The Ride to The Rink: Mental Strength for Every Shift with PlayWellMinds Artwork

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.

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.

All Episodes

Our Kids Play Hockey

The Ride to The Rink: Mental Strength for Every Shift with PlayWellMinds

January 03, 2026 • Our Kids Play Hockey • Season 1 • Episode 462

🧠 What if your thoughts and emotions were actually your biggest teammates?

On this episode of The Ride to The Rink, hosts Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli are joined live from Sweden by sports psychology experts Johan Fallby and Henrik Cronebäck for a powerful conversation just for young hockey players.

Together, they break down simple, practical mental fitness tools kids can use:

On the way to practice 🚌
Before a big game 🏒
Even before a test at school 📚

💡 You’ll learn why feeling nervous is completely normal — and how to use those feelings to your advantage instead of fighting them.

🔑 Key takeaways for players:

Why thoughts and emotions are your friends, not something to avoid
The SOAL method (Stop, Observe, Accept, Let Go) for managing nerves and pressure
How mental training is just as important as skating, shooting, and puck skills
A simple “Top Three” nightly habit that boosts confidence, well-being, and sleep

👨‍👩‍👧 Parents, this one’s for you too — these tools work for kids and adults.

🎒 Two golden nuggets. One short ride. Tools you can use for the rest of your hockey journey — and life.

🏒 No matter where you’re at on your journey, we believe in you. You should too. Skate hard. Get better. Have fun.

📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: Mental Strength for Young Hockey Players: Simple Tools to Build Confidence Before the Game

#TheRideToTheRink #MentalFitness #YouthHockey #HockeyMindset #MentalStrength #SportsPsychology #GrowthMindset #HockeyKids #ConfidenceBuilding

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Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽

Heading into 2026, hockey families are asking: How do we get better? More ice time isn’t always realistic — but smarter training is. Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace.

🎯 Visit SenseArena.com/OKPH and use code OKPH to get 50% off plus $25 off an annual plan or headset bundle.

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