 |
Discuss: |
I have NO love for USA-hockey and will do the happy dance when I see usa-hockey crumble. The ICE Jets are a Great organization. My kid played there for a year and I coached there as well. What they did was not wrong and I would stand behind them 100% Ice Jets have always been the step kid to dallas hockey some of witch my there own doing but, It still runs a first class organization. A city as big as dallas metro will only do better in the long run with 2 clubs than one. So the stars need to let the Ice jets be and work on there own program. Go Jets!!!!!
It makes no sense to have multiple organizations represent hockey in the US. Granted USAH is arrogant and self serving, but the answer isn't more organizations, the answer is reform! AAU will not improve hockey in the US, it will only splinter it!
Drew.
AAU is authorized by the United States Olympic Committee to offer participation level sports across the entire platform of USOC athletics. AAU is a founding member of the USOC.
What if basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, and every other national governing body tried to over-step their authority and duplicated what USAH is doing?
I feel that AAU co-exists very nicely with USA Basketball. American Youth Soccer Association and US Soccer co-exist with the United States Soccer Federation. Little League, American Legion, Babe Ruth, and AAU all work well with US Baseball.
So explain to me why USA Hockey needs to operate as a monopoly? How can affiliates like TAHA get the authority dictate what association gets to control the others? What every happened to allowing the consumers to vote with their wallet? Let's face it, USA Hockey seems hell-bent on eliminating options by not encouraging the creation of more.
Think about it, if the Dallas Ice Jets would have selected a Stars Center to operate out of instead of a competing facility, we are not even having this discussion.
That is the most disturbing fact of all.
Uh oh Drew......the left side of my brain is fighting the right side...which side serves the sport and players best?...
...today I think its the left side...
...so what's any organization within an organization to do if their wanted or needed reform doesn't happen or happens too slow for their needs?...tough luck?..."absolute power corrupts absolutley"...("Uh oh" was because thats the direction I think this discussion is going)
RH is a horrible coach. You would think maybe he made a name for himself coaching, which gave rise to his promotion to TAHA VP and then President and Director of Coaches...not so much. He can't skate, by the way.
His Midget Minor AA team has a DSTHL record of 3-11-0. (dead last, of the Dallas teams)
http://www.pointstreak.com/players/players-division-
His Midget Major AA team has a DSTHL record of 3-11-0. (dead last, of the Dallas teams)
http://www.pointstreak.com/players/players-division-
Talk about consistently bad...
So, check out this deck-stacking strategy...
The Jets get Tier 1 taken away by TAHA (controlled by the stars)...then RH/TAHA (controlled by the Stars) does away with the NTXHL so he can form the new DSTHL and exclude the Jets from it. The Stars and Reggie then limit the organizations that can play in AA, so as to drive more of the top players to the organizations that play out of the Dr Pepper Stars Centers. The Jr Stars organization is one of only 3 Organizations that can play AA (with a few exceptions...they are allowing Texas Jr Stars in Austin...Oklahoma City and Allen Americans in some age divisions).
So, the the midget players all have a chance to go play for the "Director of Coaches," and President of TAHA...the most powerful man in Texas Hockey. And by all but eliminating the Jets as competition...thus pushing more talent to the Jr. Stars...and this is the result? A combined record of 6-22-0. Really?
So, parents are very unhappy with Coach Reggie.
The Stars are unhappy with the Director of Coaching Reggie
USAH is unhappy with President Reggie
But, "the man" Reggie thinks he is invincible...which has been the TAHA leaders typical perspective over the years. Conflict of interest isn't in their vocabulary.
So, what does he do well? He hates the Ice Jets and will find anything he can to push them out of the Dallas hockey market.
I hear everyone's frustration with USA Hockey, but I still don't hear how AAU solves it? I believe there needs to be constitutional changes within USAH. They need strong term limits to throw out the crony's, especially the executive director. They need strong individual councils for each age group. They need regional power over central power. There needs to be more paid regional consultants to bring the communication to the club level. There should be revenue support for clubs and arenas. That being said USA Hockey has put American hockey on the world map. The number of players being drafted to the NHL has skyrocketed, the growth of junior hockey is unprecedented. The game is finally taking on a coast to coast mentality and now the malcontents want to take their ball and go home. AAU has zero cultural understanding of hockey and I highly doubt they ever will.
Drew Miller writes:
AAU has zero cultural understanding of hockey and I highly doubt they ever will.
Drew,
Quick, give me five name off the top of your head of the folks that manage AAU hockey?
Cultural understanding? What in the heck are you talking about?
Drew, its not "everyone"...personally I'm not "frustrated" with USAH (although I imagine some Ice Jet folks are among others)...and I agree with your overall statement of "on the map, growth, numbers" etc...although I believe the growth etc. would have happened anyway...but for agreements sake, yes, lets give credit where credit is due...
...but I don't think anybody has said, nor will you "hear how the AAU will solve" anything pertaining to USAH...
...and you have many "they needs" pertaining to USAH...and looking at some of your "needs" makes my brain hurt along with your "cultural understanding" statement...but its good to think untill my brain hurts (I think)...
...but anyway, maybe having both AAU Hockey and USAH is good for both of them, and the game, and the players (and the "needs" you list)...just like competition makes all things better...I think its a form of capitalism.....or this lawsuit can certainly shake things up a tad, ya think?
...just saying; very interesting...
"Cultural understanding? What in the heck are you talking about?"
What I am saying is that AAU as an oganization was formed to serve indivual olympic event sports, summer league basketball and and a variety of sports that don't have a strong central system. It was also formed by folks that have no concept of hockey. While the AAU hockey committee is made up of hockey people, that doesn't mean the organization has any understanding of the game, nor will it. Hockey needs to be run by an organization entirely dedicated to hockey and nothing else.
Drew,
Sorry man, I think that Ted Stevens, a man that I have spent a lot of time with as a youngster, knew what he was doing with the
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Stevens_Olympic_and
The United States Olympic Committee, and Ted Stevens, made sure that AAU would ALWAYS have a voice as well as the ability to offer participation level (non-international) athletics across the entire spectrum of Olympic sports.
Based on your position, the NHL and all professional leagues that operate in the USA, NCAA hockey, non-USAH high school hockey,and inline hockey should all be under the authority of USA Hockey? How does that make any kind of sense?
Hmmm.. Looks like you got your links to his teams backwards as well as the facts as usual. Neither team is dead last. I guess OKC and Austin are the really bad teams..with really consistant bad coaches based on how you judge coaching.
Also RH was not President of TAHA till after all the events you quote took place.. Again a distortion of the facts...
..Can't help notice what ad is on the top left corner of your site..Ice Jets...
I really don't have a dog in this hunt but I can't stand "journalism" that is aimed at a personal agenda and not representing facts to the public..
--dead last, of the Dallas teams--
That's pretty clear Michael.
Are you sure that the Ice Jets ad is locked into the top-left corner? All of our ads are on a static rotation, meaning that they are never locked into any specific location.
We also have more USA Hockey/Hockey Canada advertisers than AAU.
My concern and interest is directly related to the players. TAHA and RH have an agenda based entirely on market-share.
So tell me, if the Ice Jets had elected to play entirely out of the Stars Center in Frisco and were being supported by the Dallas Stars, do you really believe that we would be having this conversation?
That's what I thought.
From another happy TAHA parent...
--
Stephen,
The light you are shining into the scourge that is the Texas Amateur Hockey Association is so desperately needed. It will take outside media like you and USAHockey entities heretofore not paying attention to rescue the families forced to play under TAHA from the likes of Reggie Hall and his entourage.
Unfortunately, while Reggie Hall has earned every moment of scrutiny and should take full blame for TAHA’s latest attempt to eliminate the Ice Jets (not their only target, but the biggest), your readers should understand that Reggie is merely the tip of the spear-du-jour. The closely knit group that has operated TAHA over the years (oh, the stories that could be told!) has cleverly organized a power base and voting structure that insures their reign will continue unabated for years to come. There is no relief. USA Hockey had the opportunity to stop the madness in this instance and did not. One wonders if it would be interesting to have a look up the ladder; how did common sense and adherence to its’ mission statement break down?
Meanwhile, those young Ice Jets players took a direct hit in the middle of their season because TAHA thinks ramping up their turf war trumps everything. Somehow TAHA ends justify TAHA means. Because USA Hockey has upheld the suspension, more insanity via this ugly precedent is sure to follow. And not a single person can justify how ANY of this is good for the game.
Thank you Stephen
and yet another...
Stephen,
Hello, I read your colums from time to time and enjoy your passion for the game. I am a parent of a player here in Dallas and a non Icejet. I recently saw some of your comments on a message board here in Dallas. You would be 100% correct on some of your points on Reggie Hall. That man has ruined hockey here and the arrogance with the way he carries himself is reprehensible. I appreciate the way you stand up to him and his group of about 10-15 followers on his message board. He controls that message board and spins it any way that favors himself or his cronies. He and his message board are a perfect microcosm of the real situation here in Dallas. What is going on down here is quite embarrassing and I have a hard time believing that it is legal. The only ones that stand up to him are the ice jet people and you know how he handles them. There are many others in Dallas that know the situation here is not good and some changes need to be made in order for hockey to once again thrive. I just wanted to thank you for standing up to this bully and telling people how it really is. There is so much wrong going on down here and should provide plenty of material for you to choose from. thanks again for bringing this guy to light.
Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 12:23 am on Texas Hockey Forum... the one not operated by Reggie Hall.
--------------------------------------------
I'm not banned here yet? So much for expressing an opinion.
We have received a number of calls and emails from TAHA parents that are fed up with Mr. Hall and the way he found his way to the top of TAHA.
Each affiliate is given the authority (or rope) to establish their own standards. In the case of TAHA, it has become more than obvious that the Dallas Stars have made a bold power move to monopolize the sport in the Dallas area.
Very nicely played by the way.
I've learned that the various organizations have a weighted vote loosely equal to registration numbers. With the Stars in control of the bulk of the ice, they also have been able to take control of TAHA with the heavy voting block.
Is this fair? Certainly not and I'm sure if we were talking about gas stations, the feds would be all over it.
The best way to force a change is to make a ton of noise.
I've chosen to bring other entities into the discussion. The EJHL, EJ-South, Empire Jr Hockey League, and ACHA all have teams that played actual games against AAU teams this season. We are talking about a number in excess of 20. In every case, there has not even been a disciplinary action against any of the teams.
How is that even possible?
Selective enforcement of rules and standards is USA Hockey's Achilles heel. It's the one problem that nobody else wants to talk about but everybody knows about.
I've asked one question over and over and have yet to get a solid answer, so I'll ask all of you...
If the Ice Jets had elected to operate out of a Stars Center and not a competing ice center, would we even be having this conversation?
I think we all know the answer to that question.
THIS WAS POSTED ON REGGIE'S FORUM... NOW THEY ARE DEFENDING DICK TALMADGE AND HIS 21 YEAR-OLD STICK-BAG OF A HOCKEY PLAYER.
I posted this link on the other thread, but since this one was started by Stephen Heisler, then I will post it here with my comments. Everyone needs to read this one:
http://www.usacollegehockey.com/cgi-bin/....c&f=11&t
Please read the entire conversations on it.
The more I read it, the more disgusting SH seems to be. A father wrote on that forum that SH was blackmailing him. He didn’t say whether it was for money or just threatening him. Here is partial except from his message:
<<“Stephen Heisler of the JuniorHockey.com tried to blackmail my family. If we refused to comply he promised to print a "career-ending article". We refused to comply and this is what he printed: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?new
You would think he would quit there, but no, he continues to try to blackmail us. He threatens to do similar stories in our hometown newspaper and to do other stories as well if we do not relent to his demands.”<<
Here is SH’s response to him:
<<”MR TALMADGE,
YOUR SON WAS QUOTED DIRECTLY IN REGARDS TO HIS CAREER AMBITIONS.
I WAS GIVING YOUR SON THE BENEFIT OF AN EXCUSE FOR HIS STUPIDITY. IF YOU DID NOT DO DRUGS IN THE 70'S, DID YOU MARRY YOUR SISTER OR FIRST COUSIN? THERE IS A MAJOR DISCONNECT BETWEEN REALILTY AND JAMES DAVID'S FANTASY OF HIMSELF AS A PRO HOCKEY ENFORCER.
AS FAR AS YOUR ADDRESS, YOU SAID THAT ANYBODY COULD COME RIGHT TO YOUR HOUSE AND TALK ABOUT THE SITUATION. THEN YOU EMAILED ME YOUR ADDRESS. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE ACORN DID NOT FALL FAR FROM THE TREE.
I DID HAVE ONE OF MY READERS DRIVE BY YOUR HOUSE. HE NOTICED ALL THE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS BUT DID NOT SEE THE CHRISTMAS WREATH.
I EXPLAINED THAT THE WREATH WAS LIKELY A STRESSFUL REMINDER OF YOUR FAMILY TREE.”<<<
SH accused the dad of taking drugs and asked if he married his sister. SH even printed the name and address of his son’s address somewhere on his website. The father stated he did not give permission to publish his home address.
Now for all of you out there that are reading this, how would you like your son/daughter to be blasted on a website and then have the writer later put your address out there. I think most of you, like me, would be outraged over it. There was no reason to do that. For all you IJ’s parents who think this guy is your hero, you better think twice. He is a disgusting little man who is only out to promote himself. I think you chosen the perfect person to be your representative.
Seems Mr Hall can not be outraged by that. This is a 21yr old adult? I got a TAHA/USA Hockey email blast from Mr Hall, directing me to where I could find a young Ice Jet child during the day when the parents are nowhere near that child. THAT, is reprehensible and out of order. What adults do to each other on this topic pales by comparison to TAHA placing a young boy at risk. Specially considering some on the "nut cases" on Mr Hall's Forum and in the World in general these days. The Dallas Stars and Mr Hall need to take leadership roles in protecting our children from untoward activities and focus less on the amount of profit they can glean from our children.
This is in followup to my previous post regarding Mr Hall's admonishment of Stephen Heisler for his identification of an adult hockey thug; one that was caught on video no less. I realize that this forum is read by more than just those of us in Texas therefor some additional explanation may help to understand why I felt it necessary at this time to respond to the dirt thrown at Stephen Heisler by Mr Hall. Mr Hall the Director of Youth Coaches for the Dallas STARS and President of The Texas Amateur Hockey Association, as well as the two 501(c)3 associations he fronts are finally under scrutiny from many sources and now on a national level. The standard defense for the STARS and TAHA in the face of the light of truth is to attack the accuser on many levels and attempt to discredit the accuser thereby hopefully clouding the issue.
Why, you may ask, did this "Talmage- red herring" above spur my response. Well, Mr Hall's lament is just too ingenuous to let pass. The Hall attack through the TAHA official channels on the Ice Jet minor mentioned above, violated a Dallas Court directive not to take retributive action against the minor child of an Ice Jet parent bringing suit against TAHA. TAHA could not scare off the parent , they attacked his child.
This is not the first time Mr Hall and his associates have directly and publicly identified and vilified a minor child. In the Fall of 2012, a NINE YR OLD Ice Jet hockey child was continuously vilified by name on the "hate" forum run by Mr Hall, President of TAHA and Director of Coaching for the Dallas Jr Stars.
Is there no one within the Ownership of the NHL Dallas STARS and/or the Senior Management of USA Hockey with enough ethics and morality to stop the destructive path for youth hockey being created by Jim Lites, Keith Andressen and Reggie Hall?
This is in followup to my previous post regarding Mr Hall's admonishment of Stephen Heisler for his identification of an adult hockey thug; one that was caught on video no less. I realize that this forum is read by more than just those of us in Texas therefor some additional explanation may help to understand why I felt it necessary at this time to respond to the dirt thrown at Stephen Heisler by Mr Hall. Mr Hall the Director of Youth Coaches for the Dallas STARS and President of The Texas Amateur Hockey Association, as well as the two 501(c)3 associations he fronts are finally under scrutiny from many sources and now on a national level. The standard defense for the STARS and TAHA in the face of the light of truth is to attack the accuser on many levels and attempt to discredit the accuser thereby hopefully clouding the issue.
Why, you may ask, did this "Talmage- red herring" above spur my response. Well, Mr Hall's lament is just too ingenuous to let pass. The Hall attack through the TAHA official channels on the Ice Jet minor mentioned above, violated a Dallas Court directive not to take retributive action against the minor child of an Ice Jet parent bringing suit against TAHA. TAHA could not scare off the parent , they attacked his child.
This is not the first time Mr Hall and his associates have directly and publicly identified and vilified a minor child. In the Fall of 2012, a NINE YR OLD Ice Jet hockey child was continuously vilified by name on the "hate" forum run by Mr Hall, President of TAHA and Director of Coaching for the Dallas Jr Stars.
Is there no one within the Ownership of the NHL Dallas STARS and/or the Senior Management of USA Hockey with enough ethics and morality to stop the destructive path for youth hockey being created by Jim Lites, Keith Andressen and Reggie Hall?
"Every Which Way But Loose"...film...Warner Brothers
"Burning Down The House"...Talking Heads
Log in to post a comment
| 
