Kenny Rausch

15 years ago I wrote a blogumn (I had a weekly ESPN.Com hockey column from 2001-2017) about how we can make USA Hockey stronger. In light of this year's triple gold medal winter for 🇺🇸, here it is from 2011.... microicehockey.com/producing-elit…

The most controllable trait of anyone in sports is effort Gonna show this to my kids one day Just grind and go hard while you’re out there and you’ll go places in sports What a clip

Great @NHL examples of 'the modern game' from @icehockeydrills & @HockeyThinkTank. Coaches, are you preparing your players to succeed in the 4 different roles? Offense with & without the puck. Defense on the puck & away from the puck. #SimpleNotEasy

This is a great visual for all the young “superstar” athletes of the world. When your coach talks you listen, the best in the world show how you should act.

698 Days in the Making | The Story of Austin Peay Lacrosse is Live. 🔗 tinyurl.com/5ffs5fxj #LetsGoPeay

Norway consistently wins the most medals at the Winter Olympic Games, with a population of just 5.6 million people. A big part of their success is how they treat youth sports—and it’s the opposite of what we do in the US. Here’s what we can learn from Norway: 1. Scorekeeping: In the US: Youth sports tend to be hyper competitive even at early ages. Leagues almost always keep score. In Norway: Scorekeeping isn’t even allowed until age 13. Removing winners and losers keeps the focus on the process not outcomes. It keeps kids engaged longer because it minimizes pressure (and tears) and maximizes fun, learning, and growth. The goal isn’t to win a third grade championship. It’s to love sport and keep playing. 2. Trophies: In the US: If you give everyone a trophy, you’re creating snowflakes who will never gain a competitive edge. In Norway: Whenever trophies are awarded, they are handed out to everyone. If getting a trophy makes young kids feel good, we should give them trophies. Maybe they’ll come back and play again next year!! As for the creation of snowflakes with no competitive edge—Norway’s athletes are tough as nails and all they do is win. 3. Prioritizing Fun: In the US: Far too often, the goal is to win. In Norway: The national philosophy is “joy of sport.” Youth sports in the US are driven by adults, ego, and money. Youth sports in Norway are driven by fun. Only half of kids in the US participate in sports. The number one reason they drop out: because they aren’t having fun anymore. In Norway, 93% of kids participate in youth sports. Fun is the foremost goal. 4. Playing Multiple Sports: In the US: There’s pressure to specialize early and play your best sport year round. In Norway: Try as many sports as you can before specializing as late as college. Norway encourages kids to try all types of sport. This reduces injury and burnout and increases all-around athleticism. It also helps promotes match quality, or finding the sport you are best suited for as your body develops, which is impossible if you commit to a single sport too early. 5. Affordability In the US: There is increasingly a pay-to-play model with high fees for leagues, equipment, and travel. This excludes many kids from playing. In Norway: It’s a national priority to keep youth sports affordable and therefore accessible for all. Kids aren’t priced out, which creates opportunities for everyone to participate (and develop into athletes), regardless of their parents’ income level. We could learn a lot from Norway: In the US, 70% of kids drop out of youth sports by age 13. This not only diminishes an elite-athlete pipeline, but it also destroys an opportunity for healthy habits and all the character lessons kids can learn from sport. In Norway, lifelong participation in sport is the norm. The goal isn’t to have the best 9U team. It’s to develop the best athletes. Those are two very different things. And Norway has the gold medals to prove it.

That inaugural game victory feeling 💯🎩🥍 #LetsGoPeay

COACHES: This is a great clip from the Flyers on modern ozone play. A couple highlights of positive things they do here: -They change sides multiple times and go low to high/high to low in the zone. This spreads out the opponents dzone coverage opening up ice particularly in the middle. -Everyone is moving! Movement is way harder to defend than standing still. -Weakside D activation. The weakside D activating allowed them to keep possession of the puck after the initial shot and then get the rebound for the goal. -Positionless hockey. The goal was scored off a shot from a defenseman in the slot and then another defenseman getting the rebound right at the net front. Great job by Philly!!!!

The Edina Hornets football team just won their first Minnesota state championship since 1978 with the Chicago Blackhawks’ first-round draft pick playing his senior year at QB, and the hockey team’s goalie scoring 6 TDs in the title game. Play sports. Have fun. Nothing like it.

What does everyone think about @usahockey promoting this online school? Between this and their promotion and partnership with NCSA (advising that no college coaches that I know of ever use), the mixed messages that our governing body sends is a huge problem. I love the hockey things that USA Hockey promotes. But this stuff makes me scratch my head and just confuses hockey parents to no end. It severely diminishes their credibility as a governing body and makes people lose trust in their mission.

Loved, missed, NEVER forgotten

We are thrilled to extend our @RinkNet partnership with the @OHLHockey , part of the @CHLHockey , with more league wide tools from operations to player management, trades, waivers and scouting. Read the full announcement here: rinknet.com/blog/ohl-rinkn…

Thrilled to welcome @HometownHockey OMHA-AAA as a customer, partnering on utilizing RinkNet Software's tools to help develop players and scouting visibility with PresssRoom and 1Rink! Read our partnership announcement here: rinknet.com/blog/omha-aaa-…

Happy Bday to a Great man who passed away too early. His global impact on grassroots international hockey. The @IIHFHockey created an award in his memory. He epitomized INTEGRITY, character, hard-work, dedication & selflessness. GIVER. Unicorn in today's world.

EHL and @RinkNet Announces Multi-Year Partnership Will Revolutionize Hockey Scouting, League Operations, and Player Exposure 🔗: bit.ly/3IRdLQE #WherePlayersComeFirst | #DevelopPromoteAdvance

@EHL_Hockey and RinkNet announce a multi-year parternship to enhance league operations, scouting and player promotion! Check out the details here: easternhockeyleague.org/news_article/s…

@Buccigross The best!

Wow. Congrats Jack Parker. What a deserved honor. No one has a better player/coaching/executive tree. And what a speech he'll give. #CawlidgeHawkey

Countdown to the @OHLHockey U18 Priority Selection 2025 today! Join the event at 5:30PM with live results here: chl.ca/ohl/draft/ohl_… RinkNet Software is proud to support this draft. Good luck to all players!

The RinkNet Software team is at the OHL Cup this week! Send us a note and post your highlights on the free 1Rink app! If you're an attending scout, we'll be there for assistance on RinkNet! @GTHLHockey @OHLHockey @ALLIANCE_Hockey @HometownHockey @heoaaaleague @NOHAHockey

Did you catch us at the @CSSHL Championships this week? The RinkNet Software team was there supporting scouts from different leagues with our scouting software and speaking with players at the championships and setting them up on 1Rink.com!