I’m not the strongest player,” she said. “When it comes to being tied at the end of the game, I take myself out of the equation and give our best players an extra opportunity. So you’re kind of relying on other teammates to know their role. But like I said, there are always people on certain teams who want to stay on the ice no matter what.”

Encourage Short Shifts

The late Herb Brooks always preached “fresh legs” to his players.

If every player embraces shorter shifts, they’ll increase the energy and intensity level on the ice, while also performing better and tiring more quickly. In turn, if the next batch of players follows suit, a natural cycle develops that will keep players changing more quickly, which will maximize pace and ice time for all. It’ll also provide a better workout.

Peacemakers

If an issue continues unresolved, the leaders on an adult team might need to step in and discuss it openly. That’s a good reminder that strong captains can be very important.

“I’ve been on teams where the captain has to say, ‘Hey, you have to take shorter shifts,’” Holmgren said. “Or on the other side, captains have had to calm down the rest of the players about someone being on the ice too long. And in some cases, I’ve seen captains be blunt about people’s roles and who will play in certain situations. That kind of expectation-setting can help.”

Keep Rosters Tight

One way to minimize ice time problems, of course, is to manage your roster so that there aren’t an abundant number of extra players sitting on the bench. This not only helps everyone get ample ice time, it also gets the best players on the ice more frequently, which helps a team succeed.

“We keep our roster size pretty small for that reason,” Holmgren said. “Everyone is paying, so we try to keep the roster small for full-time players, and then when we know we won’t have enough players for a game, that’s when we’ll fill in.”

Holmgren said her team has 10 full-time players and a reliable list of subs when needed. It’s a “delicate balance” every week, she said, but the payoff is clear.

“You’re paying, and you want to play when you only have an hour of ice time,” Holmgren said. “You don’t want 20 people on the bench.”

Indeed. Because as much as we all want adult hockey to flourish, having too many people trying to get on the ice at once can be a turnoff.