Episode 88: “Parents Don’t Understand How Their Pressure Stunts Development” w/ Princeton’s Courtney Kessel
Crazy Hockey Dads PodcastShow Notes
The pressure meant to help a young player succeed may be the very thing holding them back.
Scott and Jamie sit down with Princeton women’s hockey head coach Courtney Kessel to talk development, recruiting, team culture, and the role parents should play as the game gets more serious. Courtney shares her path from multi-sport athlete to Team Canada, including being the final cut from the 2014 Olympic team and returning to practice with the players who were going. She explains how that experience shaped the way she helps athletes handle disappointment, separate hockey performance from personal identity, and respond productively when they are not getting the role they want. She also gets into what Princeton evaluates beyond talent, why culture matters more than winning, and why being the best player at a lower level may offer more development than sitting at the bottom of a stronger team. For parents, her message is direct: give players a voice, let them take ownership, and recognize when pressure is taking the joy out of the game. In this episode: Why taking time away from hockey can renew a player’s love for it What Princeton evaluates beyond skill and statistics Being a top-six player versus the twelfth forward Why character and kindness matter during recruiting Support the player, protect the joy, and let them own the journey.
Princeton Womens Ice Hockey: https://www.instagram.com/princetonwhockey/ Partners: https://www.pacificrink.com/ https://hockeytraining.com/ https://sparxhockey.com/ https://www.instagram.com/bigjohndangles/ https://www.titanbattlegear.com/crazyhockeydads https://howieshockeytape.com/ https://www.athleticperformanceinsight.com/ Socials: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@crazyhockeydadspodcast X: https://x.com/Crazyhockeydads Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crazyhockeydadspodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Crazy-Hockey-Dads-Podcast/61578631923150/
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The best team isn't always the best place for your kid to develop.
The best development does not always come from the best team, the most expensive lesson, or the loudest car ride home. Recorded live at The Hockey Barn in Atlanta, Scott and Jamie sit down with founder and longtime coach Kyle Kinze. Kyle explains how a pulmonary embolism ended his playing career at 19, why he turned to coaching, and why he built a place centered on access, creativity, free play, and community. Kyle gets honest about growing up with a perfectionist father, changing the car ride home with his own kids, and learning that coaching a player starts with understanding the person. Scott and Jamie add their own hard-earned mistakes about expensive training, chasing higher-level teams, and pushing kids toward a version of hockey they may not want. The conversation also tackles choosing the coach over the jersey, valuing puck touches and ice time, watching for burnout, and giving kids enough room to fall in love with the game on their own terms. In this episode: Why free play and creativity are essential to development Better questions for the car ride home Choosing the right coach over the best team Building The Hockey Barn around training, competing, and belonging Live questions on speed, endurance, coachability, and tournament hockey Coach the human, protect the love of the game, and let development follow. The Hockey Barn: https://thehockeybarnatl.com/ The Hockey Barn IG: https://www.instagram.com/thehockeybarnatl/ Partners: https://www.pacificrink.com/ https://hockeytraining.com/ https://sparxhockey.com/ https://www.instagram.com/bigjohndangles/ https://www.titanbattlegear.com/crazyhockeydads https://howieshockeytape.com/ https://www.athleticperformanceinsight.com/ Socials: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@crazyhockeydadspodcast X: https://x.com/Crazyhockeydads Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crazyhockeydadspodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Crazy-Hockey-Dads-Podcast/61578631923150/
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