The youth hockey coach grimaced on the sidelines as he watched his team of seven-year-olds play. After a particularly chaotic sequence, he blew his whistle, called one of his young players over to the bench, and crouched down to his eye level.
“Son, do you understand what cooperation is? Do you know what it means to be part of a team?”
The little boy nodded eagerly.
“And do you understand that it doesn’t matter whether we win or lose, but how we play the game together?”
The boy nodded again.
“Good,” the coach continued. “So I’m sure you also know that when a referee calls a penalty, you shouldn’t scream, curse, throw your stick, or call him a blind pecker-head. Do you understand that?”
The little boy nodded solemnly.
“And when I pull you off the ice so another kid gets a chance to play, it’s not good sportsmanship to tell your coach he’s a brainless loser who doesn’t know what he’s doing, is it?”
The boy shook his head and nodded once more.
“Excellent,” said the coach, patting him on the shoulder. “Now, go over to the bleachers and explain all of that to your father.”
