New Jersey Devils GM Ray Shero.
PHOTO: Icon Sportswire
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A conversation on youth hockey with Ray Shero: “Why should we keep score?”

GOTHENBURG — Scandinavium, usually the home of the Frölunda Indians of the Swedish Hockey League, has been occupied by the National Hockey League for days. Outside, the streets are filled with fans – buzzing about the upcoming event and enjoying the fan zone being built. It is October 4th and in two days’ time, the New Jersey Devils will face off against the Edmonton Oilers in NHL Global Series season opener.

With the Devils on the ice, the team’s management and staff have a moment of tranquillity watching the players practice.

Seated in the lower bowl of the arena, Devils general manager Ray Shero has just finished a brief discussion with (then) Oilers coach Todd McLellan. The 56-year old is all smiles as we strike up a conversation.

“I’ve been to Sweden many times, but this is just my second visit to Gothenburg. I was here with my dad when I was twelve. By then, he was coaching the Flyers and he was going here for a conference” he says, referring of course to legendary NHL coach Fred Shero who guided the Flyers to two Stanley Cup titles in 1973-74 and 1974-75.

“Sweden is mycket bra”, Shero laughs, using the Swedish term for “very good”.

Our brief interview is supposed to be about Swedish winger Marcus Johansson but after a few minutes, that particular topic is all but forgotten.

When asked if the interview is taking up too much of his time, Shero politely offers:

“Don’t worry. I love talking about hockey. I don’t have any plans for a while.”

Being the son of a hockey legend, Ray Shero explains there was never any pressure from his parents to pick hockey as his career path.

“No, never. The only thing they wanted for me and my brother was to study hard and to get a proper education and set our lives up. I remember telling my dad that I wanted to go to the rink for practice and he’d always ask me: ‘Do you really?’ I’d insist and he’d say ‘Okay, let’s go then.’ Never any pressure, never anything to push me towards the sport. He wanted me to become a doctor or a lawyer or something.”

Well, long story short: Shero ended up in the game – and did quite well for himself. But more than anything else, it was his own passion that pulled him towards it. Then again, being around hockey pretty much every day with a father coaching in the NHL is likely to have some influence on a young man.

“You know, I just loved being around the sport. But I went to a good college and to be honest, I think my dad was more proud of me for that rather than me ending up where I did.”

He pauses.

“I remember when I was about 12 years old I sometimes stole a player´s stick and later on, when I began working in the NHL, I could run into the same guys. They’d go: ‘Hey, I remember you! You used to steal my sticks!’ and I’d reply ‘Yeah! They were great!’”

“NEVER WANTED TO INTERFERE”

On the ice, the team has gathered around coach John Hynes to receive instructions for the next set of drills. It’s their first practice in Sweden so things are kept light.

Not everyone grows up with hockey as part of their everyday life and over the years in the business, Ray Shero has seen a significant change in youth hockey – in all age categories. He examines his players as they begin working through the drills and then turns back:

“There’s a huge difference today, unfortunately. The society of today is so competitive, at least in the United States. That goes for all sports, not just hockey. It can be dancing, football, golf or whatever.”

Being a father of two sons, he’s experienced youth hockey at close range – but never too close. Ray Shero has always kept a deliberate distance.

“Whenever I had time, I’d take my kids to games and practices, but I never talked to their coaches. Like my own dad, I never wanted to push nor interfere with my kids playing sports. It’s their business and that also goes for the youth coach devoting his or her time to the same thing. As a parent, I never wanted to interfere. Today, we see many kids being pushed by their parents at a young age. I honestly don’t understand. Why can’t we just allow the kids to play, have fun and enjoy the game?”

Being on a roll, albeit a polite one, he continues to drive his point home:

“I don’t remember the games my boys – they’re 20 and 23 years old today – played. I’ve got no idea who scored and from where. But I remember everything around it. How they had fun together, how they made new acquaintances. They learned stuff for life. That’s the most important thing today.”


NO PARENTS – NO SCOREKEEPING

Another pause. A curious look appears on his face.

“What’s it like in Sweden?” he asks.

I tell him it is pretty competitive and that in certain age groups, the sports federations have removed scorekeeping in games altogether. Shero lights up.

“That’s fantastic! I love it. Honestly, why should we keep score at the youngest of ages? That’s where boys and girls form their love of the sport – whatever said sport might be. Keeping score and focusing on that will only push some kids away when things aren’t going well. I tell you, that’s amazing”, he proclaims, before offering two bullet points:
”Don’t keep score and don’t let the parents watch the games. I mean it, let the kids have fun. The only thing kids should worry about in sports at that age should be if there’s pizza or hamburgers after the game. It’s a sport. It’s just a game. Let me tell you a story I love.”


A LIFE LESSON FROM HENRY STAAL

He’s been wanting to tell this story since we began talking almost 15 minutes ago. A quick glimpse on his players and staff on the ice, and then he goes into full-on story mode.

“When I was with Pittsburgh, I had Jordan Staal for seven years or so. His parents, Henry and Linda, didn’t just have one son in playing in the NHL. They had four. I knew they had a rink in their backyard but I didn’t really know more than that. So, one day I asked them what they were like as hockey parents. Did they ever discuss the games with their sons on the way back home? They looked at me as if I was from another planet and Linda went ‘No, we figured they’re pretty bright guys. When they had a bad game, they’d know. Why would we remind them?’ So, I wanted to know more. Henry said they let their sons do whatever they like. Growing up in Thunder Bay, Ontario, you basically have two options when it comes to winter activities: basketball or hockey. Each September, on the first Saturday, you’d go down to the rec center and sign up for whatever you want to play that winter. Every year, the Staals asked their sons what they wanted to do and that was it, they told me. But they still hadn’t fed my curiosity enough.

‘When did you know they wanted to play in the NHL?’ I asked them. Henry had a solid answer ready to go. One Saturday when Jordan Staal was nine years old, he’d been with his dad downtown, signing up for the coming hockey season. In the car going home, Jordan turned to Henry and said: ‘Dad, I want to play in the NHL. Can we sign me up there as well?’ to which Mr. Staal replied:
‘Jordan, you need to have really good grades and work hard. And if you’re really lucky, you might reach the NHL.” The nine-year-old NHL’er-to-be struck a perplexed look. ‘But Dad, can’t we just sign me up?’”

Ray Shero smiles again.

“I love that story. It’s so innocent, yet insightful”.

No National Hockey League signup in sight, Mr Staal’s lesson seems to have struck a chord as Jordan, Marc, Eric and Jared all ended up playing NHL hockey. Three out of four still do.

Being in perhaps one of the most performance-oriented businesses around, Ray Shero keeps coming back to the fact that this is just a sport, which begs the question:

Players are drafted in their teens when they’re essentially still boys. Surely, over your career, you must have seen a few breakdowns due to external pressure?

“Oh, yeah. We’ve had players coming in with tons of pressure. They come from abroad, they come from college. They’ve had a great time as junior players. They’ve got the best skates, the best sticks. They’re fully ready, or so they believe. But they get completely devastated when we send them down. That’s where our sports psychologists come in. We have the resources to help the people behind the players. That’s what it’s all about: We’re only people. Everybody in the AHL wants to play in the NHL, but from a team maybe only five guys make it – out of 20,” he says.


HAVING A SUPPORT SYSTEM

It is a subject close to his heart. During our lengthy conversation, Shero has yet to mention the business side of the sport.

“In 15, 20 years, when those guys who didn’t make it look back at their career, they should still be very proud of what they’ve done. It’s on us as an organization to make sure that the time spent in the AHL still had a positive impact on their lives. As a parent, you always want the best for your child, and you do whatever you can to help. Once your kid turns pro and is handed over to the NHL, you’ve got no say at all. It’s up to us to give them the resources to succeed. Not just on the ice but, more importantly, off the ice. Everyone got something they’re dealing with and we need to be there to help if they need something, anything. That’s a major difference compared to how it used to be. That goes into the player’s family as well. Should there be anything within a players family the organizations step in and help out as much as they can”

Now, this is still a professional league with its affiliates – not a charity.

With great power comes great responsibility. That goes for an NHL organization as well. And each individual player, Ray Shero says. The clubs and their players are, like any professional sports organization, cornerstones of their community. They’re role models in society.

“When they look back at it we want to have made their experience as good as possible, but they do make a difference in other people lives as well. We ask them to give back too, in terms of making an impact in their community by doing charitable things and being as good a role model for the kids growing up today as possible.”

It’s been an insightful 20 minutes.

We say our goodbyes, with Mr Shero’s parting words being “Make sure to tell that Jordan Staal story!”

The love for a sport can be formed in many ways. It can be transferred from parent to child. It can be picked up by coincidence through TV or friends. It usually begins at a young age and it usually involves strong role models. That’s how a sport evolves. That’s how a sport grows. It’s supposed to be an everlasting love.

Results? That’s a story for another day.

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