I think it’s pretty safe to say that the friendlies went well. It is always a good opportunity to hone skills against those of your own age group, so when returning home it was a privilege to coach those kids and let them do so. They won two and lost two, but the real victories had nothing to do with the final scores.

It was so nice to see those kids practice their hockey skills. Through the matches, I watched the passes become crisper, the shots become slappier, and the skating more sound. They began to fly around the ice.

The true gains though, were mostly intangible. Not only did I watch the skills get better, I watched the confidence grow. I watched how the children interacted with their teammates and treated themselves and their opponents with respect. This type of thing *can* be taught, but can only be put into practice through experience. I wanted every child to go out there feeling great and being respectful to themselves and everyone involved. Character makes a good hockey player.