Having been around hockey in earnest for four decades, I have seen happy tales of hard work producing Division I scholarships and Stanley Cup rings to players that are PeeWee hockey legends that don’t make the high school squad.

Talking to an old sage of Minnesota Hockey glory this past weekend, he said, “there is a fine line between being disillusioned and being disenchanted.”

Let’s break down those wise words into something that is constantly discussed and debated in the rinks from Rochester to Roseau.

Disillusion: This is the family that thinks that their little superstar is a certain lock for Division I fame…it’s only a matter of time before Dad is ordering his State U sweatshirt.  What most in the Disillusion camp fail to realize is that while there are 100 Minnesota kids each year that achieve D1 status, it rarely translates back to the kids that were SQA sensations. The kids that make the leap are the ones that have the ability, but most important have the heart.  Heart can rarely be measured in a 10 year old…no matter the talent, the AAA club, or the stickhandling camp…if a player lacks heart, he’s not playing major D1 hockey.  And the worst news of all, parents have no say if there son has the heart or not.

Disenchanted: This is the family that sees their son get cut from the “A” team or asked to be a practice player on the Elite AAA club.  At this point, the player (and parent) can become Disenchanted.  ”I suck, so what’s the point of even playing?!?” These are words uttered by just about every hockey player that laces ‘em up (except maybe Kane and Parise). So again, it comes down to heart.  What most parents should do when sent to the land of the Disenchanted…is run.  And I don’t mean quit.  I mean ask your player if and what he likes about the game.  If the answer is “A Team” sweatshirt, then he will eventually hang ‘em up.  If his answer is scoring goals, stopping pucks, or the natural excitement of the game…then this is just a phase and he will soon be out of the land of Disenchantment.

Neither village is a place where a parent should take up extended residence.  The likely outcome for 99% of Minnesota kids is a competitive hockey career that ends when they are between 14-18 years old. So before your player hangs it up, have them hang it up because that don’t love the game.  And when that day comes that DI dream dies, don’t feel bad, they die for every player and dad, be thankful and enjoy every minute of the ride.