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Description
Our Kids Play Hockey is a podcast that focuses on youth hockey, offering insights, stories, and interviews from the hockey community. It provides valuable advice for parents, coaches, and players, covering various aspects of the game, including skill development, sportsmanship, teamwork, and creating a positive experience for young athletes. The show frequently features guests who share their expertise and personal experiences in youth hockey, both on and off the ice.
The show features three hockey parents, who all work in the game at high levels:
- Christie Casciano-Burns - USA Hockey Columnist, Author, and WSYR Anchor
- Mike Bonelli - USA Hockey Coach and Organizational Consultant
- Lee M.J. Elias - Hockey Entrepreneur, Author, and Team Strategist
In addition to the main podcast, there are several spin-off series that dive into specific aspects of youth hockey:
1.Our Girls Play Hockey – This series highlights the growing presence of girls in hockey, addressing the unique challenges they face while celebrating their accomplishments and contributions to the sport.
2.The Ride to The Rink – A shorter, motivational series designed to be listened to on the way to the rink, offering quick, inspirational tips and advice to help players and parents get into the right mindset before a game or practice.
3.Our Kids Play Goalie – This series is dedicated to young goalies and the unique challenges they face. It provides advice for players, parents, and coaches on how to support and develop young goaltenders, focusing on the mental and physical demands of the position.
Together, these shows provide a comprehensive platform for parents, players, and coaches involved in youth hockey, offering insights for all aspects of the sport, from parenting, playing, or coaching to specialized positions like goaltending.
496 Episodes
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🚨 Think tryouts start on evaluation day? Think again. If you’re heading to a pre-skate or ID skate, this episode is your mindset reset before you walk through those rink doors. Lee and Mike break down what these “tryout before the tryout” skates really are — and more importantly, how YOU should approach them. Because here’s the truth: it’s not just about what you do on the ice… it’s who you are from the parking lot to the final whistle. In this episode, we talk about: 🏒 What coaches are reall...
🔥 ID skates. Pre-skates. Early evaluations. Winter “select” teams. If you’re a hockey parent right now, your inbox is probably full — and your anxiety might be too. So what are ID skates really? Are they opportunities… or just early tryouts in disguise? In this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee and Mike break down the real story behind pre-skates and ID skates — what they mean, when they make sense, and when parents need to take a deep breath and relax. Because here’s the truth: Most tea...
🎉 GIVEAWAY ALERT, Hockey Families! 🎉 Something BIG just dropped in the Our Kids Play Hockey world… and we’re celebrating the best way we know how — by giving back to YOU. Christie Casciano-Burns — award-winning journalist, USA Hockey Magazine columnist, and the original inspiration behind this podcast — has officially released Puck Hog 3: Trophy Thief Mystery… and we’re giving away FIVE copies! In this special edition episode, we dive into: 🏆 The mystery behind the missing Lake Placid Invitat...
🥇 She wrote it on the whiteboard for a year: “I am a gold medalist.” Now it’s real. In this unforgettable crossover episode of Our Kids Play Hockey and Our Girls Play Hockey, Olympic Gold Medalist Hayley Scamurra joins us fresh off Team USA’s historic championship run — and yes… she’s still wearing the medal. Seven games. Seven wins. Two goals in the opener. A perfect penalty kill. A 2–1 overtime thriller against Canada. And the most-watched women’s hockey game in history. This wasn’t just a ...
🚨 Parents — this one’s for you. 🚨 Tryout season is here. Emotions are high. FOMO is real. And decisions made right now can shape your child’s hockey journey for years to come. In this special Parent Edition of The Ride to the Rink, Lee and Mike Bonelli flip the script and ask the kids to turn to YOU and say: “Are you listening?” Because when it comes to hockey evals, team jumping, chasing elite labels, and negotiating during tryouts… parents matter more than anyone. Mike brings the perspectiv...
🏒 Is your child developing as a hockey player… or just playing more hockey? In this powerful episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee and Mike sit down with Jimmy Law, Director of Sports Performance at TPH Academy and founder of Habits of Hockey, to unpack what real development looks like. Spoiler alert: It’s not more ice time. Jimmy shares his journey from first-generation roller hockey player to shaping hundreds of student-athletes in a blended academic and hockey development model built around...
🏒 What would an Olympian tell her 10-year-old self? On this episode of The Ride to the Rink, we get something special — two Olympians talking directly to young hockey players. Haley Winn joins Hayley Scamurra, Lee Elias, and Mike Bonelli for a powerful conversation about confidence, development, rest, and what really matters if you dream of playing at the highest level. If you're a young player chasing big goals — or a parent supporting one — this episode is your reminder that the journey mat...
🏒 What if the most important hockey development tool isn’t a skills coach… but a backyard rink? This week on The Ride to the Rink, Lee and Mike are joined by Stanley Cup Finalist, Team USA alum, and all-around great human Ryan Carter — and he’s taking us back to where it all started. Not in a fancy arena. Not at an elite showcase. But on a Minnesota cul-de-sac with a tennis ball. Ryan shares how street hockey, outdoor rinks, and unstructured play shaped his hands, his hockey IQ, h...
🏒 What if chasing the “best” team is actually holding your player back? This week on Our Kids Play Hockey, we sit down with former NHL forward and Stanley Cup champion Ryan Carter to unpack the truth about youth hockey development — and why the “slow cooker” might beat the “instant pot” every time. From growing up in White Bear Lake, Minnesota to carving out a 10-year NHL career (after going undrafted), Ryan shares the mindset shifts, parenting lessons, and culture-building philosophies that ...
🏒 What does it actually feel like to get the call that you’ve made Team USA? In this unforgettable episode of Our Girls Play Hockey, hosts Lee Elias, Mike Bonelli, and Hayley Scamurra sit down with Boston Fleet rookie and newly named Team USA Olympian Haley Winn to talk about the moment her childhood dream became reality. From backyard battles with her three older brothers to the USA Hockey Development Program, starring at Clarkson University, and now playing professionally in the PWHL — Hale...
📊 Stats. Love them. Hate them. Ignore them. No matter where you fall on the spectrum, one thing is certain — statistics are part of hockey, and how you use them can shape your growth as a player. On this episode of The Ride to the Rink, Mike and Lee dive into one of the most emotional and misunderstood parts of the game: hockey stats. Goals, assists, plus-minus, turnovers, save percentage — they can motivate you, frustrate you, or even expose parts of your game you’d rather not see. 🚨 But he...
📬 It’s time to open the mailbag — and these questions go way deeper than you might expect. In this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee, Mike, and Christie tackle two listener questions that hit at the heart of youth hockey development — accountability, stats, and how parents can support learning without getting in the way. First up, a coach asks a question we hear all the time: 👉 Is there a stat that shows how many mistakes lead to goals — and how do we help kids understand that goals aren’...
🏒 What does a “normal day” look like when you’re a PWHL player, a Team USA Olympian, and right in the middle of a historic season for women’s hockey? In this mid-season edition of A Day in the Life, we go behind the scenes with Hayley Scamurra as she balances professional hockey, Olympic preparation, travel, recovery, leadership, and the daily grind that fans rarely get to see. From getting the call that officially made her a Team USA Olympian to turning the page the very next day and prepari...
🚗💬 What if getting better at hockey isn’t about going faster — but about slowing down? On this Ride to the Rink, we pull one of the most important messages from our Our Kids Play Hockey conversation with Pavel Barber and turn it into a lesson every hockey family needs to hear. Pavel shares why today’s kids are more skilled than ever, why their ceilings are higher than they realize, and why comparison — especially on social media — can quietly derail confidence and development. This isn’t abou...
🔥 What if the secret to elite hockey skills isn’t more ice time… but more patience? In Part 2 of our powerful conversation with Pavel Barber, we go far beyond highlight-reel moves and viral clips to unpack what real skill development actually looks like. From mastering the basics to embracing boredom, failing forward, and letting go of ego, Pavel delivers one of the most important messages young players, parents, and coaches can hear right now. 💡 In this episode, we dive into: Why slowing dow...
🇺🇸 Some hockey moments live forever — and some deserve to be remembered forever. This is one of those special Our Kids Play Hockey announcement episodes that hits right in the heart. We’re proud to share that Our Kids Play Hockey is officially teaming up with the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team to help support something truly meaningful: the creation of a Monument to a Miracle at Lake Placid — a permanent tribute to one of the greatest moments in sports history. 🏒 Here’s how you can be part of ...
🔥 “We want a team!” That’s what 17,228 fans shouted inside Capital One Arena — and it perfectly captured what made the PWHL Takeover Tour stop in Washington, D.C. such a historic, emotional, and game-changing moment for women’s hockey. In this episode of Our Girls Play Hockey, Lee sits down with Hayley Scamurra to recap an unforgettable weekend that was about so much more than a final score. From a sold-out open practice packed with young girls and families, to record-breaking game-day energ...
🚗💨 Kids, buckle up — this one’s special. On this episode of The Ride to the Rink, we’re joined by one of the most creative and recognizable puck handlers in the world — Pavel Barber. If you’ve ever dreamed of dangling like the pros, pulling off trick shots, or making defenders look silly… Pavel is here to tell you what actually matters most when it comes to getting better at hockey. And spoiler alert: it’s not the tricks. 🏒 In this episode, Pavel shares: Why skating and edge work matter more ...
🏒 Is creativity in hockey being misunderstood… or mis-taught? If your player loves skill moves, toe drags, and trick shots — but struggles to know when to use them — this episode is a must-listen. This week on Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias, Christie Casciano-Burns, and Mike Bonelli are joined by global skills coach and viral hockey creator Pavel Barber for a powerful, thoughtful conversation about skill development, creativity, and application in today’s game. Pavel pulls back the curtain o...
💥 This is one of the most requested topics we’ve ever received — and for good reason. Body image. Confidence. Strength. These are conversations that affect almost every girl hockey player and family at some point… yet they’re rarely talked about openly. In this powerful and honest episode of Our Girls Play Hockey, Lee Elias and former Olympian Hayley Scamurra dive deep into the evolving definition of strength in girls hockey — from youth levels all the way to the pros. Together, they unpack: ...
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