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Series: My trip to NCAA…The Hockey Barn

Posted: Monday, June 13th Filed in: General

Series: My trip to NCAA hockey

The Hockey Barn 

By: LH 26

I was fortunate enough to grow up on a ranch in South Dakota. It was undoubtedly the best place for my parents to raise a family and ended up being the best training environment for me too. Even though I played and attended school at Shattuck-St.Mary's for 6 years, coming home for summer vacation was anything but ordinary. Buffalo Ridge Ranch is beautiful and old school, which was perfect because there were no distractions. Money didn't mean anything to us, wins in the hockey barn did. 

My mom and dad tore a part an old barn used for grain storage and turned it into a hockey rink. We had boards, music, painted lines on the cement and nets at both ends. All of our old hockey gloves that had bit the dust were screwed on the wall in a line and circled the arena. This barn wasn't regulation size, it had the measurements of one zone length wise. All four corners were rounded off, providing a place for a stereo to sit in one corner and a chair for my mom to sit and regulate our 2 v 2 games.

With AC/DC blasting, my entire family spent hours out there every day. My brother and I shot 500-1000 pucks a day, would spend 1-2 hours stick handling and passing and then every evening we played 2v2. Me and Nick vs my Dad and Vince. This lasted 2 hours in the evening and was brutal. Very few nights did someone not come out of the hockey barn bleeding, upset and crying (I have an ultra competitive family).

As USA Hockey is beginning to push small games and small space utilization with the ADM, I think about those countless hours spent in that old school barn on roller blades or sneakers in small spaces working on shooting at every angle of the barn, stick handling and being creative, quick transitions and most of all, an enhanced competitive spirit. It is good to know that what USA Hockey is preaching works and produces results. 

What do I recommend to every hockey player? Practice! Take it old school and use your imagination. The things that you learn on the pond, in the hockey barn, on the street or in your basement can't be taught.