Junior Titans Pee Wee A: Coach Gibbons

Want an alternative to the never ending parade of football bowl games? I last counted 32, including the appetizing sounding Chick-fil-A bowl and the ‘prestegious’ Pappajohns.com bowl.

Tomorrow at 1, the NHL brings you their version of pond hockey, an outdoor game at Buffalo, in front of 73,000 hockey fanatics to see Sid the Kid’s Penguins and the Sabres in Ralph Wilson Stadium, normally the Bills home turf, which is temporarily a winter wonderland.   

The last outdoor game at Calgary a few years back was a treat to watch. As an indication of how hot this game is, only 8 sets of seats were available on the Stubhub ticket exchange, yesterday and they were for nosebleed seats. Enjoy from the comfort of your den.

Speaking of pond hockey, it has not been cold enough to get out on any ponds yet this winter. But over the holiday week I had a chance to play some pickup hockey at the rink with my son and some other fathers and sons. Every dad who has criticized their kid’s play should resolve to take the opportunity to skate with them in a game situation. Those circles they skate at practice are really paying dividends. The progress they are making really shows up-close, when they stick-handle right around you.  Last year I was able to knock him off the puck with ease…now I need to work on my skating or he will shortly be blowing me off the ice…

Here’s hoping you keep all of your resolutions, and everyone enjoys a healthy and prosperous New Year.   See you at the rink….or maybe on it.

With a 3-2 victory this afternoon against the Russian National team, the USA Junior team has had their 3rd straight win and has gained entry to the medal round in the World Junior Championship tournament. NJ natives James vanRiemsdyk and Bobby Sanguinetti are helping the US team show the world that US hockey players are world class. Sanquinetti, a NY Rangers prospect took a break from his playing as an all-star defenseman for the Brampton Ontario Hockey Junior League to make the tournament. vanRiemsdyk, who plays forward, is tied for the team lead in scoring. Jim is also the second leading scorer as a freshman on the University of New Hampshire Wildcats. He holds a pro contract with the Philly Flyers.

The medal round games will be broadcast on NHL network starting Jan 2. Good luck boys!

USA Hockey’s coverage: http://www.usahockey.com/Tournament/TournamentStandingTab.aspx

MSG video piece on Sanguinetti http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIZrsKBRQ4Q

Follow this link to view a humorous Christmas card to the Coach, made by a few elves in good spirit at Hershey Park.  Happy Holidays to all!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8663022552448916927&pr=goog-sl

Using Google Video you can download this to your Ipod as well

If you see Coach Price’s pockets bulge, its because he is holding inhalers for nearly half of the team.  The boys often forget to take them back at the end of the game, leaving him with a bag full of different colored puffers with names numbers and other identifiers on them.  We seem to have more than our fair share of asthma sufferers.  So why so much asthma?  The simple answer is the more you read on the subject, the less agreement you will find.

Some might think that over-diagnosis in general makes for more ‘conditions’ than we had as kids.  I’m not sure if you have seen a kid in breathing distress from asthma that you would agree, although I’m certain that doctors are more worried about the impact of not treating an ailment that is episodic and hard to measure, so they take the cautious approach.  The New England Journal of Medicine wrote recently about the “Epidemic” suggesting over-diagnosis may play a role.  

Another group , the Public Health Policy Advisory Board  wrote about the need to study the issue further citing a 20 year run up in cases is a study entitled “Asthma: Epidemic Increase, Cause Unknown“.  Everyone with an issue to triumph wants to blame something for the increase.  Suspects mentioned include: second hand smoke, urban dirtiness, suburban cleanliness, roaches, air pollution and global warming (of course).

So does hockey cause asthma?  Well, most kids have been diagnosed asthmatic before taking up the sport, but that question is also interesting science.  Several studies have found that athletes who participate in aerobic activities in cold suffer more bronchial stress than those that participate in warm weather sports.  So while it does not cause asthma, could hockey aggravate it?  Its reasonable to assume any exertion may bring on symptoms, but the sport’s environment is unique.  The theory is that cold air entering the lungs does not have time to warm up during periods of extreme aerobic activity, and the colder drier air makes for more evaporation and constriction of the blood vessels in the airways.  That said, these studies tested cross country skiiers and grouped them with ice skaters.  The air inside a rink is more humid than outside, and the air in some rinks is not all that cold…so again who knows?  Another factor is how players breathed when resting between exertion.  ”Nose breathers” had an easier time.  The nose warms the air slightly before it enters the lungs.

So should my kid stop playing hockey because of his asthma?  Well  the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise studied children with asthma and showed that with proper supervision, subjects showed improved asthma control with increased aerobic fitness, better than those who avoided physical activity or stopped when they became ‘winded’.  They claim:“Physical training, properly supervised, is not only a possibility for this group, but also a management strategy for their symptoms.” 

According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), more than 15 percent of athletes at all levels of competition show some symptoms of asthma, but it doesn’t stop them from becoming the best.  According to a recent study of elite athletes, at least one in six U.S. athletes in recent Olympic Games had a history of asthma and nearly 30 percent of them won team or individual medals, the same success rate as athletes without asthma. In addition, when their asthma is well managed, professional athletes succeed in all of the pro leagues including football, baseball, soccer, hockey and basketball. “Asthma is more manageable today than ever before,” said NATAs Dr. Lucas, “so people who take good care of their asthma can become whatever they want in life, even a pro athlete.”

Sorry if there is no conclusive evidence on all of this.  But it appears that with good discipline, players with asthma can have great success in sports.  Just remember to teach your child the discipline that you want them to follow for their treatment to control their symptoms.   Nice coaches may hold the inhalers on the bench, but coaches volunteer enough of themselves and we should not expect them to dispense medicine or play doctor.  If you have special concerns in any setting where you will leave your child, make sure you discuss them with the adults in charge in advance.   With proper care, hopefully we can all breathe easily.

Adam G.  epiomized the Titan effort today against the Saints.  He skated his first few shifts and seemed in a bad way.  When asked about it, he reported nausea, and headache.  He sat out for most of the second, fought it off and stepped up to come back in and contributed in the third.  The whole team toughened up like that today, and prevailed late. 

The Saints had some faster skaters, but it was pretty even.  They took a 1-0 lead with 9:00 left in the first off turnover and  shot Chris could not get. 

Then in the second, everyone seemed to catch Adam’s malaise, and the Saints out shot us 10-5.  To start the period, on a Saints break-away, Ryan P. tried a desperate trip and the ref called for a penalty shot.  Chris jumped up in excitement, and he was up to the task.  He blanked the Saints shooter lifting the Titan’s spirits.  That momentum carried over to a Titan goal, as a good combination Frank C. to Austin T. with a rebound to Neil H. to tie the score at 1.  Chris left the game happy with a 1-1 tie.

Chris faces down the penalty shot

AJ came in and our malaise continued.  First, while we were on a powerplay, the Saints won a draw and took it back to the point.  A screened blueliner put it by AJ and the lead was 2-1.  Then, on the very next shift, on a 4-4, an off-target defensive pass near the front of the net led to an easy 5-hole shot and now a 3-1 game.  The long second period had ended.

The third started with some hope as we suddenly found our offensive push again.  And we found it with good hard body work.  If you can’t outskate ‘em, you can outhit ‘em, and we did.  Adam got gritty and returned to the ice, and this lifted Titan spirits.  Austin just missed on a break down one side from a tape to tape Neil feed, and then right after, Adam helped steal the puck, Andrew got a beauty pass chance from Nick K. who had the view of the whole ice before his pass.  Andrew’s shot was gloved, but the fog was gone for Adam and the whole squad.  Then, with 9 minutes left, Tim took a hard shot from the point.  It changed direction on the way in, as Neil had deflected it, for his second goal of the day and a 3-2 game.  

The Titans smelled blood, kept up the hitting and the Saints began to pray.  AJ stopped all 7 third period shots and the Titans kept pressing.  We hit with discipline, they lost their cool, acting quite unsaintly by taking roughing penalties at 3:31 and 1:18 to play.  We pressed hard during these advantages.  After the last penalty, Tim won the draw and shot the puck (after we had lost 23 of 38 faceoffs), and the puck moved to the right side of the net.  A few more Titan shots and the goalie pushed it out again. 

Then Billy A. weilding “George“, his new Easton Stealth S17 Ellipse Grip Composite stick, banged it home to tie the score 3-3.  The clock ran out before we could score more, but we had come from a very unimpressive place to make it a great game.  Even Adam had to feel better about that! 

Timmy wins the draw… then Billy Bangs it home!

George celebrates his first goal after the game!

The Saints of Ramapo come to town this weekend.  They should make a good challenge. They struggled at the beginning of the year in NJ Youth league play, and lost to the tougher teams in their division like the Freeze and Bayonne.  They have won 4 league games, lost 9 and tied 1, beating some of our opponents like the Blizzard (8-6) and Clarkstown (3-2), but they lost to the Devils and to our own PeeWee A95 team.  They also won a Halloween tournament in Marlborough Mass, winning all of their games, outscoring opponents 24-4.  Given our improvements of late, I would expect a hotly contested skate.

The Maximum Performance Institutes’s John Sabo is featured in this issue of Pure Hockey Magazine discussing off ice drills designed to improve wrist shots.  Pure Hockey is a bi-annual magazine focused on improving ice hockey skills.  John’s article:

http://www.purehockeymag.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=76&Itemid=39

In a world where Sports Center’s lead story may not be suitable for your 11 year old, good sports stories get far less ink.   I have never put too much weight on sports stars as “Role Models”.  That said, just in today’s headlines the Knicks are paying millions to settle an ugly case, an NFL QB is going away for crimes against canines, while baseball’s home run champ is fighting inditment for lying about steroid use.  The sports world seems a little darker these days, which inspires me look further to find the good. 

Two fathers with a similar perspective came up with the idea of an award for the finest citizen in college hockey.  The award, now 12 years old, is awarded at the Frozen Four each season.  Reading a few of these stories is a good antidote to the typical negative tales of sports stars gracing our airwaves.

The Hockey Humanitarian shows that the students who play the game at the highest levels of college often bring with them a sense of duty, and commitment to community, while at the same time working to earn a degree and to develop a career beyond the ice.    This year’s winner Krisitn Savard of Yale.  She raised money for multiple charities and founded an organization to raise awareness of maternal health issues. 

Her coach said “What impresses me the most about Kristin is that she does all of these things in the most humble way. She does not brag about her community involvement or expect others to pat her on the back. She puts her time into these projects because she feels it is the right thing to do and that she can make a difference”. 

 Kristen is very grateful  “For everything that hockey has given me, I cannot give back enough,” Savard said. “For the opportunity to be at Yale, for the friends I have made and the lessons I have learned, I cannot give back enough. But I will do what I can”.

Follow this link to read more on the award its winners, and nominees.  Its impressive to read about these young adults who can be focused on both their sport and giving back at the same time:   http://www.hockeyhumanitarian.org/index.html