Advertise on podcast: Pucked Up Parents - Youth Hockey

On this episode as typical Michael and Angela cover the week in hockey, including Angela’s trip to Nashville, where she found herself sitting next to a parent with a cowbell. They both agree, Cow Pastures belong on the farmland in Indiana and not at a rink in Nashville TN. Then they tackle the never-ending youth hockey challenge for both kids and parents: balancing school, hockey, and having an actual life outside the rink. Academics and mental health come first, but hockey is a commitment, too. So how do you make it all work without losing your mind—or your kid's? From missing homecoming, school dances, and high school sporting events for hockey tournaments to skipping hockey for important school milestones, Michael and Angela discuss the tough choices hockey families face. They share practical tips for keeping homework under control, making sure sleep actually happens, and recognizing when your player is heading toward burnout and what to do. How do you teach commitment without pushing your kid too far? When is it time to tough it out, and when is it time to take a step back? Because between school deadlines, late evening practices, long drives, and weekend tournaments, finding balance can feel like a full-time job for all involved.

Michael and Angela kick off this episode of Pucked Up Parents with Michael immediately stepping onto his soapbox to recap the 12U hockey trip to Detroit. From dogs in the rink lobby to crowds of people and grown men leaving the restroom without washing their hands, Michael has plenty to complain about. Then it's on to this week's topic: Youth Hockey Memorabilia — Keep It or Toss It? From outgrown skates and old jerseys to the endless supply of cheap tournament swag, Michael and Angela debate what deserves a permanent place in the family archives and what needs to go straight into the donation pile or trash. They discuss rink displays, trophies, banners, and the importance of keeping those collections organized instead of letting them take over the house. They also share tips for organizing years of hockey photos, creative ways to display your player's accomplishments, and the ultimate question every hockey parent eventually faces: What do you do with all this stuff when your kid finally moves out? So grab that box of old hockey gear collecting dust in the garage, and join Michael and Angela as they figure out how to preserve the memories without turning your house into a hockey museum. Because the memories are priceless, but that beat up pair of skates are not.

Michael and Angela kick things off with another weekend of youth hockey chaos, including college hockey girlfriends heckling from the stands and their 12 year old scoring the last-minute game-tying goal that Angela managed to miss because she was busy keeping the scorebook. Priorities, right? They also share one more tip for racking up those precious hotel points because, in youth hockey, your hotel loyalty status might be the only reward you get for all that traveling. Then it's time to tackle this week's main topic: Rink Etiquette. From keeping your cool on the bleachers and not becoming the crazy hockey parent everyone talks about, to keeping your gear, bags, and personal belongings out of everyone else's way, Michael and Angela cover the unwritten rules of surviving a trip to the rink. They head into the lobby, where the rink rats roam free, prime camping spots are claimed and mysteriously left unoccupied, and personal space apparently becomes a foreign concept. And, of course, Michael steps right back onto his soapbox for another round of parking lot etiquette during the player drop-off. Whether you're a rookie hockey parent or a seasoned rink veteran, this episode will help you navigate the rink without becoming that parent.

Michael & Angela kick things off with a look back at both kids’ hockey weekends—which, in a rare hockey-parent miracle, were ALL at the same rink! They also discuss the NHL’s new uniform rules and what they mean for players. Then it’s time to tackle one of the most painful phrases in youth hockey: Stay to Play. What may have started as an innocent way to bring teams together for tournaments has evolved into what many hockey parents see as a complicated, expensive and restrictive. Michael and Angela break down how Stay to Play works, how hotels are selected, the rules parents and teams have to follow, and why the hotel portion can become the biggest headache of the entire tournament. They also share a few Stay to Play hacks that might help parents get a little more value out of the system, talk about national cases where teams and organizations have challenged Stay to Play policies, and dive into feedback from hockey parents who have experienced the good, the bad, and the downright ridiculous. And finally, Michael unveils his brilliant idea for the Pucked Up Parents Stay to Play Tournament—an idea Angela is, unfortunately for Michael, not exactly sold on. Because nothing says youth hockey like paying a fortune for a hotel room that you could have gotten cheaper elsewhere.

This week on Pucked Up Parents, Michael and Angela kick things off with This Week in Hockey, including a huge first weekend of college hockey for their son—complete with his first college goal and then a hat trick! They also talk about the unique experience of heading to a midnight hockey game and what that does to the hockey-parent sleep schedule. Then they go Beyond the Boards with special guest Ashlee from Beyond The Boards Travel. The conversation focuses on one of the biggest challenges of tournament travel: what the heck do you do between hockey games? From museums and hiking to checking out local attractions, finding great places to eat, and exploring the city, Ashlee shares ideas for keeping the family entertained without packing the schedule so full that the kids are exhausted when it’s time to hit the ice. Ashlee also explains how Beyond The Boards Travel helps youth hockey families plan the non-hockey part of their tournament trips—providing ideas for things to see, places to visit, food to try, and experiences to make the most of each destination. Because a hockey tournament doesn’t have to mean rink → hotel → rink → hotel all weekend! Stick around for the hockey, stay for the adventure—because there’s life beyond the boards!

The Hockey Stink is real—and Michael and Angela are diving straight into it! This episode Pucked Up Parents, the 12-year-old’s team kicks off the season with a trip to Cleveland, college hockey gets ready to drop the puck—including a midnight game—and Michael celebrates a second-place finish in a firefighter 5K. Plus, Michael has some choice words about out-of-control rink rats and the parents who reserve rink-side seats but apparently forgot they’re supposed to sit in them. Then comes the main event: THE HOCKEY STINK. From sweaty gear and hockey bags to locker rooms, rinks, cars, garages, and whatever room in your house has been sacrificed to hockey, Michael and Angela break down the smells every hockey parent knows all too well. They share listener stories, explore the science behind the stink, and try to figure out exactly why hockey equipment can smell like something died inside it. Most importantly, they share tips and tricks to help fight the funk and keep the hockey stink under control. Because hockey doesn't just get in your blood… It gets in your nose, too.

This week on Pucked Up Parents, the hockey season is officially in full swing!. Michael is wondering if it’s completely ridiculous to buy a replica jersey of his own kid, while hockey practices are ramping up with new additions like off-ice training and technology that is pretty cool. Then we get down to the foundation of every hockey player: the skate. From entry-level skates to those “that costs more than my first car” models, we break down the wildly expensive world of hockey footwear. Angela takes us inside the skate, explaining the different components and what all those pieces actually do. We talk steel, blades, laces, tying techniques, and the eternal question: How tight is too tight? And if you're looking to save some money, we’ve got you covered with what to look for when buying used skates, what to check before handing over your hard-earned cash, and when that “great deal” might actually be a trip to the skate shop waiting to happen. So lace 'em up, sit back and enjoy this episode!

Michael and Angela kick things off with a quick trip through This Week in Youth Hockey, including the college kids’ media day and their shiny new hockey jerseys. Meanwhile, the 12-year-old officially begins full-time practices for the new season—which apparently means missing one already because Mom and Dad have tickets to see Third Eye Blind. Priorities. Then we fire up the Pucked Up Parents Time Machine and head back to 2013, when Michael and Angela were wide-eyed, inexperienced hockey parents with absolutely no idea what they had signed up for. What would our 2026 selves tell those rookie versions of ourselves before embarking on the next 13 years of hockey? Would we warn them about the cost? The endless miles? The tournaments, hotels, equipment, early mornings and general insanity that comes with raising a hockey player? Would we tell them to enjoy it more, stress less, or simply buy stock in hockey tape? Michael also climbs back onto his favorite soapbox to once again rail against the lack of local media coverage for youth hockey, because apparently 13 years of experience has not made him any less salty. And finally, we look at how getting involved in hockey can evolve over the years—from coaching and volunteering to the ultimate leap: actually strapping on the skates and getting out on the ice yourself. It’s a look back at where we started, what we know now, and all the things we wish someone had told us before we became hockey parents.

Michael & Angela kick things off with their usual “This Week in Youth Hockey”, where Angela shares the highlights from the 12-year-old’s Welcome Back to Hockey parent meeting. The message from the hockey "powers that be" is pretty simple: parents, don’t be aholes this season. With the 2026/2027 hockey schedules finally coming together, it’s almost time to officially unleash ourselves back onto the rinks. Then it’s time to go WAY back. This episode tackles the history of hockey, tracing the game from its earliest roots in games like shinty to the organized sport we know today. Michael and Angela explore the days of homemade equipment, questionable hockey surfaces and even some truly disgusting early attempts at creating something resembling a puck—including the use of frozen cow dung. Yep. Hockey has come a long way. They look at the evolution of hockey organizations, including the rise of the NHL and USA Hockey, while also examining how the equipment has transformed over the decades. Skates go from simple strap-on blades to today's highly engineered, 3D-customized footwear. Sticks, protective equipment and pucks have all undergone their own incredible evolution as well. And naturally, Michael decides that 150 years of hockey history is the perfect opportunity to unleash dad jokes, much to Angela's increasing dismay. From shintys and cow pies to custom skates and modern hockey organizations, Michael and Angela attempt to cover roughly 150 years of hockey history in about an hour—because apparently that's all the attention span a hockey parent can spare. It’s history. It’s hockey. It’s educational. And unfortunately, there are dad jokes.

In this quick-hit episode, Michael and Angela tackle something every youth hockey parent will experience: your kid’s team either gets their ass handed to them—or they’re the ones doing the handing out. They break down what happens when a game gets ugly, from how players respond to how coaches manage a blowout and how the opposing team may react. They also talk about the parent side of things, including knowing when to chill out after goal #13, keeping celebrations in check, and showing some class when the game is clearly out of hand. Whether your team is getting smoked or lighting up the scoreboard, Michael and Angela discuss how parents can handle the situation, support their kids, and most importantly, know how to act when the game gets ugly—including what to say (and what not to say) after the final buzzer

The 2026/2027 hockey season is right around the corner—which means it’s time for hockey parents to get their lives, schedules, and sanity ready for another year of chaos! In this episode, Michael and Angela break down the preseason checklist for hockey parents: meeting the new players, parents and coaches, figuring out the practice and game schedule, planning around traffic, school, work and all the other commitments that somehow don’t care about hockey. Then it’s time for the gear check. What survived last season? What’s destroyed? What suddenly doesn’t fit? And what new team gear, custom equipment and hockey swag does your player absolutely “need”? From schedule juggling to equipment shopping, this is your official warning: hockey season is coming. Get prepared, get organized, and buckle up—because the chaos is about to begin.

Season 2 of Pucked Up Parents is here and to celebrate, Michael & Angela sit down with Rachel Steffen of the USA Women's National Sled Hockey Team for an inspiring and entertaining conversation about one of hockey's fastest-growing disciplines. Rachel shares her sled hockey journey—from discovering the sport and playing with the Cincinnati IceBreakers to earning a spot on Team USA. Along the way, they break down the equipment, rules, and gameplay, explaining what makes sled hockey unique while highlighting just how much it has in common with the stand-up game we all love. Whether you're a parent looking for a new opportunity for your child, a player interested in trying sled hockey, or a lifelong hockey fan curious about this incredible version of the sport, this episode is packed with insight, laughs, and a newfound appreciation for the athletes who continue to grow the game.

It may be summer, but class is officially in session! In this episode of Pucked Up Parents, Michael and Angela tackle Hockey Math—and trust us, it's not the kind you learned in school. From the science behind the game, including rink dimensions, shooting angles, puck velocity, and the geometry of the perfect pass, to the advanced calculations every hockey parent somehow becomes an expert in, they break down the numbers that make youth hockey possible. Learn how parents solve impossible equations like getting to a 6:00 AM game on time, stretching the family budget to afford another season, dividing weekends between multiple kids' schedules, and estimating exactly how much a road trip tournament is really going to cost (spoiler: it's always more than you think). Whether you're calculating shooting percentages or the odds of leaving the house without forgetting a piece of equipment, this episode proves that hockey parents deserve honorary math degrees. Grab a pencil, sharpen your skates, and prepare to laugh—because in youth hockey, the numbers never lie... but the budget definitely does.

On this episode, Michael and Angela dive into the ever-evolving world of Youth Hockey Style. They take a trip down memory lane, from the days when kids showed up to the rink in cartoon pajamas, mismatched clothes, and bed head… to the teenage years when it’s all about arriving in suits, sunglasses, headphones, and gold chains looking like they are heading to the NHL Draft. The conversation covers every stage of hockey drip—from picking the perfect jersey number and customizing helmets to rocking colored skate laces, tinted visors, cages with "hang", and the latest trends. Of course, Michael and Angela also talk about the parent side of it all: surviving the mullet phase, becoming the designated gear carrier, loaning out Dad’s suit and accepting that somehow your child now has stronger opinions about fashion than you do and it makes you feel 100 years old Whether your hockey player still wears superhero pajamas to early morning practices or spends more time planning their pregame outfit than taping their stick, this episode celebrates the fun, funny, and sometimes expensive evolution of youth hockey style

From broken wrists and separated shoulders to the classic hockey smile after a puck knocks out a tooth, Michael and Angela dive into the painful reality of youth hockey injuries. They share stories about the bumps, bruises, and bigger setbacks that come with the game, while also discussing the illnesses that can sweep through a team—forcing players into unfamiliar positions, leaving benches short, or even causing games to be forfeited. The conversation covers the importance of properly fitted protective equipment, recognizing when an injury is more serious than "just shake it off," and what parents should do when their young athlete gets hurt. Whether you're dealing with a sprained ankle, a stomach bug making its way through the locker room, or your first trip to the ER after a game, this episode mixes practical advice with the humor that every hockey parent needs to survive another season.