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Wanted for NHL, all hockey: True athletes

03/01/2013, 9:15am MST
By Jason Gregor

WHL coach Brent Sutter says kids who focus on hockey year-round are stunting their development

Today, more and more parents are enrolling their kids in hockey 10-12 months of the year, with the hope their children will become better players.

But is it working?

Brent Sutter says he feels that too much hockey, especially for young kids, will hinder them rather than help them.

“You just don’t have as many players today that are as good athletes as they used to be,” Sutter said recently. “Too much today, especially in young players, is focused on hockey 12 months a year. They don’t play soccer, they don’t play baseball or tennis or the other things that people used to do.”

Consider Sutter has won two Stanley Cups as a player, scored 102 points with the New York Islanders in 1985 and played 17 NHL seasons. He coached the WHL Red Deer Rebels from 2000-2007, and then spent five seasons as an NHL head coach in New Jersey and Calgary, and now he’s back coaching the Rebels.

Read more at www.edmontonjournal.com

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