Coaches’ Meetings: No Florida Vacation

Just a quick note here that the annual American Hockey Coaches Association Convention begins Thursday in Naples, Fla. The interesting bit to me is that it’s the first one that will be attended by the newly formed College Hockey Inc.

So this is where we might to see some lines being drawn. The mission of College Hockey Inc. is to promote the game, but to do so, it’s going to have to help improve the game.

In Detroit, we at USCHO heard from people saying it was time for college hockey to address some big issues instead of squabbling about little ones. Today’s agenda includes a 90-minute meeting with Paul Kelly, the executive director of College Hockey Inc. With Kelly’s group positioned as the mouthpiece of college hockey in a lot of circles, that meeting may be the place where some of those big issues are put forward.

This is not to say that heavy issues have never been discussed before at the convention. It, in fact, is the place where great dialogue takes place in regard to rule changes, recruiting issues and the like.

With College Hockey Inc. in the mix, however, add another voice to the debate. And to date, that particular voice has proven to be one that’s not afraid to touch on touchy subjects.