Our Kids Play Hockey | Hockey Stories & Teamwork Tips

Happy New Year, hockey friends and families! 🎉

We’re kicking off 2026 by reflecting on how far Our Kids Play Hockey has come, thanking the incredible community that made it all possible, and sharing a few important updates as we head into our sixth year of the show.

In this special New Year’s episode, Lee, Mike, and Christy talk about the growth of the podcast, the lessons learned along the way, the amazing guests and topics that continue to shape the show—and why listener feedback has always been the fuel behind it all. We also look ahead to a huge milestone year, including our march toward Episode 500.

📣 Programming Update for 2026:

• Main Our Kids Play Hockey episodes will now release on Thursdays

• The Ride to the Rink moves to Saturdays, perfect for weekend drives to the rink

We also share why our annual stats recap is coming a little later this year and how Buzzsprout is helping us tell that story in a new way.

Thank you for being part of this journey—from first-time listeners to families who haven’t missed an episode. We’re excited, grateful, and ready for everything 2026 has in store.

Happy New Year. We’ll see you on the next episode of Our Kids Play Hockey. 🏒💙

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⏰ This is it. The final reminder.

In this short but important episode, we’re officially in the last 24 hours of our massive year-end Wraparound Roundtable Grand Prize Giveaway—and we don’t want a single hockey family to miss their chance.

🎁 One lucky family will take home an unreal prize pack, including:

• A Sparx Skate Sharpener

• Personalized hockey puck lamp

• Heads Up Hockey lifetime subscription

• Helios Hockey Core Sensor

• BladeTech custom blades + swag

• NHL Sense Arena $50 credit

• Team Clix hockey sunglasses

• Hockey Wraparound prize pack (Wraparound, pucks, MYBALL, and more)

• Team set of Extinct Bomb deodorizers

• Best Damn Tape sampler set

~

✔️ Entry is 100% free

✔️ Giveaway closes in 24 hours

✔️ Winner announced immediately after

~

👉 Head to HockeyWraparound.com, find the Wraparound Roundtable button, and enter now. This is truly the last call!

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Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽

Heading into 2026, hockey families are asking: How do we get better? More ice time isn’t always realistic — but smarter training is. Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace.

🎯 Visit SenseArena.com/OKPH and use code OKPH to get 50% off plus $25 off an annual plan or headset bundle.

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🟦 Feeling tired, burned out, or just plain stuck halfway through the hockey season? You’re not alone.

This episode lands right in that in-between space — after the early-season excitement fades and before playoff hockey really begins. The skates might be hanging in the garage, the coffee intake is way up, and families everywhere are wondering how to make the final stretch of the season actually matter.

In this conversation, Lee, Christie, and Mike dig into how players, parents, and coaches can reset, refocus, and rekindle their hockey experience heading into the most important months of the year.

💡 In this episode, we cover:

• Why reflection matters before pushing forward
• How coaches should redefine roles, standards, and “wins” mid-season
• What parents can do when their child is on a losing team — or feeling burned out
• Why records don’t define development (and never have)
• The importance of communication, confidence, and culture
• How to make January and February feel like a fresh start, not a grind
• Simple mindset shifts that help kids love the game again

❤️ Whether your child’s team is winning every weekend or struggling to find momentum, this episode is a powerful reminder that youth hockey is about growth, connection, and long-term development, not standings.

🎧 Listen now, reset your perspective, and make the rest of this season one your family feels proud of.

📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: Reset, Refocus, Rekindle: How Families Can Make the Second Half of the Hockey Season Matter

📩 Have a question or topic you want us to cover? Email us or tap the link in the episode description — many of our episodes start with you.

 #OurKidsPlayHockey #YouthHockeyParents #HockeyDevelopment #HockeyMindset #YouthSports #HockeyCoaching #HockeyParenting #LoveTheGame #PlayerDevelopment

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🎙️ Hockey friends and family — Happy Holidays from our team!

In this special, lighthearted holiday episode, Christie Casciano is joined by her two favorite cohosts, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli for a festive check-in with the Our Kids Play Hockey community.

Between laughs, movie references, and holiday banter, the trio delivers an important reminder parents and players often need to hear this time of year: it’s okay to step back, say no, and simply enjoy the season. Whether your family is skating through tournaments, navigating three-on-three invites, or choosing rest over ice time, this episode reinforces that balance matters — especially during the holidays.

🎁 In this episode, we talk about:

• Why the holidays don’t have to revolve around hockey
• Giving yourself permission to skip extra skates and tournaments
• Finding joy, rest, and perspective during a busy season
• A sneak peek at upcoming episodes focused on the final stretch of the season
• Ending the year with gratitude, humor, and hockey community spirit

As the calendar turns and the season heads toward its final push, this episode is a warm reminder that hockey is important — but family, fun, and well-being always come first.

🏒✨ From all of us at Our Kids Play Hockey — happy hockey holidays!

#OurKidsPlayHockey #HockeyParents #HockeyHolidays #YouthHockeyLife #HockeyFamily #HolidayBalance #RinkLife #HockeySeason

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⏰ One week left… and this might be the biggest youth hockey giveaway we’ve ever done.

Every year, we look for a way to say thank you to the hockey families who make this community so special — and this year’s Holiday End-of-Year Giveaway is next level.

In this short but important episode, we break down everything one lucky family can win, and trust us — this is the kind of prize pack that makes you the hero of the locker room.

🏒 What’s included in the grand prize?

• ✨ A Sparx Machine for at-home skate sharpening
• 💡 A personalized hockey puck lamp for the ultimate fan cave
• 🧠 Heads Up Hockey – lifetime training app subscription
• 📊 Helios Hockey Core Sensor
• 🧊 BladeTech prize pack (custom blades + swag)
• 😎 Blade Shades sunglasses
• 🎒 A Hockey Wraparound Prize Pack including a Puckaround 2-Pack, a Hockey Wraparound, and more!
• 🧼 Team set of Extinct Bomb deodorizer packs
• 🏒 Best Dam Tape sampler (clear, white, and black)

…and it’s all going to ONE hockey family.

🚨 Important details:

• Entry is 100% FREE
• Giveaway closes in ONE WEEK
• Winners announced after the deadline
• You must enter at hockeywraparound.com via the Roundtable Giveaway link

This is one of our favorite traditions, and we don’t want any hockey family missing out.

👉 Enter now, share it with your teammates, and we’ll see you next week when we wrap it all up.

#OurKidsPlayHockey #HockeyGiveaway #YouthHockey #HockeyParents #HockeyFamily #SparxHockey #HockeyTraining #HockeyGear

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Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽

Heading into 2026, hockey families are asking: How do we get better? More ice time isn’t always realistic — but smarter training is. Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace.

🎯 Visit SenseArena.com/OKPH and use code OKPH to get 50% off plus $25 off an annual plan or headset bundle.

Have A Topic You Want Us To Cover? Let us know!

Please Be Sure To Subscribe & Leave A Review For Us On Apple Podcasts, doing so helps our show grow!

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🎁 Happy holidays, hockey family!

As the holiday season rolls in, Lee Elias and Hayley Scamurra take a break from the usual hockey talk to do what matters most this time of year — connect, reflect, and give thanks.

In this special holiday episode of Our Girls Play Hockey, Lee and Hayley come together from Montreal to share warm wishes with the entire girls’ hockey community and offer listeners a more personal look behind the podcast. Hayley is joined by her partner Nick Stoop (yes, that Nick — longtime listener favorite and past guest), along with their beloved giant schnauzer, Lexie, who unofficially claims the title of “podcast couch MVP.”

This episode is a reminder that while hockey brings us together, community is what keeps us connected — especially during the holidays.

✨ In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Holiday wishes to hockey families around the world
• Hayley’s life in Montreal and holiday travel plans
• Nick’s perspective on mentorship, travel, and supporting athletes
• The importance of family, relationships, and community beyond the rink
• Why the girls’ hockey world truly feels like one big family

Whether you’re listening on a drive home, wrapping gifts, or sneaking in a quiet moment for yourself, this episode is a heartfelt reminder of why this community means so much.

🎄 From all of us at Our Girls Play Hockey, we wish you a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a joyful holiday season, whatever you celebrate.

💙 Thanks for being part of our hockey family — we’ll see you in the next episode.

#OurGirlsPlayHockey #GirlsHockey #HockeyCommunity #HolidayEpisode #WomenInHockey #HockeyFamily #Grateful #Mentorship #HockeyLife

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🧠 Mental fitness isn’t a buzzword anymore — it’s a skill. And like any hockey skill, it has to be trained.

Mental fitness is one of the most requested topics in the Our Kids Play Hockey community, and for good reason. Parents, coaches, and players all know it matters — but far fewer know how to actually teach it, practice it, and *build it into everyday hockey life.

In this episode, hosts Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli are joined by Swedish sport psychology leaders Henrik Cronebäck and Johan Fallby, co-founders of PlayWellMinds, a science-backed mental training platform helping young athletes build confidence, focus, and emotional balance through short, daily routines.

This conversation moves mental fitness from theory to action.

🏒 Inside this episode:

~Why mental fitness should be trained just like skating, shooting, and strength
~How elite athletes learn to work with stress instead of fighting it
~Why introducing mental skills early gives kids a lifelong advantage
~The difference between outcome goals and performance goals — and why it matters
~Simple tools parents and coaches can use immediately (including the powerful “Top Three” exercise)
~How teams can build stronger culture, trust, and communication through shared mental skills

💡 From mindfulness and breathing, to emotional awareness, reflection, and celebration, Henrik and Johan break down how mental training can become a daily habit — not a reaction to problems.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who wants kids to stay in the game longer, enjoy it more, and develop skills that go far beyond the rink.

📩 Have questions for the hosts or guests? Email [email protected] or use the text link in the show description.

🎧 Listen, learn, and start training the mind like the muscle it is.

📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: Training the Mind Like the Body in Youth Hockey

#OurKidsPlayHockey #MentalFitness #YouthHockey #SportsPsychology #HockeyParents #HockeyCoaches #PlayerDevelopment #MentalTraining

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🎮 What if your love of hockey could become a lifelong career… even if you’re still a kid?

On today’s Ride to the Rink, Lee, Mike, and Christie are joined by Nick Bowins, founder of Working in Hockey, to open young players’ eyes to just how many opportunities exist beyond playing the game. Whether you love video games, math, technology, social media, photography, coaching, or just being around the rink — there’s a path for you in hockey.

Nick shares real examples and powerful reminders that the traits kids learn in the locker room — leadership, teamwork, effort, resilience — translate directly into careers on and off the ice. He explains how to explore your interests now, how to talk about your passions with confidence, and how to start building connections in the sport no matter your age.

Kids, this episode is your permission slip to dream big — not just about where you’ll play, but about the kind of hockey life you can build.

⭐ Highlights from the Episode

• 🎮 Love video games? There are careers in tech and gaming inside the hockey world.
• 📊 Good at math? Analytics roles exist at every level of hockey.
• 📱 Into social media? Marketing is one of the fastest-growing lanes in the sport.
• 📷 Creative? Photography and videography can open doors at rinks everywhere.
• 🧠 Leadership matters: The same kids who lead in the locker room often become leaders in business later.
• 🗣️ Tell people what you love: Sharing your passions helps others help you.
• 💡 You’re more than a hockey player — and developing your other interests makes you stronger, not distracted.

📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: How Kids Can Start Building a Future in Hockey — With Insights from Working in Hockey’s Nick Bowins

🎧 Listen in and help your young athlete discover how their unique skills and passions can fuel a lifelong journey in hockey — on or off the ice.

 #RideToTheRink #WorkingInHockey #HockeyCareers #YouthHockey #HockeyParents #HockeyLife #LeadershipLessons #HockeyKids #HockeyDevelopment #BeyondTheIce

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For the final episode of this season’s Wraparound Roundtable, we’re joined by Chris Kibui — the creator behind Hockey Tutorial, one of hockey’s most respected and widely‑watched channels. From humble beginnings making “how to hockey stop” videos to producing gear reviews, expert tutorials, and international documentaries, Chris has spent over a decade bridging the gap between gear tech, on‑ice performance, and global hockey culture.

Lee and Chris dive deep into:

🔹 His first spark — inspired by The Mighty Ducks — that got him on the ice and behind the camera

🔹 What it truly takes to produce honest reviews that players actually trust

🔹 How he built a brand that works with every major hockey manufacturer without ever selling out

🔹 Why relatable content (gear, explanation, & real people) matters more than follower count

🔹 What it’s like to travel the world, document hockey in places like Kenya, India, and Sweden, and help grow the game beyond traditional markets

🔹 The positive messages and feedback that keep him creating year after year

🎁 Giveaway: Green Biscuit™ + Puckaround™ + Custom Hockey Tutorial Jersey (your name, number & country!)

🎧 Listen now & enter at: HockeyNeverStops.com

Follow @hockeytutorial on all platforms for honest gear breakdowns, expert tutorials, documentaries, and hockey storytelling you won’t find anywhere else.

Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!

Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽

Heading into 2026, hockey families are asking: How do we get better? More ice time isn’t always realistic — but smarter training is. Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace.

🎯 Visit SenseArena.com/OKPH and use code OKPH to get 50% off plus $25 off an annual plan or headset bundle.

Have A Topic You Want Us To Cover? Let us know!

Please Be Sure To Subscribe & Leave A Review For Us On Apple Podcasts, doing so helps our show grow!

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This week on The Wraparound Roundtable, we’re joined by Tim McCarthy, founder of Goalie Gear Nerd — one of the most respected voices in the world of goalie equipment. With nearly a decade of gear expertise (and a lifelong obsession with pads, gloves, and everything in between), Tim breaks down how a passion project turned into a global hub for goaltender knowledge.

He and Lee dive into what sparked his gear obsession, how sharing his nerdy curiosity grew into an online community, and why the relationships he’s built with brands and fellow goalies mean far more than follower counts. This episode is a deep look at gear, authenticity, and why doing what you love always shows.

🎁 Giveaway: Green Biscuit™ + Puckaround™ + Goalie Wraparound™ (Tim’s multiplier pick!)

🎧 Listen now and enter at: HockeyNeverStops.com

Follow @goaliegearnerd and visit goaliegearnerd.com for gear breakdowns, insider insights, and goaltending content that actually teaches you something.

Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!

Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽

Heading into 2026, hockey families are asking: How do we get better? More ice time isn’t always realistic — but smarter training is. Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace.

🎯 Visit SenseArena.com/OKPH and use code OKPH to get 50% off plus $25 off an annual plan or headset bundle.

Have A Topic You Want Us To Cover? Let us know!

Please Be Sure To Subscribe & Leave A Review For Us On Apple Podcasts, doing so helps our show grow!

Follow Us On Social Media:

• Facebook Group
• X
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