Officials perform a vital role in the game. At all levels are the third team on the ice, without whom the game would not happen. Dave Wedlake, Chair of the OMHA Referee program joined us to discuss the role of the official.

With the holidays just around the corner, our team has your official holiday cheat sheet when it comes to shopping for the hockey fanatic on your list.

Imagine playing hockey on a seemingly endless sheet of ice. You can see the puck but no matter how hard you try or how fast you skate you are never able to catch up to it. Suddenly, you find yourself trapped at one end of the rink, helplessly watching as the play moves toward the other end. Ken Martell, Technical Director of USA Hockey explains the benefits of age appropriate sizes for pucks, ice and nets.

Anyone who follows him on twitter or pays attention to a featured segment on TSN.ca, knows Darren Dreger's passion for backyard rinks. We chat how to make the perfect backyard rink with the Hockey Insider himself

Hockey Canada President, Tom Renney discusses how to build skilled hockey players in part two of our conversation.

Warming up before a practice, game or training session is vital in ensuring the body is ready to compete at its highest level. Warm ups should start with basic movements - and they don’t necessarily need a lot of space or equipment. Mark Fitzgerald, owner of Elite Training Systems, Strength and Conditioning Coach Anaheim Ducks/ Lead Training Adviser Under Armour Canada talks about the proper way to warm up and train your body.

The strategy: Give up the puck as quickly as you can, and see if the opponent has the skill to break out of their end against the forecheck. Former professional player and current write for The Score, Justin Bourne explains why the dump and chase is killing skill in minor hockey.

Former NHLer and Co-Founder of Respect Group, Sheldon Kennedy, has been a champion for respectful behaviour for sport stakeholders since 2004. We sat down with Sheldon to discuss the Respect in Sport Parent program, the evolving role of parents in sport and how we can all become agents for positive change.

Given Canada is the birth place of hockey, and Canadians are so passionate about the sport, it was surprising to learn that 90% of the kids do NOT play hockey today. Today we focus on the 90% that currently do not play and find ways to get them involved in our favourite sport to make a meaningful impact on the lives of kids, their families, and our communities. We chat with Lodovic Lord, Manager of Recruitment Initiatives with Hockey Canada to discuss how to get more kids playing the game.

Hockey is indeed an international game. Welland Ontario native, Mike Pelino, Assistant Coach with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL discusses the differences in the game from an international view and what we can apply to the Canadian model.