Trojan Culture

Being a Trojan is about more than the jersey we wear, the team we make, or the score on the board.

It is about how we work, how we compete, how we respond when things are difficult, how we treat people, and how we represent New Prague Hockey.

At the New Prague Hockey Association, we want to compete. We want to win. We want our players and teams to experience success.

But winning is only one part of the experience.

The lessons learned through hockey — hard work, accountability, resilience, teamwork, respect, commitment, and supporting others — stay with our players long after their final shift.

We are building hockey players.

We are building teammates.

We are building confident young people.

We are building a hockey community that people are proud to call their own.

That is The Trojan Way.

Our mission and vision are guided by the values that shape our decisions, define our expectations, and establish the culture we strive to create every day.

HARD WORK: We believe effort, discipline, and commitment are the foundation of growth and success.

DEVELOPMENT: We prioritize long-term player and personal development over short-term results.

COMMUNITY: We build strong relationships and create a positive environment for players, families, coaches, volunteers, and the greater New Prague community.

SUPPORT: We support our players and coaches through encouragement, communication, resources, and a shared commitment to helping one another succeed.

ACCOUNTABILITY: We hold ourselves to higher standards on and off the ice through respect, responsibility, communication, and teamwork.

BELONGING:Every player and family should feel accepted, valued, connected, and proud to be part of New Prague Hockey.

FUN: We believe hockey should be challenging, rewarding, and enjoyable while creating friendships and memories that last far beyond the season.



Trojan Players:

• Bring effort and a willingness to learn every time they come to the rink.
• Work hard in practices, games, training, and everything in between.
• Listen to their coaches and accept feedback.
• Control their attitude, effort, preparation, and response to adversity.
• Respect teammates, coaches, officials, opponents, facilities, and the game.
• Understand that mistakes are part of development.
• Celebrate teammates' successes, not just their own.
• Put the team ahead of individual recognition.
• Compete hard without sacrificing sportsmanship.
• Have fun and remember why they love hockey.
• Represent New Prague with pride on and off the ice.

The jersey says New Prague on the front. Wear it with pride.

Trojan Parents:

• Cheer for their player and their teammates.
• Encourage effort, development, resilience, and teamwork.
• Allow coaches to coach.
• Allow players to play.
• Avoid coaching from the stands.
• Model respect toward officials, coaches, opponents, volunteers, and other families.
• Ask questions before making assumptions.
• Give players space after difficult games.
• Bring concerns directly through the appropriate communication channels.
• Avoid discussing team concerns through social media, group chats, parking-lot conversations, or the stands.
• Remember that their reaction to adversity teaches their child how to respond to adversity.
• Help make hockey something their child loves.

Sometimes the most important thing your player needs to hear after a game is simply: "I LOVED WATCHING YOU PLAY."

Trojan Fans:

• Bring the energy. Support our players. Represent New Prague.
• Cheer loudly for our Trojans, not against the other team.
• Celebrate effort, teamwork, and great hockey.
• Respect players, coaches, officials, families, and fans.
• Keep negative comments away from the ice.
• Model the sportsmanship we expect from our players.
• Remember: every player on the ice is someone’s child.
• Make the New Prague section one our players are proud to play in front of.

Not everything in hockey will go the way we want. There will be challenges, setbacks, tough decisions, and moments we cannot change.

What we can control is how we respond.

Instead of spending energy on what is outside our control, we choose to focus on our effort, attitude, preparation, response, and what we do next.

The Trojan Way belongs to all of us.

Players. Coaches. Parents. Families. Fans. Volunteers. Association leadership.

Every person who walks into the rink wearing New Prague has an opportunity to strengthen our culture.

When we respect those roles, players have the freedom to learn, compete, make mistakes, build confidence, and enjoy playing hockey.

Culture isn't something written on a wall or posted on a website.

Culture is what we choose to do every day.

Support. Encourage. Trust. Model.

Parents and guardians have one of the most important roles in youth hockey.

Your player will experience incredible moments and difficult ones.

They will score goals and miss opportunities.

They will win and lose.

They will make teams, experience disappointment, receive praise, receive criticism, make mistakes, and face adversity.

You cannot control all of those experiences.

But you have enormous influence over how your child learns to navigate them.

When concerns arise:

WAIT — Choose the right time.

ASK — Start with a question, not an accusation.

LISTEN — Understand the other perspective.

ACKNOWLEDGE — Understanding doesn't require agreement.

RESPOND — Communicate calmly and respectfully.

The goal isn't to win the conversation. The goal is to move forward.

Success is about more than wins and losses.

We want to develop skilled, competitive hockey players—but also confident young people who know how to work, respond to failure, support others, accept responsibility, and be part of something bigger than themselves.

We want families connected. Coaches supported. Volunteers valued. Players proud to wear New Prague.

ONE ASSOCIATION.

ONE COMMUNITY.

ONE TROJAN STANDARD.

THIS IS THE TROJAN WAY.