Dad Daze: Spokane youth hockey is alive and well

When I crafted my last column and noted that I was unable to find youth ice hockey options for my son, Milo, in Spokane, I was hit with welcome responses. I was hoping folks would provide leads, and they did just that.

I would like to thank Pat Cadigan, who took time from his summer retreat on Priest Lake to detail area clubs and chat about the rich Spokane hockey tradition.

I also would like to apologize for failing to dig up this information myself. I believe part of the problem was arriving in Spokane the week before the novel coronavirus altered our lives. I contacted a few clubs, but the combination of the pandemic and the end of youth ice hockey season didn’t help.

My focus at that point in March was Milo trying out for Spokane travel baseball teams. None of his Spokane Expos teammates play ice hockey. My favorite winter sport was put on the back burner, but much has changed over the last week.

Not only do I realize there is quality youth ice hockey in the area, I uncovered Paul Delaney’s excellent love letter to Spokane hockey, “Saturday Nights Were Special: A History of Hockey in Spokane,” thanks to an assist from Cadigan. Hockey is indeed alive and well in Spokane.

I was aware of Spokane’s contributions to the hockey world before March. I’m a fan of local boy made good Tyler Johnson. While covering a major league beat for years, I would catch about five Tampa Bay Lightning games each March during spring training and marvel at the skills of the diminutive Central Valley High School alum.

Since my older son, Eddie, is a Detroit Red Wings fan, I’m aware the last Red Wings Stanley Cup was won by coach Mike Babcock, who was behind the Spokane Chiefs’ bench from 1994-2000.

However, Delaney has helped edify me when it comes to the impact ice hockey-loving Spokane has had on the sport.

Milo is charting his path to local ice hockey rinks. We’ve connected with Mitch Burman, who coaches at the Coeur d’Alene Hockey Academy. Burman, who played hockey through his college years, is from that hockey hotbed of Boston. Burman also couldn’t uncover much youth ice hockey initially in Spokane after he relocated from Houston.

“I have lived in Spokane for three years, and like you I was surprised there wasn’t more hockey,” Burman wrote and noted how he eventually found programs and donated his time to the cause.

As long as there are altruists like Burman, ice hockey will thrive in Spokane.

But this isn’t just about my son playing ice hockey in the area. All parents should realize there is arguably no sport with more benefits for a boy or a girl than ice hockey.

The sport should appeal to the extremely athletic. The most difficult feat in sports is hitting a baseball. The hardest sport to master is ice hockey. Players must be proficient skaters. It’s an arduous process to become a great blade runner. Working ad nauseam on backward crossovers can be tedious, but you must put the time in to be successful.

However, when you reach the upper echelon as a skater, you’re well on your way, and the effort is well worth it.

But then you also must learn how to stick handle, shoot and pass. Once you reach the bantam level, when a child is 13, you have to figure out how to check and how to take a check.

There’s a mental aspect of the game you must master such as anticipating a play and, most significant, knowing when to pass the puck.

The latter separates elite players from the also-rans. You can’t outskate a pass. Teams that pass to a fault tend to win, and the opposite is true.

Two seasons ago, Milo was about to quit ice hockey since he centered a line, which failed to pass and couldn’t handle passes.

Last season, he said the only way he would play is if he could be goalie. Since he was hardly ever a netminder, I doubted he could make the transition, but I let him try out. He surprisingly made an AA team on the tier 2 level as their goalie, and he played out when he was not in net. Milo was successful and had a blast.

It’s been great fun for Milo, even though he can’t focus on ice hockey. We simply can’t afford the extra lessons his teammates enjoy, and all extra time goes to baseball.

However, Milo still plays hockey, and any child should consider the game since you learn how to be a team player. Milo’s favorite coach would bench kids if they neglected to pass. That squad learned to play the right way and figured out they were all cogs in the wheel.

There is no sport with as much camaraderie as ice hockey. Each of my boys are pals with guys they no longer play on teams with, and my older son recently visited his best hockey friend who lives just outside Lincoln, Montana. When I informed my son Eddie’s friend’s mother that we don’t have much family in the Pacific Northwest, she said, “We can be your family.”

The sincere response was not surprising considering that it emanated from a hockey mom.

That reminded me of the time when my wife left the hatch open to the minivan a decade ago upon leaving a Target parking lot. Eddie’s hockey bag fell out and was never recovered even though we had his name, phone number and address on the bag, and his organization was less than a half-hour from the Target.

What a harsh life lesson.

Eddie, who was always a kind and appreciative child, said to me, “I hate to say it, but I have a game tomorrow. What can we do?”

I messaged his coach noting that I didn’t know if I could purchase all of the gear necessary since stores were closing within two hours. No problem. He sent a note out throughout the organization. A gentleman we hardly knew from another team showed up with his station wagon, and it was akin to a rolling ice hockey equipment store.

Our new pal gave Eddie 40% of the necessary gear. Another teammate handed Eddie an extra pair of hockey pants, and I was able to purchase the rest of the necessities that evening so we could make the game the following morning.

For much of my sons’ hockey careers, I’ve had to do the heavy lifting, so one of my boys often slept over with a teammate due to separate road trips. Unshakable bonds developed.

And then there is the intensity. If your child plays ice hockey, they learn to go 110% with every shift, and that just doesn’t translate into other sports. It also sticks with children in school and in life.

Never say die is a phrase that is often bandied about in the rink.

Yes, I’ve witnessed some not-so-great behavior from players, parents and coaches over the years, but for the most part, there is no greater sportsmanship than there is in ice hockey. After each game, there is a handshake line.

Sometimes your kid ends up playing with their opponents. Eddie stayed with the same team for nearly all of his youth hockey career. However, mercenary Milo would jump ship to play with a better team annually.

Sometimes that backfires. Where we come from, you must sign a contract for the year to play with a team. Milo left for a rival squad and found out it was a much worse situation. The organization wouldn’t let us out of the contract.

However, never say die popped into my head. I asked around and found a disenchanted kid on another team. I asked the other organization if we could trade contracts. I was told, “That never happens, but sure, let’s do it,” was the organization’s reactions.

It worked out since many of the folks I’ve met who run youth ice hockey are open-minded.

The common denominator from every child I’ve known who has played ice hockey is that it’s their favorite sport. My sons’ game is baseball, but if you ask them what sport they enjoy most, it’s ice hockey.

How could it not be? Players skate their butts off, score goals, make plays, make saves and check kids into the boards. I didn’t even mention the road trips in which teams become tight and have a great deal of fun.

So if you have an active child and would like for him or her to expend some energy, check out ice hockey.

If you have a daughter who would like to hit the ice, don’t be reluctant. The smartest and most mature teammates my kids have had were often female. The girls often played defense since they seldom made mistakes.

And one more essential reason kids should play hockey: You work all of your body on the ice and during off-ice training. Since children are more sedentary and obese than ever, why not introduce kids to a sport that will whip them into shape?

Also, pick up a copy of “Saturday Nights Were Special.” It’ll appeal to anyone from hockey fans to those who don’t know a thing about the action-packed sport.

Whenever the Chiefs return to action, come out for a game. There is nothing like a seat close to the ice since that’s the best way to fully appreciate the power, speed and skill of a game like no other.

To quote the late voice of the Philadelphia Flyers, the larger-than-life and greatly missed Gene Hart, “Good night and good hockey!”