Still Alive...

Yes, it's been a week since I last blogged, but other than the Junior World's, Brian Cowell's call-up to Santa Fe, and my Sooners doing a dead-on impression of the Baylor Bears last night, it's been quiet. I am, however, working on a few things. I've developed a matrix of certification requirements for junior hockey, broken down by specific item for Tier I & II Jr. A, Jr. B, and Jr. C. The only thing that's surprising when you break it down is how sloppy the Tier I implementation really was. There are some huge holes in their requirements. Some I can justify, such as there not being a coaching certification requirement - the thought likely being that you don't want to "burden" an overqualified NCAA or pro coach who decides to come down and coach in the USHL. But there are other areas that are really nothing more than oversights, such as there being no requirement to videotape games. The organizational structure of the Tier I regs is messy, whereas the way the Tier II, B, and C league regs were written, all the general and specific elements parallel each other such that comparisons are easy. I went over the Tier I regs multiple times looking for some boilerplate clause stating that "Tier II requirements not specifically addressed for Tier I shall by default also apply to Tier I," but no such text exists. If someone can point me to the language, I'll happily reference it here. I'm also working on an essay arguing that leagues should publish their sanctions (suspensions and fines) online. The short version is leagues should not be embarrassed by their rulings, and that it holds players, coaches, and team officials more accountable for their actions. There are several more important points to be made, however, and I'll save them for the final version.