Sigh! Seems like every time I want to focus on a basic goaltending topic — from techniques to game preparation — something happens that pulls me in another direction. Recently, it was the suspension of Andover (Mass.) High School hockey coach Christopher Kuchar and two assistants for alleged mistreatment of their players.
Sheldon Berman, superintendent of Andover schools, took that action after saying Kuchar prohibited players from eating for 12 hours after a loss. That charge, on its face, was absurd (seeing the away game was, at most, only two hours from Andover). Berman said he was acting on complaints from parents, some who had contacted the state’s Department of Children and Families.
Then the story gets really bizarre. Seems two years earlier, Berman wrote a memo to Andover principal Philip Conrad and former athletic director Don Doucette, chastising Kuchar for the treatment of Berman’s son, Dale. Obviously, I can’t go into every detail of a six-page memo (yup, six pages!); it’s easy enough to find it online. Suffice to say, Berman’s memo is a classic example of parental overreach. Considering that it came from the superintendent of schools, addressed to two men who work for him, Berman’s memo borders on egregious.
