At the risk of dating myself (yet again), I was recently thinking back to my heyday of the 1970s and ’80s, when there was a popular perfume commercial with the tagline: "If you want someone’s attention, whisper." I’ve always thought this is a great approach for coaching. I’m not exactly "quiet" by … [Read more...]
Toughness is a trademark that can be developed
I absolutely love playoff hockey, especially postseason college hockey. No knock on the National Hockey League playoffs, which are great, but the college game, both the women and the men, is a series of "win or go home" contests. It doesn’t get much better than that. Now, add the ever-present … [Read more...]
Practice what you don’t do well
As an unabashed fan of hockey in general, and women’s hockey specifically, I always look forward to the Winter Olympics. Sure, the tournament is a bit predictable, with the United States and Canada the heavy, heavy favorites to meet in the finals (though I remember well Sweden knocking off the US of … [Read more...]
Parents, school officials must respect boundaries
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 … [Read more...]
Sports without sportsmanship is a hollow activity
February represents the stretch run for most high school hockey seasons. In other words, this is the time of the season when coaches tend to get hyper-focused on winning, whether it’s simply to make the playoffs, or to get a better postseason seed. Far too often, I’ve seen coaches lose their … [Read more...]
Guidelines for age-based goals
One of the most difficult aspects of coaching is applying the right approach to each goaltender, at varying age levels. The reality is that not all goalies are created equal. As a result, goalie coaches have to adjust their methods based on a number of factors, including the age of the goalie, their … [Read more...]