Reply To: Coaching philosophy

[Tom Molloy]

Rookie Coach,
I have put a lot about skating lately because at this time of year where I live it is specialty camps and skill camps that are happening that I am involved with and that is what I have filmed.

As far as skating well I have a little story that may emphasis why it is so important.

When I was an assistant coach at university we had a player named Jason. He had just completed his last two seasons of major junior hockey. He scored 135 and 162 points. His last season 81 goals and 81 assists and I think he still has the most power play goals in the history of major junior.

We had a lot of players that scored only a fraction of his points who would go to NHL camps and come late to school when they didn't get a good pro contract. Jason never attended an NHL camp. In 95 during the strike we played a game vs the NHL players who were skating in the city. Jason walked through their entire team twice during that game.

Problem was that Jason was 5'9" and 165 lbs. in an era of giants but he was not a great skater. The pro's decided he couldn't produce at that level and never gave him a chance to prove them wrong.

Jason was a straight A student and the last I heard about him he was doing just fine.

I always think it must have killed him to think he was the Western player of the year and Daigle who got far fewer points than him that season signed for about 5 mil in Ottawa while he paid a lot of his fees at university.

So yes. Skating is critical.

By the way. You never commented on the last half of the book. What did you think?

'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'