Women s Hockey Belongs in the Hall of Fame

Girls' and women's hockey is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. But the selection committee for the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) seems oblivious to this fact. The Board may acknowledge that women play hockey, but seem unwilling to celebrate our tremendous contributions to the sport as a whole. The IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) "broke the ice" by inducting three true pioneers of the women's game into it's Hall of Fame. Accomplished players and pioneers like Angela James, Geraldine Heaney and Cammi Granato (as well as a handful of others) are more than deserving of this great honor.

Female Hockey s Next Great Player?

These days, girls can barely open a fashion magazine or turn on the television without being bombarded by images of "super-skinny" and "size zero" celebrities. Reality TV shows would lead us to believe that every girl aspires to be the "Next Top Model". A recent university research study found that 50% of 16-year-old girls believe they are too fat and that there is a significant decline in confidence among young girls between the ages of 11 and 16. Both these stats and shows raise serious concerns about how this "idealized" body image influences girls who want to become the "Next Great Female Hockey Player"?

5 Keys to Becoming Female Hockey s Next Great Player

When you think of the five skills that players must excel at on the ice if they want to reach the highest levels of performance, you probably think of skating, shooting, passing, stick-handling and checking. But these are NOT the things that are going to make you a great player. Players with great on-ice skills are "a dime a dozen". It is your level of commitment OFF the ice that is going to set you apart. Every player is going to work hard and try their best out on the ice when their coaches, parents and teammates are watching. But it is the choices you make when no one else is looking that are going to allow you to become the best player on the ice.

How to Avoid the Coordination Curse in Young Hockey Players

Your child has always been one of the best players on every hockey team they have played on. You marvel at how effortlessly they move around the ice and how easily they master new skills and drills. All of a sudden, they grow six inches in a few short weeks and are instantly transformed from "Crosby" to "Bambi" on skates. What your player has gained in size and height, they have lost in co-ordination and skill. It's amazing to see how quickly a kid can sprout up when their growth spurt hits, isn't it? And it's alarming to see how quickly their hockey-specific skills and coordination can go down the tubes.

4 Reasons Your Stretching Routine is Making You Worse

In order for a hockey-specific stretching routine to be effective, the right muscles must be stretched in the right way at the right time. Girls' hockey players typically fall short in one of four ways when it comes to their stretching routines. While they may have the best intentions in mind when performing their stretches, in most cases they are making themselves tighter and more injury prone. Problem #1: They don't stretch at all Girls' hockey players may be naturally more flexible than boys, but this does not mean that they don't need to stretch. In over a decade of working with aspiring female hockey players, I have never met a single player who couldn't benefit from greater flexibility.

Youth Hockey Training Should Never Be Machine-Based

Over the past few years, the number of youth-specific fitness facilities has exploded across North America. While many are focused developing on general fitness, many are attempting to branch out into the sports-specific markets - and the youth hockey market is certainly no exception. These fitness chains boast that they are "interactive fitness facilities designed especially for youth". They are jam-packed with video game-based exercise bikes and kid-sized strength training equipment. Youth-specific training facilities are a good idea, whose time has finally come due to increased concerns about childhood inactivity and obesity.

Why There Are Slow and Fast Ices in Hockey

Depending on how into ice hockey you are you might or might not have heard the terms "slow ice" and "fast ice". You hear them talk about it a lot on TV. What you know for sure though is that the game of ice hockey is being played with a puck and what the terms refer to is the pucks ability to move on the ice. Not everyone knows that. On fast rinks the puck moves fast and on slow rinks the puck move slow. That is logic, but why is this and can it be considered a problem? The main reason why the problem with slow and fast ices arises is that hockey is played both up in Canada as well in southern USA and it is because of the difference in climate.

The History of Australian Hockey Teams

In the late 1800s, Australia did not have a naval fleet of its own and relied upon the Royal Army for the security of the coastline. The British Naval officers stationed in Australia taught the locals the game of hockey and laid the foundations for a sport which Australian Hockey Teams have developed and mastered. Guiding the growth and popularity of the game, AWHA developed into a diverse and highly successful professional organization. Records do not show where or when the first game of hockey was played in Australia; however private girls' schools were playing the game in 1900. It has been suggested that as South Australia was the first state to form an association, the first game took place there.

Kamran Ashraf - The Unsettling Forward

Kamran Ashraf a former Hockey (field) player from Pakistan is from a small town called Sialkot. He played as many as 166 internationals from 1993-2002. He was the player of the Millennium and scored nearly 130 goals for his country. Kamran Ashraf had occupied a prime position in the Pakistan squad by playing at the most risky position; the center forward. Kamran Ashraf is an Olympian too. He played in the 2000 Olympics where he performed with a lot of consistency and potential. He was a student of the Habib public school which is well known for producing many all time greats. The school has produced the greats in the field of cricket, swimming and many other sports.

Shahid Ali Khan - Pakistan Hockey Goalkeeper

Shahid Ali khan is a retired field hockey goalkeeper from Pakistan, who later became the Pakistan's goal keeping coach. Shahid Ali khan represented Pakistan for about twelve years from 1981 to 1993. From 1986 to 1989 he was dropped from the side because of his poor form. He made his comeback because of his absolute firmness of courage and was able to succeed Mansoor who was the number one custodian in the year 1990. His great match temperament helped him once again to become the goal keeper for the Pakistan Hockey team. His memorable performance of stopping a Dutch penalty stroke in 1982 world cup semifinals at his age of 17 that too in his second international match was commendable.