How To Finish The Hockey Season Strong And Maximize The Final Stretch

Are you ready to finish the hockey season on a high note? 

Join hosts Lee, Christie, and Mike as they explore strategies to keep the momentum going, no matter your team's current standing. 

Discover how to maintain positivity and motivation with engaging drills like the "candy drill," and tackle burnout by setting fresh goals and injecting fun into practices. Learn how to manage parent expectations and foster a supportive environment, all while embracing gratitude and a love for the game. 

With practical advice and personal anecdotes, this episode offers a roadmap to a rewarding hockey experience for coaches, parents, and players alike.

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0:00 Intro

2:01 Staying motivated after winter break

5:24 Maintaining positivity throughout the season

10:47 Redefining yourself mid-season

14:48 Gratitude in hockey

19:26 Parental behavior at youth games

25:32 Importance of team building

30:04 Celebrating progress and development

34:34 Closing arguments

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Transcript

Lee MJ Elias [0:00 - 2:01]:   Hello, hockey friends and families around the world. And welcome back to another edition, the first edition of the year 2025. 5. 5. 5. It sounds futuristic 30 years ago. It doesn't really work anymore. Listen, it's the new year. You're here, you made it, you're through winter break. Maybe you played a ton, maybe you played none. But we're here to talk about how to finish the season strong. Whether you're having a good season, a bad season, a mediocre season, a horrible season, an exciting season, but whatever word you want in there. The three of us are going to discuss today how to finish your season strong. And helping me today, as always, the best line mates in hockey, Christy Casciano Burns and Mike Benelli. Guys, we've made it to another year. It's 2025. It's the quarter century mark. Wow, that hurts saying that more than I thought it would. What do we go from here, Christie? Get us out of this. 

Christie Casciano [2:01 - 2:04]: How to stay alive in 2025. 

Lee MJ Elias [2:04 - 2:04]: There we go. 

Christie Casciano [2:04 - 3:38]: Let's see. So how's everybody feeling now? I mean, you kind of touched on it, Lee. Some people are probably feeling really high because their season has been fantastic and others might be feeling pretty low because it seems like the season is never going to end. Yeah, but so, all right, so how do you manage those highs and lows? All right, maybe the kids are starting to get a little antsy too. Maybe you're seeing a little bit of burnout at this point. One of our coaches, and you'll see this in the USA Hockey magazine article this month. One of the coaches I interviewed talked about ways to kind of get everybody propped up again. Coaches, parents, and the kids. And for the kids, he had a really fun idea to do the. For example, fun drills. Mix up your drills. He talked about the candy drill, where he would put candy in the middle of the ice, and the kids have to race and grab a piece and time them out to see how fast they can go, which I think is such a great idea, because now you're using kind of a fun incentive, doing the same kind of drills, but in a different way, a creative, fun way. So I think that's one way you can kind of make the season a little less routine and rigorous, is kind of break it up and do some. Some different things. I think now's the time to start trying it out. Mike, have you. Have you done that with your kids that you've coached? 

Mike Bonelli [3:38 - 4:43]: Yeah, I mean, you know, it's a good time to do, you know, if it depends on what your schedule is. I mean, most of us in the youth hockey world, right, have probably played, like, some kind of, you know, Thanksgiving tournament, Christmas tournament, holiday tournament, some, not. Not many. There's not a lot of coaches that just take off for three weeks. There's always something in there, but. But it's really a good time when you come back from the break, which I don't know in hockey terms, there really wasn't the break. You got off on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve and our breaks in July, and that was it. Right. I mean, when I was coaching high school hockey, we used to have New Year's Eve hockey. So it was like, you know, so you didn't really get a break there either, right? Because it was the only way I could keep the kids, you know, from drinking. So I just like, okay, we're gonna have a practice on New Year's Eve, and then. And then we just make it easy. And everybody had fun. But I think it was. I think it's. This is a really good time to just remind people about the mission and. And. And make it as fun as possible. Like, this is the time of year to have fun, whether you're doing great and plugging and plowing away or you're struggling and maybe looking for another. Another way to. I guess reset is the word. 

Lee MJ Elias [4:43 - 4:43]: Right? 

Mike Bonelli [4:43 - 5:03]: But another way to get people motivated. Just create some games, create some competition. Create a little mini tournament. You know, just try to put yourself in a good situation to, you know, get people while they're in the mood of reconciliation and, and new beginnings. 

Christie Casciano [5:03 - 5:04]: Right? 

Mike Bonelli [5:04 - 5:22]: Take advantage, take advantage of that. You know, people are thinking that through the holidays and take advantage of the fact that you have an opportunity to remind them that, hey, it's a new year, you know, whether it might be in the middle of the year, but it really is a new year. Take, take, take advantage of that and, and use it to, use it to, you know, help your kids have a better experience. 

Christie Casciano [5:23 - 5:24]: Right? 

Lee MJ Elias [5:24 - 5:25]: Vanilla Claw. 

Christie Casciano [5:25 - 5:29]: Yeah, but I think Mike had the. 

Mike Bonelli [5:29 - 6:00]: Game, the games and competition, like that kind of stuff's cool. I mean, you know, and especially if you didn't, if you didn't, if you weren't with your team over the holidays, it's, it's like you're saying it's like the coach is creating these competition based little games and it depends on the age group of your kids. But there's so many different fun, fun, you know, ways you can, you can motivate the kids through, you know, a reward system or, or, you know, give, you know, you can give away the gifts you didn't like for Christmas or something. I don't know, just, you know, just, just have a, have a great, you know, opportunity to put people into a good state of mind. 

Christie Casciano [6:00 - 6:08]: Right? And, and you raise a good point. A lot of people are making their New Year's resolution, so it's a great time to take advantage of that. Lee. 

Lee MJ Elias [6:08 - 10:46]: Yeah, well, look, look, let's talk about a few things here, and this is what I think the listeners will find funny. Whether you're a coach, a parent, or a kid, the lists here of what you need to do at this time of the season are pretty similar if you're having a good season or a bad season, right? Because there's a consistency in coaching and there's a consistency in the season that no matter where you are, there's guiding principles you should be following. So I think the first step at this point of the year as a coach, and I'm speaking as a coach, is to maybe revisit your guiding principles. If you don't have guiding principles, get some, look them up, find some, right? I think all of the best coaches I've ever worked with played for the franchise that franchises and organizations that find success have some guiding principles. So I think the first thing is to go back to them, make sure you're adhering to them, or make some notes of, okay, you know, we haven't been doing this that well. We should look into that. Christy, I am all for breaking up the monotony, having some fun. One of the things I've been incorporating into my practices over the last few years is I used to be very rigid this time of year when I was younger and was like, no, we need to get back to work. And I think that while that's true, what is getting back to work mean? You know, I like to throw in a little fun now in the beginning of my practices. And this is all the way up, even into it to it. I'll say adults, but now I'm starting my practices with the game where we're having a little three on three tournament. It's a two minute game. We start every practice with it. It just gets everybody into the mood to compete. You know, something I've been speaking about to a lot lately is how long does it take you, if you're a kid, to turn on that competition engine? Right. And we've noticed this in some of the especially Mike, for you, the off ice trolls. I do with the younger groups, it might take them 15 or 20 minutes to kind of turn the competitive engine on. Right, Right. For whatever reason. So I try and do that right away. So right away at practice is, let's get the competitive juices going. I start with the tournament. Christy, I love your candy idea. That's competitive. But turn the competitive engine on. Right. Again, we can forget. This is so true. You can forget these kids now. The hockey season's too long. I, I will be the first one to say that. All right. And now we're way past the halfway point. They've just been through winter break. They got to go back to school. They're probably feeling the season a bit. I know as adults we like to say, oh, they're, they have boundless energy. They're fine. Well, they've been playing for four or five months now. Right. They might need a mental break too. They might need a second here of just, hey, let's get back into it. Let's find the competitive juices and get it flowing. I think it's also important to remember, guys, parents, we burn out too. We've just been through the holidays, It's a new year. All of that stuff comes back to us too. Your kids are exhausting. Somebody's sick. Everything's happening right now. You need to reset as well. Right. So that's kind of my first point is no matter what season you're having, go back to your guiding principles. Take a Look at your season. Are you following those things? The, the second thing is maybe to look at what is the win for you now. Right. I've always said winning can be defined in so many different ways. You might be on the path to potentially a championship season or something like that. You also might be on the path where your team is not in that road. But you have to develop these kids and the win now is making sure that they're developing, getting better for the next season. I think as coaches, sometimes we can get a little too locked into this season's success, which is very important. But we can't forget you're developing a hockey player. So whatever age you're at, whether they're going to be in the second year of that age group or moving up, I always like to ask myself, am I preparing these kids to be great for next season? Am I giving them the tools they need to become better hockey players? At the end of the day, I could do this episode at any point of the year. If we're not developing them, if they are not becoming better hockey players, I'm not doing my job. And I think that's an important thing to come back to at this time of the year. Maybe look at each individual player. If you've done goal setting, look at their goals, review their goals. If you have not done goal setting, now is a great touch point in the season to sit down and say, hey, we've got three months left. What do you want to accomplish in these three months? This is what I think. Have a little bit of a coach player meeting. All right. You can do this at any age, guys. I know some. You can't do that with 10 year olds. Why not? Why not? They have the, the biggest area for growth. It's a great time to talk to them about goal setting. Right. So again, I'm a little all over the place. Yeah. But I think it's just coming back to the, to the home here and starting over with that. 

Christie Casciano [10:47 - 11:06]: I want to get, I want to get on another topic because that's greatly. Because both of you are coaches and I've seen this in the past with my kids. Coaches this time of year, some of the positivity that you felt and saw and experienced in the beginning of the season gets sanded. 

Lee MJ Elias [11:07 - 11:10]: You know, that's a good, that's a good word. Yeah. 

Christie Casciano [11:10 - 12:03]: Right. And when they come into the rink at this point of the season, you can see they're a little grumpier, maybe kind of snapping a little bit quicker at the kids. And when that happens. It definitely feeds into the team. I've seen it as an observer in the stands watching this happen. So maybe at this point, maybe coaches don't even realize it. You know, I'm thinking, yeah, there's a lot of wear and tear on this. These folks, these men and women who are volunteering their time and, you know, you're balancing a lot schedules and kids issues and parents coming at you at all angles. So what do you guys do to, to keep that positivity at this moment of the season? 

Lee MJ Elias [12:04 - 12:09]: Mike, you want to go first? Yeah, I know Mike has to say for no. 

Mike Bonelli [12:09 - 14:46]: Well, I mean, I think, I think it's, it's, it all, you know, basically right now, right? Everybody's kind of defined. You're defined as a coach. The parents are defined on who they are. You kind of define the players, right? Good or bad. You're like, okay, this player is this and this player is that. And, you know, all these people have their, the kind of, in their space that, you know. So if you're a, if you're a progressive coach, if you're an, a new coach, if you're a, you know, just a coach that wants to have success, then you're going to have to then first redefine you and make sure that the definition of you is not the grumpy, disgruntled. The kids stink. Your past, your best, your, your past coaches must have been the worst people in the world, developmentally wise, because, you know, you've given me this crap to work with, like just, you know, so there's all these different things that happen and at the same time, and Lee pointed this a little bit about your, you know, kind of your central values, right? And your, and your goals as a parent and a child and a player. You need to sit aside and say, well, how have I defined myself? And because I'm not, I'm not one. I, I've never fallen into the. You only get a one chance to make a first impression. I, I, in, in a lot of parts of life, yes, that's true. But in, in sports, you get to redefine yourself all the time, good or bad. Like, you're only as good as your last game. And, and with the kids and the players, this is the time of year. January, February, March. Redefine you, redefine you as a parent and show that coach how committed you are to improving and getting better. There's nothing you can do about the coach. That's the bahambug coach. You can't do anything about it. That's who they are. They've defined themselves. So if you're the parent and the kid and a coach, that's not changing you redefine yourself and find a way to say, listen, I'm either gonna. I'm gonna either turn this around for me. My own personal needs and wants. Like, if I'm a parent, I'd be like, hey, be a little selfish. Like, this team's not going anywhere. Like, you need to get better. Like, if you want to be. If you want to be stuck in this situation next year, you know, just keep doing what you're doing. So redefine who you are. And. And. And the ironic thing is, when you improve yourself and you improve your own attitude, you do improve the team. So the team will get better. And I think when that happens, everyone wins. But it has to start with one group of parents, you know, one group of players, regardless of what the coach is feeling. Tired, bitter, you know, they've defined you. Then you need to redefine yourself and say, okay, what do I want to do for the next three months? 

Christie Casciano [14:46 - 14:48]: Great advice. 

Lee MJ Elias [14:48 - 19:25]: Yeah. You know what? I'm gonna piggyback on that. I'm gonna take it from a different point of view. Mike. Christy, you had asked what can be done. Well, I'm gonna answer that. And this applies to coaches, but it really does apply to everybody. When I go to the rink now, and. And I've been experiencing this for the last few years, I. I experience immense gratitude anytime I step into a hockey rink now. And I think that that's sorely lacking, at least in the area that I'm in. I can't speak for the whole country, but, you know, when I walk in the arena, sometimes I hear. I don't think it's real, but I hear, oh, here again. We're here again. You know what, guys? There's no place else I'd rather be. And outside my family, right, there's no place else I'd rather be than at the arena. I feel that every time I walk in and I tell myself, man, thank goodness I'm here, because I love it here. Whether I'm on the ice, as a coach, as a player, on the bench, as a spectator, watching my kids, I just feel immense gratitude for every moment I get to spend in an ice hockey rink. And I think that's where you got to kind of center yourself a little bit, especially this time of year, where that's all we've been talking about for the last month and a half, is gratitude, gratitude, gratitude. Don't forget. And I actually wrote this down. You love this game. You love what you do. You're not doing this if you don't. There's no way. Sometimes that can be a stubborn love, all right? Sometimes you. You go to that rink no matter what because you. You sound grumpy, but it's because you love it. Even the grumpy coach loves it. Or you're not going to be there if you don't love it. If you really hate doing this, you need to stop. All right? Now, my gut's telling me 99.9% of you, that's not the case, okay? But you got to walk in feeling that love for the game. And I'll tell you what, Mike, to your point, Christie, to your point, if you don't think your players feel that love, you are crazy. You're crazy. All right? And again, look, it's. It's kind of a new age in talking about this stuff. When you share the love for the game, some magical things can happen. And I'll tell you what. I am not saying winning games doesn't matter, but I'll tell you what. There's a higher level to youth hockey than just winning games. And when you love coaching and love developing and the kids feel that. I'm gonna say it. And again, I'm not trying to sound like all holiday here, but it's a magical thing. You get an hour, once a day maybe, to experience this magic. Don't waste it on being grumpy. So that's where I come back to. And, yeah, look, we all have tough days. Don't get me wrong. One of the best pieces of advice I got as a kid, I think it was 17 years old, I was having a really bad day. I won't go into what was happening, happening, but I got to the rink, and my coach could see it. I was not. I was not okay. And he talked to me, and he asked me what's going on, and I told him all the things that were going on that day. And he said, kind of succinctly, I understand. You need to leave all of that outside the arena. When you're here, this is your sanctuary. And he was 100% right. Right? And it's like, I try and bring that every day. And, Mike, it's funny. When I was a younger coach did not have that ability. When I was a younger coach, it was all, no, got to work, gotta win, gotta do that. And it's like, you know, not that having kids or anything. Or anything. Age has softened me Up. You just realize, guys, we're so fortunate to get to play this game or coach this game. And I think you have to root yourself back into that every day. Not. Not just now. This is kind of your reminder, I guess, but every day. And I'll say this, Christine, I'll throw it back to you. You know, look, I have been so blessed to have won a lot in my hockey life. But where I'm at now, it's like when I see a kid get a skill, like, the winning's great, guys, but that's my win now. It's like, wow, we're developing, we're becoming better to see that sparkle in their eye again. I'm not trying to wax poet poetry here, but when you see that I got it, that's why I'm here now, all right? That's why I do it. And that kind of stuff, guess what that leads to. Leads to winning eventually, if not right away. So that's my answer to your question, Christie, is just. You have to walk in, take a moment. I love this game. I love being in the rink. There's nowhere else I'd rather be. Parents. God bless you. Look, I'm one of them too. Oh, yeah. Another game today. Oh, God. Seventeenth time this. I get it. Isn't it great that we're here together? Isn't this wonderful? You got. You gotta change the polarity on that. 

Mike Bonelli [19:25 - 19:26]: Yeah. 

Christie Casciano [19:26 - 20:00]: I just had this conversation this weekend. I got invited to my. One of my friends have a seven year old who plays hockey and he was in a tournament and they said, oh, come and watch. You know, we'd love for you to come and hang out with us. Okay. So I'm in the stands with his seven, eight year old parents and kind of took me back in time, which was great. But unfortunately, the yapping in the stands has gotten much worse. 

Lee MJ Elias [20:00 - 20:01]: Oh, yeah. 

Christie Casciano [20:01 - 20:50]: So their team wasn't doing great. The kids are 7 years old. I'm kind of sitting in the middle while these moms who are, you know, screaming, skate, you know, shoot, shoot and everything. I'm like, oh, man, I forgot about all this. Yeah, so. But it was louder than what I remember. And everybody was yelling it. Not just one or two. We used to have one or two yappers, right? Everybody shall hit. And then a kid takes a shot on the net. The goalie covers it. Hey, this is a 7 year old goalie covers it. And then the whistle isn't called, right. The goalie gets up and another player from the other team scoots in and scores. Oh, they went wild. 

Lee MJ Elias [20:50 - 20:51]: Yeah. 

Christie Casciano [20:51 - 21:00]: And a woman behind me is shaking my shoulder saying, did you see that? That's not a goal. And she's, I'm like, ma'am, let go of the shoulder. 

Mike Bonelli [21:03 - 21:04]: I can't believe. 

Christie Casciano [21:05 - 21:27]: Let go of the shoulder. And she's shaking me. Do you see how, how these refs, they're terrible. They're not making. That's why we're losing. And all the minds were crazy. And I said, can I tell you something, ladies? I guarantee you 10 years from now your kid's not going to remember that. 

Lee MJ Elias [21:27 - 21:30]: The ref made up or they'll laugh at it. 

Christie Casciano [21:30 - 21:53]: I said, I am sitting here, ladies, enjoying this and you see me smile the whole time because I love what your kids are doing out there. They are playing that so hard. They are working so hard. Yeah, they're falling, they're making a lot of mistakes, but they are enjoying it and you should too. 

Lee MJ Elias [21:53 - 22:07]: Yeah, yeah. I think it's a good point, Christy, is to remind parents, for those of you listening and this, I, this is something I deal with every year. You might say, well, we're not having a good season, we're not having a good time. Have you asked your kid that? 

Christie Casciano [22:07 - 22:08]: Yeah, exactly. 

Lee MJ Elias [22:08 - 22:25]: Have you asked your kid if they're having a good time or a bad time? Because I, their answers might surprise you. They don't see the things that we say. Also, real quick note, when you're have a 7 year old kids on the ice and they're learning how to play hockey, the refs most likely are learning how to ref or they're very old and don't know how to ref. No, I'm just kidding. 

Christie Casciano [22:25 - 22:31]: Honestly. This was an older ref and I know what he was doing it when he was doing. Let him play to keep the game. 

Lee MJ Elias [22:31 - 22:32]: Right. 

Christie Casciano [22:32 - 22:33]: Wanted to keep it in play. 

Lee MJ Elias [22:33 - 22:33]: Right. 

Christie Casciano [22:33 - 22:38]: Because they were getting, I think there was like two minutes left. So he just wanted to keep it. 

Lee MJ Elias [22:38 - 25:32]: End of the world, Christie. Fire and brimstone. Because of this goal in the game, they're probably not keeping scoring anyway. Listen, I want to keep this moving too. I love that story. You know, we all have a story like that. You know, it's funny, guys, this time of year with the team building that I do, I get a lot of calls right now, right. And it's usually the same two different situations. It's a team that's trying to get to a championship level and they want to boost or it's a team that started. It's, it's this specific team. They started the season strong. Won 15 games in a row. They were a 10 goal on everybody and now they're not. And they're losing games and they can't understand why. Right. That's another reason why this episode is really important. All right. Because this is the time to review. Has your team developed? If you started out getting 10, 10 goal on everybody and now teams are catching up to you, it means they are developing and you are still the same team. So this is where you want to sit down with your players and check in with them, review with them. What can we get better at? What can we do? Most of the time, my friends, these kids are not capable of doing that on their own. This is why we got to coach them. Parents, by the way, you can do this with your own kid. I encourage the coaches to do it. But you can sit down and just say, hey, you know what, it's a new year. You got a few months left in the season. What are some of the things you want to learn over the next three months? What are the some of the things you want to get better at create? Here's a good tip for you all. A growth mindset towards the end of the season. This applies whether you are kicking butt or losing every game. Like I said, a lot of the tips you're going to hear are the same whether you're winning or losing. Right now, if your team chemistry is not working, sit down with your team, meet them where they're at, have conversations. These can be 5 minute check ins with your kids. How you doing? How's school going? What can we work on this year? If you've developed trust with your players, which I hope to God you have by this point of the season, they'll talk to you. They'll let you know what's going on. Right. And if they're not talking to you or they're just really, oh, these kids don't talk. No. That means you haven't established a relationship with them where they feel comfortable talking. Environment is everything. When the correct environment exists, you get the team that you want. If they're closed up and tight and they don't want to talk to you coaches, that, that's a red flag. And don't get upset, don't get frustrated. We got to find a way through that, do some team building. Right? So again, five minute tap ins with each player. If you have assistant coaches, which most of you do, spread it out, get a defensive coach, have them go to their players, or vice versa, have them switch up just so you can get a fresh voice I have a team right now that just switched their offensive coach and defensive coach. They switched sides. It's made a dramatic difference. Different voice, different point of view. All right, again, you gotta think outside the box sometimes. This point of year. 

Mike Bonelli [25:32 - 25:32]: I. 

Lee MJ Elias [25:32 - 25:57]: And again, if you're winning again, I. I'm a believer sometimes. And if, if it's working, don't, you know, don't, bro. If it's not broken, don't fix it kind of thing. Doesn't mean you can't take a look and just freshen things up a little bit. All right, so wherever you're at in the season, those 5 minute check ins are really important. I think it's important you do that with your coaching staff too. Take a good broad look at the season and then talk about the short term. What can you do? Right? 

Christie Casciano [25:57 - 26:01]: I think that's a good point because I think at this point, if you are having a winning season, you can. 

Mike Bonelli [26:01 - 26:04]: Also get overconfident completely. 

Lee MJ Elias [26:04 - 26:05]: I see it every year. 

Christie Casciano [26:05 - 26:07]: Resting on your laurels is not a good thing. 

Lee MJ Elias [26:07 - 26:12]: Yeah, yeah, I see it every year. Christie, A team that's near undefeated lose at the end of the season. 

Christie Casciano [26:12 - 26:12]: Right? 

Lee MJ Elias [26:12 - 26:22]: Because they're there. Right. And I've written about this. The biggest threat to your team during the season is a winning streak and a losing streak. 

Christie Casciano [26:22 - 26:23]: Right? 

Lee MJ Elias [26:23 - 26:37]: All right. Because your mind does crazy things to you doing those things. It's about staying even keeled, staying present. There's a whole other episode on that stuff. But now is the time to give those reminders. Right? Keeping in mind too, your kids have just been off school for two weeks. 

Christie Casciano [26:37 - 26:38]: Right? 

Lee MJ Elias [26:38 - 27:01]: Especially this year is a weird year where most schools are off for two weeks for winter break. Right. Usually it's not that long. Right? So just help your kids reset maybe as you said, Christy, at the top of the episode, play a game, just get them back into that competitive atmosphere. Remember, it's fun to be here, right? Most, most likely they want to be there, but just reset a little bit. There's nothing wrong with that, right? Mike, you're nodding a lot. 

Mike Bonelli [27:03 - 27:09]: Listen, if you listen to the show for the last three years, like, I don't even know why we talk about team building anymore. 

Lee MJ Elias [27:09 - 27:10]: It's been years, Mike. Five years. 

Mike Bonelli [27:10 - 27:13]: Five years. Yeah. Yeah. But if you've been listening for three. 

Lee MJ Elias [27:14 - 27:15]: Yeah, I like it. Okay. 

Mike Bonelli [27:15 - 27:36]: I don't know what the hell I was talking about, but I think if, if, if, if you're listening, if you listen to this on a regular basis, like team building isn't even like that. That's a frustrating thing for me because that's just coaching at this point. I mean, like, if you're not doing the bait, if you are only showing up at 505 for a 5:15 practice and leaving at 625. 

Lee MJ Elias [27:37 - 27:37]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [27:37 - 27:54]: And don't do any off ice. Don't do any video. Don't do any. Anything. You're not coaching. And. And if you're at this time of the year, if you're sitting in January and you've done any of those things. Going back to my previous talk was just, then do it. 

Lee MJ Elias [27:54 - 27:54]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [27:55 - 29:53]: Now's the time to add it in, because. No, even if you're having the worst season in the world right now, you know, like, there's a. There's a lot. You know, if I'm having a horrible clinic with a bunch of kids that. And it's a mess, I can guarantee you, if I could create the last five minutes to be the most fun that anybody's ever had, Nobody will remember the chaos of the first 50 minutes. They just don't. And it's like, go out on a high note. Like, just figure it out. Blast out the fun. Create an atmosphere that you want to belong to. And everyone. Not everyone. Most people will forget September and October and November, winning or losing, because they only. They. All of us care about how our kids feel, even if we don't listen to our kids. Like, I don't really care what my kids think. I said, you're going. I. I don't think you're having fun. Doesn't look like fun to me. So you get that. You know, create a good atmosphere. But I think to me, you can all be a part of that. If you're a parent that's in that boat right now, Tell the coach. Hey, coach. I know. Put something in their head. I don't know. Hey, coach, I remember at the beginning of the year, you talked about doing this thing. I want to help you do that. Like, I can help you do that now. And it. Coaches, like, oh, thank God. Like, please. Because Chrissy's point. I just. I'm a family person, too. I just went through all the holidays, too. I just bought. I just had to do all my, you know, spring cleanup in January, too. Like, you know, I'm out, you know, so. So I'm out raking leaves right now, and it's. They're all frozen to the ground because who has time to do it? So I think it's just like, you know, trying to figure out this is the time of year where you can step in and help. To your point, Lee, create the season you want to create. Whether you're a parent, a kid, or a coach, now's the time you can do it. Not that September wasn't important, but now January is importanter. 

Lee MJ Elias [29:54 - 29:57]: Importanter. I love that, Mike. Yeah, that's very good. 

Christie Casciano [29:57 - 30:00]: Yeah, there is. There's still time to save this season. 

Lee MJ Elias [30:00 - 30:02]: Yeah, no, or make. 

Mike Bonelli [30:02 - 30:04]: Or make a great season again. 

Lee MJ Elias [30:04 - 33:09]: You know that's right. I want to compliment one of the teams I'm working with right now where, you know, we started the season, definitely one of the lower teams in the league, but the kids really get along and there's a yearning to learn. Right. And what's cool now, when I can reflect on the season, where we're at, where we started, we had so many issues in terms of, like, gameplay issues. Right. Things we had to fix. And you can see the progression of this team and that we've accomplished. Okay, We've got that down. We've got this down. And now we can look towards the end of the season, or I should say the next few months with if we can now get these two or three things now down, we're going to be in a great position to compete the way we want it to be. And maybe, you know, the way youth hockey works, maybe even challenge for something. But that development, progression, to me, that is such a win for this season, no matter what our record is. And I love coaching these kids because the environment there, they want to learn, they ask great questions, they get better every game. And yet a lot of times it's like a three steps forward, one step back situation. But what progression isn't right? Like, I've rarely worked with a team where every practice is great and we win and we learn every just better and better and better. You have to go backwards sometimes to go forwards, you have to learn things. So I think reviewing that process as a coach and coaches is really important to Mike's point. You know, coaches, at this point of the season, you've been making your drills, you've been making your practices. You know, it becomes monotonous. Right. Rethink things a little bit. Right. I always say this too, just from a tactical standpoint, Mike. You know, fundamentals are so important. You should have your fundamental drills that you do, and you should hopefully evolve on them. But maybe sit down with your team and say, look, when we started this season, man, we had a problem with the breakout. We had problems passing. We couldn't get it across the real road. We had this issue. We had this issue. We solved four of those five issues. That's how much. How far you kids have come along. Right. We're making great progression. I know maybe the record doesn't show that, or maybe the record does show that, but we've got so much more to learn. Let's get excited to learn here the rest of the season. It doesn't matter where your team's at. That's a good message to have. Get the kids excited to learn. You know, I always think about this, too. Getting to the end of the episode here. But, like, college 100 years ago was all about advancing the science of what you were trying to learn. Like, you want to show up excited to learn, or even out of college, just learning a skill set. Right. Someone's going to teach me how to sew today. I can learn how to do that. Maybe that's not the best example, but, like, where has that excitement gone? Right? Bring that to the rink. How exciting is it? We're going to learn something new you can do today. That's not a Michigan, you know, and that you can learn how to do this and play the game better. That's what I think needs to be reset. Right. You don't want to go into January with monotony and just like, all right, guys, let's get back into it, and let's do these same five drills we've been doing all season. Man, that's not fun at all. Right. Do something fun. Do something. Get them going. Christy, back to you. 

Christie Casciano [33:09 - 33:16]: Yeah, you're right. Because there. There can be a tendency to just. Well, let's just get through the rest of the season. 

Mike Bonelli [33:16 - 33:17]: Yeah. What's that? 

Christie Casciano [33:18 - 33:21]: Let's make this the best part of the season. Yeah. 

Lee MJ Elias [33:21 - 33:22]: Don't make it a groaner. 

Christie Casciano [33:22 - 33:23]: Turn it around. 

Lee MJ Elias [33:23 - 33:32]: Yeah. Don't make it a groaner. Don't make it a corner. Yeah. Again, gratitude. Right? Let's get through this. Do you know where else you could be right now? 

Christie Casciano [33:33 - 33:34]: Right, Right. You. 

Lee MJ Elias [33:34 - 34:34]: You could be doing something you don't really don't want to do. And again, when you reset, when you get back, this is the other one. Mike, you'll laugh at this, too, as we close this out. Is that coaches. All right, we're gonna skate hard because you've been off for a week. Let me kill you guys out there. Yeah, that's. That's exactly what they need right now. Right? You know. You know how to get kids to skate hard? Competition. Throw them into a game right at the beginning practice. They will skate harder than you can imagine. If you put them on the lines and start doing line. Line skates. What do you. What are you expecting? But you, You're. You're creating a tryout evaluation. Situate. Let's see who's eating too much turkey and ham. I don't want turning into a professional wrestler. Why this? Listen here, brother. What do you. Get on the. What are you doing? Go out there. Hey, we're gonna have a tournament today. Two minute rounds, three on three. I guarantee you, coaches, your kids will skate hard, okay? And they'll be feeling great, and they're back to hockey, and now they want to play again. Let's go around the horn for. For closing arguments from the court. 

Christie Casciano [34:34 - 34:35]: Yeah. 

Lee MJ Elias [34:35 - 34:37]: Michael Benelli on. On the prosecution. 

Mike Bonelli [34:39 - 34:50]: Now just, you know, kill the monotony, get out there, have some fun, build some competition. I mean, I think all. I mean, I haven't had a practice in six years that didn't start with a game. So I. I don't even understand why you would do drills. 

Lee MJ Elias [34:50 - 34:51]: I've seen it. 

Mike Bonelli [34:52 - 34:56]: Yeah. I'm just like, okay, yeah, get on. Do the circle drills. Okay. Do your inside, outside edge drills. 

Lee MJ Elias [34:56 - 34:57]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [34:57 - 35:40]: Bored out of your. So just, you know, just get out there, beat each other up, have some competition, have some fun, get in there with the kids, play a little bit. And I think, you know, just. Just, you know, you can create just like we do all the time as coaches. Right? You get out of the car, you close the door, you change your face, and you reset your mind, and you go in there and you give the kids a great, you know, experience. And then you could go home and drink. But just, Just, just. But just. But just get there and be. Be present and be active and be grateful that you have an opportunity to, you know, work with all these great families and great kids. It's only like, you know, 10% that throw you off. So don't. Don't listen to them, Christy. 

Lee MJ Elias [35:40 - 35:41]: You're a closing argument. 

Christie Casciano [35:41 - 36:23]: Yeah, that's. You're 100% right, Mike. You hit all the high points, especially if you're having a lot of low points in the season. So there are ways to get creative. And you're right. Coaches need to just change that face, change the attitude, and get back to feeling like it's the beginning of the season. Start fresh, hit the reset button. Same thing with parents. And there are things you can do as a tea to make the last three months fun. It doesn't have to be a drag. Boring. And let's hurry up and get the season done. Savor this time. As Lee said, this is the greatest time of your life. And treat it like that. 

Lee MJ Elias [36:23 - 37:29]: And I'll just close by saying, remind yourself, you love this, you love this, your kids love this. If you don't love this, you need to rethink this. And if no one's told you, from Christy Casciano, Burns, Mike Benelli and myself, Le Elias. If no one's told any of you this, we appreciate you. You're doing a great job. All right? Parents, coaches, kids, you're doing a great job. I mean that. All right? If you're showing up every day still, I want you to know from the three of us, you're doing great. That's going to do it for this edition of our Kids Play Hockey. Storm into the year 2025. We made the quarter century. Mark, Mark, mark. We're getting the this episode we'll see on the next Our Kids Play Hockey. Everybody take care. We hope you enjoyed this edition of Our Kids Play Hockey. Make sure to like and subscribe right now if you found value wherever you're listening, whether it's a podcast network, a social media network, or our website, our kids play hockey.com also make sure to check out our children's book, When Hockey Stops atwhen hockey stops dot com. 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.