Road Trips should be fun and memorable

As the coach, make the road trips fun and memorable as the first priority. If you happen to win, it’s a bonus. For example, lets assume we are out of town in a new city for a tournament. If we have a morning game and an afternoon game, I encourage the kids to explore the town between games, or go swimming, or have fun. This may mean they are a little more tired for the afternoon game, but so what? What's the goal here? Many coaches try to force the team to "take a nap to get ready for the next game". Now, I don't want the kids to run a marathon between games, but there is usually a compromise between "a nap" and "a marathon" that allows the kids to have a great time, and still compete at the highest level.

I remember a trip 20 years ago when I was an assistant coach. Our Junior team (ages 17-20) went from Los Angeles to Anchorage, Alaska for a tournament. The head coach at the time was so serious about winning that the kids were not allowed to go anyplace but the hotel and the rink. No exploring, no sight seeing, nothing. We flew to the airport, took a bus to the hotel, then back and forth to the rink, and, after four days, back to the airport and home. You know, I can't remember if we won or lost the games anymore, and I bet the kids can't either. What I do remember is I never saw Alaska, I've never been back, and I'll bet that none of those kids have been back either. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we blew it.

I took our Squirt team from Colorado to Florida one year for a series of games at the end of the season. We arranged the trip so that all the games were after 6:00 pm. Each day we went someplace fun, such as Disneyland, Universal Studios, the beach, go-cart racing, etc. And each night we played one or two games. Most of the kids told me it was the best hockey trip they had ever been on. I doubt they remember the names of the teams we played, or the scores. But they remember the trip. By the way, we also won all six games, so having fun doesn't mean you can't win. This is just an "order of events" issue. Make the trips fun and memorable as the first priority. If you happen to win, it’s a bonus.