I apologize for being a little delinquent in posting updates. Since a
light January, we have had a quick ride to the end of the season... only 3
weekends remain!
Christmas Tournament
A few people have asked… Just over 2 months ago, a very competitive Christmas Tournament culminated in a final showdown between the Penguins and Flyers. The Penguins went on to win a narrow victory to take this year's championship 3-2.
Last weekend of the playoffs
These last few weeks of hockey have not resolved anything - We are still waiting to find out who will advance to the semis and what the match-ups will be. Please be sure to communicate to your coach if you child is not available to play this or next weekend because of March Break.
The Day of Champions (DoC)
The DoC is quickly approaching. Based on the information I have, our championship game is scheduled to take place at ~ 5PM at Duncan Macintosh. Please check the website for the most up-to-date information.
As it was last year, Rogers will be on hand to televise and record the game. To prepare for the broadcast, we must submit player profiles to Rogers within the next few days - even before we know who is going to play!
This year, the broadcast team wanted us to submit the files electronically. Your Coach will likely have passed on a pre-populated form or a generic player profile template. Please complete this form / template and email it back to your coach and/or to me so we can aggregate them by team and pass them on to Rogers. (We are also under direction to funnel them through the VP of house league to ensure completeness)
If you cannot fill out the form electronically, or need any assistance... please contact me!
If you received a personalized form from your coach, the stats have been populated. If you are completing the generic form, you can just reach out to me to find out what your Child’s stats were for this season (as per the official game sheets).
Please keep in mind, the stats are actuals; values as recorded on the official game sheets. Please remember that he officials are human and may have (or have not) awarded the correct amount of goals and /or assists to the correct players. So, there may be some disagreement between what you believe your child achieved and what is recorded. Furthermore, if you simply just want to know your Child's stats, feel free to contact me.
Parent surveys
In case you missed all the headlines... CMHA wants your opinion! Please go to the player satisfaction survey link and give us a piece of your mind.
Incident reporting process.
We have recently dealt with several incidents within HL. I encourage everyone to review the CMHA code of conduct as well as other recent policies (Check the PDFs under the “players” menu). Please, as many of you already have, bring any concerns forward to the administration (your bench staff, me or VP of HL) so incidents can be dealt with as quickly as possible. I really appreciate those parents that were quick to communicate and act with integrity.
End of season Banquet
As usual, the end of season banquet takes place immediately following the last game. We encourage all to participate. Awards will be given out in recognition of player and coaching achievements. Banquet time is expected to be @ 6:45PM
Last Posting
Hopefully this season has a smooth ride into the sunset and, regardless of how a team finishes, over time we will all be able to recall and reflect on some positive experiences that comes with organized recreational sport. We all enroll our children in sport for the same reasons… to foster the building of character while laying the foundation for a long-term active and healthy lifestyle. Sport can help instill the values of fairness, tenacity, resilience, respect, compassion and kindness.
In the event I will not get another chance to post I would like to take a quick moment to recognize the contributions of some individuals.
Firstly, I would like to thank all the coaching staff for their tireless commitment to the Children. Chris G, Phil H, Mike M, Jeff H and Jeff K were there... week in and week out... doing their best to provide the healthiest and most positive experience for our children. They are volunteer teachers and role models who are doing an often thankless job (…especially putting up with me). I am quite certain that very few people can really appreciate the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to support a season of games and practices.
A big thank you goes out to the assistant coaches; Dennis N, Rob M, Peter C, Jeremy G, Clive P and Fabio G. They are the (sometimes J ) quiet leaders. They are the individuals executing the vision and direction of the head coach. They take care of the details, help out during practices and are often the first ones on the bench to complement, motivate, educate, calm and inspire our children.
I would really like to thank the Trainers… the true "unsung heroes" of our league. Without them, we literally would not be allowed to go on the ice and could not play and practice. Dennis C, Scott M, Monica N, Kathie B and Alistair E have worked "across borders" (on and off the ice) to support the Children (often even doing so in absence of their own Child’s participation). They are the guardians; always on the ready to protect, mend, and comfort our Children.
I would like to thank you… the parents. Many of you of you have embodied what true sportsmanship is; the ability to engage/compete with humility, respect and kindness. Many of you have communicated your concerns with maturity and demonstrated patience/understanding as we worked through incidents and concerns – even if the outcomes were not to your satisfaction. A special acknowledgement to those that pitched in when asked to volunteer.
Finally… A thanks to the Children. It has been a challenge at times to deal with incidents of “youthful exuberance” that comes with being 13/14/15. Having said this, it has really been a fascinating year watching many of you make the transition into fine young adults.
Have a safe, fun and active summer!
All the best
Eric.
p.s. - if you wish to report an incident, please continue to use the link provided on the league home page (that way it is viewed by the administration). I have only provided my email above to facilitate the exchange of stats and forms so as to not overload the league mailboxes.