Our Kids Play Hockey
Our Kids Play Hockey is a podcast that focuses on youth hockey, offering insights, stories, and interviews from the hockey community. It provides valuable advice for parents, coaches, and players, covering various aspects of the game, including skill development, sportsmanship, teamwork, and creating a positive experience for young athletes. The show frequently features guests who share their expertise and personal experiences in youth hockey, both on and off the ice.
The show features three hockey parents, who all work in the game at high levels:
- Christie Casciano-Burns - USA Hockey Columnist, Author, and WSYR Anchor
- Mike Bonelli - USA Hockey Coach and Organizational Consultant
- Lee M.J. Elias - Hockey Entrepreneur, Author, and Team Strategist
In addition to the main podcast, there are several spin-off series that dive into specific aspects of youth hockey:
1.Our Girls Play Hockey – This series highlights the growing presence of girls in hockey, addressing the unique challenges they face while celebrating their accomplishments and contributions to the sport. Each episode of Our Girls Play Hockey is also hosted by Sheri Hudspeth who is the Director, Youth Hockey Programs and Fan Development for the Vegas Golden Knights.
2.The Ride to The Rink – A shorter, motivational series designed to be listened to on the way to the rink, offering quick, inspirational tips and advice to help players and parents get into the right mindset before a game or practice.
3.Our Kids Play Goalie – This series is dedicated to young goalies and the unique challenges they face. It provides advice for players, parents, and coaches on how to support and develop young goaltenders, focusing on the mental and physical demands of the position.
Together, these shows provide a comprehensive platform for parents, players, and coaches involved in youth hockey, offering insights for all aspects of the sport, from parenting, playing, or coaching to specialized positions like goaltending.
Our Kids Play Hockey
The Ride To The Rink - Chasing Your Hockey Dreams With Megan Bozek
In this episode of The Ride To The Rink, we sit down with Olympian and professional hockey player Megan Bozek to discuss the power of having dreams and the journey it takes to achieve them. Megan shares her personal story, from dreaming of playing college hockey to representing her country on the Olympic stage. She offers valuable advice for young athletes about the importance of setting goals, the reality of facing setbacks, and the lessons learned along the way.
Megan emphasizes that while not all dreams are guaranteed, the process of striving toward them shapes you into a better person, both on and off the ice. She talks about the importance of gratitude, recognizing the sacrifices made by those who support your journey, and how every step—whether forward or backward—is a learning experience.
Whether you’re a young athlete with big dreams or someone who supports them, this episode is full of wisdom on perseverance, resilience, and the value of the journey, regardless of the outcome.
Highlights:
- The significance of having dreams at any age
- Megan’s personal journey through the highs and lows of competitive hockey
- The importance of gratitude towards those who help you along the way
- The reality of not always achieving every dream and the lessons that come from it
- Encouragement to pursue passions and dreams, even if they seem out of reach
Be sure to like and subscribe to Our Kids Play Hockey to hear all of our content and tune in for more inspiring stories and insights in upcoming episodes!
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so, megan, for the young listeners out there that enjoy this program, I want you to talk directly to them about having a dream within sport and hockey and then what it takes to accomplish that dream, as someone who has done it at the Olympic and collegiate and professional levels.
Speaker 2:I think having a dream is so important, whether you're four years old, whether you're 14 years old or 40 years old, but knowing that your dreams and your goals can change is okay. It always gives you something to work for, to strive for, which is really important. But then you can add another goal onto it. You can add another dream onto it. So, for me, growing up, I wanted to play college hockey. That was my dream, that was my ultimate be all end all. I wanted to play college hockey, and as I got into high school and knew that college hockey would be an opportunity I could pursue, I started realizing that maybe I could make another goal for myself, or have a dream of playing in the Olympics, and so I added that to my list of things I wanted to try to accomplish. And there were a lot of bumps in the road there.
Speaker 2:It's not easy. I make my first Olympic team in 2014. I'm the last person cut for the Olympic team in 2018. And then I make another Olympic team in 2022. So it's not all smooth sailing and there are going to be heartbreaks, there are going to be disappointments throughout your journey, and maybe you don't reach your goal. Maybe you don't, but it's working towards something that teaches you those life lessons that are much bigger than the sport itself.
Speaker 2:And, for me, making a team, getting cut from a team uh, getting cut from a world championships team and in all of that it just teaches you so much about yourself and what kind of teammate you want to be and what kind of people you want to try to surround yourself with.
Speaker 2:But when you do accomplish a dream and you do achieve a goal, be proud of yourself, because it's not easy to just achieve things or to make these dreams or these goals come true, no matter how big or how small they are. But just always remember that it takes a village, and especially with hockey, my parents there's, there's three of us kids, so I don't think we had a family dinner for a month and a half and and you just realize how much your parents or whoever drives you to the rink, how much they sacrifice for your enjoyment and true passion of being able to do what you love. So don't ever forget to thank the ones that have gotten you there, that have bought you the equipment, that have driven you to places, that have taken you to the rink at 5 am, that drive you anywhere. You couldn't do it without them. So I think it's so important to always, always, always say thank you for that, and they're part of your journey, so they help you accomplish those things.
Speaker 1:And then one more thing I want to add on to this, Megan, I want to get your thoughts on it, is that it's so important to have dreams, but it's also important to understand that dreams are not guaranteed and you alluded to that and also talk to the power again, of chasing a dream even if you don't get it, because the value that you get from that you might not see it in the moment when you don't accomplish it, but it really does pay off long-term in life, in friendships and in other endeavors that you want to take.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think working for something um, you want to feel the satisfaction of accomplishing it, but there's a reason why you have to take stairs to get to another floor. Every stair can be a learning block and you may go up a stair, you may have to come back down a stair and may just go halfway, but you've still made it farther than when you started. And I think that's so important when chasing a dream that not all of your dreams are going to come true. When I was younger, I wanted to be in the MLB. That did not come true.
Speaker 2:I loved playing baseball. I loved playing softball. Am I in the MLB? Absolutely not, but I really thought I had something going there. But I still played and still tried to make myself better in that sport. And there's something that is a little disappointing about not accomplishing these dreams. But I've made myself a better person with teammates that I had, friendships that I built, learning the ins and outs of a different sport that I can take with me. So it's okay if something is not accomplished, but just remember that those stepping stones, those learning blocks, will go with you throughout your next journey. So if you have crazy dreams, great take. Take it on, try something new. If you want to be an astronaut, awesome, take some classes, do whatever you need to do to try to make that come true. If you want to be a National Hockey League player, you want to play in the PWHL.
Speaker 1:You can put yourself in positions to try to accomplish that, but you have to remember that not all dreams, like you said, are guaranteed, but it's a lesson that stops at when hockey stopscom. It's a book that helps children deal with adversity in the game and in life. We're very proud of it. But thanks so much for listening to this edition of our kids play hockey and we'll see you on the next episode.
