Basically, the history is this: About 10-12 years ago the shift kicked into full speed. As the exclusive Metro League was suffering from in-fighting more professional organizations surfaced in the region giving the kids better or at least consistent coaching, more ice time and better competition. The better kids went there and the better kids got...well, better. A youth hockey 'arms race' began...the results of taking the better players and giving them more and the results were seen at the high school level and kids who went on to play after high school were all coming out of these specialized programs. Other qualified (and some not so qualified) coaches saw an opportunity to monetize the youth hockey arms race and make a lot of money at it so more organizations popped-up. As more organizations popped up it wasn't always the better players leaving...now anyone with an interest in actually playing D-1 or D-2 high school hockey was climbing into the arms race that became youth hockey. The spiral continued taking many of the marginal Town Hockey players away until Town Hockey became a true recreational league of kids trying out hockey (at the post Squirt level and beyond) and having some fun at it rather than attempting to develop into better players who might actually play on a better than average high school team or after high school.

Most people on the DBoard left Town Hockey and jumped into the youth hockey arms race attempting to develop a hockey player. The cost, time commitment from both the parent and the kid and the obvious better play has turned many parents into elitists when it comes to hockey...and thus the disdain for those who merely want their kid to have fun. The parents of Select Hockey players need to see results (or at least act and talk like they see results) for their time & money they put into youth hockey.

I’ll second that.
You don’t always get what you pay for with upper level club hockey, but it’s your job to put your kid in an organization and more importantly a healthy coaching staff to achieve the goal : developing their 100% potential wherever that may be for your kid. What ever level it may be. Their hard work and positive results are the “Fun” that they are playing the game for not the pizza parties.