Parents: 5 Ways to Help your Child Add Some Fun to their Game

And wait to check that out with Matt Murray. The parent segment brought to us by Stop It Goaltending U, the app. Before we get into five ways to add fun to goaltending, what's happening over at Stop It Goal Tending?

Well, speaking of best of both worlds, the best part to stop well, not the best part because there's a lot of great parts of the Stop It Goaltending U app, but getting a subscription to InGoal Magazine premium. Like, you see how it all ties together? You get a subscription to Stop It Goaltending U. You get a subscription to InGoalmag premium, then you get a discount through the subscription to InGoalmag premium to Vizual Edge. We are all about saving you money at InGoal Magazine and helping you become a better goaltender.

And if you subscribe to the Stop It Goaltending U app, you get all the knowledge from Brian Daccord and his staff. Twenty five years in the game. He's done it all. Goalie, goalie coach in the NHL with the Boston Bruins, goalie scout with the Toronto Maple Leafs, goalie director with the Arizona Coyotes, and now goalie director with the Detroit Red Wings. His son, Joey Daccord, of course, plays for the Seattle Kraken.

All the knowledge that has gone into them building the Stop It Goaltending business is packed into the app. Each week, you'll get quick one minute daily primers. You can just digest instantly first thing in your morning to help you get better. There's videos, quick videos, full videos, drills every week. And like I said, a complimentary subscription to InGoal mag premium with every subscription to Stop It Goaltending U the app.

Make sure you check it out at the Apple Store or Android, the Google Play, wherever you download apps, you can find it. Stop It Goaltending U. Hutch.

This week, you will be hearing our featured guest, Carter Hutton, talk about a lot of great things, but I loved his points about being a goalie dad and, him reminding us of what really matters, that your kid should enjoy playing the position. So I thought I'd hop in with five ways to add some fun to being a goalie for parents. Goaltending comes with enough pressure all on its own, guys. The last thing we wanna do is add more. So today, let's look at a few simple ways we can put some fun back into the game without losing the focus or the commitment that makes young goalies proud of their effort.

Number one, mix in other sports and activities. We say this a lot, but that's because it matters. Your kid is more than just a goalie. They don't need to be in goalie mode twelve months a year. Another sport, even at the recreational level, gives them a different outlet.

It teaches body control and most importantly, gives them something that is simply fun and not performance based. Other hobbies and activities as well can contribute to their sense of identity. If hockey is the only thing in their world, it can start to feel like pressure instead of joy. And even if it feels like all hockey all the time is fun now, trust me, one day you'll be glad to have more. Number two, make your pregame routines enjoyable and not heavy.

Does your goalie have a favorite pregame meal? Could they help to cook it? Could you perhaps do it with them and make that part of your family tradition, the two of you in the kitchen making something together. A routine doesn't have to be a serious ritual. It can be just a moment of connection.

Or with your warm ups as a goalie, maybe you wanna try a different ball drill, a different eye focus work, some fun edge work like Dustin Wolf does before practice. These small additions can expand your experience beyond just the sixty minutes of game time. And if you already have a routine, that's great. Change it up. It's fun and it teaches you to not be too reliant on any exact routine.

Number three, set some goals that have nothing to do with the scoreboard. Pick one thing to focus on each game, something process based. Maybe it's battling for loose pucks, handling a dump in and making a good play to a defenseman. Maybe it's working on that high stance that Kevin Woodley was talking about from this week's ProRead. Ask them what they're working on as a parent and offer to watch for it.

They will love that you're engaging with them. The point isn't whether it works every time. The point is trying it. And when the game is over, celebrate the effort of trying, not that they executed it correctly. The fun is in the trying.

Be specific about when you saw that effort, and they'll be even happier that you're focusing on them. That is one way that confidence can be built as well. Number four, encourage connection on the ice. Goal tending guys, we know it can feel lonely out there. I'm on the introverted side of things normally, but around the rink or on the ice, I go out of my way to open up more.

If your goalie feels comfortable chatting with teammates during a warm up or after whistles, giving fist bumps, maybe even saying a quick word to a defenseman after a tough play, that interaction can make the game feel lighter and makes them feel more part of things. Communicating during the play as well helps. Simple warning of a forechecker, a guy on the backdoor, or even a cheer for a great effort helps. Not every goalie is an extrovert, but even a small bit of connection can make the position feel a little bit less isolated. Finally, fifth, after the game, celebrate the experience and not the score.

Ask your goalie one simple question. If the score didn't matter, what did you like about your game today? And if they say nothing, which is what a lot of kids do, you know, when we ask our kids what they learned in school that day, try this. Give me one story. Just one.

Maybe it's about a save. Maybe it's about helping a teammate up. Maybe it's a funny moment that happened on the bench. You might need to prompt them with a question about something you saw. But the point is to share the experience and not evaluate it.

if we only celebrate wins and shutouts, we miss what the game really gives us, that's confidence, creativity, friendships, resilience. If kids learn to value those things, the results will take care of themselves and the love of the game will last a lot longer.

And, yes, sometimes that story is best told over ice cream. The truth is if we only celebrate wins and shutouts, we miss what the game really gives us, that's confidence, creativity, friendships, resilience. If kids learn to value those things, the results will take care of themselves and the love of the game will last a lot longer. So as you listen to Carter Hutton this week, remember, joy and development are not opposite ends of a spectrum. They're supposed to work together, guys.

Like the idea of celebrating the experience.

I think we need to celebrate what we want our child to get out of the game. And at the end of the day, it's not about wins and losses. I cannot remember a single score from a minor hockey game I played as a child, but I remember lots of experiences. I can't remember a single score from when my kid played minor hockey, but I remember some great times in the car, seeing him learn new things. I think we want to celebrate those things.

We get so focused in on the score and so many kids and even parents evaluate the success of a game on whether they won or lost and that's that's just sad.

It's good advice for our beer us beer leagurs I'm thinking of my I'm thinking of my Monday

the experience?

I I try to. Sometimes I get too caught

up in And that's something we should

we should do well like

you. Yeah.

Yeah. Mhmm.

I don't know how much longer I'm gonna be able to do this.

I should just go every time they let me.