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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.
485 Episodes
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📬 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: ...
🏒 The season is winding down… but the work isn’t over yet. As playoffs approach — or the final games come into view — this episode of The Ride to the Rink is all about how you finish. Because whether you’re chasing a championship or counting down the last few skates, the habits you build right now matter more than you think. In this solo ride, Lee shares the exact messages he’s delivering to teams across age groups as the season enters its final stretch — lessons that apply no matter where yo...
We’re closing the book on 2025 with our annual Year in Review—and the numbers are WILD. From 156 episodes (yep—3 per week) to 4,454 minutes of content (74+ hours) and listeners in 100 countries, this show continues to grow because of one thing: the hockey community sharing it. We also count down the Top 5 episodes of 2025 (plus an honorable mention), talk through the topics parents are clearly searching for most (tryouts, development, myths, and expectations), and pull back the curtain on wha...
🏒 What does it really take to go from a 9-year-old hockey player with a dream… to an Olympian and professional hockey player? In this special Our Girls Play Hockey Mailbag Episode (Part 1), hosts Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli are joined by our very own Olympic and professional hockey player Hayley Scamurra to answer your questions — straight from young players, parents, and families across the hockey community. After posting a simple call for questions, the response was overwhelming. So many tho...
🚗 What if your best shift actually starts before you step on the ice? On this episode of The Ride to the Rink, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli are joined by mindset coach Sandy Cohan to talk about something every player can control — how you prepare mentally on the way to the rink. Too many players think they can just flip a switch once the puck drops. The truth? Your competitive engine needs to be warmed up before you lace up your skates. 💡 In this ride, we break down: 🧠 Why your brain doesn’t un...
🧠 What if the most important skill your hockey player needs isn’t taught on the ice? In this powerful episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias, Christie Casciano-Burns, and Mike Bonelli are joined by Sandy Cohan, founder of Mental Edge Hockey and author of the 99 Rules book series, for a deep, honest, and eye-opening conversation about mindset, confidence, and what it really takes to develop resilient hockey players — and strong humans. Sandy breaks down why mindset isn’t a “specialty skill...
🚨 How do you grow a girls hockey league from a handful of teams to one of the largest in the country? This week on Our Girls Play Hockey, hosts Lee Elias and Hayley Scamurra sit down with Bob Apter, President of the Northern Illinois Hockey League (NIHL) — an organization now home to 75 girls travel teams across five states and counting. From humble beginnings to a multi-state powerhouse, Bob shares the inside story of how NIHL became a model for competitive balance, accessibility, and innova...
🚗💨 What if not being “identified” as a top player early… actually worked in your favor? On this episode of The Ride to The Rink, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli are joined by their good friend Matt Dumouchelle, creator of Hockey Factories and a global student of hockey development. Matt has traveled the world studying how different countries develop players — and what he’s learned challenges a lot of the North American mindset around early selection, elite teams, and “being picked.” Together, they...
🏒 Are we building great hockey teams… or just chasing superstars way too early? In this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli are joined once again by hockey development consultant and writer Matt Dumouchelle for a deep, thoughtful, and at times uncomfortable conversation sparked by the World Junior Hockey Championship. After watching Canada eliminated by Czechia for the third straight year, Matt shared a post that stopped a lot of people in their tracks — and it raised ...
💭 Do you ever feel guilty for missing hockey? Missing a practice for school. Saying no to a tournament. Choosing family time, another sport, or just a much-needed break. If that knot in your stomach feels familiar, this episode is for you. In this powerful conversation, Lee Elias and Hayley Scamurra tackle a topic that players, parents, and even coaches experience — but rarely talk about out loud: the guilt of not always being at hockey. From youth hockey pressures to elite-level perspective...
🧠 What if your thoughts and emotions were actually your biggest teammates? On this episode of The Ride to The Rink, hosts Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli are joined live from Sweden by sports psychology experts Johan Fallby and Henrik Cronebäck for a powerful conversation just for young hockey players. Together, they break down simple, practical mental fitness tools kids can use: On the way to practice 🚌Before a big game 🏒Even before a test at school 📚💡 You’ll learn why feeling nervous is complete...
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...
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