A Coach's Guide For Parents to Reflect on The Season

How should coaches, parents, and players truly evaluate a hockey season—especially when it didn’t end with a trophy? This week on Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee and Mike (with Christie on assignment) take a deep dive into what it really means to have a successful season—and it’s not just about the scoreboard.

From fostering a positive team culture to navigating tough losses, they share strategies for reflecting on the year with purpose. They also discuss the importance of development, goal-setting, communication, and knowing when it’s time for a break from the rink.

In this episode, we cover:

• 🏆 Why your last game doesn’t define your whole season
• 📈 How to set—and revisit—goals with your players
• 🧰 Tools for coaches to reflect on their own impact and growth
• 🧒 Why your child’s experience may be very different than yours
• 🛑 The benefits of taking time off from hockey

This episode is packed with honest insights and actionable takeaways for coaches, parents, and players alike—perfect for anyone looking to close out the season with clarity, intention, and a plan to move forward.

📬 Have questions or reflections of your own? Email us at team@ourkidsplayhockey.com or use the link in the episode notes. We’d love to hear from you!

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Transcript

Lee MJ Elias [0:07 - 1:13]: Hello hockey friends and families around the world. And welcome back to another edition of our Kids Play Hockey. It's Lee Elias with Mike Benelli. Today, Christy Casciano Burns is on assignment. So Mike and I decided this would be a great week to do kind of a coaches episode. So today's topic is a coach's guide to reflecting on the season. And like most of our episodes, this long episode is going to be primarily for the coaches, the parents and the players of the game of ice hockey. We will do a ride to the rink this week specifically for your players if they don't want to sit through the 45 minutes and change that we often do. But Mike, we wanted to do this episode because we're kind of at the time of the year when this is debuting that seasons are ending or have ended. You're turning towards the spring, you're turning towards other leagues, but either way, you either finished with a win, you finished with a loss. It's done, right? So the first place we wanted to start with is that the last game of the season, whatever it was a tournament, playoffs, non league game. The last game of your season is not your whole season. Mike, why don't you dive into that a little bit? 

Mike Bonelli [1:14 - 1:51]: Yeah, well, I mean, well, first of all, you're really fortunate if your season ends on a note. Like, you knew it was ending, right? Sometimes your seasons, you know, you go through hockey and your season ends, you're like, well, is that it? Like, was that the last game? Like, do we have more games? Like, are we, are we still playing next week? I don't know. So, yeah, if you're really fortunate, you're in a playoff, you're in an end of the season tournament, you're in an end of the season, you know, weekend where, you know, okay, maybe you didn't make the playoffs or if you're a younger player, you're not even in playoffs. But the season has a distinct end as opposed to kind of like where we've gone, right? Where there's a lot of gray of did the season end or did the other season start? 

Lee MJ Elias [1:51 - 1:51]: Right? 

Mike Bonelli [1:51 - 2:44]: And so, so, and I think, you know, one of the, one of the things that I try to reflect on and working with parents and coaches and players is, you know, you're the tendency that your last game is how you remember your season going. And sometimes you have, you could have a great season. In that last game you lose and it's always, oh, wow, if we would have had this guy, or remember when that guy didn't make the team or this player could have been play your last game is your last game. It doesn't, it's that it doesn't have, you know, sometimes there's a microcosm of maybe what your season is, right? But at the end of the day, it's just like when we talk about the highs and lows of hockey. You can't take one weekend in November and determine what your season is going to be. Nor can you take that last weekend in March and say, oh, my season was a complete success or a failure, you know, based on two or three tournament games. 

Lee MJ Elias [2:45 - 5:14]: Yeah, I think that's a really good point too. And, and look like most things, I think that sometimes we go into the seasons and we forget this thing, Mike, that, you know, the odds are not in your favor to win big every year. I know there's some, some teams out there that tend to think, oh yeah, we win every year. The truth is this, you know, there's less than a 30 chance you're gonna win the championship when you start the season no matter what. So if you're looking for just that crescendo moment every year, you're probably going to be disappointed. And I think part of the episode of, of the guide to reflecting is to understand what you're saying. That the outcome of the season from a trophy, standings, championship standpoint, that can't be the only thing you reflect on. That's real easy when you win a championship. Oh, that was a great season. That was a great season. It probably was, right? Like it's easy. But what are the other things we need to be looking at when you're reflecting? You know, I'll give you an example with one of my kids teams, you know, right from the start of the season, you can tell that, you know, we were a little bit behind the eight ball from a talent level and we did make the top level playoffs, but didn't, didn't win. Right. And you know, at the end of the season, the gauge for success actually for me was a couple things. One is that everyone developed, everyone got better at hockey. That's number one. Number two, everybody wants to play next year. For the coaches listening, that should always be your goal. You never, ever, ever want to be a kid's last coach. All right, Like I always, I always pay really strict attention to that when I'm coaching. And then the last thing was, you know, really curious thing. Someone said to me we had lost a game in the playoffs and a player was very upset and I thought it was because we lost and the player said to me, and to me, this is actually a positive reflection. He said, no, it's not that. That sucks that we lost. He goes, I don't think everybody realizes that's it. Like, we're done now after this next game. He didn't want the season to end. To me, that's a super positive as a coach. They're having so much fun. They don't want to, they don't want it to end now. Now listen, it has to end. It's too long. It's like it's nine months of your life if, if you're not doing it year round, it's too long. But yeah, I like what you're saying, Mike, is that they, we. This isn't just in hockey. You know, you can always look at the finale and say, oh, well, that was it, you know, and like take it up to the NHL level, right? Like, like what, the Panthers lost to Vegas or, you know, last season when, when they won. It's not the end. It's like if you lose in the Stanley Cup Final, you don't go, well, that was a whole waste. You can't, you can't do that. 

Mike Bonelli [5:14 - 5:54]: Yeah, well, but again, this goes back to a lot of times when we, when we talk on our episodes about the difference between pro and amateur, right, that at the pro level, yeah, you could make an argument like from internal, you know, the internal administration and say, oh, we had a very successful season because we did this, this, but ultimately he lost. And, and that's a job. And when you're playing youth hockey, there is no job. Like, and I think the sad part is like, when a team doesn't have success and you're a coach reflecting on success, the knee jerk reaction is often, I've got to replace those six players, not I've got to be a better coach. 

Lee MJ Elias [5:54 - 5:55]: Right. 

Mike Bonelli [5:56 - 8:18]: At the NHL level, in a lot of ways, you can replace six players. You will like you, you can build your team, you know, based off of, you know, with the, with the, like, you know, remember a couple of years ago, it was like when Vegas won, it was like, oh, we need big heavy wingers and you know, and then another team wins. Oh, we need quick, agile centerman and then another team wins. Like, oh, we just need to rely on great goaltending so that the ebb and flows of professional hockey is different. And I think in a lot of ways, because we've mentioned this so many times in every aspect of what we do, it clouds our judgment and kind of our reflection on what youth Hockey is. Yeah, but we're not pro hockey and we are who we are. I mean we're, we. The team that we were select, that we selected is a team we're working with. And you have to find ways to have victory. Now like I would joke around, like the people that say that are the losers, right? The people, the people that say you have to find moral wins and losses are people that don't win. And again, there's, there's obviously a lot of truth to that, but the fact is when you have a bunch of 8 year olds and they all come back, they all want to return to hockey. They, they'd all, they all want to stay coming to the rink even on a day off, they want to get together. That's success. And I, I think we all know what, what we all know what a non successful season is, right? Because it's the kids that have already left the team in January, parents were fighting each other. Four kids, the five parents that sit in the stands over here and the five that sit over here and the five that don't talk, the secret ID skates, the kids that have already, the kids that have already, you know, committed to another team in another place and you still have four weeks left in the season. So we know what, we know what, you know, a non successful season looks like. But the reflection really is, did I do my best to create an environment, place, Did I develop an environment of being in a place where I can honestly look in the mirror and say, wow, I, I've accomplished all of my goals that I set out for and the kids that I played that play for me accomplish their goals well. 

Lee MJ Elias [8:18 - 12:04]: And I'm going to add on to that, Mike, that because you know, you know what, you make a good point with that. While losers kind of say these things because I've heard that before too. And I always say in response to that, it really comes down to how you define winning. And I think one of the mistakes that a lot of people make is, oh, there's only one definition of winning. And, and I'm, I'm telling you from experience that's, that's just not true. All right. In fact, if you have one definition for winning, you're probably setting yourself up to lose pretty bad, right? When you're looking at youth hockey, there are a lot of different ways to win in youth hockey. Obviously there's the, the literal winning games, winning championships, and those are great. But to me that's kind of somewhat low hanging fruit. The biggest win in youth hockey, biggest win Is, did your child learn skills they can apply to their life? That is number one. And if that is not your number one, I really am going to ask you to take a minute and reflect on why you're doing this right. Youth sports, it's not even just hockey is a vehicle for your kids growth, your growth as a coach or a parent, to be a better person, that's got to be the number one win. And then right after that, specific to hockey and youth hockey, and maybe this applies a little more to the younger ages, but it applies to the older ages too, is the development. You know, there were seasons when I was growing up where I played for teams that didn't necessarily win, but the coach was so great. I mean, I really developed under that coach or that coaching staff. That's a win. All right. And again, I think, you know, especially this time of year, Mike, when I know you're getting the same questions of I as I am, of what team do you think they're going to make? What level you think they're going to make? And the question back is, well, who's the coach? Is it a good coach? Are they going to develop the player to be a better player? Because the truth is this, gang, you're not going to win championships every season. And that's okay. You got to lose to learn how to win. You know, I just talked to a team recently that went through a tremendous amount of like tough losses this year, like games they should have won that just slipped away or you know, you know, the officiating was there. I'll just say it like that, right? The things happened where they couldn't seem to get a big win. And I remember telling them that. I don't know why you're being tested so much, but I can tell you that these tests are what craft the champion. Like this is how you learn to win with the tough losses. All right? And parents and coaches too, kids listening. Aside from the hockey, that adversity, you'll. I love the statement. We've heard people say this. You'll face more adversity in a weekend of hockey than you will in a year of life. And I think that is somewhat true. All right. And again, you're being taught the hockey gods some power is teaching you and your kid how to deal with adversity. I can tell you this. The kid who wins every year, every year. And they're out there, Mike, suddenly faces. I've seen it with teams, they face a little adversity. They've been they undefeated. They get in the playoffs and suddenly they're down by a goal and they have no tools built up to deal with that and they lose. I see it every year. So this just goes back to the roi. What are the wins? Yes, there are literal wins within this, this score sheet. There are little wins on the point sheet. But the life lessons, can you reflect with your players or your kid or even yourself as a parent and say, here were the key learning moments from the season that you want to take forward or adversely like Mike, to your point, are you making excuses? Are you, are you looking at the last game like that was the whole thing? Because now you're not doing anyone any favors. I'm being a little lecturer here. I'm sorry, but you got to be able to sit down with your kids, whether you're coaching or a parent and say, let's, let's identify the big wins of adversity that you face this year that you can take in the next year. 

Mike Bonelli [12:04 - 13:46]: Yeah. And my only advice, I think, to youth hockey parents too is at this time of the year, you know, be selfish. Like, reflect on you and your kid. You can't control what everybody else does. You can't control if somebody else did 14 hours of private lessons a week. You can't reflect on whether a kid's just a better athlete than your kid. You can't reflect on whether you made choices in your family to do other things outside of the hockey world. Like, so what I mean by being selfish is like, don't, don't not care about the record of the team. But how many times have we seen championship teams and there's like five kids on that team that didn't contribute anything, like they didn't get better because they didn't play. And listen, if you're that parent and you're that kid that loves to be a non player on a winning team at the youth level and you could chalk it up to having another trophy in the bedroom, great. But if you're a player that wants to compete and you're a parent that wants to see your player face adversity but also get better and enjoy playing the win like, again, there's a lot of teams right now that have won. They're winning, they're going to national championships. But there's so many players on those teams that are sacrificing, playing for the good of the team. Sometimes you have to get just because they're on the bench. Sometimes as a parent, you have to be a little selfish and say, well, what did my player get out of this, right? And how could I make a better environment for my player? Because eventually you're not going to keep showing up at the rink just to go sit on the bench. At some point you're. At some point, you're just not well. 

Lee MJ Elias [13:46 - 15:35]: And I want to build on that too, Mike, because look, there's multiple scenarios and justifications, right? Like I always say this too. If you're not getting a lot of playing time, you better be getting great instruction at practice. There are some scenarios, not a lot, where you're maybe not a top six player on that team, but you're learning so much that it's worth it. But that, that is like the player who's not like, oh, I just want to know the trophy. All right. The other thing too is this. And parents, this one is specifically for you. And I haven't brought this up the last few years, but with the questions I get, I get a lot of parents. And thank you. Parents, like, this is. This is a testament to you and your belief in me of what do you think I should do next year? I get that question a lot. Like, where do you think we should go? What do you think we should look at? And I'll often ask, what does your kid want to do? And they'll say, well, I haven't asked them. And that, that kind of boggles my mind a little bit. All right, so that brings me kind of my next point on reflecting. And this one's specific to parents. Your experience might not be your kid's experience. And it's almost tough to believe that you might have been very frustrated all year at the way things were going and that your kid did or did not get the ice time they deserve in the record. And you, like, this wasn't fun at all. And then you go and ask the kid and the kid's like, I had a great time. I love this. I love my teammates. And it's, it's. I'm saying that because I actually see that more often than not. Okay? So parents, you got to remember your reflection of the season may not be your kids reflection. And I want to say this again. I have no problem with people asking me my opinion. I really do take a lot of pride that, that people feel comfortable with me. But you gotta ask your kid where they're at. You got to meet the kid where they're at. Otherwise, what are you doing? And I've seen, Mike, I've seen people move their kid from program to program. And this is what's best for you. This is what's best for you? It's like, man, you're on the path to burnout if you don't talk to your kid a little bit. Right? 

Mike Bonelli [15:35 - 15:38]: Yeah, I do that all the time. Like, I'm frustrated that my son's not frustrated. 

Lee MJ Elias [15:39 - 15:40]: Right, I see that. 

Mike Bonelli [15:40 - 15:49]: Why are you not frustrated? Like, why aren't you upset? Why aren't you mad? Why aren't you pissed off that you didn't get on the ice? You're like, I don't know, I didn't deserve to be on the ice. Hey, hey. 

Lee MJ Elias [15:49 - 17:35]: That brings up another point. That brings up another point too. That, that you can't force that out of your kids. Like now, as a parent and as a coach, especially as a coach, from a motivation standpoint, I always say it's, it's the age old adage, you can bring a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. All right, so parents, if your kid, if you deem them as lazy or not working hard or they don't have the attitude, I'm, I'm not gonna sit here and say, well, it'll be there when it's ready. It'll be. I'm not saying that you can give them the good messages of like, you got to raise your game. You gotta, you gotta build this up. But if they're not ready to do that, they're not ready to do that. And this is, this is one of those things, Mike, you know, this is not my kid. Some kids, I don't enjoy saying this. Some kids will never have that compete level. It's, it's just not going to be in them. And it's, it's okay, it's okay if your kid's not that person. Adversely. There's some kids who just never get tired and have the highest compete level ever. And yeah, we, we all kind of envy those kids. All right. In some way they have their own set of problems. But parents, it's okay if your kid, you gotta let them develop mentally too. All right? If your kid's thinking about Fortnite, you got to make decisions around that. But that's kind of normal for a kid that want to play video games. Now, again, can't play video games all day. You can't, you got a parent. Oh, yeah. I'm not going to tell you how to parent your kid. There's no perfect parents. But Mike, to your point, yeah, it's like your experience. Same with the coaches. You know, as coaches, when we lose last game, it's frustrating, but you know, the kids all love the game. You succeeded, Coach. You did it. You did a good job. All right. Did they all develop? You did a good job. Did you all want to show up the next day? You did a good job. All right. The championship is a bonus to me. All right? And again, you're not going to win that thing every year. If you are winning it every year, something's wrong. I, I don't know how else to say that. 

Mike Bonelli [17:35 - 17:44]: And I think the teams that have the most successful losing seasons are the ones that, that there's a, There's a. A culture from the very start. 

Lee MJ Elias [17:44 - 17:45]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [17:45 - 18:02]: That, that, that, that values the game. Like, just values effort. Yeah, values. Not the, not the result. Because like you, we all know as coaches, like, you know, going in, you know where you're going to fit in. Like, I think you have a. I think a lot of. 

Lee MJ Elias [18:02 - 18:03]: Yeah, yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [18:03 - 19:09]: You really know, like, okay, we're a double A team in an A division. We're probably going to mop up the place. This is a culture I'm going to set. Or you could be an A team in a. AAA division and you know, every game, like, you can see right from the start, like, oh, boy, we're stuck in this league and we're getting beat by 11 goals every game. Like, so the culture that you have established throughout the year is often going to help you this time of the year. Like, this is when it pays off, that, yes, we took our lumps. Yes, we have a lot of losses. Yes. You know, there's all this other, other stuff going on, but if you framed it in a way that you, you were still developing, you were still learning, you were still loving the game, you were still finding the little things individually that players could get better at and improve on and come back for more, then that is a successful season. That is a winning formula. And I think all of us at this time of the year, if you didn't win the game on Sunday afternoon, you, you feel like it's a losing season. And in fact, if the culture was established from the beginning. 

Lee MJ Elias [19:09 - 19:10]: Right. 

Mike Bonelli [19:10 - 19:17]: That Sunday afternoon game really is irrelevant. And in a lot of ways, the reason you got to Sunday afternoon is because what you did in September. 

Lee MJ Elias [19:18 - 20:07]: Yeah. Well, and I'll say two things on that. Know, remembering that, you know, to be a competitor, winning championships as a competitor is a great moment, but it's the, it's the grind that you end up loving. Right. That's real competition. The other thing, too, Mike, reflecting on my own season, you know, after our season ended and, and this is the. The Double A team I was helping coach. We probably won a third of our games. Right? Just keeping it in perspective here. You know, the coach, head coach had us go down the locker room and just talk about things we love on the season. And, you know, when it got to me, I realized I really loved showing up to practice. I really loved coming to practice. Every. I said, you kids gave everything, and, like, you worked and you got better. I really enjoyed practice this year. And there's been championship teams I've been on where practice was not fun. Right. Or. Or it was boring. Right. 

Mike Bonelli [20:07 - 20:07]: Because. 

Lee MJ Elias [20:07 - 21:21]: Because we had the talent. So, anyway, different ways to do. Reflecting on the wins. Mike, you brought up a good point about the start of the season. Okay. And that setting that culture. We've done many episodes about how to set the culture at the start of the season. Why that's imperative if you want to succeed at any level. But we also suggest a lot that you, you know, set goals for yourself, right? So coaches should be sitting down with the kids and maybe setting some goals for the season. Parents should be doing that. Like, where do you want to be? You know, now's the time to review those goals. If you haven't been doing it, take a look at the sheet or take a look. Even if it was just verbally, the things you wanted to accomplish this season, by the way, parents, coaches, players advising you to do that every year. And did you accomplish those goals? And there's no wrong answer. If you did, great, now you have to review for next season, making higher goals. If you didn't, great, now you can review the things that you need to work on. That litmus test is so important season to season. And if that just kind of continue the conversation. If the litmus test is, oh, I won the championship. That's not a good. That's not a good test for you as a player. So now is the time, Mike, right, To review your goals, review those sheets and create some new ones or at least reflect the old ones. 

Mike Bonelli [21:21 - 21:34]: Or if you've missed the boat on all of this, like, and these are the players I'm working right now, like, in this advisory role here that. That I'm in a. You know, I'm working with a lot of players that missed all that they missed. The last six months I missed. I'm dealing with parents that have missed. 

Lee MJ Elias [21:34 - 21:35]: All of that, right. 

Mike Bonelli [21:36 - 21:59]: From coaches. So this is when you do your own SWOT analysis. Like, why don't you go in and say, what would have been my goal? Like, if I would have reflected like what would have been some of the things I wanted to accomplish and did I even reach any of the things that I think I should have been doing like goal setting and all that is not. It's not always distinctly. I wrote it down and I posted it on my mirror. 

Lee MJ Elias [21:59 - 21:59]: Very true. 

Mike Bonelli [21:59 - 22:18]: It's. Some of it's like, oh, I knew at the beginning of the year kind of in my mind what I wanted. I never really. And then. And then what I think was going to help players is in my opinion that if you can reflect and say I knew in my mind what I wanted to do but I didn't accomplish the goal. I bet if I wrote it down and made a goal. 

Lee MJ Elias [22:18 - 22:18]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [22:18 - 22:25]: It would have helped me reach that goal. Because of the. You said we've said it a million times. Right. The seasons are so long. 

Lee MJ Elias [22:25 - 22:26]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [22:26 - 22:32]: That if we don't break them down into little bites and pieces. It's so hard to keep you tread. 

Lee MJ Elias [22:32 - 22:33]: Water after a while. 

Mike Bonelli [22:33 - 23:00]: Yeah. Because you just don't know. You have no direction. You're ruddless boat. You're just kind of out there swimming in the wind. And. And we have to be in a better situation where I can say okay, I, I didn't do any reflection and goal setting but now I can knowing like what I know now what. How would I have evaluated my season, my team, my coach, the piece that I'm in and either A, I'm going to make that mistake again. 

Lee MJ Elias [23:00 - 23:01]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [23:01 - 23:19]: Or B, I'm gonna. I have this time frame now, this silly season of tryouts and team selection to change that and. But I got to do it by self reflecting and really digging in and determining really what was success for me. 

Lee MJ Elias [23:19 - 23:48]: Yeah. And let's just talk about some actionable items about what this looks like. So look coaches, you can always do this with your players. I really am a big believer in not exit interviews but just kind of closing the season out talking to a kid of hey, this is what I think you did well. This is what I think you can improve on. I don't think we do that enough. But parents, this can be a real quick 5 minute conversation with your kid. Hey, just sit down. I just want. Did you enjoy hockey this year? Right. What did you like? What did you not like? If you ask good leading questions, they'll answer. If you sit down. 

Mike Bonelli [23:48 - 23:48]: Go. 

Lee MJ Elias [23:48 - 25:01]: I'm going to evaluate you right now to decide whether or not we're doing this next year. That's not going to go over well. All right. But just ask like a conversation and my Parents, my kids don't want to talk about that. Well, sit them down and talk. This is what the family dinners are for. This is when you get them that way, sitting down and just having a quick conversation. Parents, it'll help you gauge how things go as well. I. I'll tell you right now, parents, if you are frustrated and your kid tells you, I had a great time, it'll make you feel better. It'll make you feel better when you have that conversation right now, adversely, you might have a kid say, and this is. This is just as important. I hated this season. All right, you want to have that discussion? Well, what didn't you like about it? All right? And you might un. Unveil some things like, well, okay, my kid doesn't deal with adversity well, yet. We need to work on that, all right? Or. Or, look, I've seen it. A team of selfish kids. You're going to run into that at some point. You got to learn. What do you. And what do you not like about that type of play and what are you looking for? I always say this is actually no different than like, finding a. A partner in anything, right? The more you date, the more you work, the more people you're with, the more you realize what you do and do not want to be around. All right? And the older I get, the more I'm realizing that's how you get kind of calmer as you get older. Of like, yeah, I'm not going to interact with that person. 

Mike Bonelli [25:01 - 25:01]: Right. 

Lee MJ Elias [25:01 - 26:22]: There's no ego tied to it. It's just like, I. I know that person, and I don't want to interact with that person. We can start teaching these skills, especially in a world of kids who are watching human highlight reels on social media all the time, that, you know, you have to start thinking about this. So again, Mike made a great point. Whether you wrote goals or not, reflect on the things you wanted to do, you wanted to accomplish, maybe look forward a little bit of what do you want to accomplish next season? Because you know that, as Mike said, silly season evals are coming up. Like, you know, and then it's also okay. I got to say this, Mike, it's also okay if you want to take some time away before you start setting those thoughts right. Get away from the rink for a little bit. Get away from the game, Go play another sport, go to the movies, shut it down for a few minutes, a few days or a few weeks or a few months. We're going to talk about that in a future episode, too. Mike, another one I have written down here. This one's specifically for the coaches and it's brilliant. You, you came up with. This one is, did you coach the team you picked? You kind of alluded to this earlier with like, kind of the top six, bottom six. But as coaches, look, we select our teams. I think a great reflection point for coaches is did you coach the team you picked or did you say, if I could replace these six players, we would have won if I had better players here? That to me is a. If you're a coach, it's a red flag for you that your, your head's not on strength. Mike, you want to expand on that? 

Mike Bonelli [26:22 - 27:33]: Yeah. I mean, you've picked your team. You fought for those kids. You sent the emails, you wrote the texts. You had different parents contact different kids. You got them in, right? That's your team. And, and maybe, maybe at the beginning of the year, you're like, oh, boy. Like, I got these five kids I didn't want. I had to take them. There wasn't enough kids to try it out for my team. That's your job. You have the team. Now, did you, did you coach the team you were given? Did you coach the team that you picked? If you picked it, it's even worse than the team that you were given. Right. The old, like, like money ball. Right? Like, I'm not, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna manage this team. You picked it like, so I'm going to manage the team that I want to pick. I want to manage. But you're like, well, those aren't the players you have. Like, you can't manage a team that you want with the players you don't have. So did you, did you coach the team that was given to you or you selected the group of players that you have in front of you? Did you find a way to coach them? If you're a, I don't know, if you're a guy that says, oh, we got to be a high scoring team and you have no kids that can score goals, then did you adjust the way you played and the expectations you set out to play? 

Lee MJ Elias [27:33 - 27:34]: Right. 

Mike Bonelli [27:34 - 27:51]: And you know, who, what was your identity, you know, what was your team? What did you value in the teammates that you had? And I think that is a number one, it's healthy as a coach to do, and number two, it helps you build your next team. 

Lee MJ Elias [27:51 - 27:51]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [27:51 - 28:11]: Because it helps you get the perspective of communicating to people that this is what I would like to do. This is what I want to be. These are the kind of kids I'd like to have on my team. Like if you're a guy, like again, if you're a coach that doesn't care about getting 16 penalties a game, like it doesn't bother you, then get the, get the bruisers, get the big kids. 

Lee MJ Elias [28:11 - 28:12]: You're going to be suspended. 

Mike Bonelli [28:12 - 28:22]: But yeah, and have a good assistant coach. But I mean, I think it's like, you know, but if you're, it depends on who you want to be, then be that person. 

Lee MJ Elias [28:22 - 28:23]: Right? 

Mike Bonelli [28:23 - 28:35]: Stick to that person. And then you know what the parents can, then they can decide, do I want my kid with that person? Like it. And again, if all of a sudden nobody's coming to your tryouts anymore, then maybe it's you. 

Lee MJ Elias [28:35 - 28:38]: Yeah. Yeah. Well, you hope they'd recognize that. 

Mike Bonelli [28:38 - 28:53]: But, but if you, if you value yourself as a coach and you value yourself as a, as a, as a developer of young men and women, then reflect, determine whether you coach the team. I love the idea of doing like the, the soft exit interview. 

Lee MJ Elias [28:53 - 28:54]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [28:54 - 29:10]: And I also love the idea and I think it should be mandatory for every coach is to send a survey out and have people respond back to you. Tell them what they thought of you as a coach. Tell them what you could have done better. Now if you're not thick skinned enough. Well, number one, you can't coach, you can't officiate. 

Lee MJ Elias [29:10 - 29:12]: Right? Yeah, everybody. 

Mike Bonelli [29:12 - 30:00]: But, but again, and you're not going to please everyone. And I used to, I used to love, especially in the exit interviews I had with players and it was always the seniors, right? Because they're like, they just rip you apart. Like, oh, hey, I love this. Or I hated this and all back then. I really hate what you do here. Those are the best ways for you to get better. Like, those are the best ways for you to say. And you could take it, you could take it and say, okay, well, obviously, like I'll give you one example and then we'll move on from this scenario. Right? So I used to have a lot of people come out, try out for me. Hundreds. We love you. We, you have the best program. You've built the best program in the country. We want to skate for this team. We love the environment the kids are in. We've heard so many great things about it. Three days later hey, Lee, I just want to let you know your kid didn't make the team. Yeah, but what the hell do you know? 

Lee MJ Elias [30:00 - 30:01]: You're the worst coach. 

Mike Bonelli [30:01 - 30:29]: You're the, you're the worst organizations I think I've ever seen. I'm like, okay, well I mean two days ago we were the best and, and I get it. So take that for what it is. Yeah, but for the kids that were, that were in the trenches with you, they were in there battling and the parents get the honest feedback to help you be a better coach. Because the more people value that, the fact that you're asking, the more it's going to enable you to expand what you do as a coach. 

Lee MJ Elias [30:29 - 31:54]: Well, you know, you're bringing up a good point here for coaches and coaches. You need to be accountable for. What I'm about to say to the parents and the players is you need to be growing each year too. You need to be evolving each year too. I, I am always looking to become a better coach. And here's the thing. If, if you think you got it figured out, that's great. But the truth is this, every year the kids are different and they're changing all the time. And you're getting older and you're changing all the time. So it's, it's a constant learning. Right? And you know what's cool, Mike? And, and you fit into this boat too. You and I have coached pro down to really like, like 6 year olds. And I learned as much from these 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 year olds as I do from the, the older group. Sometimes more just about how, how different personalities work, how to meet people where they're at. I mean if you really want to work on meeting a kid where they're at, coach 14 year olds and good luck with that. It's hard, right? It's really hard. But man, nothing's going to prepare you more than that. The other thing too kind of keeping on this with, with the coaching of the kids is, you know, I, I, I'm a big believer in that statement, you know, be curious, not judgmental. And there's multiple points in a season where it might even be me, but someone will say something like, you know, these, bottom, these, these three kids just suck at this. Right? And it's like you say it and then you gotta immediately say but that's our job now to develop them out of that. It's your job. That's your job as a coach. 

Mike Bonelli [31:54 - 32:45]: Well, yeah, and it's a two way street, right? I mean I think 100 the days of players, the days of players not accepting roles and parents not accepting that there are roles on teams, you know, have, have really, you know, come to us that, that like everybody thinks they're the same player, like top to bottom, like I said. Well, you know, there are, I mean in any sport, like in any, any like profession that, like there's certain people that do certain things like your, your captain doesn't go down and run the engine and ship. Like there's, you know, and this person doesn't do the plumbing and you know, this person doesn't do the, like the electrician doesn't do the plumber and doesn't do the, the framing. Like, like, so there's roles that people play. But I think the good coaches find a way to inspire those young kids to play certain roles and then, and then surpass like the expectations that they had for them. 

Lee MJ Elias [32:45 - 32:46]: Right? 

Mike Bonelli [32:46 - 32:55]: But then you as a coach have to reflect and say, wow, I really put that player in the best position for them to succeed. And if you didn't, then, you know, that's on you too. 

Lee MJ Elias [32:55 - 33:22]: Right? Right. And you're 100. Right. It's a two way street, all right? Because the players have to match the, the output of the coaches too. But my attitude for, for everybody is just being able to look yourself in the mirror or look at somebody and say, look, I did everything I could. I really believe that I did all, I did the best I could. Now you get a whole team of people, parents, coaches, players doing that, you're going to succeed. Okay? The truth is not every season's like that, all right? Because part of it is learning how to deal with people not like that. And we all do that in our daily jobs. 

Mike Bonelli [33:22 - 35:11]: Right. I come from a continuing education background. Like, I just come from a background of if I'm going to be coaching your kid, that you should expect me to be as educated as possible about all the different aspects of the sport. So I get, I get a really, I get really jaded and bitter when I hear other coaches that I work with say, oh, thank God, yeah, I did my level three, seven years ago. Thank God I got that out of the way. Like, really, like you haven't done anything to continuing your education. And it doesn't have to be hockey. It could be a book on spiritual awareness. It could be a book on mobility. It could be a book on how, how we deal with today's youth and social media, whatever it is. Like, go out and gift yourself the joy of learning and you'll be a better coach. And if you're a parent, it's a red flag to me. Now again, I used the term earlier like, oh, I have all these parents always come and ask me my opinion and I've got to the point where a lot of people do that for me, too. And I said, well, I'm not going to tell you because you're not going to follow my opinion anyway. You don't care. You're going to make it. You're going to make the choice that you make because you don't listen. Like, you're not really. You really don't want my opinion. You want me to tell you, yes, you should go to that team that's two and a half hours away because an elite team. That's what you want me to tell you. But what I'm going to tell you is find the best coach. Find somebody that's always immersed in educating themselves. Find somebody that loves your kid and wants your kid to succeed and could put their ego aside and find the coach that you look at year in and year out and year in and year out. They retain the players that they picked, not the coach that turns their roster over 50% a year. We can all win with that. 

Lee MJ Elias [35:11 - 35:11]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [35:11 - 35:36]: You give me the seven kids new from the seven kids I didn't get, I'm gonna have a much better chance of winning. Yeah, but just find, you know, so you as a coach, educate yourself. You, as a parent, don't go with a coach that doesn't educate themselves. And as a player, you know, really work with mom and dad to embrace who that coach is and then work within that coach's ability. 

Lee MJ Elias [35:36 - 36:56]: Well, and I'm gonna say, too, just pulling the thread on that mic, it has never been easier to get that education that you're talking about. Never. Audiobook, actual book, access to books, access to videos, podcasts. Yeah, it's a good one. We should probably say it's never been easier to do that. You know, like, I love to read, and I know that's not everyone's jam, but whatever it is, however you retain information, I look. I look for things that will interest me. I also. Here's another one, too, that we, you know, just. I love reading biographies. I love reading about other people that have really succeeded, especially in sports, and just learning about their lives and the experiences that they've had. And that really helps me learn. You know, I just. Going back to the end of the episode, I've been reading Tim Grover, who is Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant's trainer. His books, Relentless and Winning are fantastic. And he talks about. We were talking earlier about, you know, the uncomfortable situations, how with the best athletes in the world, he would recreate uncomfortable situations for them. He didn't make the Passes perfect. He would, he would consistently give them uncomfortable situations to work and to harden them. And, and you, it just proves you gotta go through that in all three aspects. Coach, player, parent to learn. It's just no way to learn if you're not facing adversity and if you're just winning all the time. It's not. 

Mike Bonelli [36:56 - 36:59]: Yeah, there are no bad, there are no bad passes with, for great players. 

Lee MJ Elias [37:00 - 37:00]: Right. 

Mike Bonelli [37:00 - 37:01]: I mean, they find a way to get the best. 

Lee MJ Elias [37:01 - 37:25]: Yeah, I was to say it was great. Great players make bad passes look good, look great. All right. You know, so these, again, these are all reflection points. And again, the education is not just for coaches, it's for parents too, like you, you know, and look, I know, I know none of us have quote, unquote, the time, okay? But again, audiobooks, there's time, there's ways to find ways to incorporate this into your day if you really want to. 

Mike Bonelli [37:25 - 37:26]: You are in the car. 

Lee MJ Elias [37:27 - 37:27]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [37:27 - 38:13]: I mean, everybody reflects on how great it is to be in the car with their kids and they're getting to know their kids and they're gonna miss it all this time, you know, and these, these, these nine hour road trips, then use it in a productive way. Go, you know, listen to something that helps you both get better. Listen to, you know, somebody talk about the techniques of shooting. Listen to somebody, you know, talks about the, the, the building blocks of bodybuilding, whatever it is. Yeah. You know, try to be together and educate yourselves together. I can't tell you how many parents that I talk to. Hundreds and hundreds that go to private coaches for skating. And that coach has never evaluated their blades ever, ever. Doesn't even ask them what hollow you on? Are you profiled? Do your skates fit? 

Lee MJ Elias [38:14 - 38:14]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [38:14 - 38:52]: Are your blades level? Nothing. So like, to me, that is malpractice. That, that if, that if that parent is paying for a private coach to teach skating and the coach never looks at their skates, then run away as quick as possible. Run, run, run. And again, that's not a knock on the coaches that do this. Maybe they say they don't have time, but if you're spending, if you're spending 650 a weekend for, for a skating class and that coach doesn't ask you if your blades are even, sharp and run away. It's just, again, you won't do it. You won't do it. You'll sign tomorrow morning, you'll sign up. 

Lee MJ Elias [38:53 - 38:55]: Mike's been through that. You've been through the trenches. 

Mike Bonelli [38:55 - 38:56]: Yeah, you won't do it. 

Lee MJ Elias [38:57 - 39:25]: But I gotta Tell you, I wasn't gonna kind of say this on the podcast, but you brought it up. So I think I'm going to. For this show, a lot of times we have to read books of guests that are coming on, and sometimes I'll opt to do the audiobook. And so I was listening to them in the car with my son, who I thought was doing something else, and he shocked me one day. We were driving. He said, hey, can you put the book back on? And I, I mean, look, this is my kid. I can't speak for everybody else's kid. I was shocked. 

Mike Bonelli [39:25 - 39:25]: He. 

Lee MJ Elias [39:25 - 40:12]: He wanted, he was listening and he wanted to keep listening. It was actually Mike Keenan. I was like, of all the books, you know, and then I started listening to another one. He said, can we put the book on? So I look again, that's my kid. I can't speak for anybody else's kid. Yeah, it's pretty prideful thing for me that he asked, but it just goes to show you never know what they're listening to or what they want to hear. But he was listening to that book in the car. All right. And again, so my just. I should say this too. My kid typically does not have a screen in front of him in the car for long drives. I don't, we don't do that. My kid's 11, 10. 11 years old. I should say that, too. This isn't a 14 year old or anything like that. But I was surprised, I really was, that he wanted to keep listening to that book. So it just goes to show you, you never know. But if you put the right environment in front of them, they may choose to dive into that. Okay. 

Mike Bonelli [40:12 - 40:30]: Yeah. Sometimes it sneaks up on them. And that's good. Like, you know, that's just. Again, you, you, you just, you know, you, you. Back in the day, it was always like, you know, like when you're driving, right, and, and, and your kids look at you the way you drive, and they, they saw you, you know, flipping the birds of somebody. 

Lee MJ Elias [40:30 - 40:31]: You read that red light. 

Mike Bonelli [40:31 - 40:36]: You read that red light, you know, and then, and then you just, all of a sudden you look at your kid like, oh, my God, I can't believe he's. 

Lee MJ Elias [40:36 - 40:37]: They're paying attention. 

Mike Bonelli [40:37 - 41:12]: It's terrible what I've done for this child. But it's just, but again, this is, this is a time of year where you're reflecting and thinking and saying, and not the, oh, always me, but what about the oh, wow. This is a great opportunity for me to reflect and, and take the Negatives too. Like take, take like wow, you know what? I had a horrible weekend that last weekend. But you know what? I didn't sleep enough. I ate like crap. I really didn't prepare because we beat that team earlier in the year nine to one. That we would beat them again to one. 

Lee MJ Elias [41:12 - 41:12]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [41:12 - 41:34]: And you, you can do that. You as a player and as a parent can sit back and, and really reflect. And then as a parent too, like think about all the times, you know, you went into weekends like, oh, you just team. Did you see the ranking on that team? There's, there's no. These guys are ranked so high we're never going to be able to compete. Like you're laying that into your kids heads prior to them even going to the locker room. 

Lee MJ Elias [41:34 - 41:35]: Yeah, don't do that. 

Mike Bonelli [41:35 - 41:40]: You can change all those narratives and just by learning and being reflective on how to do that. 

Lee MJ Elias [41:40 - 43:28]: And I'll, I'll say too kind of before we get to the conclusion here that and this is something I've learned, look, I'm a type A person. I'm, I'm a, I'm a, I wouldn't say I'm an optimist, but I'm typically more on the positive side of the, of the glass and how I look at things. And I have seen parents say, well, my kid just does, he doesn't look like he cares. And I got to remind you parents, whether you're, whether you're extrovert, introvert, if your kid's quiet or really excited, don't assume what they're feeling. Okay? Sometimes the kid who's really quiet after a loss, and I don't mean quiet sulking, I mean just does not talking is actually really hurting inside. They just, they just don't know how to express that yet adversely. The kid who comes out is joking and laughing might be really hurting inside or vice versa. My point is this. I know we all love to think we know our kids and you do, you know, you're a kid. But just don't assume that you know what's going on in their head. There's a lot of internal dialogue that happens. Coaches, this is for you too and for, for ourselves as individuals. All right? You know, a lot of us, you know, middle aged parents, we were taught not to show emotion. You know, don't show that you're upset. Just be tough, you know, be strong. You know damn well after a big loss you're feeling it. And if your kid's hurt, you know you're feeling hurt too. And you Got to be an adult about it. Don't get me wrong, but this is why conversations with your kids, when they're ready, is so important. Just taking five minutes. Hey, how did you feel this year? Went fine. Yeah, but tell me a little more than that. Like tell me, did you got to ask the great questions? Did you feel that you developed as a hockey player this year? I do. Good. That's a fine two word answer. Did you enjoy your coaches this year? Did you think they did a good job? If you start asking good questions, they'll start talking to you a little bit. Okay. And if you look, if you don't ask questions, you'll never know. And maybe that's okay too. I don't know. It depends on how you rank youth sports and youth hockey. 

Mike Bonelli [43:28 - 43:28]: Right. 

Lee MJ Elias [43:28 - 44:09]: But like the, the overarching thing here, my friends, coaches, parents, players, is to take a moment in all three of those aspects, reflect on the season for yourself in those three aspects, and then reflect on the season for the other two. Right. If you're a parent, how did the coaches do? How did your kid do? Have conversations. Mike, I love your idea about coaching, you know, forms at the end of the year. Now, most organizations do that. I don't know if there's rules against a coach actually asking the parents, how did I do? Do an anonymous survey. If you really want to learn how you did, that's a great way to do it. I, I would do that every year as a head coach. Like, I honestly wanted to know what. 

Mike Bonelli [44:09 - 44:18]: You, like I just said it out through Google Docs. I mean, you know, and you could even, you could even put on there, like, you don't have to, you don't have to divulge, you know, the email, you don't have to collect the email. 

Lee MJ Elias [44:18 - 44:19]: I don't need to know who you are. 

Mike Bonelli [44:19 - 44:29]: You could make it very anonymous. I said, you know, and the funny thing is like when you read the comments, you'll go, oh, this is so and so. Yeah, sometimes you know it because, because they'll bring up already what they bitched about. 

Lee MJ Elias [44:29 - 44:32]: Yeah, but it's not about them. Like, this is about you becoming a better coach. 

Mike Bonelli [44:33 - 44:38]: Right. It just helped me. If you, if you were able, if you were able to mold the coach you wanted, who would you want me to be? 

Lee MJ Elias [44:38 - 47:33]: Yeah. And parents, as much as we would love for you to do the same thing, you won't, you don't have to imagine if coaches had to rate parents, that would be a funny one. Hopefully those of you listening are the good parents that Enjoy this. Look, the last one I have on here, which is actually going to tease a future episode a little bit, is it's very important that you reflect on if you need a break. This is so undersold. I see so many parents diving from the regular season into spring, into summer, and before you know it, you're back in the regular season. I cannot express to you enough the benefits of taking a break from hockey, even if it's just a few weeks. It is so important that you decompress and detox after a season, mentally, physically. You know, I've said it before. My kid's a goaltender. I really want him not to play after his evaluations for a month just so his body can start to heal. And people, what. What's he might lose? He's not going to lose anything. He's gonna be playing another sport and play baseball. All right. He wants to do track and field. I'm all for it, but. But you gotta think, you gotta consider. I can't say you should or should not do it. It depends on how old your kid is. It depends where they're at in their hockey career. Depends if they can drive. All right. But coaches, players, parents, you should heavily consider. It's probably kind of too late now, actually, but you should do it. Do you need a break away from the rink? And I'm gonna tell you this again. The most magical things I've ever heard from both my kids and myself for that matter, is, hey, dad, when are we going to go back to playing hockey again? I miss it. It is the most refreshing thing as a coach and as a parent in hockey I think I have ever heard is, when do we get back on the ice? Right? But they're not going to say that if they're consistently going because it's addicting. The hockey is addicting. I love it. I love it. I could be in a rink every day, but I also understand the power of taking a minute away from the rink. And again, Mike, for people like you and me, and this is. This is what's funny. Three to five days usually is all you and I need away from the rink. I mean, really, no hockey for three to five days. And I'm pretty charged up again. All right, Sometimes it's longer, but some people need three to five weeks. And, like, that's the reflection of, like, what do you need away? All right, so we're gonna do a whole episode about how to detox, you know, and after season, again, Mike and Christie, really. And I was having a hard time with this, You'll. Mike, you remember this a few years ago of like, do I. Should I really take off for the spring? Man? I. It's the best advice. I think I should say some of the best advice. I got so much good advice from you two I've ever gotten. It's just no take off. And. And we at my kids, ages again, 11 and 8, we do not play hockey in the spring. Okay? And I. I gotta say this. It's okay if you do. It's not a judgment if you do. I'm just saying this is what's right for my family. Okay? If your kid's playing spring hockey right now, it's fine. Like, I'm not. Not judging you. Just. Just think about it. Mike, your thoughts? 

Mike Bonelli [47:33 - 47:41]: Yeah, it's extremely hard to do, right? It's just hard. It's the FOMO of I can't believe that kid. Like, and you see the incremental. Like, it looks like a kid's getting better. 

Lee MJ Elias [47:41 - 47:41]: Yeah. 

Mike Bonelli [47:41 - 49:22]: Oh, my God, they're getting better. Like, how's my kid gonna get better? And I'm like, well. And again, this. And by the way, this is for the. For the rink owners out there listening. Like, this is not a, hey, boycott the rinks in the spring. It's just think about ways, like, if you're a rink owner and you want to have a better business, then find programming within your rink that doesn't entail a kid come to your rink and then flying to another state in the spring, like, bring them in your ring, offer skating, offer shooting, offer stick handling classes and in hockey iq and. And if you're a parent, you'll be the consumer. Say, you know what? I really don't want to do the spring league that has, like, you know, seven tournaments, but I do want to be on the ice once a week. Escape. And so find the ranks and find the ownership groups and find the, you know, programming that is outside the box a little bit on what, you know, is traditional spring hockey. Find a way to play lacrosse. Find a way to play baseball. Find a way to play chess. Like, find a way to do the things. If you're in high school right now, you know, you've got a lot of you kids, you know, you got to. You got to finish your school year strong. Like, you just went through the, you know, the ringer for winter hockey. Find a way to catch up and, you know, get the work done that you need to get done. And maybe getting to those, you know, get. It's like the last impression you can make. Like, you know the old saying, like, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Well, you do. You do get to change the narrative. You can end the season on a really great high note and the teachers will forget that you missed every Friday for the last seven months. You know, for hockey. Like, you know, just be in there. 

Lee MJ Elias [49:22 - 49:23]: Sure, Mike, you're right. 

Mike Bonelli [49:23 - 49:39]: You know, be in front of people. Be in there like, I want to learn. Yes, this hockey thing got in the way, but now I'm committed right now. I mean, that set the table for next year. And it's amazing how your year can end and how people are forgiving of the time you missed. 

Lee MJ Elias [49:39 - 49:53]: Yeah. And understanding too. And you know, the other thing I'll say this is, is travel. Travel. You know, my wife loves to remind me, like, no, we're not doing hockey there. We're traveling. We're going here. If you have the means, obviously throw it away. 

Mike Bonelli [49:53 - 49:54]: Does that have a ring? 

Lee MJ Elias [49:54 - 51:40]: Yeah, yeah, like get it, get out of that. We go to we, we. Because my wife's family does have a shooting pad. No, we go to Puerto Rico a lot. There's not a, there's not a ton. There's hockey, but there's not a ton down there. You know, kind of separate from it a little bit. But you know, if you have the means, travel, you know, get out a little bit and. Mike, you said it too. Look, look, I'll, I'll end it with facts, okay? Every single report, every single study shows multi sport athletes are the ones who succeed. So even if it's just right to another sport, great. The other thing too is that the extracurricular activities you said at chess, music, writing, any of those things, the arts, very important for the cognitive development of your kid. All right? The statistics show that, that, that must be done. Okay. And I, I always like to remember this teasing. An old episode we had. Chris Terry on long time NHL defenseman told us kind of shockingly, he didn't play at all when he was 15. He didn't play hockey for a whole year when he was 15. All right? Now obviously he's a gifted athlete. He wouldn't say that, but he is. He made the NHL. So just remember there's no, there's no path. There's nothing your kid's gonna lose in, in really a month or two months or three months. They might be a little rusty. All right? They're not going to lose anything. All right? In terms of hockey, but this has been a great episode. Coach's guide to reflecting on the season. We hope you've given you some act. We hope we've, excuse me, giving you some action items and if anything, just walk away from this episode and just have a quick five minute conversation with yourself about the season. Kids, parents, coaches, it's for all three of you. I'm also going to tease for all of you. Our ride to the rink this week is directly for your kids. It's going to be called the Coach's guide to reflecting on the season for players if they can't make it through the full 45 minute episode that we just did. But Mike, I love, I love when we get to these coaches episodes. We love Christie, but it's always a joy being on here with you, buddy. 

Mike Bonelli [51:41 - 51:48]: Yeah, fun stuff. And again, it gives me a chance to reflect. It's a good time of the year to get my survey out and live. 

Lee MJ Elias [51:48 - 52:07]: On the air and start going. All right, gang, that's going to do it for this edition of our Kids Play Hockey. We always like to remind you, especially the new listeners, we go all, all year round. We do spring episodes and summer episodes. We got great guests coming for you. So make sure you stick with us throughout the entire year. Unless you're on that break. Then you can catch up on the episodes when you get back. 

Mike Bonelli [52:07 - 52:09]: We taking a break? Aren't we taking a break? 

Lee MJ Elias [52:09 - 52:56]: Well, yeah. That's what the holidays are for. All right, guys, remember, if you have a question or a comment, you can email us team atourkids playhockey.com or use the link accompanying these episodes. We do get the ones that you send in. We will be doing those episodes soon, but that's going to do it for Mike. I'm Lee. We'll see you on the next episode. Remember to have fun with your hockey. Everybody skate on. See you soon. 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@when hockeystops.com. it's a book that helps children, 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.