Looking for the ideal hockey gift for a young player or new hockey family? In this micro-episode, Lee introduces Twig & Biscuit: Learn to Play Hockey, an award-winning children’s book co-authored with Paul Cohen. Perfect for ages 4–8, this beautifully illustrated book walks new players through getting dressed for the game. Plus, discover bonus merch like puck lamps and equipment checklists—only at TwigBiscuit.com!

🎁 Support small businesses AND the show this season!
 🔗 Visit: TwigBiscuit.com

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Get ready to protect your sticks and your wallet this holiday season! In this special episode, Lee Elias shares a limited-time deal from Hockey Wraparound, the industry leader in off-ice stick protection. For four days only, you can get 25% off all Wraparound and Green Biscuit products—no code needed! Learn how this family-owned business is helping players train smarter and save money, and how supporting it helps keep Our Kids Play Hockey going strong.

🔗 Visit: HockeyWrapAround.com

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🍁 This week, we’re giving thanks — for YOU, our listeners, our incredible hockey community, and the five amazing years of Our Kids Play Hockey! Join hosts Lee Elias, Christy Casciano-Burns, and Mike Bonelli for a heartwarming Thanksgiving special that’s all about gratitude, laughter, and celebrating how far this podcast (and our hockey families) have come.

In this special holiday edition, the team shares:
 ✨ Reflections on five years of growing the OKPH community
 ✨ Heartfelt gratitude for listeners, guests, and hockey parents everywhere
 ✨ A behind-the-scenes peek at the amazing crew (shoutout to producer Katelynn, editor Xavier, and Our Girls Play Hockey co-host Haley Scamurra!)
✨ Why the hockey community means so much — and what keeps them inspired week after week

Plus — a fun reminder to check out the Wraparound Roundtable Giveaway happening every Wednesday, and some tips for surviving the youth hockey holiday tournament chaos!

So grab a slice of pie (or your travel coffee mug for the next rink run) and spend this Thanksgiving with your extended hockey family.

📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: 🍂 A Season of Thanks — and Hockey!

🦃 Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Our Kids Play Hockey!

 #OurKidsPlayHockey #HockeyFamily #YouthHockey #ThanksgivingEpisode #Gratitude #HockeyParents #HockeyPodcast #HockeyLife #OKPH #HockeyCommunity

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Hockey IQ: Scanning the ice, recognizing pressure, anticipating what happens next, making the right decision faster. Research shows these perceptual and decision-making skills can actually be trained. With NHL Sense Arena, kids can get extra game-like reps at home, working on hockey IQ, reactions, real stick-handling for skaters, while goalies can train reads and tracking. Save $25 on an annual plan with code OKPH at http://hockey.sensearena.com/okph

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This week, Our Kids Play Hockey is taking a brief break from the Wraparound Roundtable giveaway series to celebrate the holiday season and encourage our community to support small and medium-sized hockey businesses.

While there’s no weekly giveaway this week, the grand prize is still on its way, and the full series continues soon!

🎁 Holiday Shoutouts:

• HockeyWrapAround.com
  – The original wraparound blade protector.
• TwigBiscuit.com
  – Our brand-new youth book series, perfect for new hockey families and a great holiday gift!

💬 Whether you're shopping Black Friday or Cyber Monday, your support of hockey businesses makes a real impact on our community. Thanks for being part of the Our Kids Play Hockey family—we'll be back with a full episode soon!

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🔥 Is “a hockey-life balance” even real—or is it just about priorities?

This week on Our Girls Play Hockey, Lee Elias, Mike Bonelli, and PWHL star Hayley Scamurra dig into one of the biggest questions families face: how do young athletes juggle hockey, school, family, and downtime without burning out?

From missed school dances and long road trips to the reality of puberty and injuries, Hayley shares her honest experience growing up in hockey—and what she wishes she knew about balance, rest, and resilience along the way.

🎯 In this episode, we cover:

• What “balance” really looks like for elite athletes
• Why priority balance may be more realistic than “life balance”
• The role parents play in guiding (not forcing) motivation
• Warning signs of burnout every parent and coach should watch for
• How routines and habits build long-term success
• Unique challenges girls face during puberty and how coaches can support them

Whether you’re a player, parent, or coach, this is a can’t-miss discussion on what it really takes to grow in hockey—and in life.

👉 Listen now, share with your hockey community, and let us know your thoughts!

📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: The Truth About Hockey Life Balance (and Why It Might Not Exist)

#GirlsHockey #YouthHockey #HaileyScamurra #HockeyParenting #HockeyLifeBalance #PWHL

Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!

Hockey IQ: Scanning the ice, recognizing pressure, anticipating what happens next, making the right decision faster. Research shows these perceptual and decision-making skills can actually be trained. With NHL Sense Arena, kids can get extra game-like reps at home, working on hockey IQ, reactions, real stick-handling for skaters, while goalies can train reads and tracking. Save $25 on an annual plan with code OKPH at http://hockey.sensearena.com/okph

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🚗 Every hockey parent has been there. The game ends, emotions run high, and before you know it — the “coaching” starts before the gear’s even off. In one of our most revisited and requested topics, Lee, Mike, and Christie return to a fan-favorite message: the car ride is STILL not for coaching.

In this heartfelt follow-up, the trio breaks down why post-game analysis in the car can damage your relationship with your player — and what to do instead. From anxious parents to over-enthusiastic dads (and yes, near-accidents involving coaching boards 😅), this episode brings humor, honesty, and real-world strategies to one of youth hockey’s trickiest habits.

✨ Highlights include:

• Why parents coach from the car (and how to stop)
• The difference between talking and coaching
• How to make the car a “safe space” for your player
• Tips for coaches on setting car-ride boundaries early
• The three phrases your kid actually needs to hear before every game
• And a story involving Metallica, hockey homework, and hard-earned wisdom

🎧 Whether you’re a coach, parent, or player, this episode is a reminder: your voice matters most when your kid wants to hear it. Let the rink be for hockey — and the ride home for connection.

📩 Have a question or story like today’s listener letter? Send it to [email protected]
— we might feature it on a future episode!

📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog:The Car Ride Is Still Not for Coaching — Why Parents Need to Hit the Brakes

#HockeyParenting #YouthHockey #ParentCoachBalance #HockeyFamily #OurKidsPlayHockey

Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!

Hockey IQ: Scanning the ice, recognizing pressure, anticipating what happens next, making the right decision faster. Research shows these perceptual and decision-making skills can actually be trained. With NHL Sense Arena, kids can get extra game-like reps at home, working on hockey IQ, reactions, real stick-handling for skaters, while goalies can train reads and tracking. Save $25 on an annual plan with code OKPH at http://hockey.sensearena.com/okph

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🧠 Ever wonder what separates good hockey players from great ones? It’s not just skating or shooting — it’s how they see the game. In this quick but powerful mini-episode, Lee and Mike dive deep into one of hockey’s most underrated superpowers: situational awareness.

From blue-line turnovers to risky rushes, goalie decisions to smart dump-ins, this episode breaks down how learning to “zoom out” and see the full 200x80 sheet can transform a young player’s game — and make coaches trust them more.

💡 In This Episode:

• Why goals rarely start where you think they do 🥅
• The dangers of far-blue-line turnovers (and how to avoid them)
• What “situational awareness” really means for players, goalies, and coaches
• How to stop being a liability and start being the player coaches want on the ice
• Why sometimes the smartest move is the simplest one

👀 Whether you’re a player learning the ropes or a coach trying to teach smarter hockey, this episode will change how you see every shift.

🎧 Tune in, take notes, and remember: great hockey isn’t just about playing hard — it’s about playing smart.

📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: Seeing the Whole Ice — Why Situational Awareness is the Smartest Skill in Youth Hockey

#YouthHockey #SituationalAwareness #HockeyIQ #CoachingTips #PlayerDevelopment #RideToTheRink #OurKidsPlayHockey

Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!

Hockey IQ: Scanning the ice, recognizing pressure, anticipating what happens next, making the right decision faster. Research shows these perceptual and decision-making skills can actually be trained. With NHL Sense Arena, kids can get extra game-like reps at home, working on hockey IQ, reactions, real stick-handling for skaters, while goalies can train reads and tracking. Save $25 on an annual plan with code OKPH at http://hockey.sensearena.com/okph

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Welcome to another Wraparound Roundtable — our holiday special series where we spotlight the biggest creators in the game and give away major prizes!

This week, we’re joined by the one and only Pavel Barber — stickhandling phenom, skills coach, and one of the most recognized names in online hockey content.

🎁 Giveaway Alert:

• Every episode = a chance to win a Green Biscuit + Puck Around
• This week’s multiplier: A Goalie Wraparound (Pavel’s pick!)
• 🔗 Head to HockeyNeverStops.com and enter now!

📌 In this episode, we cover:

• Pavel’s start in content creation: from random video posts to global recognition
• Why passion and obsession — not views — drive his creativity
• His coaching side: What skills really matter in a game (hint: not flashy toe drags)
• The mental side of content creation and helping kids through hockey
• What he learned from working with Itaguchi and players with limited resources
• A powerful message for kids: It’s not about being viral. It’s about being resourceful, consistent, and loving the process
• Why the “boring basics” matter more than any highlight reel move
• His own childhood obsession with the game, and how the joy of skating still hits just as hard today

💡 Whether you’re a player, parent, or creator, this episode is packed with real talk and rare insights from one of hockey’s most impactful minds.

📲 Follow Pavel: @heybarber | @pavelbarbertraining for the game-relevant stuff

🛑 REMINDER: There are two Roundtable episodes every week — and every entry = another shot at the grand prize. 10 episodes. 10 chances to win. Thousands in gear.

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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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This week on the Wraparound Roundtable, we sit down with one of the most colorful personalities in hockey — literally. Known online as RSpike20, the Purple Goalie has taken the beer league world (and Instagram) by storm with his hilarious skits, mic’d-up moments, and genuine love for the game.

🎧 In this episode, we dive into:

• How a love for the Lightning sparked his late start in hockey
• What it’s like learning to play goal as an adult — and turning that journey into content
• His creative process behind viral videos and his signature purple persona
• The tight-knit support of the local hockey community and fans who recognize him at the rink
• What most people don’t understand about goaltending (hint: stretch more!)
• Advice for young creators dreaming of turning their passion into content
• Behind-the-scenes stories, including the goalie creator game you’ve probably already seen!

💥 RSpike20 might have started from rec league, but his mission to spread fun, positivity, and passion through hockey content is making a major impact — all while fully dressed 60 minutes before puck drop.

🎁 GIVEAWAY ALERT:

This week’s prize:

🥅 Green Biscuit + Puck Around + Hockey Wraparound (courtesy of RSpike20)

🎄 Two episodes weekly = Two chances to win

🧊 10 total episodes = 10 shots at our massive grand prize

🎯 Enter now at HockeyNeverStops.com

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!

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✨ Do young girls take coaching more literally than boys? That’s the big question we dig into on this week’s episode of Our Girls Play Hockey!

Lee, Mike, and Team USA’s Hayley Scamurra share their coaching insights and personal experiences on how language, confidence, and context impact the way girls receive and process feedback compared to boys.

From locker room dynamics to building trust, the panel gets real about what works (and what doesn’t) when helping young female players thrive — and why it’s not about coaching them differently, but coaching them better.

🔥 Highlights from this episode:

• Why young girls often follow instructions to the letter — and how to encourage creativity without causing confusion
• The pressures girls feel in co-ed teams and how that shapes their approach to mistakes
• Specific language swaps coaches can use to make instructions clearer and more effective
• The importance of trust, body language, and context when coaching young female athletes
• Why positive feedback must be earned — and how to balance encouragement with accountability

Whether you’re a coach, parent, or player, this conversation will spark new ideas on how to support the next generation of girls in hockey. 🏒💪

👉 What do you think? Email us at [email protected]
or text us using the link in the description. We’d love to feature your thoughts in a future episode!

📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: Do Girls Take Hockey Coaching More Literally Than Boys?

#GirlsHockey #YouthHockey #CoachingTips #HockeyParents #PWHL #WomensHockey #OurKidsPlayHockey

Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!

Hockey IQ: Scanning the ice, recognizing pressure, anticipating what happens next, making the right decision faster. Research shows these perceptual and decision-making skills can actually be trained. With NHL Sense Arena, kids can get extra game-like reps at home, working on hockey IQ, reactions, real stick-handling for skaters, while goalies can train reads and tracking. Save $25 on an annual plan with code OKPH at http://hockey.sensearena.com/okph

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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