Crazy Hockey Dads Podcast

What it is, why it exists, and how it’s about to change the path. Scott and Jamie welcome back Bob Mancini , Assistant Executive Director of Hockey Development at USA Hockey, for a rare, detailed breakdown of the USA Hockey Development League straight from one of the people building it. Bob explains why the league was created, what problems it’s designed to fix, and why it’s not a replacement for...

How intentional reps, decision-making, and efficiency drive real improvement. Scott and Jamie sit down with Ryan Murphy, Skills Coach for the New Jersey Devils , to break down how development actually works at the NHL level. Ryan walks through his path from New Jersey youth hockey to prep school, the U.S. National Team, Boston College , pro hockey, and now working daily with NHL players. His messa...

Why doing less - more often - actually works Scott and Jamie sit down with Coach Kevin, founder of hockeytraining.com , for a much-needed reset on youth hockey training. Kevin shares his own winding path getting cut late from AAA, stepping away to play football, finally breaking through at 20  and how those experiences shaped his no-nonsense approach to development. The conversation centers on one...

Why building it from the rink up is the reason this thing worked. Scott and Jamie sit down for a reflective, end-of-season check-in after nine months of Crazy Hockey Dads - a podcast that started as two dads venting and turned into a global conversation with hockey parents in 38 countries. From forgotten skates and waxed-lace debates to the lessons pulled from guests and listener stories, this epi...

Why rushing hockey is the fastest way to get it wrong. Scott and Jamie sit down with Sadie Lundquist - Minnesota-grown, former college and pro player, and now Deputy Director of College Hockey, Inc. - to talk about what development looks like when you don’t rush it. From growing up in Cloquet and playing with her brothers to choosing fit over flash in college, Sadie brings lived experience and rea...

Why the kids who struggle early often last the longest. Scott and Jamie sit down with Jeff LoVecchio -  former D1 and pro player, longtime Hockey Think Tank co-host , and founder of GMBM: Give More Be More to unpack a hockey journey built on getting cut, staying patient and learning how to own your development. Jeff walks through growing up in St. Louis with grounded parents who refused to fight h...

How a COVID accident became the biggest vibes-driven hockey brand in the game. Scott and Jamie sit down with Jonny and Austin, two of the original Hockey Guys , to break down how a group of college teammates stuck in online classes accidentally built a brand that now partners with more than half the NHL. They walk through the real story: Ontario and Manitoba childhoods , leaving home early, billet...

From Queens to the NHL - and why most of youth hockey is overthinking it. Scott and Jamie sit down with Angelo Serse - ProStride Elite founder, New Jersey Devils skating coach , U14 Youth Devils national champion, and Ozone Park kid who nearly quit hockey on Day 1. Angelo shares his unique path: immigrant parents staring at a $2,500 AAA bill, his mom driving to Plattsburgh in snowstorms because he...

Scott and Jamie sit down with Vinny Malts - founder of Bloodline Hockey, longtime pro, and the first mental-performance coach ever hired by the NHL to dig into the side of development nobody sees but every kid feels. Vinny walks through his wild rise from Philadelphia street hockey, to being drafted by the Vancouver Canucks , to a career-altering ankle injury that eventually pushed him toward mind...

Surviving one of the wildest hockey paths you’ll ever hear. Scott and Jamie sit down with Alex Kim - former pro, Colorado College standout, and now Director of the Jr. Ducks to unpack a hockey journey unlike anything in the sport. Alex walks through growing up in non-hockey Southern California under a tiger-mom who preferred harpsichord, abacus, and speed-reading over slapshots, negotiating just t...

Why real development takes patience, perspective, and a lot less panic. Scott and Jamie sit down with Bob Mancini - one of USA Hockey’s most influential minds and a key architect of the American Development Model (ADM) - to talk about what it really means to develop players the right way. Mancini breaks down how small-area games, delayed checking, and skill-first systems aren’t just buzzwords, the...

Real stories. Real questions. Real hockey chaos. This week, Scott and Jamie open up the inbox for a round of listener write-ins - the unfiltered questions and confessions from hockey parents everywhere. From kids getting moved to defense mid-season to dealing with burnout, overthinking, and team drama, this one’s part advice column, part group therapy. In this episode: - When your kid’s position c...

How compete, chaos, and balance actually build better athletes. Scott and Jamie sit down with Anthony LoSauro - longtime North Jersey Avalanche dad, Bergen Catholic fooball alum, and founder of Towermen Lacrosse - for a straight-shooting talk on raising kids who love to compete without turning them into mini-pros. From never giving up on his passion to driving development through curiosity (not cl...

Two months in, and the dust is finally settling. Systems are clicking(ish), rides are less chaotic (maybe), and your kid might even be tying their own skates! Progress? Scott and Jamie sit down for an early season pulse check - the highs, the lows, and the subtle wins you only notice when you zoom out. From dealing with performance lulls to celebrating quiet growth, this one’s about seeing the ful...

What matters, what doesn’t, and what’s actually next. This week, Scott and Jamie sit down with Doug Christiansen , former D1 and pro player, ECHL GM/Head Coach, Team USA U17 Coach, USHL Deputy Commissioner, and current ECAC Hockey Commissioner , to dig into the real layers of youth hockey development - not the fantasy version parents like to believe. From the myths of early exposure to the truth a...

One hell of a commute and a front-row seat to growing up. This week, Scott and Jamie sit down with Ben DeBlock, a hockey dad who's clocked the hours, booked the hotels, and still wonders if he's getting it right. From navigating long drives and tryout stress to realizing when to pull back, Ben offers a grounded, honest look at what it really means to support your kid through the hockey grind. In t...

Are we trying to win… or just trying too hard? This week, Scott and Jamie unspool the madness of “win-at-all-costs” youth hockey, from kids ripping smelling salts in the locker room to coaches and parents acting like every weekend’s the Stanley Cup. What started as a joke turns into a serious question: when did we decide effort wasn’t enough? In this episode: - Smelling salts at 10U - what are we...

A player’s journey. A coach’s perspective. A parent’s wake-up call. This week, Scott and Jamie sit down with Alec Marsh , former Penn State hockey forward and current assistant coach at Hobart College, for one of the most honest, insightful interviews CHD has ever aired. Alec walks through his own path from elite youth hockey to college then pro.  Now as a coach, he’s on the other side of the glas...

New routines, new teams, big emotions - here’s how to show up. This week, Scott and Jamie open up about the quiet signs that something might be off - not with the game, but with the kid. From sudden shifts in attitude to the moments where effort just disappears, this episode is about how to support your player when they’re struggling in ways they can’t explain yet. In this episode: - Jamie breaks...

A team, a town, a letter on the jersey and why it still matters. This week, Scott and Jamie bring on CHD dad and coach Brad for a conversation that flips the usual script. Instead of chasing the “next level,” they ask: what if the best thing for your kid is right in front of them? It’s not about exposure. It’s not about rankings. It’s about belonging, identity, and the kind of growth that happens...

When the season shows up and punches you in the mouth. The puck has dropped, emotions are high, and reality is… well, real. This week, Scott and Jamie debrief their opening weekends full of highs, lows, quiet panic, and that familiar reminder: this is going to be a ride. In this episode: Jamie watches himself bounce back from being a crazy hockey dad  Scott realizes he still cares a little too muc...

And its a marathon not a sprint... Day 5 of CHD Mini-Camp: Be the Chill You Want to See It’s one thing to tell your kid to stay composed, it’s another to actually model it. In the final day of Mini-Camp, Scott and Jamie talk about staying calm when emotions spike, mistakes pile up, and your parent brain wants to explode in the parking lot. Because your kid doesn’t just need feedback, they need an...

Day 4 of CHD Mini-Camp: Mindset & Mental Recovery One bad shift. One rough weekend. One emotional post-game chirp from the backseat. That’s all it takes to send a kid’s confidence into a spiral. In Day 4 of Mini-Camp, Scott and Jamie go deep on what it really takes to keep your player mentally upright when things get messy. From post-game meltdowns to “two stars and a wish” feedback, this epis...

Day 3 of CHD Mini-Camp: Managing Expectations If you've ever told your kid, “Why can’t you skate like Johnny?” , this one’s for you. Today, Scott and Jamie get honest about the silent killer of youth hockey joy: comparison . From slapshot envy to AAA pressure spirals, this episode is a call to stop parenting the imaginary prodigy in your head… and start supporting the actual human in your house. I...

Because bottling it up never helped anyone. Day 2 of CHD Mini-Camp is here, and today’s tool might just save your sanity: communication . Scott and Jamie break down what happens when parents don’t say the thing they’re dying to say and what usually happens when they say it too soon. From 24-hour rules to sideline showdowns, this is your guide to keeping it together, getting it out, and doing it th...