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Stick and Puck

Saturday Feb 18

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

$5.00

Registration Link For Evaluations under "Youth Leagues" Tab Above

"Our Facility, Our Knowledge, Your Game"

Motto:
"We exist today to allow you to do what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't"

Welcome to the NEW Home of HPC St. Louis

Hockey Performance Center St. Louis welcomes its new users to the NGIN platform. Please bear with us as we continue to update and manage our new site. To create an account, click on the link provided below "Scheduling "Training". DO NOT USE LINK LOCATED AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE "LOG IN". Sorry for any confusion.

HPC Ice Arena is now part of the St. Louis Blues Rink Partnership Program and will be included on this seasons Player Rink Tours!

HPC has become known as St. Louis' hockey haven. We pride ourselves on customer service and satisfaction, and in keeping the rink politics out of our youth hockey leagues.

“Every person is born into the world to do something unique and something distinctive, and if he or she does not do it, it will never be done.”
-Benjamin E. Mays

Drop-In Adult Hockey

ALL NEW FROM NOW TILL MARCH
SUNDAY NIGHTS

8:50 PM - 10:20 PM

$5.00 Goalies Free

HPC Merges with STL Knights and Join AAU

By: Bobby Wheel

For years USA Hockey has lead the charge for growth in the United States, for the most part they have done a very good job.

How they have lead that charge is through marketing, being visible, creating standards for coaching, referees and developing an insurance coverage program. They do this through registration fees and other fund raising efforts. USA Hockey is a business, and like any business they are providing services to its customers and do not want its customers purchasing services from the competition.

"Sanctioning" is a term or phrase made up by the insiders of USA Hockey, its council and its affiliates. "Sanctioning" is not a "right" of USA Hockey to do, nor does it mean anything other than a sanctioned team subscribes to its insurance policy, rules, regulations, and has allowed itself to become subservient to the multiple councils.

"Sanctioning" whether to allow or not allow is decided by the owners of the other "sanctioned" teams and various councils. In other words, the competition is determining who can and cannot be a part of their group of teams. The competition also determines who plays at the AA, A or B level when considering youth hockey. So if you want an AA level club but the other clubs are intimidated by your ability to recruit, you will only be approved for A or B level so that they will have an advantage in recruiting. This system is called a monopoly and is an unfair business practice barred by federal law.

If USA Hockey accepts anyone who registers on line as a player, coach, referee, or supporter allowing them to be a member, why don’t the members have a choice of where and who they play for or with? They are purchasing a product and are not allowed to use that product when and where they choose? Want to tell a kid he can’t use his skateboard on 5th avenue just because you say 4th avenue is better, even though 4th avenue offers nothing better than 5th avenue?

"Sanctioning" is nothing more than one group saying "we have allowed this group into our group and they have agreed to be subservient to us in order to gain our approval".

So, when it comes to the "sanctioning" of hockey, why is it that USA Hockey and its various councils are seen as the only appropriate body to be able to sanction? This is an easy question to answer if you do the research. The answer is because USA Hockey has simply told everyone this and like mice to cheese the majorities have simply followed along because there has been no competition.

Enter AAU, a large strong group of multiple sport organizations. A policy that states players and teams "have a right to play". Meaning, anyone can join. What a policy huh?

No councils to approve of your team. No red tape to play. A higher quality insurance program, and the insurance costs less and provides options for teams, and players. Leagues can form teams, players, referees, coaches and other supporters can join AAU.

But what about playing rules, development rules, and the pretty monthly magazine we get from USA Hockey?

Well, the basic rules of hockey haven’t changed a whole lot over the years, and the NHL does a pretty good job of establishing standards as well as most college hockey organizations. Why not allow leagues and teams to adopt the basic rules they see most beneficial to their core development model? If a Bantam team or league is being developed to play high school hockey, why not allow them to adopt rules that will ease that transition since USA Hockey does not control all high school hockey in the country.

The reason we all read so much on line about "sanctioned" and "non-sanctioned" leagues is because for years USA Hockey has not had any competition. They have by basis of that lack of competition been assumed to be the leading authority and best option for deciding who gets in and who does not.

Why do people get so upset about leagues and teams that choose to avoid the USA Hockey political mess? Shouldn’t we all have options in life? Some people like a Chevy, some like a Ford.

What is the problem with different brands of insurance? That’s really all we are talking about here, insurance. State Farm or Geico?

As we grow up these issues become generational. If you are born into a Catholic family, chances are you will be raised Catholic and not Baptist. If you are born into and indoctrinated in USA Hockey, chances are you will remain a supporter of that body unless and until you open your mind to another option. If you cannot or will not open your mind to alternatives, at least to investigate them, that is commonly referred to as being brainwashed.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that AAU is better or worse than USA Hockey. What I am saying is that without competition the sport cannot grow. Without options, what do we the consumers have to choose from? Without competition the only store in town can set the price and we have no choice but to pay what it costs. Without competition there is no innovation.

What is wrong with competition? Why wouldn’t USA Hockey want AAU or any other group in the market place? The answer is simple; when you have competition, you lose control, and when you lose control it generally means you lose money. That’s right people, this all comes down to money. When you are the only show in town, you will do anything to keep another show from opening.

If Ford or Chevrolet were the only auto manufacturer in the country, that company would not have any profit problems, the consumer wouldn’t have purchasing options, and unless another company opened none of us would know any better.

Over the last six months there has been much talk about USA Hockey vs. AAU as an insurance option. There has continually been discussion over the years about "sanctioned" vs. "non-sanctioned" teams and leagues. Why does the discussion continue if everyone is content with what is taking place in hockey today? Why do independent teams and leagues keep popping up? The reasons should be pretty clear.

USA Hockey has become an exclusive club instead of an inclusive organization. The current members of that club only accept new members under the rules that the current members have established. This is fine if you are operating a country club where there is an application process, and not every person with a credit card can register or join the club on line.

The reason the junior council members want to retain control is based upon their ability to make money from franchise fees, and USA Hockey has allowed them that control. If control is based upon the ability to make money or not make money, then competition is needed in the marketplace.

In a free market economy, Wendy’s, Arby’s, Mc Donalds, and Burger King have shown that competition is healthy and creates not only options but price reductions. There would be no "dollar menu" without competition.

Why do some consider independence a threat or something that should be put down like an unruly mob? The answer is simple and lies within our own country’s history.

England feared the idea of a United States, a group of independent states that self-regulated under a common charter that assisted in organization without interfering with operation. Why was this a problem for England? It inhibited their ability to tax the independent states. In the end those states won, they were the driving force behind an innovative idea that is a free market economy and self-rule.

If the movement toward independence in hockey continues, as teams, players and organizations grow tired of the taxation; perhaps this innovation will develop a better brand of hockey for us all.

If you think about it, what is there to be afraid of? Nothing, unless of course your income is derived from taxation.