Zach Parise Says 2012 Cup Run Was "Surreal", Talks Brodeur

[TheMazz]

As promised here is my interview with ZP. (I am still waiting on the Zubrus answers to get back to me) Parise talks Marty Brodeur, bashes NHL expansion and reminisces about the 2012 Stanley Cup playoff run.

 

http://www.alternativenation.net/zach-parise-bashes-expansion-talks-upcoming-season/

Edited October 9, 2014 by TheMazz

[dmann422]

Great interview, well done with a wide variety of questions.

Very interesting that he is so adamantly opposed to expansion. I wonder how common that feeling is amongst players.

[hystyk28]

As promised here is my interview with ZP. (I am still waiting on the Zubrus answers to get back to me) Parise talks Marty Brodeur, bashes NHL expansion and reminisces about the 2012 Stanley Cup playoff run.

http://www.alternativenation.net/zach-parise-bashes-expansion-talks-upcoming-season/

Nicely done.

However, the "A" is for alternate captain. Thought I would point that out since your website is Alternative Nation.

Looking forward to Zubes.

[Devilsfan118]

Great interview.  I really don't harbor much ill will to the guy anymore, wish he was still here but.. such is life.

 

Lots of interesting questions.

[TheMazz]

Well I e-mailed Mike Miller, Sportsnet and pretty much everyone else and they didn't notice the "assistant" flub. Hopefully the rest of the big dogs don't either. Haha

[aylbert]

It's a very common flub and you often hear them say "Alternate or Assistant Captain" in conversation,  but it is truly 'Alternate' Captain

[MadDog2020]

Great interview. I really don't harbor much ill will to the guy anymore, wish he was still here but.. such is life.

Lots of interesting questions.

I harbor none anymore... With what's happened to JP, Zach should be where he is. I can't imagine dealing with something like that and being far away from my family.

[95Crash]

Nice interview. Did you talk to him in person? On the phone? Through email?

[hystyk28]

Well I e-mailed Mike Miller, Sportsnet and pretty much everyone else and they didn't notice the "assistant" flub. Hopefully the rest of the big dogs don't either. Haha

I was just breaking balls. In America, it is commonly interchanged. I hope you didn't take it as a knock, as it surely wasn't. Although,the name of your site just made it funny to me.

[TheMazz]

Nice interview. Did you talk to him in person? On the phone? Through email?

 

Over the phone. It sounded like they were just done with practice or about to practice so I only had a short time w/ him.

I was just breaking balls. In America, it is commonly interchanged. I hope you didn't take it as a knock, as it surely wasn't. Although,the name of your site just made it funny to me.

 

Well you know, tone gets lost in text so it's hard to tell at times.

[hystyk28]

Great interview, well done with a wide variety of questions.

Very interesting that he is so adamantly opposed to expansion. I wonder how common that feeling is amongst players.

He may get a nice email from the NHLPA.

[Mitico12]

I don't think Easton is gonna like what he said about hockey equipment, although I couldn't agree with him more.  Equipment is too expensive, and hockey is becoming an elitist game.

 

Not good for the long term viability of the game IMO.

 

People already don't play games physically, showing preference to TV and game consoles.  Imagine if you make the $250 stick a standard these days, very few players will be able to afford it.

[ThreeCups]

I don't think Easton is gonna like what he said about hockey equipment, although I couldn't agree with him more.  Equipment is too expensive, and hockey is becoming an elitist game.

 

Not good for the long term viability of the game IMO.

 

People already don't play games physically, showing preference to TV and game consoles.  Imagine if you make the $250 stick a standard these days, very few players will be able to afford it.

 

 

$250 is for pro equivalent sticks.

 

Most people would not even get the full benefit of using such sticks.   Children CERTAINLY wouldn't.  There are plenty of great sticks available for $60-$80, with the cheapest options around $20-$25

[ATLL765]

$250 is for pro equivalent sticks.

Most people would not even get the full benefit of using such sticks. Children CERTAINLY wouldn't. There are plenty of great sticks available for $60-$80, with the cheapest options around $20-$25

That's what you think. My younger brother plays travel hockey. Pretty much every kid on his team has a high end stick. They're cheaper than getting the full size sticks, but they're still quite expensive.

My brother is 11, so it's not like it's even older kids that could probably utilize the advantages a top of the line stick provides. The biggest advantage for the younger kids is really only that the stick is lighter.

My Father isn't what you'd call rich, but as an attorney, he does ok for himself. Some of the other parents are definitely rich though.

One of them even had a rink built on their property. I'm not talking about some dinky little thing in the backyard, I mean a real rink where my brother got the opportunity to practice with some draft eligible forwards a while back. One of which was Max Domi. So clearly this was a quality sheet of ice that would cost quite a lot to build and maintain.

My Dad was telling me about how a parent he heard about that started a team just for his kid. He said that he paid to relocate people to coach the team and families to get certain kids playing on the team. He was paying these people the coaches $200k+. That's nuts and I don't think you hear about people doing that in youth basketball outside of kids moving to another area to play for a better high school team.

Edited October 10, 2014 by ATLL765

[hystyk28]

That's what you think. My younger brother plays travel hockey. Pretty much every kid on his team has a high end stick. They're cheaper than getting the full size sticks, but they're still quite expensive.

My brother is 11, so it's not like it's even older kids that could probably utilize the advantages a top of the line stick provides. The biggest advantage for the younger kids is really only that the stick is lighter.

My Father isn't what you'd call rich, but as an attorney, he does ok for himself. Some of the other parents are definitely rich though.

One of them even had a rink built on their property. I'm not talking about some dinky little thing in the backyard, I mean a real rink where my brother got the opportunity to practice with some draft eligible forwards a while back. One of which was Max Domi. So clearly this was a quality sheet of ice that would cost quite a lot to build and maintain.

My Dad was telling me about how a parent he heard about that started a team just for his kid. He said that he paid to relocate people to coach the team and families to get certain kids playing on the team. He was paying these people the coaches $200k+. That's nuts and I don't think you hear about people doing that in youth basketball outside of kids moving to another area to play for a better high school team.

I bet his kid doesn't get further than a junior c or a D3 program. I wanna start banging the old lady so I can get on the ice. So jealous.

[ATLL765]

I bet his kid doesn't get further than a junior c or a D3 program. I wanna start banging the old lady so I can get on the ice. So jealous.

Lol. I'm equally jealous. I'd be in the rink 24/7. It'd be awesome to call up a few friends to play a pick up game and after that, to just walk into your house for a few beers.

Not to mention, you, ya know, GET TO DRIVE A ZAMBONI!!

[devilsfan26]

They had their own maintained rink at their house, with a Zamboni too?  Was there a roof over it and did they have all the compressors and refrigeration equipment or was it seasonal?  Either way, that is awesome.

 

The costs are getting outrageous though.  I remember when the first one-piece composite sticks came out at around $150 and that seemed nonsensical, now they're going for almost double that.  Top of the line skates are approaching $1000 these days!  The younger kids aren't physically able to take advantage of what the top of the line stuff has to offer, but you know how kids are--I bet most kids playing squirt and up that use a wood stick or even a two-piece stick or a low-end one-piece get made fun of in the locker room.  The parents are also so hellbent on their kid playing in the NHL that they are duped into believing that if their kid has the most expensive equipment, it will make them a better player.  I used to work in a pro shop and some parents just refused to believe me when I tried to save them money by suggesting a wood stick for beginners or a low-end composite.  The cost of equipment is only the tip of the iceberg though, the cost of ice time is an even bigger factor. 

 

It used to annoy me that my parents wouldn't let me try out for any travel teams but now that I work at a rink and see how much it costs, I understand.  The equipment is expensive but at least if you take care of it you only need to replace it when your kid outgrows it.  To play on a travel team costs a few thousand bucks EVERY YEAR just to be on the team, a few hundred for jerseys, bags, and warm-up suits, hotels at tournaments, etc.  Expensive clinics and private lessons also.  Not to mention giving up your weekends from September through March driving your kid all over the state for games, or out of state for tournaments. 

 

What's even worse is that 10-15 years ago, there were at least in-house leagues you could play in that were much cheaper and didn't involve any of the traveling or demanding time commitment, but those are dwindling away.  The skill level was considerably lower and the coaching usually consisted of some kid's dad volunteering so that he can make sure his son gets a ton of ice time, but at least it was a more affordable and less time-consuming place to let your kid play hockey.  Now those are fading out because there is much more money to be made on travel players.  Very few players actually get cut from Tier II teams now, because if they have enough kids who couldn't make the AA team, now they are the A team, and the kids who couldn't make the A team make the B team, and anyone who couldn't make the B team becomes a second B team, and the two or three kids left without a team go to the supplemental tryouts for some other team who has room on their B team for a few more players and a few more thousand dollars in revenue.  If you don't make the team, they'll make a team for you so that they can sell you the uniform and suck you into paying thousands of dollars to be on the travel team, and the parents willingly pay it because (1) they think their son will play in the NHL or their daughter will get a scholarship, and (2) most places have no other option for organized hockey since the in-house leagues are fading away. 

 

Without the in-house leagues, if your parents don't have the time or money to sign you up for a travel team, you don't have anywhere to play and all that money spent on expensive equipment was a waste.  Roller hockey used to be a cheap alternative, and that is still big for adults but the youth roller leagues are almost impossible to find now.  It sucks because at tryouts when kids are asking why their number wasn't posted on the roster, we have to basically them, "Sorry, you don't get to play hockey this year," and you know that without an in-house league to play in until next year's tryouts, they won't make it next year either unless their parents bring them to a bunch of clinics and private lessons all year long hoping that they pay off.

 

The rising cost of playing hockey is a serious problem.  As opposed to football, basketball, baseball, and soccer, which kids commonly play in pick-up games or gym class, if you don't start playing hockey between the ages of 5-10, you have a ton of catching up to do, and you can't even get started on that until you become a good skater.  Also, if you are just starting at age 12, you're not making the travel team, and if you don't have a nearby in-house league, how can you even start catching up to the other kids?  The amount of catching up needed is a big deterrent for any teenagers or pre-teens who may be interested in starting to play hockey.  Having to learn how to skate before even picking up a stick is already a big deterrent compared to other sports regardless of age because every kid already knows how to run, and the costs of the equipment just makes it that much less likely for parents to introduce their kids to hockey.  Around the ages of 5-8, you don't know if your kid is going to stick with the sport or not, so spending all the money on equipment and skating lessons doesn't seem like a very wise investment, and skyrocketing costs are making that investment seem even more unreasonable.

Edited October 10, 2014 by devilsfan26

[95Crash]

My 6-year-old recently enrolled in a town-run clinic that runs September-March. It cost me $275 to sign him up plus another $300 for his equipment.

 

Thanks for the warning about future costs. I might have to think twice about this.

[ATLL765]

I have no clue what it looked like, I've never seen the rink. I'm assuming it had to be at least a half size sheet of ice. They might not have a Zamboni, but if they had a few top tier prospects coming there to hang out and practice, it's gotta be a pretty high quality rink. And like I said, money is not a problem for this family, at all.

That sucks about house leagues disappearing. That's how I started playing hockey as a kid, but you're right about how much money there is to be made off travel teams.

When people see how much it'll cost to play, it's a real turn off and it's a shame that hockey, at least in most of the US where lakes don't freeze in the winter, is a sport only for the wealthy.

My Dad showed me a book he was reading about the cost of youth hockey. In it there was a bit about Matt Duchene. His parents estimated the cost of him playing hockey as a kid at $300k.

[devilsfan26]

Thanks for the warning about future costs. I might have to think twice about this.

Man, as someone who has introduced a bunch of people to hockey with the hope that it provides them with a lifetime of enjoyment like it has for me, it is very sad to read that, but unfortunately that is the reality of hockey these days.  If you're not on board with the time and money commitments for travel hockey, I encourage you to at least see if there is an in-house league in your area before giving it up. 

 

I can thank hockey for pretty much every positive aspect of my life--my friends who either became hockey players/fans because of me or who became my friends instantly because they were already involved with hockey and that is something that is unique enough to create an instant bond with other people, my career in administering leagues, my time away from work spent with my teammates at practice/games and carpooling and sharing hotel rooms on road trips, etc.  Despite having never played on a travel team until college, I still have a life centered around hockey because the in-house leagues gave me a place to play where the time and money commitment wasn't too much for my parents and it didn't matter that I wasn't very good.  I was usually one of the weaker kids on the team and my skills developed very slowly until I got to college because of the lack of actual coaching, but hey I was playing hockey and that made me happy.  If I was growing up now and my area didn't have any in-house leagues, my life would be totally different and probably not nearly as fun, and it's sad that there are kids that could be growing up similarly but can't because they have nowhere to play.

If you want, I might be able to see if there are any non-travel options for your kid in your area, you would just need to let me know what town you're in so I know what rinks to check.

[devilsfan26]

My Dad showed me a book he was reading about the cost of youth hockey. In it there was a bit about Matt Duchene. His parents estimated the cost of him playing hockey as a kid at $300k.

To be fair though, players that make it to the NHL aren't a fair representation of costs for most people.  The kids at that level probably incur higher team tuition costs and also most likely attend expensive clinics and especially private lessons very often, and their private lessons are probably with some highly-regarded coaches that charge top dollar.  I still find the estimate of $300k to be hard to figure out though.  Assuming we are talking about ages 5-18, that's over $20,000 a year.  Even if the team costs $5000 to be a part of and you're spending an unrealistically excessive $2000 on new equipment every year (which was considerably more affordable when he was growing up compared to now), I don't think the costs of lessons, clinics, and even gas for traveling etc, would average out to 20k a year.  Don't get me wrong, it is certainly an expensive sport though.

[ATLL765]

To be fair though, players that make it to the NHL aren't a fair representation of costs for most people. The kids at that level probably incur higher team tuition costs and also most likely attend expensive clinics and especially private lessons very often, and their private lessons are probably with some highly-regarded coaches that charge top dollar. I still find the estimate of $300k to be hard to figure out though. Assuming we are talking about ages 5-18, that's over $20,000 a year. Even if the team costs $5000 to be a part of and you're spending an unrealistically excessive $2000 on new equipment every year (which was considerably more affordable when he was growing up compared to now), I don't think the costs of lessons, clinics, and even gas for traveling etc, would average out to 20k a year. Don't get me wrong, it is certainly an expensive sport though.

Pretty sure that number included moving their entire family to an area with higher quality hockey teams. $20k/year is not that far fetched though. It's not cheap to travel. Last year my brother played on a tournament in Edmonton. A week in a hotel, food, rental car, round trip plane tickets for two people. That's not cheap. Had my father gone with his wife and my brother, it would have cost even more. That trip alone was probably in the neighborhood of $1000.

My Dad constantly complains about how all the tournaments are now what they call, "stay to play", meaning that if you want to play in the tournament, you have to stay on a particular hotel. That's ridiculous and I'm sure these aren't exactly budget hotels either.

[Chuck the Duck]

My 6-year-old recently enrolled in a town-run clinic that runs September-March. It cost me $275 to sign him up plus another $300 for his equipment.

Thanks for the warning about future costs. I might have to think twice about this.

Just wait. Once he joins a team, it gets a lot worse. My 6 year olds town team cost $1000 for the season, including jersey and socks. However, on the bright side he gets a ton of practice time (preseason he's been practicing 3 days a week) and they play 18-20 games. Travel teams are over $4000 for the season, not including the cost of travel for the parent and kid.

This sport is super expensive, and only gets worse as time passes. When I played in college in the late 90's, ice time cost $200-250/hr. and the top end sticks were approx. $50. Now ice is well over $500/hr. And top sticks cost over $250. It's crazy.

[95Crash]

Man, as someone who has introduced a bunch of people to hockey with the hope that it provides them with a lifetime of enjoyment like it has for me, it is very sad to read that, but unfortunately that is the reality of hockey these days.  If you're not on board with the time and money commitments for travel hockey, I encourage you to at least see if there is an in-house league in your area before giving it up. 

 

He only just started practicing two weeks ago and seems to like it so far. That is all that matters to me right now, that he is having fun. I'll be taking it slow and worrying about the costs as they come.

[MadDog2020]

The disappearance of house leagues is depressing to me. They're where I learned to play hockey.