Ever since I began this site I have done a Diary of a Season section. Most were lost when someone hacked and destoryed the the older versions of this coachingabcs site. Dwight has had to repair the site about 5 times the last two months because someone is trying to destroy it again.
At this moment we are about 5000 hits short of one million for the last 15 or so months. By Monday we will be at a million if the hacker fails in the destruction. Quite a world some psycho's live in.
I was finished coaching men's university hockey (12 seasons) when I started with the hockeycoach site and was coaching my son's teams. He was ready to quit because the practices were not fun and the coaches yelled at them all the time. I decided to jump in so he would stay in the game. I coached for about 10 years. He went to a sports school after midget and I went back to coaching college; this time college women. I did that for 5 years and then the Red Bull organization in Salzburg, Austria called me and offered a job as a development coach with their 2 pro U17 and U20 organization. I did that for a season but my wife couldn't go because of work. I resigned after one season even though it was a coaches dream getting to work with coaches from every major hockey nation. It isn't very healthy for a marriage when you are home one week in 7 months.
I came back and was approached to coach a women's team in the WWHL and did that last year and am back again. It is the league that females who played collegiate hockey or with the USA and Canadian national teams play in. The western division has teams in Strathmore (just outside of Calgary), Edmonton, Winnipeg and Minnesota. The eastern division has five teams and they are paying the players, so most of the national team players from here went east. I have one player who just made the national team and one who is a former player along with a few potential players. The top two teams from each division will play for the Clarkson Cup in March.
We started practicing a month ago and practice 2 evenings a week. All the player either work or go to university. Tomorrow is our first game and we have a controlled scrimmage vs a AAA minor midget team (15 year old boy's). We have just enough players if everyone comes. 13 skaters and 3 goalies. So there is a challenge designing practices when there aren't enough players to do many of the flow drills or transition games that I would do with a college team that has at least 20 skaters. I know it is a challenge that most minor hockey coaches face as well. It is still possible to have good practices but some of the players don't understand that numbers are needed to do many things they got used to doing in college or university.
As far as this coaching site goes, I am trying to put diagrams and links to all the video I downloaded. I do one each day when I have enough time and put them in this forum in the daily drill sections.
My team is going thru a crisis right now. If we don't get a few more players to gaurantee that we have enough every game; then the team will fold on Monday. So tomorrow will decide our future. If there are at least 15 skaters we will continue and if not we fold.
I am missing a monumental weekend at my old college. Bemidji State is opening their new arena and all hockey alumns were invited for the big event. They played North Dakota last night and tonight There were 2 tickets for me put aside. I cancelled my trip because of the situation with our team. I was flying to Winnipeg and driving to Bemidji.
I have missed the interaction coaches used to have on this site. The intention was to share ideas with coaches from around the world. We haven't had much sharing for quite a while. Feel free to start a new topic. I was trying to keep the daily drill sections on the homepage but coaches can find them in the forum.
I will post updates from our practices as the year goes on. I think the players will rally to keep the team going. If they don't then it is best the team join the defunct status.
I hope everyone has a good season and encourage you to share your ideas, ask questions or discuss topics.
Pic is of Juhani and Leena Wahlsten with my wife Cathy, looking across the river at the city of Prague. Second one on the Charles Bridge.
We had a specialty scrimmage with a minor midget AAA boy's team. Went like this.
-10 min. warm up
-10 min 5-5
-3 min. chalk talk at bench
-10 min 5-5
-3 min team at bench
-5 min pp
-3 min at bench
-5 min. pk
-5 min pp
-5 min. pk
-10 min. 5-5
We lost 3-2 but it was a really good way to work on systems and was our first game vs anyone so I got to watch the players play and a few are better than I thought they would be and 3 of the new players are good enough for this level.
5 new players came and we had 15 skaters and 3 goalies. So our team will continue to exist as a player is flying in from Toronto tomorrow and another good player will be done an evening course and start playing on Wed.
Jeez Tom I had no idea the team was in such dire straights! I hope things work out and you get enough kids to keep it going this year. Long-term though, it will be tough without big-time corporate help.... and the economy certainly isn't favourable for that right now. I sent you an email... let me know where / when you practice (if the team is still a go.)
I will try to get on here and post more frequently. With all my teaching and mentoring (and looking after the kids), I am swamped right now! I hardly have time for beers, dammit!
Take care,
Dean, we are good now and a lot stronger than last season. There are two players coming for a look see tonight. They both went to the same NCAA Div. 1 school and hate hockey now. I had another one that talked to me but she doesn't want to play anymore as she also hates hockey. The coach there must be a dandy to ruin the experience for so many players.
The new D flew here and practiced Monday. She is 6' and 170 lbs and was an All Canadian. She looks strong on the ice.
We play a U18 boys team on Sunday and beat a local college team 5-0 in a controlled scrimmage of 10 min. 5-5, and 5 min. power play each; stop time. We have corporate sponsors so all the money is in place.
The players took ownership in bringing in good players. This was always a franchise that was happy to exist and knew they didn't have a chance vs the Oval Extreme who had half the Olympic team and practiced a few times a day. There is now only one player left from that era and some of the Extreme are now on this team so now we can create a New History and tradition and as my coach in Bemidji used to say "we are here for the apple, not the applesauce."
It is going to be fun developing this group.
Tom,
Good to hear! I will look at my schedule to see if / when I can come out to watch a practice. Thanks for the follow up email this morning too...
It now is a real team. There were 18 skaters and 3 goalies.
We did.
-puck warm up and shots skating around the rink toe dragging around each dot and shooting at the ends.
-2 of your drills, one high one low shots and then the chaos of 3 from each end passing in the nzone then shots.
-2 flow drills with 1-1 one with a shot then 1-1 and the other with a nzone regroup then 1-1.
-forecheck review and then 5-2 each way to practice 4 on the attack and the aggressive 1-3-1 forecheck.which turns into a 3 player overload on each side.
-10 min. 5-5 using the forecheck.
-5 min. game of rebound at each end.
-tournament or 2 x 5' games of half ice 2-2 quick transition kept score losers skated a bit.
-finished with a shootout of 2-0 double drop whites vs purple. winner was the team that scored the most goals. Losers did one push up.
We did a special teams scrimmage with a top AAA minor midget boy's team last night. We were missing 3 regulars who were replaced by 3 practice players. We did stop time.
Format:
-10 min. warm up
-3 min. at bench
- 10 min. 5-5
-3 min. at bench
-5 min. pplay 5-4
-3 min. at bench
-5 min. pk 4-5
- one more pp and pk each for 5 min.
- Zamboni
- 5-4 pp
-4-5 pk
-3 min. at bench
-5-3 pp
-3 min. at bench
-3-5 pk
-10 min. 5-5
-Shootout 6 shooters each
They won 3-1. We led 1-0 first half scoring on a 5-5.
They got a goal on the 5-4 pp when a puck hit a crack in the boards on our defenseman rim and went to their player who had a tap into the empty net. Another 2 on 5-3.
We won the shootout 2-1.
I was pleased with our overall play. the 3 missing regulars would have really helped because they are among our best players.
This kind of situation scrimmage with coaching breaks is great for teaching team play and letting all players play in every situation for evaluation and deciding who is effective on specialty teams. Sometimes players surprise you.
Had another planned vs a college women's team tonight but they just let me know they aren't coming. We did about thirty minutes with them last week and won 6-0. Our league finally starts Oct. 30.
I did a hockey camp in the Czech Republic at the end of July. I have been to Prague before but never stayed anywhere else.
I took these pictures at the GM of the Jihlava, Dukla teams house. It is about a ten min. drive outside of Jihlava. The pictures are of Bedrich Sherban and his wife Anna's place int he country. His son Bedrich jr. "Beda" lives there as well. They were fantastic hosts and I stayed in an upstairs suite. Bedrich played pro hockey around Europe for 24 years and was on many Czechoslovakia and Czech national teams. In 91 he was named the best Czech player in the world.
It is a very beautiful country and is well on the way to rebuilding after the Soviet era.
I accompanied the hockey school kid's on a day trip to a castle and then a boat ride around a big lake. I can't remember the names.
I spiced it up a little with some music sent to me from Africa. I added some pics from a hockey school barbeque my son, I, Gaston, the Heatley boy's did in Winfield BC just outside of Kelowna in 2003.
http://hockeycoachingabcs.com/mediagallery/media.php?f=0&sort=0&s=20101025162926350
The theme of the practice was to play with good habits. We warmed up stressing a long stride, then handled the puck and did a skill drill with skating passing, shooting.
Did the 3 man weave regrouping with the other end followed by regrouping with one D.
Skill was angling with the stick on the puck. Did a mirroring stick on the puck drill then an angling drill.
Played 4-4 game of 2 pass at each end with the rule that only forehand passes could be used. This encouraged seeing the ice and using escape moves with the puck.
Goalie time and recovery was a game of rebound at each end.
Finished with a game in one zone with 2 nets on the goal line.
I attached a pdf of the practice with diagrams.
We had sixteen skaters and 3 goalies. 6 D and 10 forwards. This was the last practice before our first league game vs Edmonton on Saturday. I wanted to work on the controlled breakout for the power play. I changed it and now have 4 abreast with the D carrying the puck and the C coming late for a trailer pass if the D stands up at the blue line. We reviewed how to rotate into a diamond and the top three players rotate. We reviewed defensive responsibilities and offensive habits like moving up ice quickly, cycling and screening.
I have attached a pdf with diagrams.
Practice outline
-warmed up zig zagging down the ice doing various tasks such and the puck only on the forechand. A shot at each end.
-flow drill with a 2-0 crossing and then getting a long cross ice pass in the nzone and attacking 2-0.
-2-0 x 2 then regroup with D and turn back and attack 2-1
-Kingston pplay rotation - breakout and 5-0
-full ice 2 on 2 backchecking transiton game.
-3 on 3 Krusel low battles with passes to the point.
On another note Dean has started a good thread concerning how we must take on the role as a teacher in order to be an effective coach.
Tom,
Glad to hear things are working out with the women's team!
And thanks for your words about the Art of Coaching thread. I will do my best to keep it active and to promote discussion on it...
Dean, thanks for starting the thread. I guess I have lost the room, or my audience, or the coaches who come here as I have tried to get discussions going but to no avail. I am glad you are getting some response because that is why I started this site for in the first place.
We had our first game Sat. vs the Edmonton Chimos. A good team with a few really good players who control the puck well and try to make plays. They had a full line up of 4 lines and 3 sets of D. We have 9 F an 6 D. Two forwards were in weddings or something and couldn't come so we were at 7 F and 6 D. I planned to move two D to F. Two hours before I left for the game a D called to say she slipped in the tub and hit her head on the toilet and garbage can and had a concussion. Now 7 F and 5 D on international sized ice.
We went with 3 sets on C and RW, 2 LW and 4 D. The first period we got outshot and out chanced but our goalie was good. We won the second 1-0 and lost the third 1-0 and the last two periods were even. We dominated the 4-4 OT but no goals. In the SO we shot first and our first two shooters scored on good moves but so did theirs. Third shooters both were blanked and our 4th fumbled the puck and they scored; so a SO loss in game one of the season. I was proud of our compete level with our numbers.
I think the energy of playing a full team vs a 2/3 team was the differnece. I had one player who said she was too tired to shoot in the SO; she scored our only goal in the game.. She was ready to be our shooter 5 but they scored and our 8 seconds ride was done. (cowboy talk).
Tom,
I don't think you have lost the audience. I think they just prefer to sit back and read all of your wisdom! Maybe they are intimidated by your knowledge - kind of like, "who wants to go up against Yoda?" I hope not...
Sounds like you over-achieved with a short line up in Deadmonton! Well done! I will try to get out to a practice hopefully before another month goes by...
Got up at 6:30 and went to the rink for my school skills practice and no one was there. Something going on at the school. I should look at my schedule before leaving.
Great post by kai. How do you get the video to start on the screen like that? Erkka really knows his hockey. He brought me to Vierumaki a few times. Great sports centre there.
Dean I will meet you this morning at the Flames practice and hopefully the Red Wings are on right after. I would love to see them in a real practice and not the pre game skate. I'm still mad at Babc--k for beating us in double overtime for the Canada West title and then going on to win the Canadian Championship with U of Lethbridge. He is a great coach.
In our practice last night I wanted to review some of the things I saw in the game. We warmed up doing a figure 8 in each zone on each side of the ice with various puckhandling tasks. 1. Forward quick hands and quick feet. 2. Backward 3. Face the far end then shoot. Other side-4. Puck only on the forehand. 5. Puck only on the backhand. 6. Alternate turning to the inside then the outside and finish with a shot.
Edmonton got their goal because we rimmed the puck wide 3 times but the winger put her back to the boards each time and stopped the puck with the skates even though she could have picked up two of the rims with the stick and chipped it by the pinch. I had the asst. coach rim the puck and players pick it up while moving. I don't have a diagram of it but the coach was behing the net and the players left from the blueline, swung to the boards to pick up the rim and shot at the far end.
Another thing was poor puck support on the breakouts. No one was close to help get the puck out but instead were skating up the ice away from the puck. We always practice on NHL sized ice but play on international size. It is a huge difference and the gaps between players can get really big. On a pressured breakout I want wall support, the centre coming across for a pass or to help the wing get it out and I want the wide wing coming across the top of the circles for a pass or pick up the chip out in the nzone (also in good defensive position in the mid slot if we don't get it out.) It is also critical the D get to the big ice between the dots and not be forced wide outside the dots. We did breakouts one side, then the other side and they went down and took a shot. I dumped the puck in from the red line and they passed back to me after the first breakout.
We did a simple drill where 2 leave from the middle and the 1 pick up a puck and skate to the big ice between the dots while 2 crosses behind to the outside lane. 1 passes wide to 2 who now skates to the big ice while 1 goes behind for a wide pass. One pass in each zone and then shoot. It goes in both directions.
To promote puck support we did a 1/3 ice game of 2 pass at each end. Goals only counted after a give and go. This was to encourage the passer to jump into the opening after passing instead of pass and watch they had to pass and go. It is incredible how few players give and go and it is the most fundamental principle of the game.
We then did a half ice game of Perry Pearn 3-3 (12 skaters) with the emphasis on the attackers giving close support and the defenders the same thing in order to break out of the zone.
We finished with a game in one zone. The nets were back to back and they played 3-3 with 3 jokers. The defenders had to make at least one pass to the jokers before they could score. Shifts about 40 seconds.
General puck support was the problem. Players should be working together to create 2-1's and not leaving the puck carrier without an easy play.
Warmed up skating around the ice with 2 pucks and then one puck and shooting at each end.
- Full ice shooting from 3 lanes. Pass and then go for a pass. One end then the other.
-Full ice weave regrouping with players at the other end then shoot at the original end. 3 pucks, 2 pucks, 1 puck.
-All players in the middle. F pass to the D who pivots and then pass to the F who goes in and shoots. each way.
-Point shots. F1 in corner pass to the D1 who goes D1 to D2 who shoots while F1 screens, then F2 pass to D1 to D2 who shot passes to F2. Then repeat on the other side.
- Tournament: 2 pts for a win and on point for a tie.
1. D200 angling game.
2. D200 gap control game.
3. D2 game with a regroup with joker at own end and a pass to the joker at attacking end.
4. D2 game where one of the jokers must be passed to.
We then did a gambling shootout, where you bet whether the player will score or not by going to one side or the other and the wrong bet = skating across and back. We lost in a shootout and my goalie who is great in the ones we do in practice told my goalie coach she had only been in one other shootout. Goalies have to stay on the goal line until the player touches the puck and we don't do this when we have shootouts. I had my goalies and the shooters do official shootout rules and the shooter had to wait for the whistle and goalies couldn't leave until they touched the puck. I had never thought of this before.
I am attaching a pdf with the games and shootout.
Nov. 8 Practice: 75 Minutes
- Goalie Warm up - Semi circle shots on goalies at each end, 3 pucks each about 2 minutes.
B6 Chaos Pass and Shoot:
-
- 3 x 4 min. games of 2 pass at each end with modified rules.
- Game One: only backward skating allowed – Skill theme.
- Game Two: Maximum 2” with the puck then you must pass or shoot-Support.
- Game Three: All goals must come from plays originating below the goal line-offensive cycling and low defensive coverage.
-
-
D400 Breakout and Forecheck Contest
C3, 2-2 below the goal line.
D200 Cross Ice Game with Various Situations:
Shootout Below the Goal Line: Walk out or wrap around
Losing colour one figure 8 around the circles.
The pdf has diagrams
Nov. 10 practice.
It is our last practice before the ex game vs Edmonton on Sunday. I have 15 skaters and 3 goalies. One goalie had to go to a seminar, one D is in Newfourndland at the 4 Nations Cup, I D has the flu, 1 D slipped in the bathroom and hit her head on the toilet and has a concussion and one forward had a university seminar in her education program. So we had 2G, 3 D and 11 F. My assistant coach jumps in when needed so 12 skaters for drills.
We had a fast paced practice with 10 different activities in 75 minutes.
1. Warm up with puck handling and shots
2. 1-0, 2-0 passing and shots
3. Full ice 2-0 regroup return 2-1
4. pp breakout 5-0 practice
5. pp practice in one zone 5-0 practice overload options and move into a diamond.
6. Full ice pp vs pk
7. Transition backchecking game of full ice 2-2 .
8. Transition game in one zone of 2-2 with a pass to the point to go on offense.
9. Overspeed puck handling with a shot.
10. Shoot out with betting and official shootout rules.
Tom,
Thanks for posting your practices. I always take something away from them!
For the coaches on the site, it is a good learning experience to see how you run practices with limited numbers.
Sometimes you post your numbers broken down by position, sometimes you don't. If you could - that would be great!
Thanks and good luck in Edmonton this weekend!
PS - I might have another player for you! Let's talk!
---------------------------------
Dean, we usually have about 12. Monday 5 D and Wed. 6. Since Bobbi-Jo is with the National team and Alison has a concussion we have 3 or 4 D.
Let me know about that player. A forward is moving here from Ontario and I think that leaves us on forward from being a top team.
We had 9 skaters and 3 goalies on Monday and my asst. jumped in to make it ten. I have to modify practice with small numbers and focus more on skills and habits. With 12 I can go up to 2 on 1' continuous and with 16 2 on 2's and still give enough rest. you need 12 F and 8 D to have a good w/r ratio for a continous 3 on 2.
Tom
I was notified by Hockey Canada last night that my best player a denfenseman has torn her knee up playing in the 4 Nations Cup. Poor girl, she was on the national team the year before the Olympics but had two shoulder operation last year and couldn't play in the games. Another D has put her hip out of joint and another has a concussion. So what was our strongest position with 6 solid D is down to 3 and I have to move our top forward back to D.
I leave in a few hours for the 3.5 hour drive to an ex game vs Edmonton in a small town. So today 4 D and 8 F. I plan to go with 3 sets of wings, 2 centres and 4 D.
We will have 2 pplay units and I will have the wings kill penalties. A left wing can play D if a D gets a penalty.
Tom
How did you do? How did the rotations work out?
Dean we lost 5-3. 1-0 after one 1-2 after two then they had 4 minutes of 5-3. We had 9 F and 3 D so one of the F was playing D. It is a hard thing for a forward to do. We outshot them 42=39 and hit two posts and me and the timekeepers all saw a puck go in but the refs didn't. It will be good to get my 3 injured D back but Bobbi-Jo tore here MCL vs Finland and is gone 6-8 weeks. A new forward from Ontario is coming next week. Lucky it was an exhibition game. We got all three goals on the pp and them 2 on the 5-3's.
We play Manitoba 3 games here the last week of Nov. and have a scrimmage game vs a AAA midget team next Wed.
Tom,
Too bad to hear Manitoba didn't show this weekend. That is a lack of professionalism and they should lose their ability to play in this league. I don't know if teams have to post a performance bond, but perhaps they should - especially teams on probation - to the tune of $3000+(enough to cover lost ice rental / officials, etc.) That way Strathmore Rockies don't get hung out to dry on the expenses.
This really hurts the league as a whole; not to mention the perception of the viability of the women's game - with the Oval gone, with BC quitting mid season two (?) years ago... Saskatchewan folding a year or two before that... Unfortunately, "pro" or "senior" women's hockey looks like it may be facing some big financial struggles - especially here out west where the travel distances are so great. Out east, at least there are several larger centres that can support different teams (financially); plus have their own identity in each of these centres and still offer all the amenities for the girls to work, etc.
I think it is time for the league executive to sit down and make some tough decisions. Can Vancouver / lower mainland support four teams? Can Kamloops, North Okanagon, Kelowna and Penticton support another four team loop? Or can at least four teams in BC be made? Then can Calgary (Strathmore), Edmonton, Red Deer and Lethbridge / Med Hat make another four team loop? \\
Sask / Manitoba need to figure out if they can also make a division on their own. Flying is out of the question. The rule is you need to bus to play within your own division... set up a rule of X number of KM's max travel (and a guaranteed performance bond.) If they can't... they are out!
Minnesota needs to find three more US based teams to make a division. Then pull the division winners from BC, AB, Prairies (if they have a division), Ontario (I think they have one division?) and the US to have a round robin tourney like the M Cup.
Just my 2 cents.
Thanks for the input Dean.
It was unfortunate that Manitoba thought it was too dangerous to drive here for the games. We played a men's team to at least get a game in. It ended 6-6 and we won in a SO. Played them again on Sunday and I played for the men's team because they were short.
So it has been a lot of practice and a really good team Christmas party. We added a player who has led the NCAA in scoring last Monday and on Thursday she got a concussion in a car accident. So who knows how serious that will end up.
Lots of practices. I have used the various drills from the Washington and Detroit practices that I have been posting the last few weeks. We do drills and games and contests and have had 3 scrimmages vs minor AAA midget boy's teams. One league game so far and we play Edmonton an ex and a league game this weekend. So there will be more urgency at tonights practice.
Lucky most of our games are in the new year. We should get the two concussions and torn MCL back by then.
I hope it 's ok to post to your Diary of a Season Tom
I'm trying to have a year off from coaching but I'm now helping out a U14 team. I'm with them only two times in week. It has been quite a change from U18 to U14. (i've coached U18 teams last four (4) seasons). I think I'm finally starting to find the level of training they can do that is challenging but not too hard.
Thanks Tom and Dean for the great Pro practice videos. I wanted to test few of them and see how the kids like them. They did quite well and we had a good practice yesterday.
----------------------
No problem about posting here Kai. The more discussion the better. Post to the daily drill as well.
Tom,
Here's hoping Santa brings you some bubble wrap for your players... and I hope they get healthy for January!
Kai, sounds like you are like me... coaching runs in the blood! It's a (good) disease! We just need to infect more people with it! Please keep up posted on your exploits with the U14's!
(PS - trying to translate some of your Finnish on the practice plan. Looks like a good one! I hope you keep posting them - maybe you can start a "Kai's Diary" section?)
--------------------------------
Tonight we did a specialty team scrimmage vs a AAA midget boy's team. A 10 min. 5 on 5, 5 min. 5-4 each, 5 min. 5-3 each,and finished with a 4-4. They beat us 4-2. We had 11 skaters which is a clumsy number vs their 17. It was great to get game situation before our two game series vs Edmonton Fri and Sunday.
We played our second league game last night. Game time was warm up at 8:45 because my players had a 2.5 hr drive to get there after work. 8 F, 4 D and 2 G.
In the first period we were awful. You could tell that we hadn't competed at game intensity for a long time. We lost battles for the puck all over the ice and had no pressure. They outshot us 15-4 and scored on a shot from the point on the pp and a minute later we allowed a player to walk in from the mid slot and score even strength. So 0-2 after one.
We reviewed what we needed to do and came out in the second and had a breakaway the first ten seconds but didn't score. We played a solid period and really outchanced them but neither team score. Outshot them 17-11. It continued in the thrid. I changed the lines a bit and a new line scored on a tipped shot from the hight slot. We could have had a pp the last 2 min. but our player retaliated after getting chopped down so no pp. We generated lots of scoring chances but nothing and lost 1-2.. Outshot them 12-10 with a game total of 33-36. Play again on Sunday.
There is no playoff in the league. The top two western teams play the top 2 eastern div teams in March. Minnesot beat Edmonton 2 of 3 when the Chimos went there. Minn. has a lot of USA national team players.
Another note. My goalies mother introduced herself after the game and we talked a while. Her name is Kirstie McLellan Day and she is an author of lots of sports books and other books. Under the Mat, Playing with Fire (Fleury), Tough Guy (Probert) and is working with Ron MacLean on his autobiography. Interesting lady.
Today I was with the U14 team. I tryed to work their offensive skills again.
here's what i planned for practice:
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Kai, looks like a good practice plan. Skills, transition games and small area games.
Todays practice was inspirated by TGfU and ABC's Hockey. Focus was on roles 1 and 2
Off-ice
5v5 and 4v4 game with American football. With these rules:
- you can run with the ball
- when you are touched by opponent you must stop and pass immediately
- I you fumble the ball you lose possession of the ball
we talked about individual offensive tactics of this game
On-ice
stared with the "piggy in the middle" 2v1 keep away
- puck protection
- and getting open for pass
Full ice continious 3v3
- defend - attack - forecheck -leave
SAG 2v2 goals side by side (see link/attachment for diagram)
- you can score to both goals
- you must pass at least once before you can score
1v1 win the dot.
-score when you touch the dot
- battle 5-10 seconds then skate fast to redline
_______________________
Kai, how are your players responding to the way you are now practicing??
Kai, how are your players responding to the way you are now practicing??
Abc's is a part of FIHA's coaching materials. So this kind of training is not totally strange to the kids. You can still see some coaches doing drills from their (youth) player careers from 80's but I think that generally practices here are combination of technique and games approach.
Skills games are something that I have not used as much as I maybe should have. I mainly used transition and small area games for tactics and then flow drills for skills and some pure technique drills that have nothing to do with any game like situation etc. Now I have tried to increase amount of skill games and use less the technique drills.
Even simple game like "Piggy In The Middle" I very motivating and give more depth to coaching you’re not just teaching how to pass or how get open for the pass but it also some tactical principles too.
So players are having fun and are motivated and hopefully are learning too. Start is looking promising we've worked alot with passing and it has improved.
Tom
Good day to you my friend, it's Craig Campagnolio from the US. I hope you had a wonderful holiday season.
I was reading your post here and was curious to see how things work out with your women's team. As you know I did coach women back in the day and they are mostly all graduated from college.
I don't know if this is too late but wanted to see if maybe if I got the word out maybe one or two would be interested.
At your earliest convenience let me know.
I am sorry to hear you missed the opportunity at Bemidji.
Your Friend
Craig
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Craig great to hear from you. Is your hockey academy still going?
It has been a strange season. We only played 3 league games the first half. The other teams have played 9. This makes it hard to have a reference point in practice and to keep the players interested. I'm sure they are saying to themselves 'what are we practicing for. Almost 4 months and 3 games. Manitoba didn't drive here because of the roads or something like that so we should have had 6.
One good thing is my National team D got hurt vs Finland and should be able to play now, a girl that scored 42 one year in NCAA the second highest total ever got in a car accident and I think she will be able to play and another who faintedin the bathroom and hit her head on the toilet and got a bad concussion may be able to play. They are 3 of our top 4 players. We also added a new player who just finished at Maine and had pretty good stats there. So if they can play we will have a lot more talent in the line up. We start again on Wed. so I will have a better idea then.
Let me know how you are doing and what you have been up to.
Happy New Year Guys,
Kai-Thanks for sharing your practices. Strangely, your last post was blank except for the quote....this happens quite a bit with Dean's posts too, and I wonder if it has to do with not being able to log into the site? Attached is a screen shot that shows you what I see on this end.
Went to see the Sharks and Kings right after Christmas and the Sharks were so flat their own fans were booing them. Shots were 15-1 in favor of LA after the 1st, and I think the 1 was a dump-in. I know they have a boat load of talent, but they sure looked like a soft team in an important game, and I won't be placing any $ on them for the cup this year....
This leads me to my new area of focus...intensity! What are your thoughts? Can you teach intensity & competitiveness? What do you do in your practices to instill it?
Thanks in advance,
Dave
For some reason the site hides some posts (or parts of them) if you're not loged in or registered. Contact Tom, I had some problems with registering to this site, but the admin made it work (there was some problems with my e-mail or something....)
Quote by: DmanHappy New Year Guys,
Kai-Thanks for sharing your practices. Strangely, your last post was blank except for the quote....this happens quite a bit with Dean's posts too, and I wonder if it has to do with not being able to log into the site? Attached is a screen shot that shows you what I see on this end.
Went to see the Sharks and Kings right after Christmas and the Sharks were so flat their own fans were booing them. Shots were 15-1 in favor of LA after the 1st, and I think the 1 was a dump-in. I know they have a boat load of talent, but they sure looked like a soft team in an important game, and I won't be placing any $ on them for the cup this year....
This leads me to my new area of focus...intensity! What are your thoughts? Can you teach intensity & competitiveness? What do you do in your practices to instill it?
Thanks in advance,
Dave
Dave,
As Kai says, contact Tom to let him know. I looked at your screen grab and it is indeed odd.
I believe intensity & competitiveness CAN be taught. Last man in to the coach when you blow your whistle - skates HARD over and back / 1 lap / does pushups, etc.
Try to find a way to make your drills / games in practice 'count.'
When you play SAG's, choose captains for each team and have them do a rock / paper / scissors. The winner decides which goalie they want to start with (if it is a transition game, this keeps changing); if they want to start first on O or D (I always switch half way through if the SAG allows for it); this sort of thing. Then play the game. Each individual has to remember if they score and at the end of a pre-determined time, have them report to their captain. The captains come and tell you their totals. The goalies keep score for GA too. The "loser" goalie and "loser" team have to do a punishment. Skate them / pushups / situps / buy gatorades after practice for the winners / undo the skates of the winners / losers pick up pucks / move nets, etc. Get creative
As a coach, in a "drill", you can demand execution and have the players keep track of their own execution- on a warmup shooting drill, if the shooter misses the net, they owe the team 5 pushups / 5 situps for each miss. Same goes for each goal the goalies let in. (You could also look for rebound control / stopping rimmed pucks, moving the puck / etc. - depends on the "drill" or game.) For each pass made to the intended target "on the tape, in stride, in the right area", they get a point (or subtract a point for a pass "not on the tape, breaking stride, not in the right area".) Things like this nature... pit the F's vs the D's vs the G's or break them up into two (or more) teams... make sure you figure out a way to hold the goalies accountable - either to their "team" or between each other to encourage them to outwork / outperform the other guy. You need to have the assistant coaches to watch for certain things here to help you out (need to plan prior to practice)... so you (the head coach) can manage the drill itself.
By adding competition / scoring and putting the onus on the players to FAIRLY / HONESTLY self-report... (this helps develop leadership), you reinforce accountability. This leads to the players "bearing down" and demanding intensity - which is good!
I have started doing this since 2003-04 (at the university level for 4 years) and in minor hockey / skill academies - on and off-ice. It absolutely blew me away as to how effective it is. I did some of it with the pros (Flames) prior to training camp this year and it worked with them too. BIG DIFFERENCE in the levels of compete and intensity at all ages / levels.= (beginner to pro.) It takes time to evolve into this thinking / model of coaching, so start small and grow it into all aspects of your coaching as you gain confidence.
Another way to increase focus, intensity, accountability, etc. - I only explain the drill ONCE, ask if they have questions, then punish the WHOLE team (including goalies) when someone screws up the drill / game. I stop it immediately, everyone does the punishment, then I ask "Who screwed up and why are we doing this?" If they can't figure it out and tell me, I lead them toward the answer. If they don't ID who "did it", I do - and I thank that person for screwing up for the betterment of the team ("Dave, thanks for screwing up that drill by doing this ____ OR by NOT doing this _____ - as now YOU have eliminated one future way to screw up this drill. This means there is NO excuse for it to happen again and you guys being smart people, I expect that you will all learn from Dave's mistake... because if it does, you will all be doing double the punishment next time. Understand? Any other questions?"
This demanding stance has worked from grade 7 on up. You want focus / intensity / competitiveness? You got it! In spades. It is up to you, the coach, to set the environment. You MUST follow through on what you say though - otherwise you lose credibility.
Dave, all the best to you in the new year. Please let me / us know how it goes - or if you have any questions (don't worry, I won't make you do pushups - just buy me some microbrews if / when we ever meet - as your "punishment!")
PS drop me an email to let me know what team you are coaching so I can look your team up online. How are you doing?
Tom
It's good to hear your getting things revved up at your way.
I am in transition this year. I took some time off due to work, etc. I am being asked to coach for next year already and I do truly miss it. I needed to get more individuals involved into my academy at the administrative level.
Last season we had two teams, both had 9 players and one goalie. My minor team made it to the playoffs in their league. The major team made it all the way to nationals. The players deserved a lot of credit.
I am looking forward to getting things up and running in the future. How is everyone? It's been a while and I've missed our time with the summer sessions.
Are you still doing camps in the summer out of your own area?
Presently I have been asked by a few individuals to assist with a presentation to an organization. They have a lot of ideas like ours, too many games, not enough practice. Need to efficiently use the ice during practice, etc. I have presented to this group and they want me to come to their next meeting with the organization. I am going to go and see if I can get things started there.
How is Jusso?
I'll keep updated through this site now that I know your "home"
Happy New Year and all the best my friend
Craig
Focus of the practice today was the roles 1 and 2 and passing and recieving.
Off-ice we had two groups
a group did core and middle body work out
b group played "american football " we played, last time too
15 mins and then we would change
See Attachement for our ice practice
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Kai, you are keeping them active and making them think and support.
Kai,
Regarding the 2 vs 0 Random Passing Drill: I add a player at each 1/2 board, which allows for a lot more options on the breakout or o-zone tactics.
Also, I use it as a 2 vs 2 pre-game warmup drill: Defencemen in the corners so that they take up position at the bottom of the ring, make outlet pass, jump up and play the attack. F's go the the 1/2 boards after attacking.
Works well, keeps everyone busy.
Paulie
Thanks Paulie, sounds good I need to try that out. I used it 2v2 also but from that formation. the two passing players from the low circle must get to blue and defend and then leave. Pair that attacked defends.
We had a practice on Wed. with lots of 2 on 2. We had one goalie and 8 skaters. About 5 players are still out of town.
Started skating around the ice handling the puck all around the body and shooting at one end. 2 times around each way.
- 2-0 leaving from behind the red line and making at least 4 passes without gliding first and then a shot by the has marks and sprint back to the blue line.
- 2-0 around the middle circle, cross and drop and continue around the circle, gain the blue line, then cross and drop again, then a cross pass and a one timer shot.
- 3-0 weave from the end with the goalie and regroup with the 2 D who do a hinge out and back to the middle before passing. Attack 3-0 on the goalie,
- 5 minute game of rebound.
- 2 on 2 game with 4 on each team. White attack purple and 2 puple follow to the top of the circles. On a goal or a breakout pass from the defense the supporting players skate and regroup with the 2 coaches at the top of the circles at the other end. These two players now attack vs the original attackers who are given passive support by 2 teammates.
- Point shots with a screen. Pass to the point from the corner then screen. Alternate sides. Later the screener went to a dot for a one timer.
- Perry Pearn 2 on 2 with supporting players behind the red line.
- Moved up to the blue line and now played 2 on 2 with a pass to the point to transition from defense to offense. Each team lines up near the faceoff dots outside the blue line and the coach dumps the puck in. Two from each team race for the loose puck and play a low 2-2. Shifts 20-25". Hustle out.
- Elimination shootout.
We have only played 3 games since behinning on Sept 13. We have 15 league and 4 ex games now before the middle of March. I will attach schedule which doesn't have the three home games vs Manitoba that have to be played because they couldn't travel.
Commentary on my High School Sports Performance Class
I see them twice / week for 50 minutes each time - a total of 25 ice times in semester 1. All are Europeans - primarily from Switzerland with a few Latvians and Americans and only two Canadians. The Euro's overall skill set (skating, puck control under pressure and hockey sense) is better than average when compared to the majority of Canadians.
I have been focusing on skill development with the head up, then playing lots of 1 vs. 1 games (several 1 vs. 1's occurring at the same time - helps keep the head up and overloads the goalie(s)) to help provide situations to practice the skills under pressure. I also played some 2 vs. 1 / 2 vs. 2 / 1 vs 2 / 3 vs. 3 situations in the first couple of weeks when I had some bigger numbers (I went from 2 G and 16 skaters initially to 2 G and 11 skaters as some kids got hurt / switched courses.) I like to focus the majority of the time on 1 vs. 1 for the first 15 practices as it really provides the kids with some prime opportunities to learn the offense and defense game-playing roles. Then I move into involving more numbers...
For the last several years, I have been embracing the Game Sense model, which is an evolution of the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) model and these games really allow me to 'direct' the group in their 'understanding-by-doing' or experiential learning, about the game. I was more of a motivator-style of coach in my early days. Probably becasue I was interested in sport psych and used it when I played... not to mention the coaches I played for weren't well-versed in x's and o's, so my tactical knowledge was lacking. We are a product of our environment! (Dump and check or dump and change!!!)
Since 2003 when I was exposed to it first-hand via my coaching friend John Castrillon, I am really trying to focus even moreso on this pedagogy as I have seen it work so well for myself and other coaches in soccer and hockey. Not only am I trying to wean myself from the whiteboard, I am also trying to shut up and let them play... no longer yelling at them, telling them what to do while the drill is going on - instead asking them questions before, sometimes during and certainly after. It is really tough to bite my tongue as I still 'get into' practice and this was how I used to coach! The Game Sense model asks the coach to take a step back - the focus is on the athletes doing; not the coach telling. I find the Game Sense approach much more effective than barking out orders while running mindless, patterned 'drills' all the time (like I used to do as that is how we are trained in our certification programs... and sadly, the tradition in the hockey culture continues to embrace this way...) as these have little to no carry over to the situational play in a game - other than to learn a skill in a static environment. (These skills are not as easily replicated in a fluid, dynamic game environment!)
Now when I run a 'skill drill', it is right at the start as a warmup - and I like to involve decision-making while performing 'skills within drills' - if possible, make the 'drill' into a game. I challenge myself to attach some measurement to these 'drills' so I can use rewards and punishments - this accountability / demand to perform under pressure - matches what is found within the game. If possible, I try to either have the players compete against themselves (personal bests, etc.) or put them into teams to compete against each other. Anyway, enough background...
Tom, I used a similar game / rotation to what you described last week. I only had 5 skaters and 1 goalie when they returned to school (gear got lost by the airline!) so I played out of 1 end. It was a 1 vs. 1. As the rush crossed the offensive blueline, a new player moved up to the blueline (from 'home base' at the far blueline) to support the defensive player. When the D player got the puck, he had to move it to the support player on the blueline.
It had to be a tape-to-tape pass - no rims, banks, area passes. If it wasn't a direct pass, the waiting player (or myself) dumped the puck back in below the crease line. If the goalie covered the puck, he could give it to the D player behind the net or try to pass tape-to-tape to the player on the blueline. (The O player had to give the goalie or D player 2 stick lengths / 2 seconds.) We had two teams of 2 players each (white vs blue) - the fifth player (purple) was a joker who played against both teams (but kept his score for the team he was representing.) I walked the kids through the rotation (I have also tried to get away from using a whiteboard!), gave them the parameters or "Rules of Engagement" and asked them if they had any questions. When they asked their questions, I answered them with questions - "What do you think you should do?" and the kids figured it out for themselves. We played for 12 minutes before the kids got too tired and the game became ineffective - I love 1 vs. 1's as there is no hiding! - then moved on to other things. I didn't stop the game once - even through I saw a few things that I wanted to address - as they got the hang of the "Rules of Engagement." I felt it was important for them to learn through the experience. I would store those things in my memory banks for later. This rotation introduced them to the next game of 2 vs. 2 (when we had more numbers!) a few days later...
The next practice, I followed up with a 2 vs. 2 (11 skaters and 1 G.) Two teams - one with 5 and one with 6 skaters. Same concept. Attack one end 2 vs. 2 then as the attack crosses the blueline, 2 new players move up the blueline - from 'home base' - to support the defenders. Again, a tape-to-tape pass was required for the transition.This forces the support players to remain focused and slide along the blueline to try to present a passing option. After the pass was received by the support players, they raced down ice to the far blueline - sometimes not as far; sometimes farther; to reduce the predictability and 'pattern' - turned and came back to attack the two players who had just been attacking (no regroup with me as a coach - unlike your games Tom). Upon a successful tape-to-tape pass, the first two defenders were done and went back to 'home base.'
I questioned them about time and space from an offensive point of view (where is the open ice - in front or behind?) and defensive p.o.v. (pressure vs contain) and what principles of play would help each group. Both groups focused on transition (Offense: speed / support; Defense: gap control / support.) We played for 4 minutes, then I stopped it - "freeze!" - as I wanted to ask the teams a couple of things concerning their positioning / decision-making; then restarted it again and let them play for another 12 minutes. I stopped it again - "freeze!" - to question them on how to handle a recurring situation (as they hadn't successfully figured it out yet); once they provided some good answers, I let them play again for another 6 minutes. It was a see-saw battle. The game was 2-0 after 22 minutes. 20 pushups and 20 situps to the losers. The goalie had to do 10 technically correct (not fast) up/downs.
The pace (and decision-making) was exceptional! All told, they had competed hard for 22 minutes. This was the best 22 minutes they had 'played' since they started with me in the middle of September - lots of communication with their teammates, lots of urgency and focus, and boy did they TRY! I was pretty impressed. The neat thing was, they knew the answers to the questions I asked... and they APPLIED them to the situations. Too bad it was the final practice before Semester break. I will have half of these players back in the next semester; along with a bunch of new ones, so it will be interesting to see where we are! At least we ended on an extremely positive note!
This helps reinforce that when compared to traditional drills, the Game Sense model, while chaotic, does take a slightly longer 'incubation' time before it really shows it's benefits (developing independent, thinking players who make more 'good' decisions!)
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Dean, sounds like a great session of pracitce and thinking. Now I have to convince my wife there was a good reason for us to stay out in a blizzard and discuss the game for 4 hours after our game.. Life is hard and old hockey players aren't that smart.
Just watched the tv show about Don Cherry something like "Keep your Head Up." I think it will become a classic like "Slapshot" The scary part is that it is a true story and Slapshot is about the kinds of things that actually happened. (I played for a living for a while in that era)
We had 3 goalies, 4 D and 12 F's so a lot of things were possible but with only 4 D I couldn't do some things I would like to because they wouldn't get a rest.
They get there right after work so no warm up before the ice. We haven't had a full practice for 3 weeks so I wanted a lot of touches and skating.
Warm up: Get the hands and brain going.
-2 pucks each in the nzone, weaving thru everyone and controlling the pucks.
-Leave extra pucks there and handle one puck in chaos between blueline with hard 5" sprints avoiding players and pucks.
-Exchange pucks randomly 10 times in nzone. Goalies are crease skating at this time.
Shots:
-3-0 with one puck from both ends in nzone. After everyone has gotten a pass the player with the puck goes in and shoots and the other two save ice and get a pass from the corner and shoot. (Dean did this with the pro's in the summer)
-1-0 and 2-0 at each end with the players passing across the nzone then opening for a pass at the red line against the boards and going in for a shot. Bothe sides at once and alternate ends. 2-0 Pass and passer to the boards as before and first player in the other line across. Pass to middle player and attack 2-0 but must shoot before the has. Alternate ends.
-3-0 weave and regroup with players at the other end and attack original end. When the far end passes they leave.
-2-0 passing lined up at the 4 blue line spots. 2-0 cross and drop, pass up boards and across while the two cross in nzone and get a long cross ice pass and attack 2-0. Alternate ends.
-Pass to D1 and 3 players regroup with one D2 who passes up and attack D1.
-Breakout options with a 5-0. Dump it in and breakout then turn back after the red line and dump to the other D's corner and attack 5-0. Return 3 vs 2. Later pass to the D who hinge and up x2.
-2 on 2 transition game with active support for the 2 offensive players from the point. Point players only have 1 second with the puck and must pass or shoot. On a frozen puck, or breakout the orignal defenders attack 2 on 2 vs the players supporting at the point. Stress sealing sticks to the outside and identifying coverage on D and good puck support, screening, tipping, rebounds on offense.
Push ups for each goal you lose by.
-Shootout. Change on the go. 8 pucks on each blueline and players in the bench. Max of 3 shots then puck back on blue line. On a goal race to the bench and when within one stick length the next player leaves. Across and back for every goal you lose by.
I didn't use as many games as usual but we accomplished our goal. tonight we play a midget AAA boy'a team and take turns on pp, pk, 4 on 4 and 5-5. I am going to change our forecheck to a 2-1-2 with a pinch on a wide rim as 3 of our original D are now gone and we can't play that system with only 4 D.
We have only played 3 of our official 18 league games so far. The rest of the league has played 12. We have had about 5 specialty scrimmages with minor midget boy's AAA teams and a few ex games with Edmonton. Today we have another ex game vs Edmonton and then we play 6 weekends in a row.
They rescheduled the 3 home games vs Winnipeg for Feb. 19-20-21.
I just got an email from a girl who scored the second most goals in NCAA history, 42. She was supposed to start playing with us today and emailed to say she has changed her mind and is too busy righ now. It would have been nice to add a proven goal scorer as everyone can use them.
On the plus side my D who got injured vs Finland in the 4 Nations Cup started skating with a brace on Wed. and if all goes well will be back by the end of the month. She said it felt pretty good. We added a player who just finished her degree at Maine and another who played in the Provincial college league. Another winger who scored a lot in the NCAA is going to join us after next weekend. We signed them all by Jan. 10 which is the last day.
We had a really good specialty scrimmage last Tuesday vs the boy's and it seemed like everyone now understands the difference between killing penalties either one or two short vs one player at the point and vs 2 players at the point. We got the proper rotation with the triangle up or reversed and the players stopped chasing sideways vs the mid point player on a 5-4.
I have had to change our forecheck as it was based on 6 highly skilled D who skate well. I now only have 4 D so they can't be expected to join the forecheck all of the time. We practiced the 2-1-2 with a pinch on a wide rim. It seemed to work as we tied the 5-5 part of the scrimmage vs the boy's 2-2. Personally it is the way that I prefer to play as it is based on reads of 1-2-3-4-5.
We are also focusing more on the overload pplay than the diamond as some of our better one time shooters are no longer with us. They can still rotate to a mid point pplay but it isn't the first choice.
So it has been the most unusual season I have ever coached. Lots of practice without games that tell you what you are good at and what you need to work on. Tough on the players as well.
Now we have 14 league and 2 ex games Before the end of Feb. and 1 of each the third week of March. The top two teams in our WWHL play the top two teams from the CWHL on the eastern side of the continent, the March 25 weekend. Minnesota is undefeated so far and has a lot of the USA Olympic team players. So it is between us, Edmonton and Winnipeg to get the other spot in the final four. There is no playoff.
This is going to give a lot more urgency to our practices.
Tom,
Ironic that you post today's daily drill (Jan 19 2011) as we did something similar (accidentally) to this today! Actually, the kids decided to scrimmage before we came on the ice and we just stood back and watched them.
They divided the teams equally by skill (6 vs. 5 skaters). When one of the goalies moved out of the net to fix his equipment, the team attacking that net gained the O zone, saw the empty net and instead of shooting, tried to maintain possession. Then when it was taking too long for the goalie to get back, they started to shoot for the posts / crossbars (these are grade 9 kids.) Neat to see kids demonstrate this sense of sportsmanship naturally! They played for 15 minutes and it was better than our regular warm-up: two half-assed laps doing various moves then a static stretch in the middle - followed by ... wait for it... the dreaded "horseshoe" or some variant. (In my opinion, they should warm-up and stretch off the ice so we can better use our ice time! I am trying to suggest to the head instructor we gas the horseshoe and come up with something that (1) involves more players at once - less standing around; (2) something that involves 'multi-skills' and put it into a competitive (game-like) situation so the intensity and enjoyment quotient is high from the onset; (3) keep track of the score - again to reinforce accountability (try your best) and increase competition / intensity.) Kids love to compete...
We had a goalie coach in the one end with the two goalies and two shooters.
The rest of the kids partnered up and did neutral zone chaos puck control between the blue lines (head up, get creative, add speed, look out for other players). We had the 2nd goalie net, lots of extra pucks, four garbage cans (stuck extra sticks in the handles to create a horizontal barrier about 3 feet high), three rolled up shooter tutors, the puck and pinny container, etc. scattered randomly all over. The kids took turns at 60" intervals doing creative moves; then on the whistle, they switched with their partners. (While waiting, the partners should do some passive 360 degree stick handling.) After six minutes, We challenged them to "perform" their best, most creative skills in a 30" window - each kid had the 'stage' and demonstrated what they could do. We judged them for effort, difficulty, etc. The best one got a Gatorade (most skill / creativity) and replaced one of the two shooters at the other end. 2nd place (effort-based as we have a huge disparity in skill - from Minor Midget AAA (15 year old) to beginner (don't play hockey at all / just learned to skate and this program twice a week is all they get), to Ringette player, to Bantam levels 3-7 - replaced the other shooter. Then we repeated the sequence again (with another 30" challenge at the end.)
The kids really liked this - except the Ringette girl (but she never puts in any effort and really shouldn't even be in the class. Nothing against Ringette - this individual just isn't interested.)
I am trying to encourage more games to be used to warm-up; even possession games in confined spots (two teams - count the number of completed passes 0-1-2-3... turnover, 0-1-2-3-4... turnover, etc. and after five minutes, the team with the highest number of completed passes in a row, wins... change the space and keep score again... losers do pushups... goalies can stretch out and get some shots by the goalie coach at the other end.)
We have a 3 game series vs the Minnesota Whitecaps. Last year they were the Clarkson Cup champions of the WWHL and CWHL . We handed them their only two losses last season and this year they are undefeated. They have 10 present or former USA National Team players. Last year the ones on the 2010 Olympic team were with that team but this year they are on the Whitecaps. My national team player is back skating but can't play for another week.
They basically play the game at a higher pace than my players have ever seen before. We lost 8-3 last night and most of their goals were on turnovers where my players passed up the middle or hung onto the puck too long and got stripped. We have 5 more games against them in the next three weeks.
5 on 5 we were almost even with them outscoring us 3- 2 goals but we took a lot of penalties and they got 3 pp and 2 sh goals (last player trying to win a 1-1 twice). They led 2-0 after the first, scoring there second goal sh with less than a minute left. We tied it the first 5 min. of the second and had something going but took 2 penalties on the same play and they scored a couple and deflated our surge.
We play again today and my important points are: move your feet, backcheck hard to the slot, make the easy play quickly, close srupport to create 2-1's both on offense and on defense.
I knew what they play like and that is why we played full ice and only 2" with the puck at this weeks practices.
Theme for the game. "Rise to the Challenge."
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They rose to the challenge. We got beat 6-3 but outshot and out competed them. They got twice as many pp's as us and finished their chances. We probably had more chances but a few posts and missed open nets. Another tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. so they can fly back to Minnesota and get to work tomorrow. (such is the state of professional women's hockey)
One forward got a slash and maybe broke her fingers so won't play tomorrow. One D is leaving on a hockey tour to Europe and three forwards will play tomorrow who couldn't play today. Today we had 8 F and 4 D. Tomorrow one F will move back to D so we will have 9 F and 4 D. Only problem is the one D leaving is our only D who isn't a forward that has agreed to play D.
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Game 3 - repeat game one. We got 39 shots but only 3 goals again.
Nice to see Lee Sweatt score the winner for Vancouver in his first NHL game last night. He played for the Red Bulls when I was coaching in Salzburg, Austria two seasons ago.
We have one game this weekend vs the Edmonton Chimos in Bonneyville which is about a 6 hour bus ride. They say they have the arena sold out so that will be nice for the players.
Had a good practice last night. Lots of individual and team skills for the 4 forwards I have playing D to get them used to the position. Hinging and shooting from the point and 1-1's.
We also played 3 SAG's, one with 2 nets of the goal line, one with the nets side by side and one with the nets close against the boards and 2 on 2 battles.
Quite the day. We were supposed to drive the 6 hours and stay overnight and play the next day at 4 but there was a major blizzard here and -25 so we left Sunday morning at 7 and drove to our game. Played Edmonton and lost a close one with a bad call on a goal that only the ref called in and all the players and fans at that end said was on the goal line. What can you do?
The driver thought he had enough fuel for the drive back but we were empty 30 minutes out of Calgay and it was about -30 or colder. No heat, lights running out etc. My players called their boyfriends, parents etc. and got picked up in about an hour. I stayed with the driver because I didn't want him there alone. His boss came in about 90 min with someone else and drove me back to my car. I spent 30 min. walking up and down the dark aisle to keep my blood flowing. Luckily I pack some warm thing just in case thing like this happen. Got home at at 4 in the mornig.
Funny thing I couldn't sleep in and played at 10:30 and think it was the best I have played in a few years. Maybe the key to playing well is to have no sleep or food.
Had to book my flight to the coaching seminar at the IIHF World's at the start of May. Last day of the seat sale. A hundred more than yesterday but 400 less than usual. Land in Vienna. Conference in Brataslava, return from Salzburg. $1200
The players flew from Calgary to Winnipeg then stayed in a hotel and got up to leave at 6 in the morning to drive to Minneapolis Minnesota to play the Whitecaps. Halfway to the border the bus lost control on the highway which was a sheet of ice from the rainstorm the night before followed by freezing temperatures.
After two and a half 360's the back wheels of the bus ended up in the ditch. Trucks and cars were in the ditch all over and the players got out of the bus to help but were falling all over the place because everything was ice.
After about an hour a sanding truck came and put sand in front of the tires and they got out and followed the sander to the border.
No time to check into the hotel so they went right to the rink where I had submarine sandwiches for them (I flew in the day before to visit a friend). We played and Minnesota picked up two more Olympic team players including Jenny Potter. It wan't pretty for us.
Another game today and tomorrow.
Quite the story Tom. Glad to hear nobody was hurt. Keep us posted on how the weekend went when you get back. Plus we need to meet to discuss the IIHF conference, etc.
I heard that Hockey Canada's International Coaching Conference is to be held in Halifax the third week of July. Don't know the exact dates yet.
We've been doing alot of different passing themed games for a few months now. And now it's starting to show in our playing, it's great to see that we have done something right!
So Tom and Dean are you going to youth conference or to the other one?
--------------------------------
Kai, I am going to the youth conference. It is a little cheaper and on April30 and May 1. They give you a password to the IIHF site and post the presentations from the advanced seminar there. So it is like going to both.
Tom, are flying to Vienna? 29th of April?
I'm flying to Vienna on 29th. And it should be rather easy to get to Bratislava from there.
Kai,
I hope to talk to Tom this week and then discuss this potential trip with my wife. Her family has offered to come to Calgary and stay at our house AND look after our kids for a week!!!!! We just need to look at costs and logistics... if we are traveling that distance, it would be nice to take 2 weeks and see more sites! We are usually in Spokane WA visiting relatives and running Bloomsday (12 km road race) the first Sunday in May... which happens to be at the same time as the Youth Conference. So I might still go to Spokane and then head over for the 2nd conference... I will let you know once we hammer it all out. Would be nice to meet you in person and get a photo of the three of us (you, Tom and I) with BIG beers to use on this site!
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Dean, I looked up the dates I am going.
Leave here April 27 and arrive next day in Vienna. Calgary, Ottawa, London, Vienna
Leave Salzburg, May 5, Salzburg, Frankfurt, Calgary same day.
My asst. coach sent a few pics of the bus in the ditch on Friday. Instead of checking into the hotel and relaxing a few hours before playing the team had to be on the bus 12 hours and go right to the game. The bus did a big S across the highway which was coated in ice. A sandtruck came and they put sand under the wheels to get out and then followed the sander to the USA border. They were rattled but not injured.
In my mixed junior high class (grades 7-9), we have been playing one of Tom's continuous games. With our numbers and wide disparity in skills (overall - not very skilled - only 1 bantam AA skater, 1 midget 1 skater and a couple of bantam division 2 players - the rest are bantam division 3 or lower - several beginners and a couple of ringette girls too), we are having good results by putting similar skill levels in groups of three and setting up the rotations such that equally skilled groups compete against each other. Typically, this results in 3 or 4 'lines' of three players per 'team' (18 - 24 skaters) but sometimes when we have an odd number, we use them as a joker or two (they wear a different jersey / third colour and are always on offense, helping whatever team has the puck) to create an odd-man situation) so we utilize everyone.
This particular game is a 3 vs 3 in one end zone with 3 supporting players (defensive) waiting on the blue line for an outlet pass from the defenders. Upon the outlet pass, all 3 support players (breakaway) attack the opposite end... the 3 attacking players have to backcheck; the 3 original defending players support the rush until it crosses the far blue line, then hustle to the bench and get off the ice. Our "rules of engagement" stated that the 3 breakaway players had to make two passes once they enter the offensive zone (onside) before they can try to score. This demands some passing skill execution and slows them up a bit so the 3 backcheckers have a chance to apply some backpressure (to increase the intensity / urgency.) It has gone very well. This continuous drill is fun, challenging and has allowed for many teachable moments.
When the last of the three attacking players cross the offensive blue line, three more supporting players (defensive) enter the play; lining up on the blue line to wait for an outlet pass from the defenders, and the game repeats.
The next stage in the evolution is to have the breakaway players touch the puck once each as they attack through the neutral zone before (smart) dumping the puck once they cross the red line. They will be encouraged to dump to an area they feel they have a good chance(>50%) to recover, using a chip, x-ice, rim, or aerial. (We will have a coach 'playing' D against the rush - forcing them to dump.) This will require decision-making; reading the pressure and support. Then we will work on OZ puck recovery. One above, one below and one on the puck... then spread out, perhaps change the point of attack (if warranted) and try to score. This will again provide backpressure and the backchecking players can start to read how to set up a defensive triangle / rudimentary DZ coverage principles.
[Further options for a 'team' setting: one could progress to explain the concepts of 5-man DZ coverage, using the #1 - #5 'numbering' system in Tom's book and outline various forecheck schemes and principles.]
Since we are a skill academy, we don't teach systems; our focus is on individual skills, individual and team tactics.
Overall, we feel quite impressed that this group of kids has shown they are capable of performing this game fairly well. They understand the rotation / adapt to our "rules of engagement" and are learning principles of play about transition, offense and defense. The Game is the Best Teacher! We coaches are merely the facilitators!
I just came back from the arena where I was going to do my school skills session. It is cancelled today because of the pancake breakfast at the school the day before the start of lent. I got told about it a few weeks ago but I have been doing most of the sessions alone. The teacher in charge is also the VP and has to be at the school most mornings because the principal is undergoing cancer treatment and misses a lot. Because I am a certified teacher they don't have to send a teacher when he misses.
Last night was my women's teams last on ice practice. We have a specialty scrimmage with a boy's AAA midget team tomorrow night and the final two games vs Edmonton on the weekend. The season has turned out to be a train wreck. Last month we were supposed to have a 6 game home and home vs Manitoba. They had bus problems again and didn't come here and the team was expelled from the league; so we didn't go there. We did play two ex games vs Edmonton which we won 4-2 and 8-4.
I have a small roster as it is but with 5 concussions and a shoulder injury plus some working at night it really restricts what I can do in practice.
Apparently there will be some kind of reorganization of the league next year. It took the fun out of it when the eastern teams decided to send only one team west for the nationals. Minnesota is so strong with all their current and former Olympic team players that they wrapped up first place before Christmas. We were competing with Edmonton for the other berth in the final 4. It became just the first place team eligible so the rest of the season basically has been a wash.
The league was trying to get the NHL to sponsor it like the NBA did for women's basketball. Pay the players about $500 a week so they could work part time and practice every day. Carry the league a few years until it established a fan base and then the league could go on it's own. The NHL decided the women's game isn't worth the cost of a second line left winger. Maybe some day.
We played a minor midget AAA boy's team a controlled scrimmage last night. 2x5 min. 5 on 4 each, 15 min. of 4-4, 10' of 5-5 and a shootout. We had 11 skaters and 3 goalies and they 18 skaters and 2 G's.
We were winning the specialty team part 2-1 and then ran out of steam plus our best player on our team who is a national team D stopped playing because her shoulder is sore. They won the 4-4 and 5-5 part.
It is a good way to focus on team play. These scrimmages have really helped everyone on the team understand our systems.
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Morning practice with 12-14 yr olds.
- the first 10 min. I let them work on their shots and give ind. help. I brought them all together because about 4 bend their bottom elbow on the slapshot. They mirrored my technique and then went back to individual practice all over the ice.
- While the goalie coach worked with the goalies for 15 min. I demonstrated various moves and the players skate around the ice and do the moves pretending the face off dots are opposing defenders. We practiced going 3 times around each direction.
-hard fake and back toe drag.
-puck on forehand in triple threat position then give a hard fake and pull it across to the backhandl
-fake slapshot and around on the forehand.
-fake slapshot and a backhand tight turn and accelarate around.
-We did the B600 (4 bue lines) pass, pass, regroup and shoot drill I posted earlier this week and then added the shooter rebound for the next shooter before returning to the line up.
-16 min. game of full ice 3 on 3 and 4 on 4 with one minute shifts. Pass to the goalie on the whistle. Rule is there must be at least one pass in each zone.
-Shootout. 2 shots, one at each end. 0 goales skate 2 laps, 1 goal 1 lap, 2 goals 0 laps.
It has been that kind of year. I just got this email from my most solid forward.
She just got back from snowboarding.
We play our last two games this weekend.
Coach,
I won't be playing this weekend...I took a nice little tumble snowboarding today and just got home from the clinic. I have a concussion, whiplash and muscle spasms through my back.
I will be at the game. Just no playing.
Tom,
That sucks.
I think this sums up your team / this league. I realize that this was another accident away from the rink; they aren't being paid; and know they want to do other sports. Not sure female hockey after college will ever have a future - other than "it is what it is." If the NHL or some other corporate sponsors don't come forward with a big pot of money so these girls can get paid a bit and have their expenses covered, it will never evolve into what the players say they want it to become: a 'pro' or 'semi-pro' league. And until then, coaches have to accept the current level of commitment from it's players (IE only a handful show up at practice; teams unilaterally decide to cancel travel plans, etc.)
I find it extremely sad that you have had such a trying season. You deserve better.
Dean,
What you say is true.
I always have to adapt to small numbers and can only do about half of what I would like to do. It is hard to accomplish anything but help the ones who show up to keep their skills sharp and get some conditioning.
But as you say "it is what it is" and I am contracted to do the best I can for one more game.
Just got a text from another player. She has to head north as something has happened with her grand mother. So 9 or 10 skaters today vs a full squad from Edmonton. Lost 0-3 last night with 11 then 10 when one got injured. (beat them twice two weeks ago when they had only two lines. Huge difference in energy available). The girl who went to the hospital last night for xrays thinks she can play today as her ankle isn't broken.
At least there isn't difficult coaching decisions to make about which line is up next.
This is what I am doing this spring with some former NHLers. My name is in small letters on the bottom and I am a drills coach. ( I will probably get fired when they realize I am Not a drills coach)
It should be interesting.
http://www.maxgoalscoring.com/index.php/home/
Also I land in Vienna April 28 and then go to Turku, Finland to meet Juuso, Kalle Kaskinem and people from the educational system in Finland to discuss how to teach PE effectively.
When and where is HC having their conference?
Jihlava, Czech Republic hasn't let me know if they still want the coaching clinic or if they want me back for the camp in the summer. They got eliminated on Thurs. night so maybe they will start focusing on the spring and summer. They told me they were really happy with everything last year and gave me a lot of gifts etc..
That's life in the big city.
"Have skates. Will travel."
Tom,
Sorry to hear about your wife - I hope she is OK.
Let's talk this week. I have some stuff on the go and if things prove positive, I might be able to get you involved this spring. I also want to talk about Jusso, a coaching clinic, etc.
The HC conference is in Halifax - third week in July.
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March 4, 2011
NR.024
2011 INTERNATIONAL COACHES CONFERENCE
COMING TO HALIFAX, N.S.
CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada, in partnership with Hockey Nova Scotia and the Atlantic Regional Centre, has announced details for the 2011 International Coaches Conference, scheduled for July 14-17 at the Westin Nova Scotian and Dalhousie University
in Halifax, N.S.
More than 300 coaches will travel to Halifax to participate in presentations, workshops and hot stove sessions that will focus on topic areas like strategies, tactics, practice plans, and strength and conditioning addressing the needs of coaches at all levels of the game.
Presenters will be announced in the coming weeks. At previous ICC events, names like Pat Quinn, Tommy Boustead, Mark Johnson and Melody Davidson have headlined the list of keynote presenters.
The registration fee to attend the 2011 International Coaches Conference is $475. Please note there are a limited number of registration spots available.
“The goal of the International Coaches Conference is to create an exciting and interactive learning environment for coaches at every level of the game. Coaches who continue to increase their knowledge ultimately create a better development experiences for their players and a more effective and productive team environment,” says Paul Carson, Hockey Canada’s vice-president of hockey development. “The ICC provides a terrific forum to help coaches at all levels of experience to enhance their coaching skill set.”
“The interaction from coaches from all countries – including your own – is just phenomenal. It’s outstanding,” says Portland Winterhawks head coach/general manager Mike Johnston, who has presented at the last four ICCs. “There’s always something to learn. For me personally, it’s helped me immensely as a coach.”
The 2011 International Coaches Conference will be the 12th edition of the event, with Halifax joining past host cities Calgary, Alta. (1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2004), Montreal, Que. (2002), Quebec City, Que. (2008), Saint John, N.B. (1998), Toronto, Ont. (1996, 2006) and Vancouver, B.C. (2000).
Dean, I think I will go to that seminar if I can use the credit I have from Westjet. I was going to the opening of the new arena in Bemidji, and flying to Winnipeg then driving down. All former players were invited. My team scheduled an ex game vs a AAA midget boy's team a week before and I had to cancel the trip.
The camp in Jasper starts July 18. I just have to find out if I am going back to the Czech Republic and when.
Those conferences are usually good. I only missed the one in 98 when my spring team was playing a tournament in Vancouver.
Just got back from my skills class. Got a nice email from one of the players who came here from Toronto for the season.
Hey Coach,
How is everything? How is your wife doing, I hope and wish her the best. I am sorry you missed our last game, wasnt the same without you. However, I am going back home april 1, so if I see you or not, I just want to say thank you for everything. I wish you the best. If you have any feedback for me as a player I would love to hear it. Once again thanks.
I replied with a few thoughts on her game.
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Someone was posting ads for women's wear last night and I overwrote them. If it continues then only those who have registered will be able to post.
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Practice today.
Theme of practice. Puck Handling and winning offensive 1 on 1's.
-10 min. individual shooting. I gathered them together and encouraged them to shoot quickly and practice with a partner to receive a pass, quick fake and quick release.
-8 min.-goalie and coach at one end. I reviewed 5 moves and then had them skate around for ten min. making the moves at the dots. One time around for each move and repeat the other direction. Lots of time with the puck on the stick.
-5 minutes partner work across ice. attacker pass to defender who passes back whlle passively defending the various moves we worked on.
7 min.-B6 Rapid one touch and shoot. One group shot on the empty net.
-10 min.-we had 13 skaters and one goalie. so a 3 on 3 game of quick transition. Waiting players wait outside of the blue line. One team has 4 players (extra was a weaker player)
-10 min. - we moved behind the red line and did the Perry Pearn rotation which added breakouts and onsides to the game.
-10 min. - played a 7 vs 6 half ice game both shooting on one net. Everyone had to get onside when they clear the puck and the puck carrier had to take it over the red line before turning back. Rule was "after you score everyone else on the team must score before you can score again.
They handled the puck a lot, got lots of shots and passes and had to perform the skills under the pressure of a game situation.
After class, it started off as a great day today as I met up with an old hockey friend who now lives in Houston - haven't seen the Big Dog for about 10 years or so! We went down to watch the Flames and Coyotes skate, visit with one of the A/C's we know and then Tom found us conferring in the lower bowl with Rob (the A/C) while the Coyotes skated. Tom said he had help from the reality TV star "Mantracker" Terry Grant, who presumably was in Calgary to visit with Shane Doan of the Coyotes (Doan was in one of the shows this season - Terry Grant's last, due to a contract dispute.) Kind of neat to see "Mantracker" in person. Then I bumped into former Flame and Stanley Cup winner Joel Otto, who coached with me at U of C in the late 1990's. I run into Joel every once in a while. (I believe both Tom and Joel played at Bemidji State.) Now Joel is an A/C with the Hitmen. Dropped the Big Dog off so he could head out of town to visit his dad, and went for lunch / BEER with Tom... then as I got home, I hear on the radio that long-time Calgary Minor Hockey guru, Murray Copot (whose namesake rink I taught at this morning) had passed away. Murray was an unbelievable person and I will miss him. Godspeed Murray.
Calgary hockey pioneer Murray Copot mourned
By KATIE SCHNEIDER, CALGARY SUN
Last Updated: March 15, 2011
Calgary’s hockey community is mourning the loss of leader, mentor and friend Murray Copot who passed away Monday at age 87.
Starting out as a regular minor hockey dad and then director of Calgary’s Tiny Mites program, Copot later went on to serve as president of Calgary Minor Hockey and of the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association, now Hockey Alberta.
Current Hockey Calgary president Perry Cavanagh said he will miss Copot’s pep talks, noting they will stay with him in his heart.
“Murray was an absolute stellar leader of minor hockey and provincially with Hockey Alberta,” he said.
“For me, Murray was a confidant and mentor and I could always count on Murray.
“He would always have the right words to say.”
Copot is said to have become involved in Hockey Calgary after making a late night phone call to convince his alderman that the city should find staff to clear the ice during the second and third periods of minor games.
And through his involvement with the organization, Copot set the bar and laid the foundation for where it is today, Cavanagh said.
The former Thorncliffe (THORNHILL dummies - het your facts straight) Arena was renamed the Murray Copot Arena, which speaks volumes to the kind of leader he was in the hockey community, Cavanagh added.
Cavanagh said there are two people he would call “Mr. Hockey.”
“One is No. 9 (Gordie Howe) and the other was Murray Copot,” he said.
“Murray was always there supporting the kids, not only his own.
“What a man — Murray will be sorely missed.”
Copot is survived by his wife Mary, his children; Terry, Carol, Debbie, Ruth and Joanne, and several grandchildren.
Tom - you might find this article interesting. Pretty sure they wouldn't cut the men's team! Girls budget = $60k (+ coach I assume.) At U of C, it was $12k for team with $6-8k for all coaches = $20k / year. Up to us to fundraise the rest!
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Saint Mary’s axes women’s hockey team
DONNA SPENCER
The Canadian Press
Published Friday, Mar. 18, 2011
Women's hockey has fallen victim to a funding crunch at Saint Mary's University in Halifax.
Head coach Lisa Jordan, who founded and coached the team for 14 years, was shocked when she was informed Friday morning by athletic director Steve Sarty that the women's varsity program would be discontinued.
She was told when her contract expires March 31, it would not be renewed.
“It's very disappointing for women's sport in general to see a sport go by the wayside,” Jordan said. “As well as another professional coaching opportunity for a woman to be gone.
“This certainly chips away at the armour of our sport.”
The decision affects not only the 18 players eligible to return to the Huskies next season, but players Jordan has recruited. The players were informed of the decision in a meeting after Jordan met with Sarty.
“This morning I think our team was completely blindsided,” said third-year player Sarah Maynard of Cole Harbour, N.S. “Now I'm just a little angered by the whole situation.
“This is not a good day for women's hockey, taking one team out of the AUS conference. Now there's only going to be six teams and one less team for girls to try out for.”
The Huskies won the Atlantic Conference last year for the fourth time in their history. Saint Mary's lost in the bronze-medal game of the women's national championship. The fourth-place finish was the Huskies' best result in a Canadian Interuniversity Sport season.
The hockey team had the highest annual operational budget of all women's varsity teams at $60,000, and according to Sarty, brought in negligible revenue.
“The university came to us and said, ‘You need to cut five to 10 per cent of your operating budget,“’ Sarty said. “The reason for that was we've received four per cent less (provincial) funding to the university than in previous years.
“It's awful. It's terrible. It's not something we want to do. I hope people will understand it was a very difficult decision and it's not something that I hope to ever have to do again, nor did I want to do it this time, but it's a necessary decision.”
Sarty said athletics staff considered reducing the budgets of every sports team on campus. However, he says money is already tight and such a move would have put all teams at a competitive disadvantage.
“At this point, the finance department is satisfied with what we've brought to them as a solution to the current challenge,” Sarty said.
Sarty said athletics staff and student services at Saint Mary's will work with any players who want to transfer to another university.
“I've been asked a few times now, ‘What am I going to do now if this does stick and we do not have a program next year?“’ Maynard said. “But I can't even think about that right now. I don't think we'll go down without a fight. I don't know what we can do.”
Halifax city councillor Sue Uteck, the wife of the late Larry Uteck who was the football coach and athletic director at SMU for many years, was livid at the news the women's hockey team was falling under the axe.
“That women's hockey program was his pride and joy to get off the ground and put it to where it was today,” she said. “To me, this is a fundamentally wrong decision.”
Uteck said the decision had not yet been ratified by the university's board of governors and that she was going to exert pressure to get the program reinstated.
“My husband has a golf tournament in his honour, the Larry Uteck Golf Classic, and that raises money for student athletes as Saint Mary's,” she said. “I'm not just alumnus. I give a huge amount of time and dollars to Saint Mary's in the form of fundraising.
“I will be removing his name from that tournament. That hockey team was his pride and joy.”
Jordan will be an assistant coach of the Canadian women's hockey team at the world championship next month in Switzerland. Of the five full-time sports coaches at SMU, Jordan was the only female.
“It's a little bit frustrating,” Jordan said. “Now there are four positions and they're filled by males.”
The ratio of male athletes to female at SMU is now about 180 to 110, Sarty said. Basketball, volleyball, rugby, cross-country running and track and field remain as women's sports at SMU.
The end of March usually brings the end of the official hockey season. My women's team was finished two weeks ago. This morning I had my 12-14 year old skills class. It was the last one before spring break and only 10 skaters and both goalies were there. Most of the older players were missing because they have left with their families to warmer places for a week. I did some video with my iphone of a few games and the shootout.
Thinking back on the last 12 months it was pretty busy. I have about 60 ice times with this class from Sept. to mid June. The women's team had about 45 practices. I did two hockey schools in July and the odd practice with various teams. So about 120 on ice practices which is the least I have done in a long time.
I played 4 times a week during the day between Oct. and the end of March plus a little outdoor shinny. So that is about 100 times in the last 6 months. I have worked out with light weights or biked every non hockey day the last six months as well. From April to the end of Sept. I average playing about twice a week and doing 3 other work outs.
If we didn't have a few beer after every ice time I would be in remarkable condition.
I haven't heard from the Jihlava, Dukla Club in the Czech Republic if they have a sponsor to bring me to do a month long coaching seminar for their club coaches or if I am back for the hockey school. They were very happy about how things went last July. The pro team was just eliminated and I see on their website that they are having a big alumni game with the 91 team coming back. That was the last time they won the elite league title. I imagine they will take the ice out and think about spring and summer programs when that is over. (they are planning to build a new arena and if it got approved maybe the facilities will be closed for construction.
I was planning on going to the youth conference during the world championships in Slovakia but Juhani wants me to come to Finland so instead of going to Brataslava when I get to Vienna April 28 I will go to Turku, Finland that weekend. I will get back to Vienna May 2 and must decide what I am going to do for a few days. I fly home from Salzburg on May 5.
I am supposed to be helping with the Maximum Goal Scoring camp the next few months and will see how that goes.
I have the camp in Jasper that I do with Gaston starting July 18 and they are planning a female recruitment camp that they want me to run after. Not many details on that.
As far as next season goes I need to coach a team that wants to get better, has enough players. If it is the same as now then I have no interest in staying. It was like running the black aces practices for the players not dressing for games the last two seasons. I think I did a good job of running small group practices but how can you prepare for games when half the players are missing????
So there isn't much ahead that is for certain but I am sure that something will come up.
Tom,
I am on the ice 5-7 x's per week with my skill academies; plus running clinics for Hockey Alberta / Hockey Canada; private mentoring; private skill camps from kids to pro, conditioning camps, coach and player evaluations, etc... so no shortage of ice times for me! I estimate I am on the ice coaching (no time to play) more than 250 times per year. Funny but I only get my skates sharpened 2-3 x's per year. When I played, it was once a week to every 10 days. Maybe I am used to having dull skates now...?
I don't think I am going overseas to Slovakia or to Europe - the timing just doesn't work for me. We (my family) are going to continue our 'run' at Bloomsday in Spokane for May 1. This gives us time to visit family and friends there too. I will look into the Hockey Canada conference in Halifax, but it depends on my work commitments as I believe this might interfere with a Hockey Alberta camp. The neat part about Halifax is that I could visit a friend who is a prof at Acadia - he specializes in sport psych and motor learning with a background in hockey and teaching games for understanding... it might be a chance to spend a few days talking shop with him. (And he researchs BEER!!! Don't laugh; it is for real! He has published studies on the effects of beer...! I think I need to do some 'research' with him!)
Not sure what I will be doing next year - most likely continue on-ice with some of the skill academies (using the game to teach the game rather than boring drills - if a couple of the academies don't evolve, I don't think I will go back), but with all the government cutbacks to education, who knows... Ultimately, I am looking to engage more minor hockey associations and school boards with more training, teaching and mentoring options.
-------------------------------
Dean, since I wrote the post I was contacted by NSD and will do a couple of spring teams for them. I have also been contacted by a European club to be in charge of development for the club teams but I can't be away for a long time again so had to decline.
Canadian Tire donation saves women’s hockey at Saint Mary’s U
RACHEL BRADY
Globe and Mail Update
Published Wednesday, Mar. 30, 2011
Women’s hockey at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax was resuscitated on Wednesday with a corporate donation, leaving the question of whether corporate sponsorship is being allowed to determine the strength, weakness or ultimately the existence of sports programs in universities across the country.
Canadian Tire announced a $60,000 donation on Wednesday to salvage the program. It had been slated for elimination due to athletic department budget cuts.
“This is a good news story when we see a Canadian company with a real conscience stepping in to help - a company that knows how much women’s hockey means in this country,” said Marg McGregor, chief executive officer of Canadian Interuniversity Sports. “It also signals that companies do feel that sponsoring sports does offer a good return on their investment.”
Funding cuts from the Nova Scotia government resulted in SMU needing to trim its athletics department budget, and cutting women’s hockey would have saved the school $120,000.
“We got e-mails from nine- and 10-year-old girls telling us they had a dream to play university hockey; we got e-mails from Hayley Wickenheiser and from Sidney Crosby,” said Steve Proctor, SMU’s communications director. “This was an individual story that grabbed people, including Canadian Tire. I’m not sure ADs will go running to corporations with their hand out after this.”
Canadian Tire says the donation to Saint Mary’s is for one year, with the possibility of renewal for a second season.
“We were really inspired by reading news reports of these women losing their team, women who not only play for their university, but who are also active with coaching and working with kids in their community,” said Liz Hamilton, the company’s vice president of communications.
SMU’s coach of 14 years, Lisa Jordan, whose contract expires on Thursday, was in talks about an extension.
“Everyone is so happy that women’s hockey is back at the school,” said Jordan. “We do have some players who are disheartened that the school was so quick to try and cut us, some have resentment and may not stay, but overall, everyone is thrilled that the team is back and touched that a company of that magnitude would help us.”
I was just looking at a video of a game we played vs. Vienna. The players are U17 so they are all 15-16 year olds.
http://hockeycoachingabcs.com/mediagallery/media.php?f=0&sort=0&s=20081221091805941
My goal was to get them to move the puck better and to make easy plays. I am satisfied with the work ethic, the back pressure and both the offensive and defensive individual skills. A little less swooping and closer support were needed but we played well.
In Feb. we started scrimmaging with the rule that there must be at least one pass in each zone and it really improved our offensive team play. (more than anything else I have ever done - the effect was dramatic. We played an ex game vs a Canadian high school team who had 15-18 year olds playing and won 12-3)
I was brought in a month into the season and the team was in last place and in danger of being relegated to the lower division after Christmas. There was a lot of talent there so they shouldn't have been in that position. We ended up finishing second in the league and handed the eventual champs Klagenfurt their only two losses of the season winning 2 of 3 against them.
The team practiced 4 times a week as a team and T-Th morning they had a skills practice with the U20. All the coaches rotated at practice being assistants on the ice with the U17-U20-Div. 1 pro and Elite league pro. So I was head coach of this team and skills coach for the combined group and also rotated on the ice with the pro teams and was eye in the sky for the elite team during home games and reported to their coaches between periods.
The players averaged about 45 practices a month combining team practice, skills practice, off ice training and skate treadmill. A few of my players played games for the first league pro team and about half played U20 games as well.
It was a good hockey coaching experience in an incredibly beautiful place.
Today we had 13 skater and 2 goalies and the theme was puck handling and shooting to score.
10 min.
-they get ten minutes to skate around and work on whatever skills they want. At the start I encouraged them to work on shooting quickly while skating but keep the puck closer to their body. Most kid's reach way out to produce torque but this exposed the stick and puck to an easy poke check or stick lift.
-I brought them in for a minute and showed the idea "the puck has eyes" They got behind me to see what my eyes saw and then behind the puck at my side to see what it saw. The goaile stood lined as if stopping the puck. I did a few on the ice to the corners to demo. I had the goalie go into the butterfly and showed the players how the shooter tutor 5 holes no longer are where to shoot but now.
7 places to shoot and score
1-over each shoulder x 2
2-under the arms x 2
4-between the legs "five hole"
3-over the pad and under the blocker and glove x 2
I also gave them the mantra "shoot where the goalie is coming from and not where he is going."
-10 min. B6 high low shooting and I encourage various moves while they skated.
-Russian puck handling sequence and I added through the legs, head and shoulder fakes, pivots, and escape moves.
http://hockeycoachingabcs.com/filemgmt/index.php?id=6
-10 min. D4 game of 2 pass with the puck handling rule that "only 2 passes allowed and if you get the second pass you must try to score."
-10 min. D4 game - Rules a. all goals must originate from plays below the goal line. b. to go onto offense the puck has to go into the nzone and everyone must get onside.
-10 min. D100 - the teacher coach played to make 2 shifts for a 3-3 and 4-4 game. Rules one minute shift and pass back to the goalie on the whistle. There must be at least one pass in each zone.
-5 min. shootout - 2 shots with a lap skating backwards for every time you don't score, Those that don't score line up and must keep doing this until they score 2 goals.
-everyone pick up 3 pucks and put them in the puck bag (they use them, they put them away and it takes 30 seconds). I have players and not coaches move pucks when a drill is finished and put them where they are needed.
Asst. coaches need to hear the next activity so they can know what input is needed to stress the theme of the drill or game. They need to COACH on the ice and "NOT BE PUCK MOVERS."
The Salzburg Red Bulls are in the finals vs Klagenfurt in the Austrian league. Red Bulls just went up 2-1 in the series. There is a video player on the Austrian IHF site http://www.eishockey.at/ the Laola1 player. Also says Servus TV on it. Highlights of the games are shown. Thought coaches NA may be interested in seeing some European hockey.
Quote by: TomMToday we had 13 skater and 2 goalies and the theme was puck handling and shooting to score.
10 min.
-they get ten minutes to skate around and work on whatever skills they want. At the start I encouraged them to work on shooting quickly while skating but keep the puck closer to their body. Most kid's reach way out to produce torque but this exposed the stick and puck to an easy poke check or stick lift.
-I brought them in for a minute and showed the idea "the puck has eyes" They got behind me to see what my eyes saw and then behind the puck at my side to see what it saw. The goaile stood lined as if stopping the puck. I did a few on the ice to the corners to demo. I had the goalie go into the butterfly and showed the players how the shooter tutor 5 holes no longer are where to shoot but now.
7 places to shoot and score
1-over each shoulder x 2
2-under the arms x 2
4-between the legs "five hole"
3-over the pad and under the blocker and glove x 2
I also gave them the mantra "shoot where the goalie is coming from and not where he is going."
-10 min. B6 high low shooting and I encourage various moves while they skated.
-Russian puck handling sequence and I added through the legs, head and shoulder fakes, pivots, and escape moves.
http://hockeycoachingabcs.com/filemgmt/index.php?id=6
-10 min. D4 game of 2 pass with the puck handling rule that "only 2 passes allowed and if you get the second pass you must try to score."
-10 min. D4 game - Rules a. all goals must originate from plays below the goal line. b. to go onto offense the puck has to go into the nzone and everyone must get onside.
-10 min. D100 - the teacher coach played to make 2 shifts for a 3-3 and 4-4 game. Rules one minute shift and pass back to the goalie on the whistle. There must be at least one pass in each zone.
-5 min. shootout - 2 shots with a lap skating backwards for every time you don't score, Those that don't score line up and must keep doing this until they score 2 goals.
-everyone pick up 3 pucks and put them in the puck bag (they use them, they put them away and it takes 30 seconds). I have players and not coaches move pucks when a drill is finished and put them where they are needed.
Asst. coaches need to hear the next activity so they can know what input is needed to stress the theme of the drill or game. They need to COACH on the ice and "NOT BE PUCK MOVERS."
Tom, I really liked the highlighted areas above. I plan on using some of these things myself - or refining some of these things I am already doing. Thank you for sharing. I think most coaches can improve their teaching skills and efficiencies. I plan on watching the Red Bull link you provided too... let me know when your oldtimers are done and then we will see about having you out as a guest instructor to my high school group - we are done on the ice in about two weeks...
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Dean my morning Sunday, Monday, Wednesday hockey ended when March ended; so my days are open. I now play Tues evening and Friday noon. I am doing a little sub teaching and still have my T-Th skills sessions. Doing two spring teams, a 00 and a 02 group in the evenings and on the weekends as well as helping the maximum scoring group a little.
I would really like to come and work with your group.
These are 8 ABC practices that I have done with my school skills group. We don't play games but move through hockey skills using drills and games.
The idea is to teach both good technique and how to "Play the Game."
Whoops, I just got an email to keep this on the qt until it is announced. I will post it later.
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Now I can post it.
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http://www.hockeycanada.ca/index.php/ci_id/75137/la_id/1/season_id/146715/profile_id/146868/team_id/81679/ss_id/75000/
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Just got this text 2 minutes ago from Bobbi-Jo Slusar, one of my defense.
Hi Tom - Bobbi-Jo here. I just wanted to let you know that I made the team. Thanks for everything!
I replied:
That is great news Bobbi-Jo. Congratulations!!!
Bobbi-Jo
Thank you.
This is great for Bobbi-Jo. She was an All American in the NCAA and made Canada's National Womens Team but had two shoulder operations last year and couldn't play in the 2010 Olympics. She injured her kneelast November in the 4 Nations Cup vs Finland so she spent most of the season in rehab. So it has been a frustrating couple of seasons for her.
She was a pleasure to coach.
She will be playing in the upcoming World Championships.
HMMMMM????? Do tell...
- 10 min. individual practice. Some where stickhandling with pucks lined up, some playing keepaway and most working on their
shot.
- 5 min. Game of 2 pass in the zone at each end.
- 15 min. We worked on D to D hinge options with half the kid's at each end while the goalie coach worked with the 2 tenders.
http://hockeycoach.com/group/hockeydrills/forum/topics/t-b6-d-to-d-hinge-and-switch I posted it in the drills section today.
-10 min. Did a Regroup - Hinge-Pass and Shoot full ice drill.
-15 min. Played a full ice game of 4-4 (there were 12 skaters but a coach played with each group of 3 and made it 4-4) Played 60" and pass back to the goalie on the whistle.
Rule: at least one pass in each zone and before entering the offensive zone they had to regroup with the D who had to do one of the hinging or switching options. This put the lesson on D to D into a game context.
-5 min. Same game but everyone played with the same rules.
-15 min. Rebound (VP was on the ice and let the kid's stay longer)
It looked like the players were starting to catch on to supporting each other when they are back. Everyone plays both F and D in these sessions.
I showed them on the board how the higher levels now fill the third lane with one F and one F stretches to the far Blue and one supports from the nzone. Tony pointed out how Detroit has the late player follow then passes back to trap the defenders standing up at the blue line.
Examples from NHL practices:
http://hockeycoachingabcs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=1236&topic=1236#1236
http://hockeycoachingabcs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=1232&topic=1232#1232
http://hockeycoachingabcs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=1214&topic=1214#1214
I was just sent this notice on the two women's leagues in North America merging and having one team in Western Canada that will be based in Calgary. I am sure they will be using the new Winsport arenas that have just been completed at Canada Olympic Park.
This looks like a much better concept and I think it could work.
Leafs to study, promote women's hockey
April 25, 2011 THE CANADIAN PRESS
ZURICH, Switzerland -- Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke says the club is committed to promoting women's hockey and has struck a task force to study it.
Burke was in Zurich on Monday for the gold-medal game of the women's world hockey championship.
"There's no sport on the planet that has improved as much as women's hockey," Burke said. "To use an analogy, if track and field improved at the same rate, Usain Bolt would run a seven-second 100 metres.
"They really have done a remarkable job. We've got to get more people watching. They're playing to empty buildings. They can thank the crowd by name a lot of nights and we've got to change that."
The Leafs' task force is headed by Dave Poulin, vice-president of hockey operations.
The NHL hired former WNBA executive Val Ackerman as a consultant to come up with ideas on how it can help women's hockey. Ackerman was the first president of the 12-team women's pro basketball league in its formative years. She also attended the world championship in Switzerland.
"She brings a lot of energy and experience," Burke said. "I've done a couple of seminars with her and she's very bright."
But Burke threw cold water on the idea that the NHL might operate a women's pro league like the NBA-WNBA relationship.
"I think the WNBA has been an unqualified disaster financially," he said. "I don't think anyone at our level has any appetite for that."
"If we're going to lose that kind of money, I'm going to raise my hand and say, 'Let's put it into development and rather than supporting 80 or 100 pro players, let's develop 1,000."'
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment doesn't see money to be made in the women's game, said Burke, but they have a compelling reason to take an interest.
"Half our fanbase is female," the Leafs GM said. "We owe them that. I don't see any financial payoff in it for us, but it doesn't mean it's not the right thing to do."
Hockey Coaching ABCs - Forum
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