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Ideas on how to self solve a terrible line mate problem. Tried talking to him but he doesn't listen, brushes off ANY communication on how to work better together. He's not a passer, afraid to go in the corners, shoots from terrible angles and thinks he's Zegras. (and he's no where close) He's always late to practice, doesn't put the effort in and my line sometimes gets punished because of it. Thinking of quitting, our coach will just call me a whiner.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Oct 01, 2023 9:50 am Ideas on how to self solve a terrible line mate problem. Tried talking to him but he doesn't listen, brushes off ANY communication on how to work better together. He's not a passer, afraid to go in the corners, shoots from terrible angles and thinks he's Zegras. (and he's no where close) He's always late to practice, doesn't put the effort in and my line sometimes gets punished because of it. Thinking of quitting, our coach will just call me a whiner.

What age group?

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Oct 01, 2023 12:06 pm

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Oct 01, 2023 9:50 am Ideas on how to self solve a terrible line mate problem. Tried talking to him but he doesn't listen, brushes off ANY communication on how to work better together. He's not a passer, afraid to go in the corners, shoots from terrible angles and thinks he's Zegras. (and he's no where close) He's always late to practice, doesn't put the effort in and my line sometimes gets punished because of it. Thinking of quitting, our coach will just call me a whiner.

What age group?

U15

Have other kids complain to the coach
Is the player a coaches kid ?

At your age, possibly a captains meeting. You, the player, possibly your other line mate, the C and the 2 A's get together to formally discuss as a group.

At 14 it's tough, but these are the steps you have to take.

May blow back on you, but its the right move to becoming an adult who can take care of his own problems.

Come at it like "For the team to win, our line needs to connect, for our line to connect we need a pack mentality (just throwing in hockey jargon), and for us to do this, we need to commit as a group, to XYZ."

Explain its about putting the team first, and when the team is first wins happen, and when wins happen, everyone is happier.

Might work, might not, but it's an excellent first step that shows initiative, especially if you make it about what's best for the team as opposed to what's best for you.

My 2 cents.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Oct 01, 2023 9:50 am Ideas on how to self solve a terrible line mate problem. Tried talking to him but he doesn't listen, brushes off ANY communication on how to work better together. He's not a passer, afraid to go in the corners, shoots from terrible angles and thinks he's Zegras. (and he's no where close) He's always late to practice, doesn't put the effort in and my line sometimes gets punished because of it. Thinking of quitting, our coach will just call me a whiner.

You've tried to talk to him and he didn't respond. No need to call a team meeting, because nobody will support you as they don't want to play with him either. You've done your due diligence, its time to get to work with or without him.

You know enough about the way he plays, you can anticipate the play and adapt. When you have the puck, focus on making plays with your other linemate and the D. Don't depend on the donkey, because you know he's useless...if your lucky, he'll stand off to the side of the net and you can feed him a bunch of tap-ins and your line will be +++. He will think it's all him, but everyone in the rink will know the truth.

You might be stuck with this clown all season...perhaps it's a matter of limited line options or parent politics, or the coach is hoping you carry this kid. Either way, don't let some other guys shitty attitude influence your own.

In the meantime, you and your other line mate need to keep grinding. If you miss a few shifts because of the clown, fck it...focus on the big picture and do the most you can with the minutes you have. If you stand out enough for the right reasons, the first line centre might ask the coach to put you on his line. Either way don't be discouraged if your coach doesn't recognize...if you play in the G, other coaches will take note and you can move on next year.

Good luck.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Oct 01, 2023 9:50 am Ideas on how to self solve a terrible line mate problem. Tried talking to him but he doesn't listen, brushes off ANY communication on how to work better together. He's not a passer, afraid to go in the corners, shoots from terrible angles and thinks he's Zegras. (and he's no where close) He's always late to practice, doesn't put the effort in and my line sometimes gets punished because of it. Thinking of quitting, our coach will just call me a whiner.

Coaches are smarter than you think. They don't evaluate a line as one big blob, they know who's working and who's not. Just do your job and let the coach do theirs.

WRONG!!!
Even at the s called elite level of players and coaches the coaches will go with the kid who they can gain the most from personally.
Seen this year after year at certain levels from board to coaches.
Best thing to do is leave the team. No matter what you do if this coach sees this and has done nothing so far, he is ignoring the situation.
Good luck and welcome to hockey.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Oct 03, 2023 8:11 am WRONG!!!
Even at the s called elite level of players and coaches the coaches will go with the kid who they can gain the most from personally.
---
Good luck and welcome to hockey.

^^^ clueless

Junior level coaches (and up) have plenty of options when it comes to managing a problematic player. For starters, they have 4 lines and healthy scratches, and can trade to any team, at any level, in any league in any province, sanctioned by the CHL.

Minor hockey coaches have a bunch of restrictions when it comes to their roster. The fundamental principle when it comes to coaching minor hockey is "you pick em, you play em".

In other words unless the coach is willing to cut this "terrible line mate", the kid is going to play and 2 other kids are going to have to put up with him. It would be nice if the entire team could share the burden, but that would disrupt line chemistry. This coach is most likely trying to balance lines and put this kid with players that will compensate for his liabilities.

The most reasonable expectation is for the coach to limit the "terrible linemate" through PK and PP.

If the whole line is sitting, it's not because of one kid on that line...it's because it's the third line and two thirds of the that line don't realize it.

To be the OP...

You'll know where you stand toward the end of the season.

1) the coach will commend you for your efforts and thank you for putting up with the lousy line mate. He might even offer you some assurance that he's replacing him with a better player. If this happens, then the coach clearly values you and next season might be a better situation.

2) the coach doesn't say anything, in which case you're likely not in his top 6. If this happens, it might be a good idea to look for another team.

Regardless of what happens, it's in your best interest to play at you max, every game, with then intensions of being notice by your coach or any other coach looking for a player to improve their team.

You mentioned that your thinking about 'quitting"... Having a quitters mindset might be affecting your playing time. Just sayin.