NYHL News and Events
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Are Paid Coaches The Coming Trend in Minor Hockey?
The following article by Kristina Rutherford of CBC Sports is interesting reading particularly in the context of the escalating costs we all hear about in so many aspects of minor sports. There can be no doubt that the current economic environment will bring these issues into even sharper focus as pressures on disposable income for the average family continue to mount. For Leagues trying to maintain a level playing field for all Clubs, the ability of the wealthier organizations to lure coaching talent with hefty salaries makes providing an equitable competitive environment for all an even more elusive goal.
The more generously funded teams have always been able to buy the extra practice ice, the premium equipment and the expensive apparel but the ability to hire professional coaching could raise the bar beyond reach for most Clubs and the parents who foot the bill. Maybe this is the way of the future. Major League baseball dealt with the Yankees and their deep pockets for many years and in spite of that the Yanks haven’t always been the World Series Champions. Money does make a difference but not the only difference.
If your interested, read the article and if you’d like to comment send your thoughts along to coo@nyhl.on.ca. We’ll pick out a selection of representative feedback and publish it on the website.
Big bucks behind the bench in the GTHL
‘When a minor midget coach is getting $70,000 a year, I consider that incredible’
By Kristina Rutherford CBC Sports
One coach in the GTHL estimates 90 per cent of AAA coaches in the league are being paid. (Fabrice Coffrini/Getty Images)There are a lot of tight lips and padded pockets in the Greater Toronto Hockey League.
It’s clear that AAA coaches are being paid – 90 per cent of them, if you ask Toronto Junior Canadiens peewee coach Jules Jardine. He’s among them, and he’ll admit it.
But when it comes to how much these coaches are making and where the cash is coming from, well, people aren’t so willing to talk about that.
Says Jardine, “I’d rather keep that personal.”
The former pro will say the average coach salary at the AAA level these days is between $5,000 – $12,000, but that number varies, depending on who you ask.
“It’s not getting crazy,” says Jardine, who played pro hockey in Europe and one season in the CHL. “I have heard some crazy numbers out there, though.”
Numbers like $50,000 and more, but it’s all rumours. Nobody’s owning up or naming names.
“When a minor midget coach is getting $70,000 a year, I consider that incredible,” says Mike Chraba, GM of the AAA Toronto Marlboros. He doesn’t agree with it, but he’s heard about it.
Director of Victoria Minor Hockey Rob Richardson says it’s about time hockey was on par with other sports, where payment for coaches is the norm.
“My son was nine and figure skating, we had to pay his coach, we had to pay for his coach to go to a figure skating competition, pay her wages, expenses, everything,” Richardson says. “Why shouldn’t the same be applied to minor hockey?”
Richardson studied minor leagues across the country before deciding coaches in Victoria should be eligible to earn between $1,500 — $7,500 for a season, on top of expenses. Of all the coaching salaries he looked at, Richardson says, “Toronto is the extreme.”
Vaive’s salary a secret
Former NHLer Rick Vaive admits he was paid for his stint behind the bench with the Toronto Nationals minor midget team last season, but the former Maple Leafs captain isn’t naming numbers.
“Mainly it was a Christmas bonus more than anything else,” Vaive says. “Basically, it was taking care of expenses…There was a little bit more to it, for, you know what I mean, putting in the amount of hours.”
Vaive says it wasn’t a job, and the money was “nothing I was going to live on.”
“I live in Oakville, and it’s pretty expensive to live in Oakville,” he says. “This was not something that would get me through the year as far as my personal expenses go.”
Nationals GM Garry Punchard wasn’t naming numbers, either, when it comes to Vaive’s salary.
“It was only rumoured it was too much,” Punchard says. “What do I consider too much? Anything over zero. It was quite a bit more than that, I understand.”
As for the source of the cash, Punchard says the Nationals have never paid a coach — the money usually comes from parents of kids on the team. Sometimes it’s one wealthy parent who sponsors the coach.
The GM says this means coaching salaries may have no bounds in Toronto’s minor hockey system.
“It could be unlimited if there’s a wealth on a certain team, meaning there’s no purse-strings attached.”
‘Parents control the league’
The GTHL requires teams submit a budget before players commit to a season, so they know exactly what they’re signing up for and where their money is being used.
“Some teams in the organization have different budgets,” says Punchard. “They have an influx of cash, let’s put it that way.”
The GM says this started happening, to his knowledge, about 10 years ago.
“Certainly it’s not like it was 25 years ago, and of course that all stems from the parents. You’ve got to understand that the parents control the league, and that’s not to be nasty to them, but it’s just that that’s the way it goes,” Punchard says.
“Whether it’s A, AA, AAA or house league or select teams, the parents seem to be more involved today than they were 25, 30 years ago.”
Like the Nationals, the Toronto Marlboros don’t condone paying coaches, but it’s hard to stop. That organization’s GM said there are no paid coaches in the system right now, but there have been in the past, with salaries as high as $40,000.
“If a parent group wants to get together and decide they want to recruit a coach and spend money on it, that coach first of all has to be proofed by us,” says Chraba. “We also go to the coach and say, ‘This is not right. We’re tolerating it for this year only.’”
The situation they’re trying to avoid is what happens when parents pay the coach and decide they should have control over the team. Chraba says that’s why no paid coach has been with the Marlboros for two consecutive years.
“We just can’t see people getting paid to coach, it’s not right,” he says. “The problem isn’t when coaches are paid to cover their expenses, the problem is when you get a coach that really wants to take advantage of parents because of his expertise and charges extra money.
“Being paid a salary, I don’t think can be justifiable.”
Troy Binnie played a decade of pro hockey and now coaches his son Mitchell’s peewee AAA team with the Nationals. He said he’d never accept a cent, unless he was coaching at the junior level or higher. This puts him in the minority in the GTHL’s AAA ranks.
“I just think it’s taken away from the game,” Binnie says. “It is still a game. When Gretzky and all the true hockey stars, even Sidney Crosby, were playing minor hockey, none of their coaches were paid. They were parent volunteers, volunteers period.
“These guys that are being paid to coach right now, when they were growing up, they had parent volunteers coaching them. Why aren’t they putting the time back in that those parents put in for them?”
Average salary: $25,000?
Binnie’s main concern is the way it’s changing the focus of the game for the kids.
“There’s not as much fun in the game as there used to be. It’s all about winning, it’s all about having the best 12-year-old do a dumbbell workout,” he says.
The coach says from what he’s heard, the average salary for AAA coaches in the GTHL is $25,000, with $15,000 being “the low range.”
“There’s lots of money in hockey,” Binnie says. “Minor hockey is a business nowadays, it really is.”
Those in favour of paying coaches will say the same thing — it’s a business, and if winning and development are a priority, why not recruit the best coaches and reward them?
“You’re putting in a lot of time developing these kids,” says Vaive. “I don’t think it should get out of control, but at the same time, the GTHL is a business and these kids are there, they’re paying lots of money to play there, so you want to give them the best possible people to coach.
“In order to get top-level people to come in that can teach these kids, in some cases you have to pay them. If you have organizations that are willing to do that, then I don’t see a problem with it.”
Judging by the number of teams willing to pay for top-end AAA coaches, it seems few in the GTHL have a problem with it, either.
“What seems to be something that was sort of taboo 15 years ago, paying minor hockey coaches, is really the norm now,” says Jardine, who’s been coaching in the league for 10 years.
While he thinks a salary of $50,000 is too much at the minor levels, Jardine notes, “it’s what the market will bear.” And in the GTHL, he says, that’s a lot.
“There’s no end to some of the possibilities that could develop over the years.”
This is the last of Our Game’s three-part series on paid positions in minor hockey. Also see part one: ‘It’s supposed to be volunteer’ , and part two: Coaches courted with payment in minor hockey.
Helmets have an expiry date
Hockey helmets, like almost all consumer products, have a life cycle. The inner padding and the plastic shell components lose their protective capability over time and are less effective in preventing injury. The helmet is often a neglected piece that isn’t considered perishable. It’s often assumed to be indestructible and, until it fails and injury results, it isn’t given much thought. While it is important that coaches and parents ensure that all protective equipment worn by players is in good condition, the helmet often escapes vigilance. There is a small sticker on the back of the helmet that has the maximum effective date on it. Once the product ages beyond that date it has to be replaced. To continue to wear it in games is not only dangerous, it also violates the rules of the game. With the traditional gift-giving period coming up now is an opportune time to check those helmets and replace the ones that are out of date. Your player will not only be more comfortable, but a lot safer too.
Hits from Behind – It’s Time We Got the Message
Hockey Canada and every hockey organization in the country has recognized the inherent danger in checks from behind. The recipient has no way to protect and often no way to anticipate being hit in this fashion. The act has been described as cowardly, mean and irresponsible, and every year the on-ice officials are urged to call the penalty closely, allow no latitude, and err on the side of strictness.
The NYHL referees have heard the message and heeded the intent. Since the season began on October 14th there have been more than 100 CFB penalties called and an equal number of suspensions issued by the League office. While it may be obvious that the officials did get the message it is equally apparent that some of the teams have yet to hear it.
Not only does the check from behind endanger the player receiving it. More than half the time the team serving the penalty is scored upon while they are short handed. Under the feeble excuse of playing “tough hockey”, the offender has committed the ultimate selfish act of hurting his own team. Good coaching will recognize that fact and act upon it through training, counseling and zero tolerance.
Suspensions alone are not an answer. They come after the fact and do nothing to protect against the offense happening or the needless injury that can result. Coaches, players and parents alike share the responsibility for eradicating the check from behind from the Canadian game. Working together they can make the needed difference. Not doing so unnecessarily risks injury, suspension and team success.
Teaching players the proper technique for taking a check is as important as teaching them how to deliver one. For parents, making sure your player understands the concept of respect for opponents is key to spreading the mind set necessary to wipe out this blight on the game. In doing your part with your players you will contribute to their safety as well.
Clubs also need to take an active role in eradicating the problem. The Liaison people are made aware every time there is a suspension. Teams that are frequent offenders need to feel considerable pressure from Club Executives who can emphasize the unacceptability of that kind of play by teams who carry their banner. Working together we can all make the difference. Those who don’t or won’t get the message will find themselves increasingly ostracized through suspension, exclusion and riding the pines while others play. With a little effort and common sense, none of that needs to happen.
Rinks, Respect and The Magic of the Automobile.
Over the season, we will be using a variety of rinks, mostly city owned and run but there is one private and several board run in the mix. The contracts are therefore not always consistent rink-to-rink, and that can impact floods, user restrictions, and the facilities themselves. Over-all the arenas are reasonably well maintained affording consistently good ice and safe conditions. There are some that are better, or closer to home or more desirable for a variety of reasons. But, for many years, there has been tremendous competition for ice everywhere in the GTA and that will not likely change anytime soon. The NYHL contracts ice where it is available and affordable and as the League grows we will undoubtedly be looking for more ice while trying to keep usage of the ice we have as efficient as possible. Th length of periods, timing of the floods and the start of game procedures are all part of managing a very scarce and expensive commodity – ice!
Don’t tug on Superman’s cape. The arena staff are bound by the guidelines and policies set down by their management and are deserving of our respect and cooperation. Parents and team staff are responsible for the behaviour of players in the arenas and when the rooms and equipment are trashed, damaged or abused, the Clubs are liable for the necessary cleanup and/or repair. Most of the arenas have a policy against food in the dressing rooms. Staff may sometimes choose to be tolerant of the post-game pizza but when the food is thrown around and the room left in a mess the NYHL pays the clean up and bills it back to the team plus the appropriate fine. You can understand the arena staff’ frustration when they are being good guys by letting the food in but then are saddled with a disgusting mess to clean up. Fortunately, most players, parents and team staff have more class than the inconsiderate few. But the restrictive policies that result, though intended to deal with that minority, end up curtailing the fun for everybody. It all comes back to treating people the way we ourelves like to be treated.
How far is too far? We are fortunate to play all of our league games within the GTA. Of the arenas we use, East York is the furthest east and Lakeshore is the furthest west. Maple is the northern most with Geo Bell at the southern limit. Compared to the distances teams in other jurisdictions routinely travel, all of the NYHL arenas are within a reasonable drive for a hockey game, and the vast majority of people do travel to the games in the comfort of the automobile. The computer schedules on a random basis according to ice contracts and team availabilities. If you are getting a lot of games in particular arenas now that will probably change when you play the other teams in your group and the matrix of availabilities alters. There are concessions that we all make to traffic, and weather, early game times, and distance to travel, but leaving a bit earlier when faced with those conditions usually takes care of the problem.
Bladenet, Schedules, Scores and Standings
The NYHL 3-week rolling schedule is up and this week we are going to stretch it to four. In addition, the scores and standings are being uploaded daily. Having a reliable published schedule was one of the key objectives identified by the NYHL Board and endorsed by the Club Presidents and Contacts. Hopefully, it will make it easier for Team Staff, players and families to plan their lives during the hectic hockey season.
Schedule Changes To keep the data reliable, there can be no changes once the schedule has been posted.
Team Availability and Black-out Days: Among the criteria that made the new scheduling system possible: All teams must be available a minimum of five days per week. The Club Contact and Team Staff have supplied the League with two black-out days for each team and they have been programmed into the computers. Because we are committed to a three-week rolling schedule and are now trying to make it four), any changes to black-out days, tournament permission and/or exception day requests, must be received 5 weeks prior to the dates being requested.
Standings, Groups and Final Tiering: The Standings section on Bladenet shows the teams in their fall season groupings. The groups were formed from data on the team’s prior season performance and also from input provided by Club Contacts. The teams will stay in these groups for the ten games of the fall season. In early December the Tiering Committee will meet and, based on the data from the fall season, allocate the teams into the tiers they will compete in during the winter season and playoffs. Before those tiers are finalized, they will be given to the Club Contacts for their input. Once the Contacts’ information has been considered the final tiers will be announced on or before December 15th. Th winter season will commence the week of January 3rd, 2009.
The &@*^/&/!X* … Ref Won’t Talk To Me!!
The timekeeper’s scratchpad is full and so is the box. The bench is down to one defenseman and the goalie just threw up. The roar in the building exceeds the bylaw and the linesman are busy picking trash cans off the ice. The coach’s son was just ejected and the team hasn’t won in seven games. And now the coach wants the ref to come over. To get his attention he is standing on the bench with one foot on the dasherboard. His arms are waving an obscene message in semaphore and his whole head is the colour of fresh blood. He can’t remember the ref’s name so he shouts different biblical and anatomical combinations to see what will work. Still the guy won’t come over. He has to come over!! … Doesn’t he?
No, he doesn’t have to come over. If the coach has a legitimate question that doesn’t involve ancestry, sexual preference or the marital status of the referee’s parents, the captain can approach him and relay the query. When things calm down a bit, and coming over won’t escalate an already volatile situation, he probably will visit the bench and speak directly with the head coach. And only the head coach. If the coach is standing on the bench he’ll ask him to step down to where they can speak one-on-one in normal tones. Unless there is an inner-ear problem, waving the arms for balance probably won’t be necessary for either of them. Both should ask their questions and deliver their responses in the same manner they would like reciprocated. A polite, reasonable approach should get a polite, reasonable response. Beligerance begets arrogance and arrogance begets beligerance. Neither party wins the confidence, respect or cooperation that both the coach and the official need to be an asset to the game.
The coach can request that the referee come to the bench when communication through the captain needs some supplementary dialogue. The referee is not obligated to come over and if he chooses to do so, he is allowed to pick his time. If coming over will escalate the volatility of a situation or initiate a confrontation, the wise referee will let things cool down a little and approach the bench when a reasonable expectation for respectful dialogue has been restored. But, if either the coach or the official is putting on a show for the onlookers the prospect of a favourable outcome for either party is nil.
When is a Scrimmage an Exhibition Game?
Rule/Policy Clarification
Teams often use their practice ice for scrimmages and they can be ‘intersquad’ or even involve another team from the same Club. Those circumstances don’t require the NYHL office to be notified and the coaches can referee without compromising the insurance coverage or creating any extraordinary liability. If a team from another Club is involved the scrimmage is then an exhibition game and all of the game requirements come into play. The office must be notified and give permission prior to the event, certified officials must referee, and a game sheet must be properly prepared and submitted to the office within 48 hours of the game’s conclusion. If any of the above conditions are not followed there are insurance/liability implications and the team(s) are subject to a $150 fine.
Tournaments And Exception Days
Rule/Policy Clarification
We are about to start the season and many Clubs have already had teams going to tournaments. It is probably a good time to go over the details of applying and what the exemptions from the League schedule actually provide.
First, you are all aware that each team is allowed three tournaments and two exception days. In addition you are permitted to enter tournaments at Christmas and at Easter as they do not have any impact on the League schedule in that there are no League games played either at Christmas or during the Easter weekend.
It is important to remember that a tournament exemption is for three days only – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Should you need an extra day to travel, sharpen your skates or get your hair done, it has to be requested as an exception day along with your tournament application. If you also need the Monday to travel home or to catch up on your sleep it must also be taken as an exception day and applied for along with your tournament permission request. The foregoing scenario means that you will have used one tournament exemption and both of your exception days for the one tournament. You would now have two tournaments left and no exception days to be used for any other purpose ie, fundraisers, Club or team parties, dances, baptisms, bar mitvahs, or trips to Wonderland. The same would apply if you are entering a four-day tournament eg Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Upon approval of your Tournament permission request you have three days for the tournament and one day (Thursday) must be taken as an exception day. The alternative is for you to get the tournament organizers to agree not to schedule you to play on the Thursday of the tournament.
Teams should be aware that there is a cap on the number of teams that can be given an exemption from the schedule for either a tournament or an exception day. Once that cap has been reached no further exemptions can be granted regardless of whether the request is within the five-week cutoff or not. There are a couple of ways to beat the cap. 1) Get your request in early 2) Wait until the 3-week rolling schedule is published and if your team is not scheduled on the days in question you can apply anytime – even after the 5-week cutoff date.
Exception days are intended to provide teams with a way to be exempted from the League schedule for special occasions, fundraisers, parties, etc. Recently, with teams travelling further for tournaments they have also been used to provide extra travel days when required. The same 5-weeks’ notice is needed for exception days as is required for tournament applications. The cut off dates for applying for either tournaments or exception days are available on the website and from your Club Contact.
Five days of complete availability are required from every team and the Club Contacts have provided the days your team is not available to the League office. House League activities and Select practices are not excluded in the NYHL schedule preparation unless your Club has protected them within the two days per week that your team is not available. Any change to a team’s availability must be requested 5-weeks prior to the date when the change is needed in order to b accommodated in the three-week rolling schedule.
We hope the foregoing clarifies the way tournaments and exception days are handled. Good luck and Best wishes for an enjoyable season!