Farmington Goalie Stunt

[Mid-Lake Rock]

I'm not surprised by this. It is nothing new. To be honest, I've seen worse. I played from mites through high school and graduated in 1994. During all those years I saw a lot of crazy stunts and bad behavior.

The sad thing is the behavior of the parents is often worse. All my old coaches hung it up because of the obnoxious parents. A former teammate agreed to coach a Bantam C team. He was left with all the kids who didn't make the A or B teams. The parents of his players would bark at him because their kid didn't make the A or B team. He actually took several of his low level guys and turned them into solid high school players. He finally quit because of the parents.

If I ever have children, I will encourage them to pursue an activity outside of Minnesota youth hockey. I absolutely love the game, but I can't stand the whining and complaining of many players and parents.

[Scott M]

The Marines will be good for the kid. I don't think he'll be flicking off his drill instructor. You know the drill sergeants are chomping at the bit to tear this kid apart, wish I had tickets to his first two weeks in basic.

[nofishfisherman]

I was thinking the same thing. The Marines will be an eye opening experience for this kid. He might come in with his attitude but I bet he doesn't hold on to it for very long.

If I were this kids coaches I'd try to find the kids Drill Sargent and email him a link to the video just to make sure they've seen it when he arrives. You could probably charge admission to the show that would ensue.

[DrJuice1980]

Gonna be one of those guys that thinks he's king s**t just cause he's a marine. This kids going to be a lifelong tool. Nice act Craftsman. Kudos to the coach to not giving into his entitlement. Hey buddy, that's the real world. You're not good enough you get passed up.

[JONOV]

I don't want to sound like I'm condoning this or anything, BUT...

What level of control and respect is the coach commanding that this would happen? I haven't been out of school that long, (graduated HS in 2006) but on the teams I played on, we had enough respect for the team, sport, teammates, coaches, etc not to pull something like that...I mean seriously, if he had already discussed it with his teammates, what kind of ratship is the coach running?

[DrJuice1980]

He can not coach parenting, he probably wants to keep his job and if every parent on the team complained there would be a good chance that he would be run out. This comes back to the sense of entitlement issue that is installed in most youths and enabled by their parents. Politics in youth hockey up to high school is one of the ugliest things in all of sports.

[JONOV]

Of course that I get that he can't coach parenting. And I get that Politics are ugly and Parents are ridiculous at times, I've seen it. But, doesn't every team have whack job parents of one type or another? I can't recall playing on teams (or officiating) without parents that were out of line/entitled and their offspring who were the same way. But do you really think that that would have happened at a championship caliber program? I hate to say it, if he had some backing and told OTHER PLAYERS beforehand, that represents a breakdown somewhere outside of the kids parents.

[Getanet]

This kid's behavior and apparent support from his parents is inexcusable, but come on, it's too early to write this kid off as doomed for failure.

I'm sure we all knew plenty of 17/18 year old kids who did incredibly stupid things at that age, who went on to become perfectly responsible, well-adjusted adults.

I would also imagine this incident gave coaches of all age groups in many different sports a golden opportunity to end practice early and have a heart-to-heart about sportsmanship, teamwork, and the need for everyone to embrace their role to achieve a common goal.

[MUSKY18]

Parents are the entire reason that I quit coaching. Dealing with the kids was complete fun, but dealing with all the off the ice issues was intolerable. I had one mom that used a stop watch to keep track of every second of her kids ice time and would come up to me after the game to tell me exactly how much less her son played compared to others. I never had to tell her that her kid sucked, played 4th line and that was the reason.

Had another dad threaten to "take me out behind the wood shed" because I sent his son out to play a shift with no stick. Kid played defense and refused to play the body (this was at Bantam level). After that one shift, he played the body.

Now I have taken up calling the games as a ref. Enjoy it much more than coaching. Parents or coaches get mouthy, they get shown the door. And believe it or not, even coaches at the Mite and Squirt level have been kicked out.

[birdswacker]

Politics aren't just in hockey anymore. Baseball,basketball and fast pitch are just as bad. I coach boys sports and my wife does the girls. We both find it quit amazing how boys parents dump them off on the curb show up late to pick them up don't care about helping at all but figure it's ok to bich when things don't work for there kid. Then the girls parents they hang out at the practices and bich when you try to tell little miss perfect how to hit the ball or shoot a free throw. For the most part the parents I've had have been pretty good but have heard of the pains at different age levels in my association.

Parents have a lot of money invested in these kids and have got to realize that you can't make a diamond out of a turd.

[SneakAttack]

I will be the first one to say I did some stupid stuff when I was 17.

Remember there are always two sides of a story.....

I also did some stupid stuff while in high school but without the help of my dad

Care to share the 2nd side of this story?

[Bear55]

I do have to chuckle at this, not funny but still kind of funny.

[Musky Buck]

Bingo birdswacker, I have resigned football,baseball, hockey wasn't high school so I just said I've had enough, better to move forward with someone else, I think some with hockey and parents is money, I can't afford my son hockey, the entry fee for his 10 year old team was 1,074 dollars a year just to join so these parents have many thousands invested into this thing so there you go, but like birdswacker said it isn't all hockey no, but emotion like RK says is way involved in hockey plus a steep $ tag by their senior year. Hockey is a great sport but in plenty of communities with revolving door coaches etc. it can get out of sorts, there's only is it 18 and 2 goalies so the 19th best player and the 3rd goalie are never happy or rarely, same in baseball your 10th best guy or 4th best pitcher etc. Volleyball the 7th best girl or in basketball the 6th best player etc. and there's always room to argue that, anyway, it's really tough to please everybody and not everybody even understands what all is going on with coaches decisions, then you get paid less than minimum wage and eventually like in my case I'd rather spend more time with my wife and kids who I continue to in a sense neglect because dads here and there and there and you're eating supper at all odd hours etc. Time to call it a good 20 years and open a new chapter in my families life, somebody elses turn, but guess what the AD called me the other day at work and said, got no takers for any of your positions, I wonder why ? hmmm.

[Musky Buck]

Way sorry back to the goalie stunt, it seems to reflect our society some of today, get noticed, take the easy way out, rather than be happy for your "teammates" who got playing time it's completely about me, I don't doubt the coaches sat him some because of attitude issues, you don't want a bad attitude to start eating into underclassmen, here's the going over like a lead balloon, but if it's all about playing time which it seems the coaches could've offered up you can start and play all JV games this year ? I wonder what % knew something likely would happen right after football season ended there or what other things were going on and building up to that night, I can't agree he handled that situation the right way when there were hundreds of other ways it could've been handled, most of his ideas and likely his dads way was revenge style, no high road here, and did I read dad yelled out I played D1 or something what have you done, then his dad should understand at the varsity level sometimes younger guys get the nod over older guys, I would think when his dad was a sophomore he likely started ahead of many juniors or seniors since having multiple D1 hockey players on a single team isn't common, hmmm. Glad that Farmington can move forward now.

[coffee]

My TWO CENTS; No room whatsoever for this behavior in high school sports. Team sport, individual sport any and all! This student was dead wrong. I can't read any more of the banter about this detail or that detail. He was absolutely, dead wrong today, tomorrow, yesteday whenever. As for the father - double-wrong!

[Mid-Lake Rock]

I also did some stupid stuff while in high school but without the help of my dad

Care to share the 2nd side of this story?

We have a winner! We all did stupid things at 17. However, if I pulled the stunt this goalie pulled, the only door my dad would have opened would be the one to kick my a$$.

[nofishfisherman]

We have a winner! We all did stupid things at 17. However, if I pulled the stunt this goalie pulled, the only door my dad would have opened would be the one to kick my a$$.

Agreed. If I had done that my dad would have been there to meet me at the door as well. But he would have sprinted from his seat in the stands to be the first one in line to kick the carp out of me.

[Musky Buck]

Agreed. My family would've had to move out of the town. Did this kid really love hockey or was it his dads wish to make him the next Martin Brodeur so that didn't pan out so now lets point the blame at coaches or other players or parents. I can't really say in my hockey days I saw much craziness really, nothing stands out anyway, I think this is why I didn't, we didn't need any coaches or parents to police our teams, we took care of it, not the coach or parents, we did what was needed to be done, what was needed to be said, and if we had a parent going against the grain we had that player fully aware of what he needed to do, what he needed to say, etc. You just never questioned a coaches decision, ever, you could go as far as think it, but you never made yourself bigger than the team, more important than the rest of the guys, we pushed each other toward being great as hard as we could because our goal was state tourney or bust whether we were good or not.

[toughguy]

Did this kid really love hockey or was it his dads wish to make him the next Martin Brodeur so that didn't pan out so now lets point the blame at coaches or other players or parents.

I think you hit the nail on the head here. How many thousands did this dad spend to get his kid to the point of starting varsity goalie? Seriously, anyone want to estimate it? $20K, $30K, more????? How many weekends and early mornings driving across the state? In the dads mind the coach is throwing all that cash out the window and costing his kid a chance at the NHL. High School sports have become way to competitive. HS sports should be about the memories and fun not a cut throat race to the next level. This is a sad statement about where we are as a society.

[fishing tech]

Ok, talked with a person I work with who's kids play hockey with the goalie and his younger sister.

Goalie is a head case, The dad has been bard from the ice arena, any ice arena that his daughter is playing or practicing at. Restraining order that he has no contact with the kids coaches or any board member with the association.

With parenting like that you almost have to think the kids never had a chance. To bad.

[Fish'nhockey]

I have a coworker who's son plays on that team. I have not talked to him yet. They have a very good group of 10th graders this year that my son has played against and I have coached against. It will be interesting how they handle this. Next season there will be seniors that will be cut or warming the bench and some of those parents are a little wound up.

I think it was a classless and selfish move on his and his dad's part. The Dad is a mouth.

I don't know what he's talking about, there were only 3 sophomores that played all year, one was the leading scorer and one was the "starting goalie". There were 4 freshman who made the team, two defenseman that were good and 2 forwards that should have stayed bantams, they may have peaked as peewees! The bantams moving up didn't make it anywhere in district playoffs, so I'd say same old Farmington.

[Bear55]

Goalie is a head case

Lets be honest what goalie isn't a head case? Not sure I've met one who wasn't at least a little bit "off".

[Musky Buck]

Let's end this thread with Herb Brooks. It's not the name on the back of the jersey, it's the one on the front.

[PierBridge]

Herb Brooks: When you pull on that jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates. And the name on the front is a hell of alot more important than the one on the back! ...

[Musky Buck]

Thanks Pierbridge ! I think as a whole in our country this statement by Herb has more dust and rust on it then it should.