From making lifelong friends to learning important life lessons, hockey, and sports in general, provide numerous benefits for young athletes. But what sometimes gets lost in the mix of competition, and striving to be the best, is the constant truth that playing a game is supposed to be fun.

Minnesota Hockey and the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) are working to remind parents of this truth and also shift the focus of success from the short term to the long term. Sure, winning on the ice is always fun, but it shouldn’t be the only goal; success should be about a bigger picture and using experiences to build a positive future.

Minnesota Hockey and PCA, whose tagline is "Better Athletes, Better People", are making it easy on hockey parents throughout the state to help their young players maximize their experiences. PCA provides a variety of workshops for associations, including Parent Workshops in which parents will explore the role of “Second-Goal Parents.” This role aims to help ensure their children’s experience in sports leads to healthy, developmental – physical, social, and mental – results that will help them succeed away from the rink.

“This partnership with PCA will help us make enormous strides to enhance the culture of youth hockey in Minnesota,” said Steve Morse, Chairman of Minnesota Hockey’s Hockey Education Program (HEP). “Every parent wants the best for the kids, but many often forget the most important thing for kids in sports is to have fun. These parent workshops will serve as a reminder of that, as well as provide insight into how to make a child’s experience in sports an exceptional one.”

As a part of Minnesota Hockey’s partnership with PCA, 20 associations can apply for a $500 grant for a Parent Workshop. Associations can use the grant for the other workshops PCA offers, but must use it toward at least one parent workshop to qualify.

To apply for the PCA Parent Workshop Grant, associations much schedule a parent workshop with the Minnesota chapter of the PCA before completing the application. Applications will be reviewed by Minnesota Hockey’s HEP Committee and selected associations will be contacted directly. The grants are available on a first come, first serve basis.