Parents should enjoy the game and applaud good plays. The stands are not a place from which parents should try to personally coach their kids. Some parents not only spoil the fun for their kids at the ice rink, but also in the car, believing this is the perfect place for instruction. Parents should try to keep things in perspective. There's more to life than hockey, and the car and home are not places to coach.
Parents are responsible for supporting and respecting the coach's decisions and abilities.
It is unfair to put children in a position of having to decide who to listen to their parents or the coach. At Practice Parents should remember that if a child wants to improve, they have to practice not just play. At The Rink Hockey parents can help create a fun environment by making certain their children are wearing properly fitted equipment. Parents also need to stress fair play and risk management to help eliminate injuries. The USA Hockey Initiation Program has been developed to make certain that a child's first experience with hockey is positive, safe and fun.