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A coach can never make a great player of a youngster who isn’t potentially great. But a coach can make a great competitor out of any child.

And miraculously, coaches can make adults out of children.

For a coach, the final score doesn’t read so many points for my team; so many points for theirs. Instead it reads: So many men and women out of so many boys and girls.

And this is a score that is never published. And this is a score that coaches read to themselves, and in which they find real joy . . .

When the last game is over.

At one point during a youth hockey game, the coach took one of his 10 year-old hockey players aside on the bench and asked:

“Do you understand what cooperation is? What a team is?”

The little boy nodded in the affirmative.
“Do you understand that what matters is whether we win or lose together as a team?”

The little boy nodded yes.
“I’m sure you know that when a penalty is called, you shouldn’t argue, curse, attack the referee, or call him an idiot.

“Do you understand all that?”

Again the little boy nodded.

The coach continued: “And when I take you out of the game so another boy gets a chance to play, it’s not good sportsmanship to call your coach ‘a dumb moron’ is it?”

Again the little boy nodded.

“Good,” said the coach.

“Now, go over there and explain all that to your parents.”

The Utah High School Hockey league is holding a contest for creating a new logo.

Its weird to think that the league has been around over 30 years and has never trade marked a logo. With that said they want it created by a student.

Here is your chance to create something that will be part of league history. They will use your logo on banners, team brochures and tee shirts to help promote future hockey.

The grand prize is a pair of high-end Bauer skates.

Please submit as many versions as you would like to Dirk Facer by the end of August.

Have you ever wondered if you have what it takes to play professional hockey? Sure, the C-Division of the Men’s League thinks you rock but what does it really take to stack up to a team of professionals. Well, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is. The Utah Grizzlies is holding amateur tryouts September 17-19 and at least one player will be selected from this camp to attend Grizzlies training camp in October.

Players will participate in a mini-camp conducted by the Grizzlies coaching staff Thursday and Friday, capped off by a scrimmage on Saturday the 19th. Ticket proceeds from the scrimmage will go to support local Utah hockey organizations, who will also have registration tables setup at the game.

Strap on the helmet nice and tight, tape up your shiny new stick and most of all…keep your head up when you go into the corners.

To register or for more information, visit www.utahgrizzlies.com/team/tryout.