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PHOTO & SLIDESHOW GALLERIES
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| Last updated at 8:36 AM on 15/09/08 |
Hockey obsession leading to burnout among young players 
MONTREAL
STU COWAN
CanWest News Service
The Montreal Canadiens don't officially open training camp until Friday, when the veterans report to the Bell Centre for their physicals.
But for many young players in this country, the organized hockey season began before Labour Day, with official practices and tryouts starting before the first day of school. In fact, for many young players, the hockey season now lasts 12 months a year, with no shortage of specialized summer camps and leagues.
The Columbus Blue Jackets' rookie camp began last Friday, but Stefan Legein, the team's second-round pick (37th overall) at the 2007 NHL entry draft, didn't show up. He isn't injured.
He simply doesn't seem to want to play hockey anymore. He's burned out - at age 19.
When news broke late last month that Legein wouldn't report to camp and was quitting hockey, his agent, Doug Woods, told the Columbus Dispatch that the rugged right-winger - who was part of Canada's gold-medal team at last season's IIHF world junior championship - had simply lost his passion to play the game.
Last season, Calgary Flames prospect Dan Ryder, the 21-year-old brother of former Canadien and current Boston Bruin Michael Ryder, decided he had lost his desire for hockey and walked away from the sport, taking most of the year off before deciding to try again this season.
This is a scenario could become more common as the demands on hockey players in this country continue to grow from a very young age.
Bob Nicholson, the president of Hockey Canada, agrees.
"I was really surprised when (Legein) said he wasn't going to report," Nicholson said in a telephone interview last week.
"But it's certainly something that really does concern us . . . the burnout of players.
"We haven't been able to talk to (Legein) to find out all of the exact reasons why, but it certainly seems like they're saying burnout was one of the key factors."
The word out of Columbus is that while recovering from shoulder surgery, the Oakville, Ont., native had time to get reacquainted with his childhood friends and realized there is more to life than hockey.
Legein, who had 43 goals, 32 assists and 115 penalty minutes in 64 games with the Ontario Hockey League's Mississauga IceDogs in 2006-07 before being drafted by Columbus, suffered a separated shoulder in the gold-medal game at last season's world junior championship.
But the seeds of hockey burnout are now being planted long before a player reaches the junior level, and Nicholson agrees it is becoming a problem.
"It's a big concern of ours that players aren't playing soccer, baseball, lacrosse like they used to (in the summer)," he said. "We're in board meetings now looking at ways to try to make sure that they're not playing competitive hockey for 12 months.
Part of the problem is overzealous hockey parents with dreams of their son becoming the next Sidney Crosby. They're the ones forking out the cash for the summer hockey programs, which aren't cheap.
"I think a lot of it comes right from the parents," Nicholson agreed. "It almost seems like it's worse now with the 9-, 10- and 11-year-olds. The message doesn't seem to be getting down to the parents right now."
Soccer has become more popular than hockey as a participation sport in this country, with 867,869 players registered with Soccer Canada in 2007 (including 732,521 under age 18) compared with 545,363 with Hockey Canada in 2006-07. The lower cost associated with soccer is often mentioned as the reason, but the lower pressure level - both on kids and parents - might also have something to do with it. Most Canadian parents don't dream of their son growing up to be the next David Beckham. Plus, soccer season is in the summer, when the family schedule is a lot less hectic.
But the slower-paced summer schedule also means more time for that power skating, stickhandling or goaltending school so that your kid might have a shot at making the double-A or triple-A team next season.
Last March, on the Grapeline radio show, host Brian Williams asked Don Cherry what he thought about hockey parents whose kids missed games during spring break to go on a family vacation.
"What do I think of them?" Cherry roared. I think they're selfish rats that can't be counted on. The parents that take the kids out of the team and go on vacation are rats that can't be counted on. Can I say it any clearer?
"That's not only my opinion," Cherry added, "but real hockey people think they're selfish rats who can't be counted on."
Strong words against hockey parents who might need a spring break from the day-to-day grind of real life. But whether you're a fan of Cherry's or not, his words hold plenty of weight in Canadian hockey circles.
scowanthegazette.canwest.com
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15/09/08
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Doug from NL writes: I can understand people getting fed up with anything if they are pushed into it endlessly. However, I suspect Legein and others will get over the burnout quite quickly after working a few shifts for minimum wage at Walmart or Tim Hortons or have to enroll in a college or university for the next three of our years to get a $50,000 a year job.
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| Posted 15/09/2008 at 9:38 AM | Alert an Editor | Link to comment |
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