Members from the Detroit Mission Stars roller hockey teams learned firsthand that commitment, courage and strength can come in many sizes and shapes.  On Sunday, May 18, 2008 this group of young men and women met soldiers from the Army’s 783’d MP battalion and were treated to an amazing experience.

      The players were there to donate travel packs to the soldiers to take with them on their mobilization later this summer.  Players representing four teams and ranging in age from 9-17 years old spent an afternoon assembling bags with a variety of items and making posters in support of the troops.  Mike Schnurr of Lipari Foods, one of the Co- Directors of Detroit Mission Stars, donated cases of water and snacks and donated the funds used to purchase items for the soldiers. 

      The players proudly wore their team jerseys and stood in awe as the entire battalion thanked them for their donation.  1SG Sergeant Michael Julvezan presented Dave Zarem, Co-Director of Detroit Mission Stars with a plaque that recognized the DMS program for their dedication to the armed forces, in turn Zarem gave a heartfelt thank you to the Army and all of the soldiers. Zarem then offered the support of their entire organization and dedicated the 08 season to them.  It was an inspiring event to watch humble soldiers shaking the player’s hands and thanking them for the travel packs.  The battalion leaders 1LT Paul Workman and 1SG Michael Julvezan made arrangements for a personal tour of the facility for all the players and their families.  The highlight for the players was being allowed to try on actual soldier uniforms and taking rides in some of the military vehicles. The Stars were able to see and feel the dedication, pride and respect that the soldiers had and it was more than apparent it made a huge impact on these young men and women.

    Detroit Mission Stars adhere to a strict code of conduct that promotes family, academic and athletic success.   “Our program is more than just hockey” Zarem said. “Of course we want to win hockey games, but the focus is on preparing our players to become well rounded individuals”.  Throughout the tour many of the players and parents noticed that every soldier had a patch of an American flag that was facing in the opposite direction on their uniforms.  Julvezan informed the group that this flag means the battalion is always looking to move forward.   The players will be traveling to San Jose, California this summer to compete in a national roller hockey tournament and have dedicated their efforts to the soldiers.  They have vowed to stay in contact with the battalion and will continue to “look forward” to their safe return home.

    Special thanks go out to Denise Cather (10u) for her help in setting this great event up.

A few issues ago, in a State of the Game entitled “Robbing Peter to Pay Paul,” I presented some statistics in the decline of youth hockey participation numbers in Michigan over the past ten years. 

At the same time that there are less players and less teams participating, a greater percentage of those teams are “travel” teams, and less and less are teams playing at the “house” level, the entry point of the game. 

In a nutshell, while there are less players getting started playing the game, it appears as though many organizations are not as concerned about that as they are about attracting players from other arenas, associations and teams to form their teams. 

And I can’t say that I blame them.   The culture of hockey in Michigan not only allows it, it actually encourages it.  There is no onus or incentive to build strong organizations and build from the entry level up.  It is much easier to create independent teams or clubs, advertise tryouts and attract players who are already playing somewhere else.   As they say on the farm, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?

In my opinion, it is a shortsighted solution and the game is showing symptoms of a slow and painful death.  If we don’t do something about it soon, the hole we are in will be much deeper and much tougher to climb out of.  Many rinks are struggling now and soon some will be closing their doors for good, resulting in less opportunity in the sport.

Rinks need to sell ice.  Some rinks have strong Learn to Skate and Learn to Play programs and work hard to grow participation.  Other rinks employ a strategy of appointing franchise holders or coaches, saddling them with an ice contract commitment, and then rely on them to go out and attract players from other rinks to form their teams. 

Some associations and clubs work very hard to create a great experience for their members at all levels.  They understand that new participants in the game are the lifeblood of their organization.  They recognize that having an affordable and convenient house or B program is essential to their existence.  They know the importance of having teams at the A/AA level to retain their players who want to play at that level.  They take pride in contributing to the game and running a quality program for their hockey community.  Other programs just have A/AA/AAA teams and rely on attracting players from other rinks and associations.

Some coaches understand the value of being part of a strong association.  They appreciate the support they get administratively, the prime ice times and player pool they have access to at their arena and take pride in coaching a team that represents their organization.  Others are in it for themselves and their cronies, not wanting to abide by any organizational standards, running from rink to rink looking for the best deal they can put together.

Some parents and players are happy to be part of their local hockey community and what it has to offer.  Others get caught up in managing their player’s hockey career, doing whatever it takes to get them to the next level, and are more than happy to traipse them from team to team each year in search of greener pastures while adding to their ever-growing hockey wardrobe.

With all of that being said, I strongly believe that freedom of choice is a good thing.   Parents and players should be able to choose where they play.  Coaches should be able to choose where they coach.  Competition can be good.  It has the potential to make us all be better at what we do.

So how do we reverse this trend, this downward spiral that hockey is experiencing?  Some elements we can do absolutely nothing about.  The economy is bad and it appears as though it will be that way for a while.  The Red Wings have been so good for so long there is a general apathy surrounding them and the sport.

What we can do is try to make the sport as attractive and affordable to as many kids and families as we can.  There is strength in numbers.  In some ways and some places we are already doing that.  MAHA has developed a One Goal Initiative, which provides grants and support for organizations in an effort to assist them in getting new players into the game.   While that is definitely a step in the right direction, it is definitely not enough.  We need to take the next step.

The hockey culture in Michigan has evolved into team building.  Most people are concerned only about their own little piece of the hockey pie and getting the most out of it in their time in it.  Their time in the hockey world is short, their kids grow up, and they move on.  And gradually they are replaced by a new crop of hockey families who quickly realize what they need to do to get their just desserts.

Why should they care about the long-term well being of the game?  Sure, some do.  But most don’t.  So it is up to those in charge, the caretakers of the game, to chart the course and provide the direction to ensure that hockey will be the game of choice for future generations of families.

I have nothing against independent teams and organizations.  They have a place in the game.  If rinks need them to keep their doors open, that is fine, albeit a shortsighted solution.  If coaches are willing to take on the financial risk of an ice contract so they can captain their own ship unencumbered by any association rules or bylaws, have at it.  If parents want to have their kids sample the latest and greatest flavor of the month team and coach, go for it.
But there needs to be something in place to support associations, the organizations that are the backbone supporting the game, the groups and rinks investing the time and money to get new players into the game, the ones that have been here and will be here long after the independent clubs and team builders have come and gone.

Creating restrictive rules is not the way to go.  Influencing and supporting positive behavior is.  The most powerful influence MAHA has with its constituents is the state tournament that it offers, which in some age groups and classifications determines which teams represent the state in the USA Hockey National Championships.  Allowing only association-based teams to compete for at the A, AA and B levels will go a long way to provide some support to the associations that support MAHA. 

So what about the independent teams and clubs?  Aren’t they a part of MAHA?  Absolutely, and they should have every opportunity to participate in the state tournament at the Tier I level.  Nothing should prevent them from doing that. 

The most difficult element would be in defining exactly what an association is.  If you check out the current definition in the MAHA guidebook chances are you will be as confused as I am.  Defining an association is not an easy thing to do.  They are in small towns and big cities.  Some are volunteer-based.  Others are professionally managed.  Some have huge memberships and plenty of teams.  Others are quite small.  There is no one size fits all. 

But it can and should be pretty simple.  A true association should offer the lowest levels of play starting with a “Learn to Play” program with a minimum of two hours of ice per week devoted to it.  A “B” program is a must at the younger age groups, Mites, Squirts and Pee Wees.  If associations choose to have A/AA teams at those age groups, they should have a minimum of one B team for each age group as well. 

At Bantam and Midget, with the dropout rate and high school hockey factored into the mix, it is a lot more difficult to put together B teams.  But at the younger age groups it is crucial, and if associations aren’t willing, or are unable to make the commitment to Learn to Play or B hockey and can’t ice teams at those levels, then they would not be granted association status and any of their teams wishing to participate in the state tournament would get to do so at the Tier I level.  

No opportunity would be lost for players and teams wanting to play in the state tournament.  Organizations that choose to make the commitment to the long-term growth of the game would be able to enter their teams.  Teams or independent clubs that choose not to do so or are unable to do so can still participate at the Tier I level. 

It’s time to support the organizations that support the long-term well being of the game in Michigan.  Before it’s too late.

Dave Zarem has been coaching ice and roller hockey for more than 21 years. “I have learned a lot and had the pleasure of working with some awesome coaches and instructors over the years,” said Zarem. “Putting Peter Dale on my resume may top it off”. 

Peter Dale’s USA Development clinic was brought in by Dave Zarem and Total Roller Hockey on March 28-30^th. It was a successful weekend with more than 30 students and 4 goalies attending. Most of the students were from Zarem’s Detroit Mission Stars program.  Andy Cripps was one of Peter’s talented instructors. “This group has been the most well behaved that we have had in a long time.” Said Cripps. “It makes us real proud of the fact we have kids in our program that want to be here.” Coach Z stated. “Starting at the grass root level is something that we always wanted and planned for a long time. 

The camp started out with a meeting with the players and parents led by Peter. Followed by a round of stretches and skills. Saturday brought out Detroit Mission Stars championship goaltender Jeff Temple to work with the goalies. Along with more skills and a scrimmage under the watchful eye of Peter and his staff. Sunday brought the same as Coach Temple suited up and showed the kids some pointers having the always dangerous Peter and Andy shooting on him. All three wowed the students and spectators with there skills. The camp was wrapped up with some awards in which the Stars Brandon Amat and Brian Cheesbro took home some prizes.

Although the Detroit Mission Stars current pro team went into their 13^th Narch final, The DMS youth inline roller hockey program can now call themselves veterans as well.   After competing in a Estero, Florida in 2007, Mike Schnurr’s and Dave Zarem’s youth program had the first year jitters behind them.  The program was proud to be the only Michigan teams representing the state in all youth divisions at this year final in San Jose, California. For most players in the DMS organization the experience of playing last year showed. 

The program consists of Jeff Temples 10u, Rob Mortiere’s 12u, Dean D’Angelo 14u and Dave Zarem’s 16u team competed on July 10-14^th. In all they went 10-5 in round robin play with 3 teams making the playoffs with the 10u finishing 3^rd out of 15 teams, 14u finishing 8^th out of 24 teams, and the 16u finishing 1^st out of 27 teams in the round robin. The teams entered the playoffs with high hopes. Jeff Temple’s 10u team got by the first round with a 7-0 win. “This is where Narch gets tough and any level” said coach Temple. Facing a tough St. Louis Cobras team the Stars loss 8-2. This was not going to keep a very experienced group of players down. They game out with fire in the eye to take home some hardware in the bronze game, and beat a good Colorado team 5-3 to medal for the second year. Dean D’Angelo’s 14u team after struggling all year at home seemed to put it all together when it counted. Facing the always-tough Mission AKS team from Ca. they played DMS hockey controlling their own end and winning 2-1. Again getting deep into the playoffs at Narch is very difficult and facing the strong team of all ice hockey players from Columbia was going to be a challenge. Again playing DMS hockey the game was tied 1-1 through most of the 1^st half eventually losing 5-1 to the 2^nd seed. 

Dave Zarem 16u team powered through the round robin only giving up 3 goals finishing 1^st seed out of 27 teams. Even with Zarem’s experience over the years he wasn’t over confident knowing that they where the team to beat. Getting a buy in the first round and a good nights sleep they where ready for a battle against an all ice team from Edmonton Ont. An ice hockey game it was. Up and down. Good clean physical play. Both teams getting chances on the power play. Scoring went back and forth with DMS losing after a gallant flurry with their goalie pulled 4-3.

“This program as grown by leaps and bounds in two short years” said Zarem. “We plan on both growing with adding teams and playing at the higher level next year”. 

Schnurr and Zarems pro team improved their line up from last year but failed to advance after the round robin due to the all-important goals against.

Game #1 was against local college stars Kryptonics. After going down 4-0 the Stars stormed back and ended up tying the game 7-7.

Game #2 was to face the veteran pro team Tour Mudcats. Again finding themselves down 4-1 came back with 3 unanswered goals and tied 4-4.

 “Although winning is important we are very proud the way all the teams carried themselves, it was a total success.