It's around this time of year that the rollerblades get put away and the bare floors of local arena get covered in what will become this season's best playground: the ice rink.

In my hometown of Vancouver, Britannia, Kerrisdale, Kitsilano, Riley Park, Sunset and the West End Community Centre are in full swing with their lessons, public skates, and drop in hockey games. Many are home to leagues, and some can even be rented out for school outings and private events. But what is it that gives a particular rink its appeal?

Ice
Is ice just ice? According to the Science of Hockey, "slow ice" and "fast ice" can be explained. "Fast ice is harder and colder with a smoother surface, while slow ice is warm and soft and may have a rough surface."

Facilities
Off the ice, what makes a rink special? It could be the historic significance, or the brand new facilities for players and guests. Locker rooms, rental area, and stands are all a part of a successful hockey rink. In the locker rooms you gear up and get advice from you coach. In the rental area your friends can lace up for an afternoon of fun on the ice, and the stands are for family and supporters of your team, without which you might not make it to practice on time, or get up enough courage to go on that breakaway.

Added touches
For some, it's all about the thrill of the game combined with the food. Food you may only eat on game days and only when handed to you over the counter of the concession stand. I did a quick poll this afternoon on Twitter and some of the top arena foods are peanuts, popcorn, chili fries, frosted malts, pizza, and of course, the hot dog. I had one person respond with 'poutine', which makes me definitely want to go to a game in their hometown.

Whatever the housing for the rink or what's served up inside, it's what takes place on the ice that matters most; playing fair, being safe, and being proud to represent your community and team.

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Player loses nose, finds it in Zamboni.

In the 7th round of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft, the Edmonton Oilers selected a Slovakian by the name of Ivan Matulik. He dreamed of playing in the National Hockey League, but despite spending parts of six seasons with the Oilers farm teams, he never did make it to the big leagues.

Unfortunately for Matulik, the only thing noteworthy he did in North America was lose his nose.

You see, while playing for the Halifax Citadels in the 1991-92 season, Matulik had the tip of his nose sliced off by a skate. Players searched for the nose, but they could not find it. Matulik went to the hospital, probably suffering from the shock as much as the pain.

Fortunately for Matulik the nose was found after the game in the icy slush deposited by the Zamboni! Since the nose was so well preserved, doctors were able to re-attach the nose to Matulik's face.

The gruesome injury did not scare off the young Slovakian. He loved the game very much and returned to the ice and enjoyed a long career. He returned to Europe and went on to become one of the top players in Great Britain of all places, starring in both England and Wales.

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Thousands of hockey players say that they want to get a scholarship and play in the Olympics. But there is only so much room at the top of the hockey world. So how are you going to separate yourself from the rest of the pack and be a true hockey success story?

The first step to becoming a hockey success story is to set your hockey goals. Start by writing your personal mission statement for this season. Figure out exactly what it is that you want to achieve over the next few days, weeks and months. The key is to be as detailed and specific as possible - just saying, “I want to play my best”, isn’t going to cut it. You’ve got to know EXACTLY what you want if you are going to take your game to a whole new level.

But the “goal setting” is the easy part.
It’s the “goal getting” that’s the real challenge.

Anyone can write out a great mission statement. But not every hockey player can make their dreams a reality.

The truth is that “goal setting” is all talk, while “goal getting” is all about TAKING ACTION. You have to take action each and every day if you want to be the best. So are you just talking about being the best or are you actually making it happen?

Are you warming-up before every ice session? Are you taking the time to work on your mental game? Are you eating the right kinds of food to fuel your best performance? Are you putting in the time to work on your game away from the rink?

Some hockey players want it to happen and some wish it would happen. It’s the great ones that MAKE it happen by doing all of these “little” things on a consistent basis.

The more action you take towards your goals, the better player you will be. There’s no time like the present - so what are you waiting for?

What did you do today to take a step in the direction of your dreams?

Coach Kim

Originally published October 26th, 2008 on Total Female Hockey.

Last week Alberta Minor Hockey declared that it is now mandatory for all coaches to wear helmets as well when they're on the ice during practices [CBC News]. They were actually the last province in Canada to bring in this rule and it's just another indication of how important safety is for all, at all levels of play.

The job of being a coach changes so much each year and in this age of internet tools, coaches and players can learn skills and grow their teams using a new set of equipment: online games and websites.

For example, you can throw away notebooks and whiteboards and discover some really cool plays online. Coaches can share a website like this Animated Hockey Playbook with their team and they can all learn strategies through the computer.

Aside from games and animated pucks, there are so many great resources available on minor hockey websites as each league, team and association makes sure to nurture up-and-coming coaches as well as share the expertise of veterans.

In BC, there's the Coaches Association website that also provides resources for coaches much like the Ontario Minor Hockey Association. Another good resource is Hockey Canada which has an extensive drill library, as well as videos, articles, and practice plans.

A coach's role is as much about keeping players (and themselves) safe and challenging to grow their skills as it is about making sure the team runs smoothly and pucks go in the net.

Believe it or not in the early days of hockey it was against the rules for goalies to fall to the ice to stop the puck! They were to remain standing at all times, and were subject to a minor penalty at the referee's discretion if they did fall to the ice. There are even some reports of goalies who were fined a whole $2 for the foul.

The National Hockey League changed the rule in 1917-18 season, thanks in large part to an Ottawa goalie named Clint Benedict. Benedict made an art out of the accidental fall on the puck. He spent so much time on his knees on the ice that he quickly earned the nickname Praying Bennie!

He also publicly admitted that "if you did it a bit sneaky and made it look accidental, you could fall on the puck without being penalized." These comments made NHL rule makers aware of the problem and from that point on goaltenders were allowed to fall to the ice to stop pucks.

Benedict was a highly influential goalie of his time. He actually wore the first mask in NHL history, not Jacques Plante as is popularly believed. He was also one of the earliest star goalies, playing an amazing 17 seasons and winning 4 Stanley Cups. As such he became the hero so many young goalies wanted to become themselves one day.