Definition of gratitude; 'the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.'
Thank you to the coaches that I asked to share some of their thoughts and gave me some material for this post. Great responses!
Before listing some of the many things most coaches are thankful for and having some fun, I felt compelled to mention some things I personally am very grateful for this Thanksgiving.
My loved ones, my family, my friends and the great people I work with. My health, my happiness and all the incredible things that I have been blessed to experience over the years, including coaching.
50 Things Coaches are 'giving thanks' for this year:
Home games.
Road trips.
Practices.
Power Forwards.
Pesky Forwards.
Passionate players.
Calm players.
White boards.
Respectful cellys....(that means celebrations I guess.....)
Blue line and backs....
Red line and backs.....
Down and backs....
Over and backs.....
Video.
Good power plays.
Better penalty kills.
Solid forwards.
Solid defense.
Rock solid goaltending.........
Parents who see the 'big picture'.
Advisers who actually advise.......
Players who forecheck well.
Players who backcheck always.
The top player on the roster,
The last player on the roster.....
Leaders.
Followers....
Warm coaches coats.
Bad rink coffee.
Good bus drivers.
Respectful scouts.
Team meals.
Team managers.
Unselfish players.
Unselfish parents.
Coaches who share information.
NHL Center Ice package.
Pre-game meals.
Post game decompression sessions.....
Good ice when you team is playing well.
Bad ice when they are struggling.....
Players that don't talk back.
Players that say thank you.....
Players that that are thankful for their parents sacrifice.
Loved ones.
Family.
Friends.
Great people to work with.
Health.
Happiness.
All the incredible things experienced over the years.
Being a coach.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
What's The Rush?
"Be quick but don't hurry."
John Wooden
"Let's not be in a rush to look like crap......"
Unnamed Coach
One of the age old questions in sport, and in hockey especially, is when should a player move to 'the next level', or play at a 'higher level'? Obviously there is no single correct answer. All players develop at a different pace and no one path is correct for everyone. Nobody can accurately predict what a very young player can turn out to be and what they should or should not do to find their way.
(It is important to remember and note at this point the large number of players playing in the NHL who were undrafted.....)
What seems to constantly appear though are players rushing to get to the 'highest level' they can play at as soon as they can. Not factoring how much they are going to play or even how much they will be able to develop in that environment. It is a very dangerous area and can make an extreme difference in the development trajectory of a player.
Certainly there are players that can excel and need to be challenged by older more experienced players, but they are few and far between. It is only my opinion but there seems to be a huge focus on 'getting there', and not really thinking about what can go on once 'there'.......
This is something that has been sticking in my head for quite a while so I wanted to get some other opinions and ideas about this topic. I asked about ten Division 1 college coaches about this and it was really interesting to hear their input. A common thread became obvious. Here are some of their answers:
Coach 1: "When we look at a player to recruit, remember we are looking at what a player will be like two, three, four or even five years down the road..... but we want to see them play, what they can do in a game, whatever the level. It is no use trying to evaluate a young player sitting on the bench in a really good league."
Coach 2: "The most frustrating thing we come across is seeing a young player who is a huge part of his team, a leader, playing in key parts of a game........move to a higher level too quickly, hit a wall and start to struggle. Some of them, a lot of them...don't recover."
Coach 3: "Do we like to see players play at the highest and most competitive level? Absolutely but it is not the league or level we commit to.....it is the player. Whether we recruit at the U16, U18, Junior, NAHL or USHL, that player has to be a big part of that team. No question about it......"
One of my favorite quotes from a coach was this, "There is a difference between playing at a high level and playing with a high level of intelligence........"
In having these conversations, the common thing that kept coming from these coaches was that in their opinion, it is best to be patient. Take your time. Do not rush into chasing a higher league or level. Make sure whatever team you are on, you are going to be a very important player for that team. If you can do that and be that player at the highest level, then go for it!
Here are some interesting numbers about the best junior league in the United States, the USHL and it's players. A lot of young players I talk to say they are looking and ready to go play there. But are they really?
We took a look at the players birth years on the active rosters and broke it down. The NTDP was eliminated as all their players are mainly 96 birth years. Here is the remaining 15 Teams and the approximate breakdown.
Birth Year
1993-41 players
1994-138 players
1995- 126 players
1996-51 players
1997 12 players
What is really interesting is out of the approximately 60 or so 96 and 97 birth year players, less than half seem to be playing average amounts of minutes or contributing significantly statistically to their teams.
There is always a lot to consider when making the decision on what level to play at.
I hope some of this helps when evaluating your options.
All the best!
John Wooden
"Let's not be in a rush to look like crap......"
Unnamed Coach
One of the age old questions in sport, and in hockey especially, is when should a player move to 'the next level', or play at a 'higher level'? Obviously there is no single correct answer. All players develop at a different pace and no one path is correct for everyone. Nobody can accurately predict what a very young player can turn out to be and what they should or should not do to find their way.
(It is important to remember and note at this point the large number of players playing in the NHL who were undrafted.....)
What seems to constantly appear though are players rushing to get to the 'highest level' they can play at as soon as they can. Not factoring how much they are going to play or even how much they will be able to develop in that environment. It is a very dangerous area and can make an extreme difference in the development trajectory of a player.
Certainly there are players that can excel and need to be challenged by older more experienced players, but they are few and far between. It is only my opinion but there seems to be a huge focus on 'getting there', and not really thinking about what can go on once 'there'.......
This is something that has been sticking in my head for quite a while so I wanted to get some other opinions and ideas about this topic. I asked about ten Division 1 college coaches about this and it was really interesting to hear their input. A common thread became obvious. Here are some of their answers:
Coach 1: "When we look at a player to recruit, remember we are looking at what a player will be like two, three, four or even five years down the road..... but we want to see them play, what they can do in a game, whatever the level. It is no use trying to evaluate a young player sitting on the bench in a really good league."
Coach 2: "The most frustrating thing we come across is seeing a young player who is a huge part of his team, a leader, playing in key parts of a game........move to a higher level too quickly, hit a wall and start to struggle. Some of them, a lot of them...don't recover."
Coach 3: "Do we like to see players play at the highest and most competitive level? Absolutely but it is not the league or level we commit to.....it is the player. Whether we recruit at the U16, U18, Junior, NAHL or USHL, that player has to be a big part of that team. No question about it......"
One of my favorite quotes from a coach was this, "There is a difference between playing at a high level and playing with a high level of intelligence........"
In having these conversations, the common thing that kept coming from these coaches was that in their opinion, it is best to be patient. Take your time. Do not rush into chasing a higher league or level. Make sure whatever team you are on, you are going to be a very important player for that team. If you can do that and be that player at the highest level, then go for it!
Here are some interesting numbers about the best junior league in the United States, the USHL and it's players. A lot of young players I talk to say they are looking and ready to go play there. But are they really?
We took a look at the players birth years on the active rosters and broke it down. The NTDP was eliminated as all their players are mainly 96 birth years. Here is the remaining 15 Teams and the approximate breakdown.
Birth Year
1993-41 players
1994-138 players
1995- 126 players
1996-51 players
1997 12 players
What is really interesting is out of the approximately 60 or so 96 and 97 birth year players, less than half seem to be playing average amounts of minutes or contributing significantly statistically to their teams.
There is always a lot to consider when making the decision on what level to play at.
I hope some of this helps when evaluating your options.
All the best!
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
A Little Fellow Follows Me
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I found this while doing some coaching research on the legendary basketball coach, John Wooden.
In case you did not know, Coach Wooden was voted the greatest coach of all time by The Sporting News in 2009. Coach Wooden passed away in 2010 at the age of 99.
Coach Wooden won 10 national championships at UCLA, winning more than 80 percent of his games over 27 seasons. When asked about his winning ways and success, he constantly shifted focus away from that and said that true fulfillment came from the rewards of a life spent teaching, mentoring and improving lives.
One of the amazing things I found out about him was that he kept this poem in his wallet with him at all times, right up to his death. Through all the championships, games, travel, accolades and practices.
It just so happens that the poem was presented to Coach in 1936 when his son was born but he said it helped him along the way remember the true meaning of coaching throughout his amazing career.
If this is good enough for the greatest coach of all time........it is good enough to share with everyone.
Enjoy.
I found this while doing some coaching research on the legendary basketball coach, John Wooden.
In case you did not know, Coach Wooden was voted the greatest coach of all time by The Sporting News in 2009. Coach Wooden passed away in 2010 at the age of 99.
Coach Wooden won 10 national championships at UCLA, winning more than 80 percent of his games over 27 seasons. When asked about his winning ways and success, he constantly shifted focus away from that and said that true fulfillment came from the rewards of a life spent teaching, mentoring and improving lives.
One of the amazing things I found out about him was that he kept this poem in his wallet with him at all times, right up to his death. Through all the championships, games, travel, accolades and practices.
It just so happens that the poem was presented to Coach in 1936 when his son was born but he said it helped him along the way remember the true meaning of coaching throughout his amazing career.
If this is good enough for the greatest coach of all time........it is good enough to share with everyone.
Enjoy.
A Little Fellow Follows Me
A careful man I want to be,
a little fellow follows me.
I do not dare to go astray,
for fear he'll go the self-same way.
I cannot once escape his eyes,
what err he sees me do he tries.
Like me he says he's going to be,
the little chap who follows me.
He thinks that I am good and fine,
believes in every word of mine.
The base in me he must not see,
the little chap who follows me.
I must remember as I go,
through summer sun and winter snow,
I'm building for the years to be,
that little chap who follows me.
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