Show Notes
Why the kids who struggle early often last the longest. Scott and Jamie sit down with Jeff LoVecchio - former D1 and pro player, longtime Hockey Think Tank co-host, and founder of GMBM: Give More Be More to unpack a hockey journey built on getting cut, staying patient and learning how to own your development. Jeff walks through growing up in St. Louis with grounded parents who refused to fight his battles, getting cut from teams, playing one or two shifts a game his first year of AAA, and being forced to look in the mirror instead of blaming coaches. He explains how those moments, not early dominance, shaped his confidence, work ethic, and long-term success. The conversation dives into what Jeff sees now after 18 years training thousands of players: why parents rush too early, how over-scheduling hurts development, why competition and discomfort matter, and how mentorship, not micromanagement, changes outcomes. In this episode: Getting cut and why it was the best thing that happened to him Parents who didn’t call coaches and why that mattered The danger of trying to build the “best 10-year-old” What real development actually looks like over time
It’s an honest reminder for hockey parents everywhere: the path isn’t clean, progress isn’t linear, and the kids who learn to struggle early are often the ones still standing at the end. Socials: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@crazy.hockey.dads X: https://x.com/Crazyhockeydads Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crazyhockeydadspodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576627751551
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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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