'The Ultimate Newsletter for Minor Hockey'

Winter 2006 ISSUE 11

Click here for our archive of past "Well Said" Newsletters

WELCOME to WELL SAID! - 'The Ultimate Newsletter for Minor Hockey'.  This Newsletter, along with The Hockey Source comprehensive website, television show, product lines and new training program is part of our vision to provide you with valuable information about minor hockey so you can make sound decisions and have more fun.  Whether you are a Player, Coach, Manager, Official, Trainer, Scout, Agent, Parent or Fan, you are sure to find valuable information on hockey topics.

Concussion Alert!

The chances are significant that any person who has suffered a direct blow to the head, face, neck or any other part of the body, with a force that could be transmitted to the head area, has experienced some form of concussive outcome.

There are a number of common symptoms and signs related to concussions, and not every sign needs to be apparent or present for the individual to be suspect of concussive behavior.  The key ones, as summarized in ThinkFirst Canada Syllabus are:

• Physical - Headache, dizziness, nausea, unsteady, 'feeling of 'being stunned' or 'dazed', or other signs of 'not feeling right'.
• Cognitive - Confusion, memory disturbance, lack of concentration and/or focus.
• Emotional - Outgoing player is quiet; hungry player is uninterested in eating; shy/reserved player is 'out there'.
• Physical - Poor balance/coordination, distractibility, poor concentration, slow response, vomiting, 'glassy-eyed', slurred speech, or significant performance changes.

Referencing and defining concussions in terms of 'grades' or 'levels' is passé.  Modern terminology refers to:

• Simple Concussions - those that resolve within 10 days, with appropriate post-concussion rehabilitation.
• Complex Concussions - Those that have longer lasting symptoms or recurrence of symptoms with forms of exertion

The best advice and practice is that any player suspected of having experienced any kind of concussion or an activity related to a concussion possibility, should be removed from further game or practice activity or other forms of exertion until assessed by a Medical Practitioner qualified in Concussion Conditions.  What is clearly known by today's experts is that any concussion of any definition only gets worse with untimely return to activity.

Who Says You Can't?

In 1962, four nervous young musicians played their first record audition for the executives of the DECCA Recording Company.  The executives were not impressed, and in turning down the group commented, 'We don't like your sound.  Groups of guitars are the way out'.  The group was called The Beatles.

In 1954, Jimmy Denny, Manager of the Grand Ole Oprey fired a singer after just one performance.  He told him, 'You ought to go back to driving a truck.  You will never make it in music'.  The individual's name was Elvis Presley.

A young inventor spent 7 long years taking his new idea to over 20 or the largest corporations in America, and received rejections from each and every one of them.  Finally, in 1947 he sold the rights of his invention to a small company in Rochester, New York, called the Haloid Company.  His invention was an electrostatic paper-copying process, and Haloid became Xerox.

A winner is not one who never fails, but rather, one who NEVER QUITS!

THS On The Road and Growing!

The Hockey Source was on the road in November with attendance at the Think First Concussion Road Show presented by The Dr. Tom Pashby Sports Safety Fund.  The 3-hour seminar was held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, and provided presentations from some of the leading experts on various and varied aspects of the topic of concussions.  The session was attended by over 500 people including minor hockey Coaches and Trainers.  The information presented is vital to the health and safety of players in all sports, and The Hockey Source will be doing some follow up work and writing on the topic in future newsletters and other materials.

Over the past 3 years there has been a steady and significant growth in The Hockey Source.  The exciting journey continues, and The Hockey Source Team is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. David Harper to the illustrious group referred to as our Subject Matter Experts.  His specific area of expertise is Treatment for Injury Prevention and Recovery.  Dr. Harper specializes in sports medicine - the chiropractic way, with his in-depth knowledge of and expertise in treatment principles and training techniques, provided through a unique hands-on approach to produce a safe and timely return to sport activity. 

The Hockey Source is also pleased to welcome two new members to The Source Team.  Shannon Walter joins the team as Media & Marketing Manager, and Mark Sadgrove has accepted the position of Manager of International Relations.

First of Its Kind, Ever!

MANAGERS, COACHES AND PARENTS…IT IS NOT TOO LATE!!!!!

Minor Hockey has always considered proper and formal qualifications for Coaches and Trainers/Safety Persons to be an important aspect of the sport.  This is clearly evidenced in the long list of training courses and materials available, and even mandatory for these positions and the people who fill them year after year.

But almost unnoticed and unresolved is the annual occurrence of volunteering individuals being coaxed, if not thrust, into the daunting and ill-defined role of Team Manager.  Long is the list of team members, who have spent the full season mumbling about the lack of communication and the lack of transparency, related to the team budget.  Long is the list of complaints every year about the continual request from families for more money, and the horror stories related to 'the infamous tournament trip'.  And even longer is the growing list of individuals saddled with the role of Team Manager, who arrive at the end of the season saying, 'never again'.

The Hockey Source has believed for a long time, that the role of Team Manager is as important to a successful year off the ice, as the position of Coach is to a successful year on the ice.  And unlike those that have felt the same way in the past, The Hockey Source decided to do something to remedy the situation.  And for the first time ever, The Hockey Source has created The Team Management Program...as sure recipe for increased success and enjoyment for all matters off the ice.

The key ingredients to this recipe are:

• One 4-hour training curriculum accompanied by a training manual (Team Management Training Curriculum) that will teach all the steps and tricks to Communication, Budgeting, Fund Raising and Travel Management.
• One totally customized (Team Name, Level, Logo and Colors) Manager's Tool and Binder/CD that will reduce the hours of work related to the position, while also looking professional

And because The Hockey Source is so committed to bettering the experiences of Team Managers, it will make part of the full package purchase, a 1-hour expert consult along with season-long email support with the same expert, plus a few more surprise value-adds.

So Team Managers...Be 'The First' To Receive 'The First'!

Mouthguards - Not All The Same!

A good mouthguard needs to be protective, comfortable, resilient, odorless, tasteless, and not bulky.  Further, it should cause minimal interference to speaking and breathing, be resistant to tearing, and have excellent retention, fit and sufficient thickness in critical areas.

There are four basic types of mouthguard available:

• Stock, which comes ready to use.
• Boil and Bite, which required immersion in boiling water and molded via a biting action.
• Vacuum, which is built from a cast of the player's own teeth.
• Pressure Laminated, which are also based on a cast of the player's teeth, and which can provide for individual variations in spacing and thickness needs.

Using these qualities, how many 'checkmarks' does your mouthguard receive?

Dear valued reader - we would love to hear from you!

If you would like to comment on anything that you have read in this or past newsletters; if you have some input or opinions on material you have viewed in our website; or if you simply have some valuable information or experience you would like to share with the rest of our readers, please write to us with your thoughts at info@thehockeysource.tv .

Enjoying this newsletter? Great! Forward it to friends! Or tell them where to sign up!

Well Said! © Fire 'n Idea Inc. (producers of The Hockey Source) 2007.  All Rights Reserved.

Terms of Use & Privacy Policy
TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS NEWSLETTER:  CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW.

THIS NEWSLETTER IS DISTRIBUTED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.

Fire 'n Idea Inc. is not responsible for the interpretations made or actions taken by any person(s) based on the information provided within this newsletter.  All information contained within this newsletter is accurate to the best of our knowledge. Information obtained from outside sources is referenced. Fire 'n Idea Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy or content of any information acquired from a third party (i.e., web links, quoted or referenced sources, etc.).

This newsletter may be copied or transmitted under the following conditions:
1. No modifications are made to any part of the text.
2. All pages must be included and transmitted.

The Hockey Source does not sell, rent, or give away your name or address to anyone.  For more on the Privacy Policy go to www.thehockeysource.tv and click on the Privacy button.

"Well Said" Archive - Click to read past issues of our newsletter!