NHL playoffs undo good work of minor hockey leaders

The brutally violent NHL playoffs may be good for TV ratings and provide comedy for American sportscasts (although not as funny as NBA fights), but it's a disaster for Canadian minor hockey where the movement to sportsmanship and protection of children's heads will be derailed by the pros. It's a case of monkey see, monkey do, especially among teenage players.
Worst was Shea Weber, captain of the Nashville Predators and an elite defenceman any team would welcome. But his slamming of Detroit Red Wings star forward Henrik Zetterberg's head into the glass. It was a stupid WWE moment. Just substitute "glass" for "turnbuckle". How do you convince kids to respect heads now?
My No. 1 stupid playoff moment - so far - is a Pittsburgh Penguins-Philadelphia Flyers game in which the world's greatest player, the face of the pro game, a usually class guy, turned into a petulant child instead of a leader of a pro team. Following a scrum, Sidney Crosby knocked away the glove of Jake Voracek
 (its at the 2:25 mark of the video). How to minor hockey coaches tell kids to be sporting when an icon like Crosby behaves like a twit?
Trust me, the spectacle undoes much of the progress and good work done by minor hockey, from tyke house league all the way up to the future pros of major junior.
Hockey's a sport, not a circus.

Pushing elite kids too quickly

So your child has excelled in tyke house league and you want to push for a spot on an elite AAA team with visions of an NHL career for him and early retirement for you.
Chill.
While there's merit to having highly skilled children play up an age group, the rush to AAA isn't so wise unless the politics of the organization are such that it's "first in, stay forever", objectivity of tryouts be damned.
It's better for the child and family finances to stay grounded playing with a peer group with time for other kids' stuff such as school sports, family life and, heaven forbid, homework.
By age 10 or 12, it's time for the best of the best to try AAA.
Consider Canada's highest paid professional athlete, who by the way is not a hockey player. Joey Votto of Etobicoke, who just signed a monster 10-year contract worth $225 million with the Cincinnati Reds, didn't sign up for minor baseball until age 12. In house league. His mom still works as a sommelier so maybe she'll celebrate with one of the finest wines from the world's highest wine cellar at the 360 Restaurant.

Reserved for Walter Gretzky

Hockey dad/Twitter friend from St. Catharines posted this parking space photo from the newly renovated Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre in Brantford. If you've ever been to a tournament or had your kid's team play there, you know Walter's dedicated presence as a man who puts kids first.