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In a perfect world, these things wouldn't happen...but, as we all know, the world isn't perfect and asshats that shouldn't coach all too often wind up with a helmet and a whistle. It's just your lousy luck that you got to experience this at 10U. While I agree that intensity and accountability are important things to teach at any level, cursing at 9 year olds and teaching systems play to kids that don't have the mental capacity to understand is simply inexcusable. On behalf of GOOD coaches everywhere, I just want to say that I'm very sorry you and your son had to go through this at such a young age. Anyway. Moving on. As an objective observer, the only thing I would say about future hockey plans is that I would caution you guys about making any decisions while these wounds are still raw. Let the bad feelings dissipate and encourage your son to embrace his new team as a fresh start. Then, see how this year plays out and, as the season winds down next spring, you can start talking about what's next as far as hockey goes. Maybe he'll have an absolute blast on the B team and will be raring to go for his 10U major season...maybe he'll be done with competitive hockey. Either way, it sounds as if you'll be fine with it...which is AWESOME...but I would definitely wait a while before making any decisions there. Finally, regarding in-house hockey: There is a stigma that gets attached to in house hockey that really freaking irritates me. Let me lay it out simply - There is nothing WRONG with in house hockey! The kids that play in house don't love hockey any less than the AAA kids - in fact, they probably love it a hell of a lot more, because there's almost no pressure and there usually aren't any overbearing adults around that are treating every ice touch like it's Game 7 of The Stanley Cup Finals. The kids playing in house hockey are playing hockey because they derive JOY from playing the game! No, those kids are probably not going to play in the NHL; but....news flash...the vast, VAST, VAST majority of the AAA kids aren't either!!! And, let me tell you, as a coach, the in-house kids are (usually) infinitely more fun to work with than the AAA kids that have been told since they were 6 that they're the next Connor Fucking McDavid. There is precious little in this world that is more irritating than a 12 year old that never hears the word 'NO' and has been enabled by every adult in his life into thinking that it's okay to be a insensitive, self-important, prick. Create a team full of 15 of those kids and their obnoxious, know-it-all parents, and, ugh...there's a reason I turn down AAA coaching opportunities. Anyway. Have a blast with hockey this year!!! And next year, regardless of whether your son wants to play football, soccer, or in-house hockey, I hope the both of you march in there with heads high!!! Best of luck!

90 was the first year they got rid of a lot of the digital dash that just about always goes out. I like the c5. But the c4 body style looks amazing to me. The c5 got a little fat in the back end. Ideally I’d like a zr1 but those haven’t been very easy to locate without being way too high price wise.

In the end, this is USA Hockey's attempt to put 10U youth hockey in the proper perspective and attempt to promote DEVELOPMENT; as opposed to winning. You hit on a lot of the reasons why (accommodate multi-sport athletes, promote retention, develop organic talent). However, underpinning all of those is the fact that it's not lost on anyone in Colorado Springs how hypocritical it sounds for USA Hockey to expend a giant amount of time and energy promoting long term athlete development - while at the same time hyping their Tier system, national championships, and elite level teams. Those teams and events are SO elite that you simply can't be a part of them if you're not a single sport athlete, devoting multiple hours a week towards on-ice training...AND multiple MORE hours a week to hockey-specific off-ice training. USA hockey knows this...and they know how much it costs to make anything approaching this level of commitment. And, what's more, they know that, in the end, it is ABSOLUTELY BATSHIT CRAZY for ANYONE to be making that level of commitment as a 10U (or younger) player. It is an incontrovertible truth that NOTHING a player does (or doesn't do) at the 10U level really matters when it comes to his/her chances of 'going somewhere with hockey'...unless s/he gets so fed up with the game that s/he quits, of course. As a coach, I see coaches of 10U 'elite' and 'travel' teams doing absolutely horrifying things like teaching 1-2-2 or 1-3-1 trap style forechecks to kids that don't have the mental capacity to understand either the tactical or strategic implications of a specific forecheck system - instead of letting them develop the actual SKILLS that will translate to their games as they get older. "But, knowing where the weak-side wing goes in a 1-2-2 is a skill," you say. No. It isn't. You know what you call the 14 year old that 'knows where to go in a 1-2-2'? A Bantam B player. The player that has developed the individual playmaking ability to step outside that 1-2-2 box and create magic is the AAA player. You simply can't develop as a scorer...as a puck moving defenseman...as a weapon for your team...AS A HOCKEY PLAYER if all you're doing from 10U on is chasing team letters ('A', 'AA', 'AAA', 'Elite') as a result of pressure to 'be on the best team'. USA Hockey is throwing down their gauntlet and telling organizations/clubs that they need to forget about comparing themselves against the teams from the next town, remove the pressure to 'letter chase', and start developing their kids - ESPECIALLY at the 8U and 10U levels. Kids quit because they (and their parents) feel all this pressure (both time and financial) to start chasing letters at a young age, instead of allowing development to happen organically. The mindset of "10 year old Johnny isn't going to get better if he doesn't spend 8 hours a week on the ice" simply needs to go the fuck away. BenBreeg is absolutely right when he says, NONE! THERE IS NO BENEFIT TO 'TRAVEL' AT THE 10U LEVEL! Personally, as a coach, I freaking LOVE this. I wish all state level associations would ban all 8U and 10U participation in all post-season tournaments, there-by removing the vast majority of the incentive to engage in this stupid nonsense. I wish club hockey didn't start until 12U, there-by allowing the good hockey players to continue being good ATHLETES, instead of gradually turning into robots that only play hockey. And most of all, I wish that the damn parents would look at 10U hockey less like 'the first step to a college scholarship' and more like 'something my son/daughter does to get some exercise, learn life lessons, and have a Zamboni room full of fun while doing.' Just my $0.02....😉 ______________________ N.B. Speaking of pressure - the worst, most despicable things that coaches and associations do are reserved for these ridiculous birth-year Brick tournament teams that become all-encompassing, psychosis inducing all-star teams that turn ordinary, normal hockey people into raving, salivating lunatics. It takes about a picosecond for these teams to become 'pay to play' entities. "Want to be on my Brick team? Well, that means committing to two private lessons a week and at least three extra sessions of ice time. Oh, you can't afford that? Sorry..." Kids quit EVERYTHING to be on these Brick teams - they quit school and start home-schooling, they quit all other sports, they quit being kids. All for what? A $15,000 trip to Edmonton the summer after their Squirt Minor year? What. The. Ever-loving. Hell? "Oh, but Connor McDavid played in the Brick Tournament..." "News flash. Your kid isn't Connor Fucking McDavid...and if he was, you'd already know it." If you told a parent of ANY other youth sport what happens with the Brick teams, they'd laugh in your face at the absurdity of it all. There is a special place in hell for the organizers of the Brick Tournament...and for the coaches/organizations that have perpetuated it and allowed it to get to this level of insanity.

I don't know that at the squirt level I would put meeting other parents and kids (not even sure how that would work) as a benefit to travelling. We meet lots of people through school and local baseball, hockey, scouting, etc. Different levels of the game? It is squirts, it isn't like when you compare western conf and eastern conf NHL styles or different types of hockey in different high-level leagues. I don't feel it is monotonous to play baseball which is basically in-house, seeing the same people occasionally. In youth sports people feel pressured into travel, tournament teams, year round participation, and as I said, it should be up to those people to show why it is beneficial, especially at younger ages. I know of no research that advocates for accelerating this and lots against it. I saw an 8 year old at the rink in the fitness place getting 1-1 private coaching, basically bodyweight plyos and stuff. Can't imagine what it costs and how it was any better than him running around playing. The oddity of seeing young kids at the rink showing up with ties on is another head-scratcher. To me it all goes into the same lack of perspective bucket.

Bauer has one with a jock that I just cut out. I use them with my goalie jock.