Adult hockey is on the rise in Michigan, according to USA Hockey, with over 14,000 players registered with the sport's national governing body in 2001-02. With almost 77,000 adult players in the country, Michigan accounts for nearly 20 percent of registered players. But not all adult hockey players grew up playing the game since they were kids. Some start because their own kids want to play, some start because they are retired and looking for a new hobby, some start because their spouse plays.

Fortunately, these adults have a place to play without getting in over their heads. Developmental and instructional programs are contributing to the growing number of adult hockey players, serving as a feeder system into the adult leagues and giving new players a place to start.

Suburban Hockey Schools is entering its 11^th season of running the popular Adult Hockey Skills Series, which consists of Breakfast Club morning programs and Prime Time evening programs. The programs benefit everyone from novice players, to players who haven't skated in years, to players who have played for a long time and are looking for a good way to stay in shape.

“It's a great workout that I look forward to every week,” said Breakfast Club participant Richard Onagon. “The instructors do a great job working with a wide range of skills.”

One of the keys to the program's success is its coaching staff, which consists of former college and professional hockey players like Tom Anastos (Michigan State University, Montreal Canadiens organization), Lyle Phair (MSU, Los Angeles Kings organization), Geoff Bennetts (Ferris State University), Jesse Hubenschmidt (University of Michigan-Dearborn), Cal McGowan (Dallas Stars organization), Rick Judson (Detroit Red Wings organization), Mike Humitz (UM-D), Ryan Pardoski (University of Michigan), Shayne Tomlinson (Northern Michigan University) and Jeff Mitchell (Dallas Stars organization).

“Instructing adult hockey players is a blast,” said SHS director Lyle Phair. “They bring a lot of enthusiasm to the ice and have a real hunger to learn and to improve the way they play.  The biggest thing for them to keep in mind is to have patience.  Getting better doesn't happen overnight.  It takes hours and hours of repetition, and you only get better if that repetition is with proper technique.  We can teach them proper technique, and they need to put it to use.   The challenge is in having the discipline to keep working at doing things correctly.  It is very easy to revert back to old, bad habits in games.  That is why the once a week format works so well, because the players have a chance to practice their skills when they are not in competition, and the instructors are there to remind them of the proper way to do things.”

Players are matched by experience and skill level for all drills and scrimmages to ensure competitive balance. The goal of the program is to improve their overall knowledge of the game and increase their enjoyment, while building confidence and conditioning. By developing their own skating and puckhandling skills, many youth coaches find it beneficial in teaching drills learned from the program to their teams.

“For youth coaches, it is a great way to learn,” said Anastos.  “Not only can they hear an explanation of proper technique for a skill, but they actually go through it from the player side as well, so they get a much better feel for what is involved in it.  Not to mention the confidence that they get from improving their own skills, so they feel more comfortable in being able to demonstrate to the kids on their teams.”

The program consists of two 10-week sessions, with the first running from October to December and the second going from January-March. Players attend one session per week at their location. Breakfast Club programs are offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Suburban Training Center in Farmington Hills, and Thursdays at the Dearborn Ice Skating Center and Onyx - Rochester Ice Arena. An Advanced Breakfast Club session is offered on Thursdays at Suburban Training Center. The Prime Time program is conducted on Tuesdays at Suburban Training Center and Wednesdays at the Onyx. New this year is a special Women's Breakfast Club program at Suburban Training Center on Tuesdays and the Onyx on Thursdays.

“I enjoyed the skilled, knowledgeable presentation of basic skills by encouraging instructors,” said Sue Soborowski, who participated in the Prime Time Program last year.

For information on the Adult Hockey Skills Series, call (248) 478-1600.