Belleville Bulls U10 AA

Habs coach Marty St. Louis today on Ivan Demidov: “I’m still learning about Demi. You don’t wanna over-coach players like him…The thing I love about him, he’s such a talented kid. It’s not necessarily about him. He wants to do things to help the team, not necessarily ‘I’m gonna do the things that help me, what I like to do.’ I get the things he likes to do and he’s elite at that.” “I feel like that’s probably the hardest thing for a coach, it’s to convince a high-pick, young player that there’s a whole other game out there to be played besides the game that you like to do that’s gonna benefit the team. That’s what impresses me the most with Demi at his age, to really want to take care of the team, and still finding his own moments that he likes to do. That impresses me.”

“Now we’re just supposed to hug and kiss everybody. You know what? Do your job right. Go to class and you won’t hear about not going to class. Kids have so many distractions they don’t stay focused on the task at hand. Accountability is going to be big until I leave,” Tom Izzo

The question that we’re getting asked the most right now - what should my kid do now that the season is over? Play another sport.

KIDS: This is why hockey is the greatest sport on the planet. In the NHL...goals equal money. The more you score, the bigger the next paycheck. But check out this unselfish play from Connor McMichael with the Caps. It's Cole Hutson's first NHL game, and Cole has a clear passing lane to McMichael with the net empty. But McMichael doesn't get ready for the pass...he's pointing at the net for Hutson to shoot the puck. Great teammate. Love this. Hockey is the best.

Stick taps 👏🏽👏🏽

KIDS: Dominik Shine's path to his first career NHL goal is incredible: -Four years of junior hockey in the USHL -Comes into college hockey at Northern Michigan as a 20 year old -Doesn't get drafted to the NHL -Plays four years of college hockey before signing a pro contract -Plays 8 years in the AHL before getting a call up to the NHL -Becomes the captain for a first place team in the AHL -In his 9th full professional season, at 32 years old, scores his first NHL goal. Very few players see the results of their hard work in the time they want to see it. Resilience is a super-power, and if this isn't inspiration to keep at your dreams even through the low moments, I don't know what is. Everyone has a different path. Congrats to Dominik Shine on his first career NHL goal!

I went to junior hockey a year too early. It was the hardest year of my life. Thank God I have a great family that supported me through the tough moments. But here’s the thing… My family always told me the truth and never let me make excuses. Even though we may have made the wrong decision rushing the process, the message from my parents was always to be the best teammate I could be, work through the tough stuff, and I’ll be better for it on the other side. In today’s landscape where kids are trying to get to the next level as fast as possible instead of at the right time, there will be many kids in my shoes. So for all the families out there that may be in that situation with their kid… Don’t make excuses for them. Don’t tell them it’s not fair and they’re getting screwed. Help them to look in the mirror, control what they can control, and focus on getting better and earning what they get. If my family made excuses for me or blamed other people, I would not have made it. I’m thankful for the tough moments and my parents helped me understand it was a part of the process.