Every once in a while, a subject matter that I come across that mildly irks me. It is not one that gets me incensed or irate, it just irritates me enough that I have to comment about it. It's kind of like buying a box of Cracker Jack (who does that anymore?) only to find no prize in the box. Sure, you're a tad miffed, but, you go about stuffing that sugar coated popcorn in your pie shoot anyway.
A lot of what we do in hockey depends on relationships. We either have some, create some or look for some. The more positive relationships we have, the more apt we are to succeed. Relationships are started through communication. Over the span of my career in hockey, I have met a ton of people. Many have been introduced to me or I meet very organically, like a chance run in at the rink or coffee between games. However in some cases, I simply go to a team's website and look for a team's coaching staff to contact them.
I would bet my next flimsy, loosely put together plastic prize in that popcorn box, that if I would ask any coach if they've ever received a "cold call" from someone offering them a chance to pick up a player, they would welcome those types of calls. Coaches view those types of transactions as "gifts from the hockey gods." But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe some coaches like the anonymity from the public and the players, scouts, recruiters and advisors out there who are looking for an opportunity and simply searching for one.
Why this was brought to my attention recently is that I have spent some of the downtime due to COVID-19, working at home and building a database of coaches and recruiters. I search a league, go to each team's website and look for each coaches contact info. Much to my dismay, much of it is missing or disjointed, to put it mildly. So, to make a mild suggestion to the coaches and organizations reading this...get your web guy to take a couple hours out of his/her day to add your contact info to your team's site. Even if you get one random email out of it that turns into a player who makes your team, it's worth it.
Stay safe out there and we'll see you around the rink soon.