The Hockey Ink

Do you remember your first experience with the game of hockey?  Maybe it was a Christmas gift of a new stick or skates, or maybe it was the first time at the outdoor pond, or maybe it was the first time walking into a hockey arena and seeing the glow of the white ice surrounded by the smells of popcorn and stale beer.  Whatever it was, and although the moment might be different for all of us, the feeling was the same.  It was a feeling of pure joy and excitement.  A feeling that we found our true love.  Does hockey still feel that way to you or your player?  Has the joy, wonder, and excitement of the world's greatest game been replaced with pressure, anxiety, and self-doubt?  I see it happen every year.  Kids all across North America are falling out of love with the game of hockey because of poor experiences driven usually by coaches that see themselves as evaluators versus developers.  The fun of the game has basically been ripped out and replaced with a high stakes toxic culture.  It's become a rat race with parents being forced to up the ante season after season to appease "elite" programs that are far from elite hockey playing experiences. What ever happened to house leagues that built travel players and travel players that graduated to AAA players?  Today's tiktok culture has created more and more insta-hockey programs that sacrifice sizzle for stability.  This often comes at the expense of children.   That's why we created the Zalabak Hockey Group, a community solely driven on creating or maintaining your love of the game of hockey.  Here you'll find great resources to grow and develop in the right way.  Through THE {NET}WORK you will find the best coaching available in your area, along with links to camps and workshops that have been ZHG approved.  The best part of this list, you can't buy your way on to it.  Our group of  experienced coaches evaluate and list only the best available.  Beyond on ice development you will also find media and tools to learn the history of the sport along with a robust virtual mental skills training program.  Want film evaluated for your game, we have that too, you can even book a film session with you team if your program doesn't offer it.    We have something for every player and goalie that loves our game and wants to feel that joy and excitement every time they step on the ice.