Bylsma Gets Big Assist Off the Ice

The Mighty Ducks’ Dan Bylsma does what he can, on the ice and off.

As a player, he is an effective fourth-line forward who excels as a penalty killer, with bruises from blocked shots as medals.

As a parent, he does even more for the game of hockey.

Bylsma founded a program to build accountability and sportsmanship among parents, coaches and players. His IT PAYS program has become popular in Southern California and his home state of Michigan, and is catching on in other areas.

The Ducks and Kings help sponsor the program; the NHL and players’ union help out too.

The idea, Bylsma, said is nothing new, just absent sometimes.

“What’s important to me is what lessons my son learns from playing the game,” said Bylsma, whose son, Bryan, is 3. “Whether he’s good at it, that’s not my responsibility. I’m responsible to see that the atmosphere where he gets to do things, like playing sports, is a healthy one.”

Bylsma and his father, Jay Bylsma, have collaborated writing books about youth sports, and got involved a year ago when hockey parent Thomas Junta was on trial for involuntary manslaughter for beating to death a fellow parent.

About the same time, Bylsma, who corresponds with hockey parents and coaches, received a letter from a youth coach that alarmed him.

“The letter started out saying what a good weekend he and his team had at a tournament,” Bylsma said. “He said they lost their first game, 8-0, and the parents from the other team were mocking his players and the other team was bullying them. Their last game, they won, 5-1, and there were incidents after the game. He was cornered by parents and backed up against the wall. He commented that he narrowly avoided a physical confrontation. He said this was a good weekend.”

Bylsma discussed it with his father and the two came up with a list of sportsmanship criteria to distribute to youth coaches and parents. The response was positive, which led to a Web site, www.hockeyitpays.com.

The program includes an online reporting system, which grades and tracks the behavior of teams, players and coaches. After a game, a representative from each team and the on-ice officials file a report that is available to other coaches and parents.

“If you want to have a tournament or are making a schedule, you can screen the teams you want to play,” Bylsma said. “There is a paper trail for their behavior.”

There are 29 associations involved, mostly in Southern California. Other areas include Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

“I didn’t necessarily think I was the person to do this or that I had the time,” Bylsma said. “But if not me, who? If not now, when?”