Mike Tate

[Mike Tate @mtater40]

@RyanEFox2

[Quad A Hockey Coach @AAAAHockeyCoach]

Parents, make sure when bragging about your child’s spring/summer hockey teams you add a few extra words.. no one cares about the junior flyers. Spruce it up, make it the Premium Jr. Flyers Selects ELITE. See how much more impressed you are saying it to yourself? #AAAAHockey

[Mike Tate @mtater40]

@RealDanZak I hope the people who are upset realize both UofM and Wash were in the locker room for the anthem prior to the National Championship. Sometimes, it's just a timing issue. NCAA games anthems are typically done at different times than regular season games.

[FloHockey @FloHockey]

Bigger than a game.

Jalen Smereck, Landon Cato, Josh Burnside, and new rookie additions Kyle Bollers and Elijah Gonsalves made history as the five starting skaters for the @CincyCyclones tonight.

Read more about this moment from @chrismpeters
🗞️: https://t.co/hQp4Fuz4d7

#ECHL

[NHL Media @NHLMedia]

The @CincyCyclones are making some hockey history tonight! 👏

They will become the first team in the history of pro hockey to start an all black lineup when they take on Wheeling Nailers.

@ECHL | #NHLTonight

[ECHL @ECHL]

History has been made in the #ECHL .

Tonight, the @CincyCyclones are the first team in the history of professional hockey to start an all Black lineup👏🏼

Landon Cato (2)
Elijah Gonsalves (10)
Jalen Smereck (5)
Kyle Bollers (86)
Josh Burnside (3)

[Brenna Greene @BrennaGreene_]

Today in the article about Kim Mulkey, Kent Babb said after Mulkey left the Baylor program was "left to wither" and "no longer among the sports' top tier".

Unprompted, Baylor HC Nicki Colleen had some thoughts about that postgame:

"I'm not afraid to say I was really offended by the article that came out. I didn't read any of it. Don't know what happened, but nothing's withering in Waco. Nothing is withering in Waco... We are not not a first tier team and you can't say we are. You can't get to the Sweet 16 and take a #1 seed down to the wire in a one possession game and say anything is withering in Waco... There's some stuff blooming in Waco. If he wants to come do an article and come to Waco and write about it next year, he's welcome."

[Topher Scott @HockeyThinkTank]

HOCKEY PARENTS: Something really interesting we noticed when I was coaching at the college level was a huge correlation between the confidence of a player to walk into our office and initiate a hard conversation…and their overall confidence as a player AND a person.

The kids that had an issue and knocked on our door to speak their mind…they were the ones most confident in themselves. It was really amazing to see.

Please stop fighting battles for your kids.

If they have an issue with their coach, they need to be the one that's going in and having the conversation.

Hard conversations are going to happen more and more each level that they go up. And if they have the confidence to go in and advocate for themselves, it's going to prepare them for the higher levels of hockey more than potentially anything else they'll do off the ice.

And not only does that lead to more confidence…

But if we as recruiters hear from a coach that mom or dad are an issue and helicopter parenting their kid…RED FLAG.

So please, let your kids go in and talk to the coach when they have a problem. Stop fighting their battles for them. It’s going to help them in so many ways in the long run.

[Mike Tate @mtater40]

Say it from the mountain TOP!!!!

[Topher Scott @HockeyThinkTank]

I just got off the phone with one of the best hockey directors in the North America. Just does things the right way and really cares about the kids and families in his and other organizations.

Their teams are always ranked at the top of the country on @MYHockeyRanking at the Tier 1 level too so hopefully that keeps the crazies reading.

And if you are one of those crazies who got more excited about that statement than the one about him doing things the right way, I hope what I’m about to say will resonate.

I asked him about the different successes at different birth years he’s seen in his area. What was it about certain birth years that lead to more successful years and more players moving on as they got older?

Were there any striking differences between the coaches, philosophies, standards between the ones that did well and the ones that didn’t?

His answer was awesome. And it goes against what so many believe about youth hockey development.

His answer?

The years that had more success and moved more kids on were the ones that didn’t create the super teams early. The talent was spread out amongst more teams in the area longer. There was a resistance to the urge of shortening the talent pyramid too early.

Amen.

For everyone out there that thinks Mite AAA is a good idea (I’d even say Squirt AAA), or who think that if a kid doesn’t make the Brick their career is over, or who pray on parents selling them on the premise they need to play on a super team before puberty or their development is gonna be left behind…

Retire from the game. You have no clue what you are talking about.

“As many as possible, for as long as possible.”

It’s a standard that I’ve researched from other countries that are top in the world in youth development. It’s an amazing motto they’ve lived by and promoted with their development models.

We do the opposite.

We structure things that drive people out of the game, with super elite AAA stupid crap at the youngest ages being Exhibit A.

Why does Minnesota always send out the most elite players?

“As many as possible for as long as possible.”

Rant done.

[Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness @coachajkings]

In 2005, Darren Sproles went to the NFL combine after a great college career.

He was an All-American, but his draft stock slid because of his height.

At the combine, he stood there as they measured his height and announced 5'6".

Owners, GMs, & coaches started laughing.

Then they measured his weight and announced 170 pounds. Everyone started to laugh even harder.

He called his dad that night and said, "Dad, they laughed at me."

His dad said, "You know what you to do then." Darren said, "I'm going to make sure they know who I am."

NFL Analyst Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) was there and he always remembers that moment. He said the chart didn't go low enough for him and he stood there as they reconfigured the height adjustment.

Jeremiah said, "What stood out to me, and if you talk to anyone in the room at that time: OK that can be a really embarrassing moment. He was such a stud, he never dropped his head, he looked everyone in the eye, he sat there waited for them to extend it down lower so they could get his height."

Sproles' ability to maintain his composure in a potentially embarrassing situation speaks volumes about his character.

He went on to be drafted in the 4th round by the San Diego Chargers and the rest was history.

Darren continued to be resilient and work hard because he always wanted to prove his doubters wrong. He said, “I wanted to be remembered as a player that gave everything he got.”

He might have been short in height, but he was never small. He could squat over 700 pounds and bench over 400 pounds when some LBs couldn't do either. He trained as hard as he could consistently. And in 2019 when he retired, he was one of the quickest and most powerful players pound for pound.

Takeaway 1: You can't quantify resilience, self-belief, and determination.

Takeaway 2: When you are confident in who you are, no external validation is necessary to affirm your self-worth.

We all experience fear, uncertainty, and doubt. However, it is how we respond that demonstrates our character. Darren Sproles' story serves as a powerful reminder that the spirit of perseverance can defy expectations and leave a more significant mark than any number on a chart ever could. It's not the measurements that make a champion, it's the unyielding resolve and determination.

"Whenever someone tells me that I can’t do something, I’m going to work extremely hard to prove to you that I can do something." - Darren Sproles
- - -
Follow me @coachajkings for posts like this!

[Michigan State Hockey @MSU_Hockey]

The sound in the arena after the final horn, the smiles, that tangible proof of achievement in your hands.

Spartan hockey keeps on keeping on - and isn’t done yet.

#GoGreen

[Mike Tate @mtater40]

This is disgusting.

A simple fix is to kick the entire team out of the league. They have to forfeit all fees and ice payments.

I'm sure these guys coach or help out with their kids' hockey, too. USA hockey needs to step in and take that privilege away.

[Jenna Trubiano @jtribs14]

I had a disturbing experience at the rink last night as a hockey player and I wanted to shed some light on it so others might be aware.

[Mike Tate @mtater40]

@CollegeSportsO Are they really bothering with announcing the starters? Just toss the ball up and play. The 9 people there can see who's on the court.

[Jacob Trausch @JacobTrausch]

@ByAZuniga Sounds way better when they don't cut the song early. Wish the UM sound guys would let the song play.

[Perani's Hockey World @hockeyworld]

Great news... We have another Sideline Swap event coming to our Livonia location! December 9 and 10th bring your gently used gear.

[Casey Campbell @ccampbell251]

Heres my interview with @Novi_Hockey's Luke Londo about this season so far and more

https://t.co/9YEtHolmuX

[The D Zone @TheD_Zone]

Orchard Lake Saint Mary's 2026 DE/TE Jack Janda spoke with The D Zone as he's getting ready for his junior season.

He talked about his soph. season, playing with his older brother, Kansas/MSU offers last week, and being offered by new MSU HC Jonathan Smith.

@JackJanda87 @OLSMUpdates @OLSMFootball

[Coach Gant (AIC & CIC) 🏈 @terrance_gant]

Best video I’ve seen about assessing talent.
#confidence
#belief
#delusional

[NCAA Ice Hockey @NCAAIceHockey]

🟢 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 🟢

@MSU_Hockey is this week's NCAA 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 after sweeping then No. 1 Wisconsin!

#NCAAHockey