Ideas for a new GM

[goaliemanshark 6]

I have no clue how other beer/rec leagues work, but in mine the GM/Captain (could be one or two people) does basically everything. In my league the GM has to find players (or poach them from other teams) choose a name, design a jersey and collect the money. The league will help you with any of this if you need it but they prefer for you to do everything.

I've formed my own team after about 9 months of work, and our first game is on Sunday. I've solidified my roster, ordered the jerseys and socks, and now im thinking of little things i could do to make the team better or more fun. What do you guys do in your leagues?

Ideas I've had or have been given:

Make some shirts with our logo

Put a logo on the floor of the dressing room like a legit NHL team

Whiteboard to draw plays and lines on

Custom pucks

Helmet Logos and numbers

Film every game and get stats from there (the league tries to record stats but fails)

Website with schedules and bios and stuff

Print out a image of the logo and put it on the door of the locker room (i saw another team do this, it was legit)

I know none of this stuff is important, but if its not too expensive and will enhance the experience/make us better what's the downside?

[lurkndestroy 1]

just be sure that someone always brings beer.

[mug25 2]

Some of the stuff seems a little bit on the "wannabe" side but I really like the logo on apparel, custom pucks, helmet logos etc., and filming games is great!

Might I suggest the Kodak Zi6 minicam on a tripod. It produces HD video w/ sound and is very high quality! Just stick it on a tripod and BAM! You've got awesome HD footage that you can easily export to your computer via USB.

[Chadd 916]

First you need to figure out what level of commitment the rest of the guys have. If they are as gung-ho as you are, you might as well do all of that stuff. If, as you will find in most cases, the guys are largely there to have fun and play hockey, most of that stuff will go over like a fart in church. We've been fortunate to have multiple guys on our team that have had to do all the legwork on previous teams. We all pitch in to help do it and it makes life much easier on all of us.

[mug25 2]

First you need to figure out what level of commitment the rest of the guys have. If they are as gung-ho as you are, you might as well do all of that stuff. If, as you will find in most cases, the guys are largely there to have fun and play hockey, most of that stuff will go over like a fart in church. We've been fortunate to have multiple guys on our team that have had to do all the legwork on previous teams. We all pitch in to help do it and it makes life much easier on all of us.

Exactly. I made the mistake on my old Paintball team of going overboard. Granted, Paintball is different — not everyone seems to appreciate the flashy stuff that takes time, effort and money to do.

To be honest, I wish I was good enough a player and on a committed team that sticks together to where we get custom jerseys, shells etc., made.

[goaliemanshark 6]

Most of the guys seem pretty excited about the little stuff too, its not just me. It certainly is wanna-be status there is not question, but isn't it fun to pretend you are an NHL player? I have certainly enjoyed doing all the work, its given me something to do and be excited about while im in school.

I had a gopro helmet hero HD handy and i tried it out during a pickup game on friday. I suctioned cupped it to the outside of the boards and then hung the camera from the hook of the suction cup. The quality is really good for such a small camera (1080P) and the wide angle lens really lets me see most of the rink (170*). The other side of the rink its pretty hard to see though. So i may need to buy another one if people really want to see whats going on. The idea for this was meerly to track ice time and such.

This may be blasphemy, but im not sure my rink allows beer in it...

[mug25 2]

Most of the guys seem pretty excited about the little stuff too, its not just me. It certainly is wanna-be status there is not question, but isn't it fun to pretend you are an NHL player? I have certainly enjoyed doing all the work, its given me something to do and be excited about while im in school.

I had a gopro helmet hero HD handy and i tried it out during a pickup game on friday. I suctioned cupped it to the outside of the boards and then hung the camera from the hook of the suction cup. The quality is really good for such a small camera (1080P) and the wide angle lens really lets me see most of the rink (170*). The other side of the rink its pretty hard to see though. So i may need to buy another one if people really want to see whats going on. The idea for this was meerly to track ice time and such.

This may be blasphemy, but im not sure my rink allows beer in it...

Fail on the no beer. If you're gonna drop the cash on a gopro (great cam) you may as well pick up the Kodak as a 2nd option and have someone film from the stands.

[SirJW 207]

I manage a few teams and here are a few things we do or I have seen.

Rolling cooler w/ beer and Gatorade, on the down low. Pass it on to another player every week.

Coordinate stick deal sales to save on shipping.

Facebook page.

Roster printout to hand to scorekeeper so I don’t waste my warm-up time.

Schedule Practices, tournaments.

Roll call emails.

We have a cafe press store for swag.

No names on jersey backs so they can be passed along as players come and go.

When I order new jerseys I wont get duplicate numbers there are plenty left to choose from and you never know when a player will return or sell it back.

Takle twill numbers are more durable than heat press and last longer, less work for you in the long run.

Logo on the floor only during the playoffs, it came out of a gag. One time we walked into the room and there were motivational quotes all over the place. I kept one and had it on my bag for a while so during the playoffs I printed up a few. Hustle Hustle Hustle and put one on the door each of the four walls and the floor.

Do Not Step on the Logo!

Many teams do a water bottle carrier but this is the one thing I draw the line on as far as baby-sitting duties are concerned.

I've seen another team do custom pucks but that gets pricey.

[ndlancer95 0]

Most of the guys seem pretty excited about the little stuff too, its not just me. It certainly is wanna-be status there is not question, but isn't it fun to pretend you are an NHL player? I have certainly enjoyed doing all the work, its given me something to do and be excited about while im in school.

I had a gopro helmet hero HD handy and i tried it out during a pickup game on friday. I suctioned cupped it to the outside of the boards and then hung the camera from the hook of the suction cup. The quality is really good for such a small camera (1080P) and the wide angle lens really lets me see most of the rink (170*). The other side of the rink its pretty hard to see though. So i may need to buy another one if people really want to see whats going on. The idea for this was meerly to track ice time and such.

This may be blasphemy, but im not sure my rink allows beer in it...

Not a lot of rinks *allow* beer, but I've seen my fair share of guys with cases of molson going into the locker rooms after my HS practice and games in all rinks

[goaliemanshark 6]

Rolling cooler w/ beer and Gatorade, on the down low. Pass it on to another player every week.

Coordinate stick deal sales to save on shipping.

Facebook page.

Roster printout to hand to scorekeeper so I don’t waste my warm-up time.

Schedule Practices, tournaments.

Roll call emails.

We have a cafe press store for swag.

No names on jersey backs so they can be passed along as players come and go.

When I order new jerseys I wont get duplicate numbers there are plenty left to choose from and you never know when a player will return or sell it back.

Takle twill numbers are more durable than heat press and last longer, less work for you in the long run.

Logo on the floor only during the playoffs

Many teams do a water bottle carrier but this is the one thing I draw the line on as far as baby-sitting duties are concerned.

I've seen another team do custom pucks but that gets pricey.

Fantastic Post! Thanks bud!

The no names on the jerseys is a great idea especially to save money, but my team really wanted custom jerseys and personally i did too... We are getting our jerseys sublimated from Marcelo, im really looking forward to them.

I think im going to make a facebook page right now... Great idea.

How do you guys do roll call? The team i was on last season had an evite and we had to respond to the evite, it didnt work very well. I was thinking of just sending out mass texts because most of our players are younger and would rather respond to texts.

Any beer leaguers have custom glove orders?

oh and with the roster... The commissioner is implementing a new rule this season for my league. If we dont have a full roster turned into the scorekeeper by the start of the game the captain gets a 5 minute major at the beginning of the game. Damn good way to make sure we have rosters.

[shotty 7]

i'm in this position for the first time as well. our season starts on tuesday. it's been a few months of hard work to get everything set up, but it doesnt really end.

i think the big thing is to try to get sponsorships. i put together a pretty comprehensive proposal package for local businesses with a variety of financial commitments ($10,000 down to $200). the more money you bring in, the farther you can go with it (subsidized registration, swag, beverages, etc). i will blast it out again for winter, since the spring league is pretty low key and fairly short.

the things i put emphasis on were things i would appreciate: lots of pucks, lots of water bottles, convenience and lots of freedom. i've got over 100 pucks, 16 water bottles (one per player), tons of tape (gauze tape, stick tape, sock tape), a super high quality first aid kit, a wheeled cooler and huge roster of spares. the guys who are interested in being leaders or teachers are put in that role so that i'm not the end all and be all... the team doesnt fall apart when i'm not there, like it so often does when ONE GUY does everything. i dont want to burn out because i'm responsible for bringing water bottles, beer, spares, spare jerseys, setting lines, collecting money, coaching, filling out game sheets, etc. the simpler the better. some guys want to show up, play hockey and leave. others want to be involved without being submerged completely, so spread the responsibilities around. some guys need babysitters, some guys are there an hour before the game running laps around the rink. some guys will chase an errant puck into the other zone during warm up, some dont care. if you dont disperse the responsibility, you'll end up hating the job. if you take it too seriously, the team will end up hating you. i've seen it happen both ways... so when i took on the job, i told myself i wouldnt take it too seriously and i would try to keep it as simple as possible. everything that i think is important goes to an 80-20 vote. 80% of the team has to want it before it happens.... because when it comes down to it, its your time and their money. you've got to make sure both are managed accordingly.

on tuesday i'll bring a cooler full of beer and gatorade to the first game, and hopefully wont see it again until the end of the season. dont just stock beer because the guy who never drinks will be pissed when he has to drop $40 on something he doesn't partake in.

logo'd pucks are expensive and they are lost very easily, so IMO, not a very good investment. i would say skip it. logo'd water bottles and helmet stickers would be cool. a logo for the dressing room floor is kinda over the top and hardly useful unless you have HUGE rooms. a sign that hangs on the door is inexpensive and a nice added touch of team identity.

my theory is this; a team is going to be a lot more committed if they spend time with each other on a social level, so instead of the pucks and floor logos and all that stuff, spend the money on a tab at a restaurant or a bar, or even on some casual ice time... that's where the real friendships and chemistry is formed. our team kicks off the season on tuesday, but we've played together twice and i can already see friendships forming... and all it cost was $20 a person.... which is probably what it'll cost for a helmet sticker and a waterbottle.

its also a good idea to have a bit of a contingency fund, just in case there are extra expenses. $5-10 per player is good.

[SirJW 207]

I have one standard roster sheet so I print off a dozen or so and leave them in my bag; I just cross off the names of the players not there that night b4 I go to the ice.

Re Pucks: I have anywhere between 10-20 in my puck bag at a time. As mentioned pucks come and go but 20 is heavy enough for me.

Also mentioned was team bonding, I agree. We either hang out in the locker room for an hour or so or go to the local bar after early games and usually get together for a BBQ or two each season. We also go to plenty of Kings games. One of these days we are going to do a scramble golf tourney.

Sponsorships are good if the team goes to a regular bar, that is a good place to hit up.

Text or email sounds good for roll call, just note there are the usual suspects that never reply.

[cptjeff 0]

Not a lot of rinks *allow* beer, but I've seen my fair share of guys with cases of molson going into the locker rooms after my HS practice and games in all rinks

Yeah, most rinks don't allow it, but the only ones that actually bother to enforce that provision are the ones that have bars in the rink. And employees who might be 'sent to check' are pretty easily bought off, provided the beer you bring is of not absolute crap quality.

[B19Kress 0]

I recently joined a new team that uses teamsnap.com

It seems like it will be much more efficient than the team I run.

I'd check that out.

[Hawkeye 0]

Yeah, most rinks don't allow it, but the only ones that actually bother to enforce that provision are the ones that have bars in the rink. And employees who might be 'sent to check' are pretty easily bought off, provided the beer you bring is of not absolute crap quality.

Just don't be a a$$ about the beer thing at the rink and it's not going to be a problem.

Meaning:

1) Bring cans and make sure they get in the garbage can

2) Don't pour ice in the garbage can

3) If you bring bottles don't break them in the garbage can and make sure caps get in the can as well

4) Keep your room clean so the janitors don't complain.

If your games are anything like mine maybe enjoy a couple beers in the parking lot. Sometimes we have a Friday night game at 8:30 so we bring a grill and cook in the lot or "Blacktop Lounge" as we like to call it.

As far as the other stuff on your list. I think the logo on the floor, door is cheesy. No names on jerseys because you're just opening the door to insults (if you have a goofy name like "Dicks") or trouble. My team has been together for about 8 years. Players come and go and the only merchendise we have as of now is sweatshirts and thats after several Vegas tourney trips and annual Eagle River Pond Hockey trips.

Just make up a yahoo email with the name ______hockeyclub@yahoo.com and send it out every week before a game. After a couple games you will see if the beer flows after the games and you can make up a beer rotation for everyone. The capitains on my team take care of the water bottles.

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

The single most important thing you need to do is make sure the guys show up at games. I ask guys to RSVP in or out two days before every game. We are all on email so that helps. Every season or so I get a guy who is not on email so I text that guy. If I haven't heard back from someone I shoot them a text the day before the game. make sure you have a few guys you can use as fill ins in your pocket.

Have your logo digitized and available at a local embroidery shop. This way you don't need to have a minimum order when making shorts, shells or jackets and guys can buy what they want. We all got jackets and some have sweatshirts too. One guy had a shell made up. It's cool.

One guy on the team was loaded and his company bought us jerseys. they are team property and I manage them. If a guy leaves the team we get the jersey back. Last year we bought alternate color jerseys (each guy bought their own) and I bought enough extras so that I would have three matching the extras I had from the first set. This way I have three sets of home/away jerseys for fill ins.

Many of us bought helmet decals. They are cheap and cool. I arranged for the order.

Have fun... the work of running a team is never ending but its nice to see a team come together.

[BenderHockey 127]

We use the teamsnap, and also agree about not putting names on the jerseys so they can be recyled. We made the mistake the first set of jerseys we had.

With teamsnap you can have everyone check of whether or not they can make it, and also keep track of who has paid for what. It really comes in handy. Also, there is an option to create merchandise with the team logos on it. really cool, and you can purchase them individually, instead of having to do a huge team order.

Well worth the investment.

Also, we collect dues. Not much, like $3 a month that goes toward beers, a team night out, practice time, etc... Just an idea.

If you check out teamsnap.com and you decide to enroll your team, use the code benders19 and you get a discount and we get some $$ off our next bill! :D

[iceNsteel 0]

I have no clue how other beer/rec leagues work, but in mine the GM/Captain (could be one or two people) does basically everything. In my league the GM has to find players (or poach them from other teams) choose a name, design a jersey and collect the money. The league will help you with any of this if you need it but they prefer for you to do everything.

I've formed my own team after about 9 months of work, and our first game is on Sunday. I've solidified my roster, ordered the jerseys and socks, and now im thinking of little things i could do to make the team better or more fun. What do you guys do in your leagues?

Ideas I've had or have been given:

Make some shirts with our logo

Put a logo on the floor of the dressing room like a legit NHL team

Whiteboard to draw plays and lines on

Custom pucks

Helmet Logos and numbers

Film every game and get stats from there (the league tries to record stats but fails)

Website with schedules and bios and stuff

Print out a image of the logo and put it on the door of the locker room (i saw another team do this, it was legit)

I know none of this stuff is important, but if its not too expensive and will enhance the experience/make us better what's the downside?

In my experience guys on a new team will be pretty gung ho, and then it starts to wear off. I highly recommend you give it a few months and then see if the interest is still there in things like custom pucks, helmet logos, t-shirts, and stuff that is going to add yet more costs to hockey.

[mgoblue 0]

I've found that mass texts are the way to go:

"Game tonight, 8:00 vs. the Leafs. Respond ASAP with whether or not you're playing."

Over the course of 3 years, it's become a perfunctory routine; I send it out the afternoon of the game, have everyone's responses within minutes, and then call up the sub players if I need to.

For a couple summers I played with a team that had been together for a long time (top-flight team that competes at nationals and stuff), and they had all sorts of team-logo apparel. The best were team shower towels with a little pocket for a beer can. Pretty cool.

Edit - Speaking of calling up subs: have an extensive list of solid players to be substitutes (make sure they're rostered). I always try to lock up the best subs I can, since the times you'll need them is often when you're really shorthanded and need the best players available to you.

[BarDownGinos 3]

I'm sorry I know I'm new here, and if that's what your team is all about then cool. Personally if I walked into a beer league locker room and there was a logo on the floor and plays drawn up on a white board I would turn around and walk right back out the door.

[fawn111 0]

The gung ho stuff is a bit tacky to be honest.

It really comes down to just having a good time playing hockey together.

- Usually problems arise when you have a disparity in skill level. Good players will grow weary of playing with guys well below their skill level. Hopefully yours are all around the same skill level.

- The important thing is to get guys on the team that jsut basic decent people. One or two Dickeheads on the team will kill chemistry and make everyone miserable.

Ice time is also important.

-Try to balance lines and playing time as evenly as possible.

-I have successfully got my teams shifts to around 45-90 seconds. This took three seasons.... first two seasons they were taking 2-3 minutes shifts and it sucked for everyone. Make sure that guys skate hard every shift and i they do that then they will not have the energy to be out there any monger than 90 seconds.

-We bandied about the idea of power play and power kill units, but nixed that because it takes time away form those not on those unit.

-One thing you will definitely want to do is to get a number 2. An assistant, or deputy captain that can help bring pucks to the games and back you up if aby issues arise. Helps a lot to have someone to take some of the burden off.

- I email a day or two prior to the game and then usually send a recap of the game the next day. But all my guys are older and have established careers so email works best for that.

-I did a blog for about a week and it didn't seem to generate a lot of interest from the team. But the younger guys a FB page is not a bad idea.

Enjoy and have a great time.

Being the GM of my team is one of the best things I've done in my life lately and has been very rewarding.

[mgoblue 0]

The gung ho stuff is a bit tacky to be honest.

usually send a recap of the game the next day

I did a blog for about a week and it didn't seem to generate a lot of interest from the team.

[raganblink 82]

I'm sorry I know I'm new here, and if that's what your team is all about then cool. Personally if I walked into a beer league locker room and there was a logo on the floor and plays drawn up on a white board I would turn around and walk right back out the door.

+1. I'm all for taking stuff seriously if it is important, but, imo beer league isn't. Its about groups of friends and new getting together, playing hockey, then drinking (or drink then play, or do both at same time..). To me taking it to those levels is okay though if everyone is okay and likes it. This typically would be though if your team never played competitive while a kid, and took it up as adults. There is one team I know who gets custom jerseys every year, and helmet sticks, and helmet numbers, and have matching everything. They take that aspect seriously, but, probably only because none of them played as a teen or younger, and are all in their 30s or higher. But if there is anyone on your team who is under 25, odds are they will think it is dumb and either not like you guys or simply leave. So be careful on how serious you take it, because there are quite a few who don't take it seriously at all, and get annoyed when they are apart of a team who takes it seriously. I always say to those people, look where you play, look who is here, look at the talent... stop acting like you are one hat trick away from a pro contract.

[goaliemanshark 6]

Thanks for all the advice guys, im trying to implement as much as possible.

Tha majority of my team is under 25, so we are all pretty gung ho about the team. I posted a picture in the jersey thread of our jerseys hanging in the locker room, i only planned on doing this once, and everyone really liked it! Great energy in the room. We certainly dont draw up plays, we arent good enough to even follow plays. None of us really played as a kid competitively so we all seem to be enjoying the hokeyness of it.

I filmed our game on sunday and am editing it now, ill post it soon!

[fawn111 0]

excellent insight there Go blue....You have really added a lot to this thread.