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 - Resetting Your Hockey Routine After Winter Break
Are you ready to jump back into the swing of things after a long winter break?
In this episode of "Ride to the Rink," hosts Christie Casciano-Burns, Lee MJ Elias, and Mike Bonelli provide essential guidance for young hockey players and their parents as they transition back into their routines after a long winter break. The discussion centers on the importance of re-establishing daily habits that can help young athletes manage their time effectively and reduce stress. By focusing on creating structured schedules, the hosts offer practical advice on how to balance school, practice, and personal time, ensuring that young players can thrive both on and off the ice.
The episode also highlights the role of technology in staying organized. The hosts discuss various tools and apps that can assist in managing schedules and commitments, making it easier for families to keep track of practices, games, and other activities. Additionally, they touch on the significance of mental well-being, encouraging young athletes to reflect on the past year and set realistic goals for the future. By fostering a mindset that values enjoyment and personal growth, the podcast underscores the idea that young athletes are more than just hockey players, promoting a well-rounded identity that extends beyond the rink.
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0:00 Intro
2:00 Resetting After Winter Break
3:45 Importance of Routine
6:12 Gratitude and Mental Audit
8:46 Fun in Hockey
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Lee MJ Elias [0:00 - 2:00]: Hello, hockey skaters and goalies around the world. Welcome back to another edition of the Ride to the Rink. We got three parents with you today. Don't worry, we're not going to parent you. Christie Casciano, Burns, Mike Benelli and Le Elias. Maybe we'll parent you a little bit. Is January 2nd when you're listening to this. I don't usually date rides to the rink, but if you're listening to this today, you just got off winter break and it was a long winter break for most people this year, the way Christmas and Hanukkah and the New Year's kind of landed. You might have had about 14 days off of school. Like, like that's a lot. Usually it might, it's usually a week, maybe a day or two after that. But a 14 day winter break is a long one. And we need to do an episode for you today. Maybe you are riding to the rink right now about kind of just resetting after 14 days. And here's the funny thing, Mike Christie, they might have played in 100 tournaments over that time period.
Christie Casciano [2:00 - 2:01]: Sure.
Lee MJ Elias [2:01 - 2:25]: They might have done absolutely nothing over that time period. It's interesting, right? You're coming back from a break. You got to get back in school. I think that's going to be the big kind of topic of this today, is that the routine has to reset and that can be really hard. It can actually be kids can Be really hard on your parents. I know they might seem like they want to get you back to school as fast as possible, but you got to reset. Everyone's resetting right now, right?
Christie Casciano [2:25 - 2:26]: That's right.
Lee MJ Elias [2:26 - 2:27]: Let's talk about it, Christie.
Christie Casciano [2:27 - 3:44]: Yeah, and you're right. It's been a long time since kids have had this much time off for a winter break, two solid weeks. So now everything is messed up. He had a lot of fun playing with your new toys and, you know, and eating different kinds of foods. And maybe you're all sugared up from all the treats that you had, all those Christmas cookies that maybe Santa didn't finish. So now you're going to get back to your routine. What my kids always did, and I think it's very helpful, is they had a notebook and they would use it to actually time out their day. So let's say Sophia had a routine of working out, 8:00am workout, 9:00am study, 10:00. You know, this, that. So she would write down everything that was expected for the day, and she would refer to that notebook all day long. So she would stay on time and not miss any part of routine. Very helpful. So I would suggest if you have struggles getting organized, put your day on paper, map it out, time it out, and stick to it. It's going to help you get back into that routine.
Lee MJ Elias [3:45 - 4:24]: It's never been easier to do it either with digital devices. Now, whether it's a phone or something else. But just take it list in general, Christie, I find to be very valuable. Listen, kids, for those of you listening out there. Yeah, look, when we interview pro athletes, kids, almost all of I have a routine. I have a routine that I follow every day. I'm really strict on my routine. I built the discipline up on my routine. You can start doing that now, right? No matter when you're listening to this episode. Right. Just build a routine for yourself. And it's okay if the routine changes every once in a while, right? You just got to find what works for you. Mike. I, I, I saw the thought enter your mind and I, I started talking. But I want to go back to you here.
Mike Bonelli [4:24 - 5:55]: No, no, because this is the perfect time of year. Your mom and dad are probably doing their own new routines. Everybody's resetting. You got your New Year, you know, you know, resolutions, and so take advantage of that. Your coach might have a New Year resolution, and maybe your, maybe your team's had a New Year's resolution. Like, we're gonna, we're gonna try to get to the rink 20 minutes earlier, you know, every practice and do something different so you can go with the flow of what other people are thinking about and trying to do anyway and take advantage of that opportunity. Like Christie said, lists are great. I'm not, you know, I always discourage the screen time and using the phone, but if you're going to use the phone, use it for good, proactively, and, you know, use those lists and use, you know, learn, learn if it depends on how old you are, but, you know, if you're 11, 12, 13 years old, you know, make sure you. You ask your parents, how do you get. How do you get attached to the calendar, you know, for the team, the school, extracurricular activities, and put that all on your calendar. And you can look on one day and be like, oh, I do have. I have this test on Wednesday. I know I have practice on Monday and Tuesday, but how can I help myself in all of the ways so that my mom's not telling me I can't go to practice, My dad's telling me, you know, I got to stay up late and do my homework? Like, there's all kinds of things you do depending on how old you are. If you're listening to the show by yourself, then you're probably old enough to, you know, you're probably doing some, you know, some work by yourself to get better, you know, so use the advantage of the technology that's given to you and all of us putting all these things on calendars and.
Christie Casciano [5:55 - 5:55]: Right.
Mike Bonelli [5:55 - 6:12]: And putting them out there, and use it, Use it for your advantage and, and just become, you know, end this. End this year on what, two, three months left of, you know, kind of resetting and, and reorganizing how you want to approach, you know, your athletic success.
Lee MJ Elias [6:12 - 8:46]: Great advice, solid advice, always from Mike. Mike, you always come through. And I. I'll tell those of you listening, our ride to the rink next week is actually going to be about finishing the season, right. Looking ahead towards the end of season. But my advice to you kids right now, when you're listening to this, two parts, right? One is gratitude. Make sure you reflect on the past year, right? We're in a new year. You're a year older than you were last year at this point in a different position. Take a look at the things you did over the last year and find some things to be thankful for, right? Sometimes the things you're thankful for are actually the lessons that didn't feel great at the time, but you learned something, right? And sometimes it's, I had a great coach. I had A great season. I had great friends, whatever the. Another, the next big thing. Kids, at this time of year, take a moment and when I mean a moment, a few minutes, and just do a mental audit of where you're at, the amount of kids your age, whatever age you're at, believe me, 18 down to eight that come to me this time of year and they're mentally exhausted. Whether you've just had two weeks off or you've had two weeks on. The hockey season is insanely long, kids. It's insanely long. If you play other sports, you know what I'm talking about. It's basically an eight month season. Take a moment and do a mental audience audit. By the way, I should say this. What audit means is like just review in your mind where you're at. Are you feeling great? Are you feeling burnt out? Are you ready for the next few months? You know, do you need to talk to someone? Like, there's a lot of different places you could go from here, but take the time to do it. If you need to talk to someone, talk to your parents, talk to your coaches. You can even talk to us. You can send us a text or an email if you want to talk to us. But just take a moment and figure out, am I okay? Am I doing well? That, that audit again, that review is very important. It's important for your self esteem. It's important for your mental well being. You're starting a new year. In terms of the actual year, you're. You're diving back into the game now, into your seasons. We talked about resetting, review. Make sure that your mindset is where you want it to be. If you're not, talk to someone and if you're feeling great, that's awesome. That's awesome. Make sure you're being a great teammate. Make sure you're thankful for everything you got. Make sure you tell your coaches thank you. No matter where you are on any of those lists or any of those ideas, we're always wishing you the best. We want you to enjoy the game. If the game's not fun, someone's doing something wrong. All right. It's got to be fun, right? What was that, Christie? Sorry.
Christie Casciano [8:46 - 8:49]: That's absolutely 100% right.
Lee MJ Elias [8:50 - 8:52]: Yeah, yeah.
Christie Casciano [8:52 - 8:56]: Don't forget. It's gotta be fun. It's not fun. Something's wrong.
Lee MJ Elias [8:56 - 9:03]: Yeah. And that's true 365 days of the year. It doesn't matter what episode we're recording if it's not fun.
Mike Bonelli [9:03 - 9:03]: Yeah.
Lee MJ Elias [9:03 - 10:11]: Right. And I mean, you want to do it rethink it right. You do not have to play hockey. The other thing, too is you are not just a hockey player. You are so much more than just a hockey player. All right? And you can love the game intensely. You're still more than a hockey player. That's right. So welcome to 2025, my friends. Yeah, good to have you here again. We'll be here all year with the ride to the rink for you guys and kids in the car. If you want to text us, if you want to email us, Old school team@our kidsplayhockey.com you can email us or ask your parents to email us at any time. If you like to text. If you're on a phone in the show notes accompanying this episode, there's a link. If you tap on that link, you can text us. It goes directly to us. We will see it. We can talk about it on the air. If you don't want us to say your name on the air, we won't say your name on the air. But it's important that you have a voice as the kids playing this game as well. We want you to have a voice in this game. It's important that we hear from you. That's going to do it for this ride to the rink. Well, welcome again, 2,025, Christie Cashino Burns, Mike Minnelli. I'm Lee Elias. We will see you next week. Remember, we believe in you. You should, too. Let's get on, my friends.
