Welcome to Face-Off Fever!

So your child has the fever? The "I wanna play Hockey" fever? Been there, done that, as they say! As parents of a youth hockey player, we know the learning curve is steep. Over the years we've encountered, and finally discovered answers to a number of questions:

• What equipment does he need?
• How do the amateur leagues differ from school teams?
• What kind of costs are there?
• What's all the fuss about concussions?
• Where can I find more information, purchase what he needs, etc?
• Can I find some unique gifts for my special player?

As a starting point, we will share our experiences with youth hockey in Western Pennsylvania. Since we are still learning, not all the answers will be here, as we have not yet found all the right questions. However, sharing our experience may give others in the area a good idea of what to expect, and those in other parts of the country a general idea of how youth hockey may be organized in your area.

The Local Hockey section provides the starting point for information on amateur ice hockey, school ice hockey, and even some information on inline roller hockey. Books is a compilation of books that may be useful to you and your young player. Links to other useful information on this site, and many others.

Let's get started with Local Hockey...