By CHAT News Today

Brian Burke speaks at Medicine Hat College

Mar 23, 2017 | 12:34 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The president of hockey operations for the Calgary Flames spoke to students and athletes at Medicine Hat College Wednesday night.

Brian Burke spoke about young athlete development and what parents and coaches can do to improve development, adding the region is showing strong signs of player development.

“You look at the players that are coming out of this part of Alberta, I think everything’s going just fine here,” he said.

Burke adds the NHL owes a debt to the parents of up and coming athletes for the work they did in helping develop them into players.

“It’s hard to play early mornings, cold buildings, long distances and expensive equipment, we get that,” he said. “We thank the parents at the draft after we draft the player. We thank them for getting them here.”

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Burke also spoke about the recent trend of year-round hockey that has taken hold, and says should play other sports through the year.

“Maybe we’re taking it too seriously, maybe we should take a break in the spring and let them play lacrosse or soccer or baseball,” he said. “Let’s step back and examine how we’re doing it. I think we can make it more fun and put more balance in their lives.”