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 - Cherie Piper on Chasing Your Goals
In this episode of The Ride to the Rink, three-time Olympic gold medalist Cherie Piper shares wisdom for young hockey players chasing their dreams. Whether your goal is to play in the PWHL, make it to the NHL, or pursue excellence in any area of life, Cherie offers invaluable advice about:
•Dreaming Big: Why having bold aspirations drives purpose and energy.
•The Many Paths to Success: How hockey opens doors beyond playing, from coaching to officiating and beyond.
•The Work Behind the Dream: Why commitment, effort, and smart choices matter more than just wishing for success.
•Making Choices, Not Sacrifices: How pursuing your dream is about prioritizing what truly matters.
Cherie’s candid insights remind us that while dreams are never guaranteed, the pursuit itself is incredibly rewarding. Tune in for actionable advice and encouragement, whether you’re on the way to the rink or tackling challenges in life.
Key Quote:
“Dream big, act on it, and make the right choices—because every step gets you closer to what you’re striving for.”
🎧 Listen Now and Get Inspired!
#RideToTheRink #HockeyDreams #CheriePiper #DreamBig #YouthHockey
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Lee MJ Elias [0:00 - 0:50]: Hockey skaters and goalies around the world. Welcome back to another edition of the Ride to the Rink. I've got a three time gold medalist with us today. She is with Hockey Canada. She is a major person that has followed her dreams as living a dream. Her name is Sherry Piper. And Sherry, I would love for you to talk to the kids listening to this episode. They're probably on the ride to the rink right now about their dreams. Because I think a lot of kids have big dreams, whether they want to play in the pwhl, the NHL, be an Olympian, even just make the next level up. Right. I want to talk about how important it is to have dreams and what does it take to follow your dream? What should you know about a dream? And again, how do you know if your dream is something you should even pursue? I'd love your thoughts on that. For the kids.
Cherie Piper [0:51 - 2:03]: Yeah, I think I always preach to dream big. I think there's no harm in having big dreams and aspiring for those because it means you're driven towards something. It gives you purpose. To me, it energizes me to have goals and set goals and strive to achieve them. But I would also remind people that depending on what your goal is, if your goal is to make it to the Olympics, remember there's not just one pathway there either. Right? Your goal might be to go as an athlete, as a player, but you can also go as an official. You can go as a coach, you can go as a therapist, you can go as a doctor. And to me, the sport of hockey opens so many of those doors, especially in the female game. Getting an education for free, going to university, being a part of a team, learning those crucial skills in life are more important than the actual physical game itself. You know, you can have a career ending injury at any age that limits, you know, your goal of being an athlete. So don't pigeonhole yourself to one thing. Have dreams, have big dreams. But know that there are more than one pathway to get to those dreams as well.
Lee MJ Elias [2:03 - 3:08]: Yeah, I love that you brought that up. Because it also brings up the point too that dreams are hard, right? And there's no guarantee. And I have no problem telling you kids that there's never a guarantee on, really on anything. But there's never a guarantee that you're going to accomplish your dream. But that's why it's a dream, that's why it's a goal, because it's a worthy pursuit. And I always say, Sherry, that even if you're pursuing a big, big dream, and I love that you said that dream big and you don't get there, you'll be shocked how much farther you get by pursuing that dream than if you just decided not to do it or if you listened to someone saying to you, there's no point. You'll never make it. Don't try. Someone has to try, all right? And I, I wish we had more dreamers out there that understood everything we're saying. There's nothing guaranteed that you have to put the work in, that there's more than one path that you just said that's so important. Right. Can you also talk about with the dreaming, the work that has to go into accomplishing a dream? Because the dream is just one aspect of it. Right. If you want to accomplish it, you got to put the time in. You got to put the effort in.
Cherie Piper [3:09 - 4:09]: Absolutely. It's you. It's one thing to have the dream, but if you're not doing the back end work of it, you're not. Yeah, you're not going to get there. So that's where all the haters will come in and say, well, you can spend your 10,000 hours and do the purposeful training and whatever and still not make it, but it at least gets you closer to making it. And you have to be committed. You have to. It's just wanting it is not enough. You have to act it, you have to live it. And, you know, you talk all the time about what it takes, and it's missing some of those parties, birthday parties, family events, family vacations, things like that. Because if you want to achieve your dreams, sometimes you have to make sacrifices. And I actually don't even like the word sacrifices. It's. You have to make the right choices. It's about a choice. You're not sacrificing anything. At the end of the day, if it's for your dream, you're making a choice to support your vision of what your dream is and, and how you want to get there.
Lee MJ Elias [4:09 - 4:40]: That's a good point. You make choices to pursue your dreams, but you can sacrifice your dream by making bad choices. I like that. That's good. Well, listen, kids, listening. There's always a lot of people in your ear. Coaches, parents, friends, other people. Listen to the person who accomplished the dream that's talking to you right now in Cherry Piper. All right. It's good advice, right? That's, that's, that's the person you can be listening to and always listen to. Mom and dad. They have your best friends. All right, that's going to do it for this edition of the ride to the rink. Sherry, thanks so much for joining us.
Cherie Piper [4:40 - 4:42]: No problem. Thanks for having me.
Lee MJ Elias [4:42 - 4:49]: All right, kids, remember, no matter where you're at on the hockey journey, we believe in you. You should, too. All right, we'll see you in the next episode. Remember to skate on and have fun.
