Thinking about bb&n hockey always gets me going. You hear the name, you think top tier, right? Slick program, good players, the whole nine yards. Makes me remember stuff from way back, and maybe not all good stuff.
I wasn’t playing for them, nah. But I was deep in that whole scene, the youth hockey grind. Not BB&N level maybe, but close enough to smell it. Waking up before the sun, freezing rinks, the smell of stale sweat in the car. All weekend, every weekend. My kid was into it for a while. We chased that dream, or maybe it was my dream? Hard to tell sometimes.
The Grind
Let me tell you, the process was something else. First, you gotta get the gear. Skates, pads, sticks… costs a fortune. Then it’s tryouts. Pure stress, kids crying, parents pacing like caged tigers. Felt ridiculous.
We made the travel team. Sounds great, huh? Meant driving hours for games. Hours. Forget weekends, forget family dinners. It was all hockey.
- Packed the car Friday night.
- Drove forever Saturday morning.
- Sat in cold rinks.
- Ate crappy concession food.
- Drove back late Sunday.
- Repeated it all next week.
And the practices? Middle of the week, late nights. Kid’s exhausted, schoolwork piles up. You start wondering, what’s this all for?
Reality Check
You see programs like bb&n’s, and yeah, they produce great players. Some go on to college hockey, maybe even pros. Tiny percentage, though. For most kids, it just… ends. They burn out, or they just aren’t that good. All that time, all that money. Poof.
We eventually pulled the plug. Wasn’t easy. Felt like quitting, felt like letting someone down. But the kid was happier. Started doing other stuff, things he actually liked, not just things he felt pressured to do. Family life got better too. We actually saw each other.
So yeah, bb&n hockey. Impressive, sure. But it reminds me of that whole system. Makes you really think about the cost. Not just money, but time, energy, childhood. Is it worth it? For us, the answer turned out to be no. Maybe for others, it’s different. But man, you gotta really ask yourself that question.
