Organization Executive – Page 6

The Costs of Winning …. at All Costs

Posted January 17, 2020January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, Organization Executive, Parents

One of the biggest challenges that we face in youth sports is the emphasis on winning but it is no wonder when youth sports coaches and players see the example being set by professional sports.

Sadly though, when youth sports focus on winning vs. the process of development it has lead to the high attrition rates that we are seeing today with kids quitting a game they once loved and played for the Love of the Game.

The same holds true in professional sports where the infamous asterisk has been used to identify records or titles that were clouded with scandals of cheating to get the competitive advantage to win at all costs.

The most recent example is the MLB investigation that was announced just a few hours before the NCAA National Championship game that the Houston Astros had cheated stealing signs to give them a competitive advantage which lead to them winning the World Series.

It was not the fact that they stole the signs for pitchers, it was the fact that they incorporated such an elaborate scheme to do so using technology that has been forbidden since the beginning of time in professional sports.

This is not the first, not do I suspect it will be the last instance where cheating was incorporated by individual athletes, teams or organizations to win.

These are the top 10 scandals of cheating in professional sports starting with the most recent.

#1 – Varsity Blues 2019

Over $25 Million in bribes to various NCAA Div 1 schools from parents to officials including coaches paid by William Rick Singer to inflate SAT scores or ensure their sons or daughters would receive a spot on an NCAA collegiate sports team in 11 different universities.

The bribes accepted by coaches ranged from $100,000 (Michael Carter, U of T Tennis Coach), $400K (Rudy Meredith – Yale Head Soccer Coach), $1.3 M USC’s Senior AD.

The investigation also includes Lori Loughlin (Full House Sitcom) and Felicity Huffman who had issued bribes and plead guilty and were sentenced to jail time.

This was definitely a hit to the integrity of the Ivy League School’s academic and athletic programs.

#2 – 2017-18 NCAA DIV I Men’s Basketball corruption scandal

On Sept 27, 2017 the FBI and USA attorney announced the arrest of 10 individuals on various charges of corruption, money laundering, fraud and bribery that also involved Adidas.

A few months later that the FBI had hundreds of pages of documents that named over a dozen schools, including NCAA National Champion North Carolina, and 25 athletes that were involved in the scandal.

Many of those accused in the scandal were arrested and are waiting for their time in court to prove their innocence (or NOT).

#3 – The Most Recent to come to light after 2-year investigation; The Houston Astros Stealing Signs 2017 World Series Winning Season

Incorporating technology so they could steal signs made by the catcher so batters could get a competitive advantage if they would see a fastball or an off-speed pitch.

The scheme was so elaborate that ALL players on the team knew (but none were suspended) and whenever they were up to bat and either the screen or tablet used in their dugout showed that the catcher called an offspeed pitch one of their players would hit the garbage can. It gave them such a home-field advantage in the ALCS against the Yankees they won 2-1, 2-1 at home then lost 8-1, 6-4 and 5-0 in New York, then won 7-1 and 4-0 when returned back to home.

What … no one clued into the garbage can being hit in the ALCS ONLY when Houston was at Home? The World Series Only when they were at home when the MLB is infamous for analytics ?

What amazed me when I saw the announcement come to light was the fact that it took OVER 2 years for the MLB to complete their investigation that they Astros had in fact done so and many are arguing that the penalties being enforced by MLB commissioner are not harsh enough

$5 Million Fine – Suspensions to both the manager (AJ Hinch) and General Manager (Jeff Luhnow) as well as the loss of first and second draft picks for the 2020 and 2021 season.

The team owner, Jim Crane, issued a statement that both were fired soon after the announcement made by the MLB.

There is also a further investigation into whether Alex Cora, bench boss in 2017 who became the Boston Red Sox manager and lead them to the world series in 2018 continued to use the same cheating scheme so he too may be suspended.

# 4 – Deflategate 2014 – New England Patriots

Although the Patriots will not play in the Superbowl this season as they were knocked out by Bill Belichek Protégé Mike Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans, they have been one of the most dominating organizations in the past 2 decades, winning 6 super bowls with Tom Brady.

There first of two asterisks on what should be an amazing run and legacy where Tom asked for the game balls provided to the Colts be deflated used in the AFC championship game vs. the Colts in 2014 that the Patriots won and subsequently won to advance to the Superbowl and defeated the Seahawks

As a result of allegations Tom was suspended for 4 games to start the following season, the Patriots received a $1 Million Fine and lost two draft picks.

Was it worth it Tom?

# 5 – Bountygate – New Orleans Saints 2009

Although I am a HUGE fan of Drew Brees and everything he has accomplished in his amazing career, since he lead the Saints to their Superbowl victory in 2009 it was with a sour taste in my mouth.

The Reason?

That his long-term head coach, Sean Payton, was accused of paying out bonuses to players from 2009 (the year they won the Superbowl) until 2011 for players who injured players on opposing teams.

After an investigation into allegations from other teams, the NFL brought down the most severe sanctions they had in their then 87-year history, Saints Defensive Coordinator was suspended indefinitely, Sean Payton was suspended the entire 2012 season, General Manager was suspended 8 games and assistant coach 6 games. The organization was fined $500,000 and lost their second-round draft picks in 2012 and 2013.

#6 – Spy Gate 2007: New England Patriots

Bill Belichek et al was disciplined by the league for using technology to videotape New York Jets Defensive Coordinators signals from an unauthorized location. Bill received a $500,000 fine (maximum allowable at the time), the Team a $250,000 fine and they lost their first-round draft pick.

What Bill, you could not beat one of the worst franchises of all time in the NFL without breaching NFL rules WHERE you could videotape?

#7 – Marion Lois Jones – Steroid Use

Marion was a former Olympic champion track and field athlete for the USA and won three gold and two bronze medals representing the USA in the 2000 Summer Olympics who of one of the most famous athletes linked to the BALCO scandal for steroid use, that included over 20 top-level athletes.

She was stripped of all of her Olympic and subsequent IAAP World Championship medals when she owned up to the fact that she originally had used steroids, after the initially denied doing so in the BALCO investigation.

In 2007 as a result of losing sponsorships, unable to compete in track she ran into financial troubles and declared bankruptcy. The bank foreclosed on her $2.5 Million mansion and was forced to sell other properties including one she purchased for her mother.

In 2008 she was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment for check fraud and use of performance-enhancing drugs.

A decade later I had the opportunity to see her speak at a conference I was also speaking at and she shared her remorse how the pressure to win forced her to do everything possible to do so, but as a result, she lost everything and had to start over.

#8 – MLB Steroid Scandal 1990’s

Asterisks note that the home runs made by Sammy Sosa, Mark McGuire, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez among others was a result of taking performance-enhancing steroids banned by the MLB and all other professional sports. I suspect if Babe Ruth was alive today he would be spitting chewing tobacco at all of them for doing so.

Sadly, I had the opportunity to witness a home run made by Sammy at Wrigley Field before the scandal was brought forward where he hit it onto the roofs of the fans houses who watched from each home game and then a year later the Steroid Scandal came to light so it is not a highlight, more a sour note for me.

#9 – Lance Armstrong – Cycling Doping Scandal 1999-2005

Yet another example of what all felt was such an amazing accomplishment at the time was Lance Armstrongs 7 consecutive Tour De France Titles (from 1999-2005) and what made it more amazing is he had battled and successfully fought testicular cancer before his amazing run.

What many felt was the reason he was able to accomplish what he did was his amazingly high VO2 Max of 83.8 ml/kg/min which was almost twice that of the average person which gave him a natural competitive advantage in those long rides thru the French Alps.

In 2004 the first allegations came forward that Armstong and other team riders were using performance-enhancing drugs which started a series of investigations for the next decade with countersuits filed by Armstrong arguing slander and defamation of character.

As a result of the allegations being brought forth found accurate, Lance was stripped of his 7 Tour De France Titles, lucrative sponsorship deals and also had lawsuits filed against him by former teammates, sponsors.

A perfect example if it is too good to be true, it is.

How long has corruption, cheating been a means for players or organizations to win at all costs in professional sports ?

Over 100 Years !!!

#10 – 1919 World Series Chicago White Sox (AKA Eight Men Out)

The original scandal impacting the MLB where 8 members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the series vs. the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money from a gambling syndicate.

What was ironic at the time was the Philadelphia Bulletin published a poem during that world series that was very appropriate at the time and still is:

Still, it really doesn’t matter,
After all, who wins the flag.
Good clean sport is what we’re after,
And we aim to make our brag
To each near or distant nation
Whereon shines the sporting sun
That of all our games gymnastic
Baseball is the cleanest one!

_ Unknown

What all the examples above show is the costs of winning at ALL costs can include financial ruins, loss of sponsorships or scholarships, contracts, credibility, fame, criminal prosecution and the worst thing of all …..

Loss of integrity.

Is winning at all costs really worth it?

Nope.

Take the high road always.

The Change of the Guard in Coaching – 2019

Posted January 10, 2020January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, Organization Executive

It is hard to believe we are now going into the middle of January 2020, a new year and new decade after so many amazing accomplishments in various late December rolling into January.

As a former competitive hockey, football player I look forward to watching both the world juniors and NCAA bowl games every year and this year had an opportunity to watch several with family in friends.

I also caught the occasional NHL or Sportsnet updates various sports and one common message kept coming up by commentators, how coaching styles we changing.

This soon after the NHL ran into challenges with various coaches being removed due to abusive coaching practices (either verbal or physical) but the upside is it leading the change of the guard where new school coaches are entering to transform how players are being coached.

Gone are the days where coaches can scream at players at the top of their lungs, use profanity, be physically abusive and so forth as once was commonplace in both Hockey and Football.

What was highlighted over and over again regardless of what game I would be watching from commentators was the shift taking place towards relationship-based, athlete-focused coaching that we have been highlighting for years.

In essence, this year’s NCAA College Football Bowl games (gone are the days where there were only held on New Years Day), the World Juniors and the backlash the NHL faced for several weeks as coaches were removed became the ideal testimonial focusing on what we do … working with coaches HOW to coach as there is so much more to coaching that writing up drills on a whiteboard.

Out top 3 picks from the holidays of coaches that are setting the bar for the change of the guard in coaching are:

OSTRAVA, CZECH REPUBLIC – JANUARY 5: Team Canada posing for a group photo following a 4-3 gold medal game win against Team Russia at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship at Ostravar Arena on January 5, 2020 in Ostrava, Czech Republic. (Photo by Andrea Cardin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

Number 1 – Dale Hunter – Head Coach of the Canadian World Junior Team

Under Dale’s leadership, Team Canada went on to win their 3^rd gold medal in the last 6 years, their 18^th since the World Juniors tournament was founded.

This after Canada did not medal LY as they lost to Finland twice, once in the round-robin, then in the quarter-finals last year which provided opportunities for many people that lived in Vancouver to see the Gold Game (yours truly being one of them) when Finland played USA in the final as people were literally giving away their gold game tickets as Canada was not in that game.

So why is Dale Hunter one of the GREAT coaches that stood out?

He and his brother Marc, have been involved with the London Golden Knights Major Junior franchise as owners for the last 20 years, Dale also wearing Head Coach and President Hat, Marc the General Manager hat which he also held for this years Team Canada Team.

Under their leadership, they have built the London Knights into one of the top major junior franchises in Canada, winning 5 Memorial Cup Titles, numerous winning seasons, and are now one of the top franchises developing players to get to the next level (AHL and NHL). Dale has learned the importance of connection and developing relationships with all the young players he and his coaching staff have developed over the years as a result.

When they were forming this year’s world junior team, 6 of their London Knights players made the team who took on whatever role that Dale assigned to them to help the team succeed.

Although Dale played many years in the NHL and amassed the second-most penalty minutes EVER (3565, second only to Tiger Williams) and was infamous for his get in your face grind it out playing style, his coaching style has evolved to one that is calm and does not scream on the bench like some of his Major Junior and World Junior Counterparts.

At one point Ray Ferrero commented that coaches in the World Juniors must recognize they are coaching teenagers and if they get emotional, as will their players. As the NHL has recently found out, the verbal and at times physically abusive coaching styles used by some coaches no longer works, same should hold true all the way down to the grassroots level.

He and the rest of the coaching and team Canada staff ensured that their team had a lot of depth so in the event when players went down to injuries, suspensions or penalties other players were able to fill in.

Prime Example, when Team Canada’s top D-Man Bowen Byram was unable to play due to flu bug, Jamie Drysdale, only the 6^th 17-year-old D-man to ever suit up for Team Canada was able to fill in and play big minutes, including scoring a key goal in the semi-final game against their rival Finland to advance to the Gold Game.

Another was Tyler Hofer, who took over the reins in net after Nico Dawes started the first game and win against Team USA, then struggled in the second and worst loss ever for Team Canada and lead the team to the Gold Medal and was voted Goalie MVP for the tournament. Both he and Dawes were not even invited to Team Canada’s Summer Camp but were selected for the team later in the fall based on their play on their respective major junior teams.

He had a hunch. Sometimes as coaches we have to go to our gut to insert a player, change lines, pairings or what have you and in the Gold Game Dale sent Akil Thomas out near the end of the game who had been on the 4^th line and only played a handful of minutes when the game was tied who jumped on a loose puck and skated in on a breakaway to score the game-winning goal.

I said to myself after the gold game, perhaps there are directors and producers in Hollywood thinking this could be a great script for The Miracle 2.

Kudos to Dale, his fellow coaches, all the support staff and the players for an amazing run this world Juniors and also to the parents of all the players for raising such great young men who represented Canada so well.

Source: Washington Post, Digital Edition

Number 2 – Bronco Mendenhall – Virginia Cavaliers Football

Many reading this in Canada will not know who Bronco is, but the job he did with Virginias Football program over the last few years has to be top 3.

In 2015 he left his former role as head coach at BYU where he had a winning record and lead his team to 11 bowl games (winning 6) to take on the head coaching job at Virginia, a team that had a losing record 8 of the last 10 seasons.

4 Years Later, he lead Virginia to BCS Ranking #24 to play against Florida Gators #9 in the Orange Bowl.

How did he do it?

He reinforced the importance of believing again from day 1 when he met the players

He researched and implemented best practices on human performance and human development

Martial Arts T-Shirts – He created a rite of passage system for players to achieve certain numbers in workouts to receive matching t-shirts … starting at white (below average), followed by gray (average), Orange (decent), Blue (might be a stud) to Black (badass)

Giving power to the players lead by team leaders – empowerment

Football Second – He leads by example focusing on the importance of teaching life principles thru football

Fast forward to year 4 – The team has a quarterback, Bryce Perkins, that recovered from a broken neck, played a couple of years of junior college before he was recruited by Bronco as saw the potential in him to be the starting QB in Virginia

In the Orange Bowl, Perkins threw for over 300 yards and four TD’s against Florida who had not allowed either ALL season, one of which was a scramble play that he ran.

Although Virginia fell short to the Gators 36-28, Bronco called it a moral victory as the program had evolved to being one of the top in NCAA under his leadership in just a few years.

Number 3 – Sheldon Keefe – New Head Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs

Nov. 20^th The Maple Leafs fired the highest-paid coach in the NHL, Mike Babcock (AKA the 50 Million dollar man due to his contract) as a result of him losing the room and the team not performing, suffering 6 consecutive losses and a .500 team for the prior 12 months.

On paper, the Leafs have some of the top players in the NHL including John Tavares (1^st overall pick in 2009 by the New York Islanders), Auston Matthews (1^st overall pick in 2016), Mitch Marner, William Nylander among others who should not be fighting for a spot to make the playoffs but go deep.

Sheldon Keefe, who had been the head coach of the Toronto AHL affiliate team Marlies, was promoted to head coach and the team won 4 of their first 5 games, 15-4-1 to be the best start of any Toronto coach in the team’s history.

Fortunately thanks to my wife’s work in the transportation she was offered a pair of tickets in December when the Leafs were in town to play the Vancouver Canucks (where there were many more Leafs fans than Nucks) and although I am not a fan of the Leafs (am a Habs fan since birth), we had amazing seats just 10 rows up in the home team end so got to see all the players amazing skills up close.

How has Sheldon transformed the team?

Playing players more than Babs did and also encouraging them to maintain puck possession and retreat back in their own zone to do so vs. dump and chase

Playing music in practices (for many of the younger players this is something they truly enjoy)

He changed up the defensive pairings encouraging 4^th man to jump in to create more scoring opportunities

He revamped both the power play and penalty kill units

He focused on the importance of connecting with all of the players, recognizing the importance of developing relationships and had the first-hand experience in developing the prospects coming to the team during his tenure coaching the Marlies.

These are just some of examples of the new style of coaching evolving to focusing on the person, athlete-centric and relationship-based coaching that is becoming well documented of the three mentioned in this post as well as other great coaches like Pete Caroll, Sean McVay, John Wooden, Phil Jackson and many others that created cultures of excellence with their teams doing the same.

As I shared in prior post, The Times They Are a Changin’ ….. For the Better.

The Times They Are a-Changin’

Posted December 19, 2019January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, Organization Executive, Parents

To say the last couple of months have been a blur for us would be an understatement. Fall is always busy due to the number of BC Hockey Clinics, but this fall we have had several other workshops/conferences as we continue to ramp up working with various sports organizations.

What continues to be a hot topic in all of those interactions with coaches and parents is the #metoo movement that we are seeing across numerous sports bringing forth allegations towards abusive coaching practices of old, the most recent and prolific being the coaches that have either been let go or being investigated in the NHL.

Albeit not as high profile, there also has been several university coaches and programs that have had allegations brought forth regarding abusive coaching practices so it is not just inherent to the NHL, what it does show is there is a change of the guard coming which we could not be more excited about as have been advocating for the shift since we started several years back.

Universities failing to protect athletes from abusive coaches, students say

In the last couple of months, we have seen one of most recognized coaches in Canada as a result of his 30+ year coaches corner segment (Don Cherry) ran on Saturdays during the first period intermission Hockey Night in Canada broadcast let go for inappropriate language used during a telecast, another NHL coach investigated and resigned due to racial slur and physical abuse allegations (Bill Peters), another one fired, Dallas Head Coach (Jim Montgomery), for unprofessional Conduct and another issuing a statement of apology after investigation conducted by the Chicago Blackhawks, Marc Crawford, for his style of coaching earlier in his career.

Much of which was a result of allegations brought forth by former or current players for coaching practices that crossed the line and was abusive in nature either verbally or physically, but as a result of their investigation, the Chicago Blackhawks will retain Marc as an assistant coach in the new year after serving a 3-week suspension.

“Through our review, we confirmed that Marc proactively sought professional counseling to work to improve and become a better communicator, person, and coach”

Image Source: Daily Herald – Dec. 18, 2019

This is his full statement shared on the Chicago Blackhawks website this week;

Thank you for the opportunity to share my comments. It was important for me to respect the process required by the Chicago Blackhawks and the ongoing, important discussions being had by players and the National Hockey League. This is why I am sharing my thoughts at this time.

Recently, allegations have resurfaced about my conduct earlier in my coaching career. Players like Sean Avery, Harold Druken, Patrick O’Sullivan and Brent Sopel have had the strength to publicly come forward and I am deeply sorry for hurting them. I offer my sincere apologies for my past behavior.

I got into coaching to help people, and to think that my actions in any way caused harm to even one player fills me with tremendous regret and disappointment in myself. I used unacceptable language and conduct toward players in hopes of motivating them, and, sometimes went too far. As I deeply regret this behavior, I have worked hard over the last decade to improve both myself and my coaching style.

I have made sincere efforts to address my inappropriate conduct with the individuals involved as well as the team at large. I have regularly engaged in counseling over the last decade where I have faced how traumatic my behavior was towards others. I learned new ways of expressing and managing my emotions. I take full responsibility for my actions. Moving forward, I will continue to improve myself, to listen to those that I may have hurt, and learn from their experiences. My goal is to approach all players, past and present, with empathy and understanding. My hope, as a coach and a person, is to create environments of dignity and respect.

I sincerely want to help make our game better for everyone. I want to encourage anyone who may have been impacted by me to reach out so that we may continue this dialogue. There is an important discussion happening in hockey right now. I am and will continue to be a part of the solution moving forward. These conversations will set the course for future generations. I commit to being sensitive to the process, and most of all, listening to individual perspectives and feelings.

__Marc Crawford

______________________________________________________________________________________

What many were unaware of, including yours truly is Marc recognized that his coaching style was not appropriate almost a decade back and has sought and continues to undergo counseling to improve as a coach and a person. Although made mistakes, he has been applauded by players for helping them that include Alex Burrows who recently was inducted into the Canucks Ring of Honour. Whether you feel he should be coaching or not, Marc has passed the Litmus test the Blackhawks, NHL Coaching Association and NHL to continue evolving and become part of the solution.

Another one of the players that he has been credited for developing is Auston Matthews, who played for Marc in Switzerland and also other young players upon his return back to the NHL as an assistant coach, Ottawa Senators and now once his suspension is removed will return back to the bench as an assistant coach in Chicago in the New Year.

One of our top workshop modules based on blog I wrote a couple of years back “How to Coach Generation Z” literally reinforces the shift that is taking place both in the NHL, University sport and suspect will see in other professional sports, Generation Z (players born after 1995) do not respond to negative criticism, and when surveyed what coaching style the want to see from coaches as outlined below;

#1 – They Want Coaches that do not yell and remain calm

#2 – Caring and Encouraging

#3 – Knowledge of the Sport

#4 – Involves team in decision making

This I reinforce in every workshop or talk that do when I have asked coached the top characteristics of the coaches they ever had and the same answers come to up over and over again, many of these coaches are not just Gen Z age group born after 1995, but Millenials (1980-1995) and even boomers (1965-1980).

Yes, kids today want coaches that have the knowledge to teach them the skills of the game, but more importantly, they want coaches that care about them, encourage them in addition to being a calm and positive role model.

There is a much-needed change taking place in the coaching landscape, more and more organizations, teams and coaches themselves are recognizing the importance of connections and relationships with their players than ever before which makes the change taking place.

The entire coaching community regardless of the sport will become a better place and athletes, teams and organizations will benefit as a result.

Our goal is to work with as many organizations as possible to help facilitate this change for the better for who matters most, the kids.

Bob Dylan was infamous for his lyrics and can’t sum it up better than…

For he that gets hurt

Will be he who has stalled

There’s a battle outside

And it is ragin.

Although currently going through a storming period, The Times Are a-Changin …. For the better.

BONUS – Download a FREE printable PDF version of this blog HERE

It’s All About The Kids

Posted November 28, 2019January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, Organization Executive, Parents

I have had a crazy couple of months interacting with numerous grassroots hockey coaches in clinics and workshops and have had some great interactions with some really amazing people who have either put their hands up to coach or are looking for more development in workshops.

As the requirements for coaching certification have increased over the years, so has the number of coaches that complain about the amount of time that it takes to become certified, on average I have 2-3 coaches per clinic that will complain, but the past couple of weekends there were two coaches, in particular, that did so literally from the beginning to the end of the clinic.

This past weekend one was a coach that was now entering the competitive stream (rep hockey) which entails a 2 day (16 hour clinic) to become certified in addition to all the other requirements coaches of all levels have to do including concussion / return to play protocols, respect in sport, criminal record checks and interviews by board members.

Ironically, in the very same clinic I had 4 coaches from Washington State who are required to complete both the Hockey Canada certification AND USA Hockey’s and as a result of the work that USA Hockey has done with their coaching certification programs, when I ask coaches if they are familiar with terms like LTAD/LTPD/ADM, Physical Literacy, Fundamental Skills only those from the USA put their hands up.

I asked one of them to provide insight what they needed to do for USA Hockey in addition to what we were doing to remind the coach who was complaining that it was a requirement for all levels of coaching so that you could help your kids become the best they could be.

Two weeks back I had another coach do the same who had previously stepped up to be a manager of many teams but as their association was short of coaches (like many are) he put his hand up to be an assistant coach and on both the Saturday and Sunday came to me complaining about all the work he had to do to merely open the gate during games and “chase pucks” (set up drills) during practices.

My answer to that coach was he was not merely opening the gate during games, he probably had one of the most important roles as a coach in today’s winning at all costs era, he controlled all the players playing time as he opened and closed that gate during line changes. Fair playing time is one of the top 3 issues that parents and players have in organized sports, so for that reason alone coaches need to complete the certification.

We also cover other important modules like communication, team meetings, LTPD (Long Term Player Development), Incorporating technology in their practices, skill analysis, skill development, drill and practice design.

A few years back Hockey Canada added practice evaluations as a requirement of certification for the competitive stream coaches (rep hockey U13 age group or later) so that more tenured coaches can come out and observe a new coach run a practice and provide tips how they can improve going forward.

The reasoning behind the practice evals is so that we can ensure that new coaches recognize the importance not only of planning practices, but all the key requirements to ensure that it is effective in teaching kids.

Having coached now for over 25 years, majority of that time various youth sports, time after time when I have observed new coaches running practices they miss out on some key requirements to ensure that each practice offers key teaching moments

The three that evaluators look for to ensure coaches are doing from the onset

Are the providing the WHY of the drills in terms of how the skills they are teaching relate to game play
Are the able to breakdown the various skills to the fundamental techniques and most importantly
Do they correct errors when the players are not doing the skill correctly?

It is this last point that newer coaches omit time after time and in many instances will get frustrated with players as they not executing the drills the way they were drawn up.

There are many reasons why this is the case, but as I tell all coaches, encouraging kids to make mistakes in practices will only translate to more confidence, competence in games and better yet, creativity.

Too often coaches will focus too much on structure in practices and not allow time for unstructured free play where kids have the opportunity to be creative so it will translate to game play.

The last part of running effective practices and becoming a great coach is the importance of connecting with all your players as individuals, getting to know them as people.

As Jerry York shared in his recent Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Speech

When James Duthie was introducing him before he received his plaque he stated that Jerry’s style of coaching involved patience, being positive and being a great teacher”

Jerry is now the most winningest NCAA Div 1 coach of all time and tied for most national championships and has developed more players at Boston College that went on to the NHL than any other collegiate program.

I shared that quote and analogy last week in our newsletter and have hence shared it several workshops/weekend clinic ran this past weekend.

Jerry, like all of the great coaches over the years, works tirelessly putting in hundreds, if not thousands of hours coaching to not only help their teams but to develop their players into better people.

This is the reminder that I also shared with both recent coaches that challenged me about the time commitment that is required to become certified to become with, but to be a coach ultimately for years to come.

It is all about the kids, and as I remind all of them play playing sports is a privilege, not a right, so is coaching.

Yes, it can be a big-time commitment and at times may be a thankless gig, maybe you get a Starbucks or Tim Horton’s gift prepaid card, better yet a personalized card with same from a player but the best reward you can receive as a coach is when that player comes to you at the end of the season or years down the road and says THANKS COACH.

Then all those hours that you commit up front to get certified and during the seasons make you realize the main reason we have to do so.

It’s all about the kids.

As coaches, it is not about making a living, particularly as majority of coaches in all sports are volunteers.

Our purpose, as those who may be frustrated with the time commitments up front in clinics all the time including the two I referred to at the beginning of this post may not realize when they first start out, is our purpose as coaches is to make a difference developing youth into adults.

When you are given that opportunity to be a coach and make that difference, yes the certification requirements and time to do so can be a lot but please remember what it is all about.

It’s all about the kids.

Just as I remind players all the time that playing a youth sport is a privilege, not a right as many kids can’t afford to play, so is coaching.

It truly is a privilege to be a coach and as the years go by, and kids share with you how happy they are to be able to do a skill they are working on, did well on tests at school, made friends on their teams, learned values like respect, sportsmanship, communication or leadership skills and so on the time we invest as coaches is worth it.

Even more so when you see how the players you started coaching at 5 years old develop into great young men and women.

Better yet when they see you years later and they still call you Coach.

BONUS – Download a FREE printable PDF version of this blog HERE

Why I Coach

Posted November 7, 2019January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, Organization Executive, Parents

One of the exercises that I do with coaches is asking them “Why do you Coach” and this past weekend I was running a clinic with 45 rep (competitive stream) hockey coaches and as we went around the room coaches shared similar answers to what I had heard before that I highlighted in prior blog post “Why Do you Coach” starting with the #1 answer they have kids playing followed by giving back, paying forward, had great coaches, love of the game, passion etc.

One coach shared something I had never heard before…

“I’m Coaching because I had 3 coaches

that touched my Heart.”

I said to myself “WOW” and then immediately starting thinking about all the great coaches, as well as teachers, I had and the impact they had on me.

We all coach for a myriad of different reasons, when I first started coaching was due to the fact I wanted to give back, then it was my kids, then learned after adopting hundreds of kids over the years our calling as coaches was to make a difference developing youth into adults.

The one that I never thought of until I heard what the coached shared, was the impact that coaches and a few teachers had on me while I was growing up.

I was born in Montreal and of course the first sport I played was Ice Hockey, but due to my father’s job we moved literally every year so he could be very close to govt buildings he managed so I played in different associations, was in different schools but the one constant was my love for sports.

Each year that we moved, I had different coaches (my father only tried to coach my baseball team one year but barely made it due to work commitments) and two coaches and one teacher really stood out for me.

COACH RON – Peewee Hockey Coach

The first was when we made our initial roots in Vancouver, BC where I played for yet another MHA and due to my Dads work commitments and fact that my mother did not drive due to prior accidents she had, the only way I could get to practices, games in Hockey was thanks to my coach.

Gone are those days due to Graham James and all other sexual abuse issues since where coaches can drive players by themselves, but I vividly remember those trips, particularly to road games where the coach would share so many life lessons like reinforcing the importance of values like respect, sportsmanship, winning with humility, losing with dignity, hard work, commitment etc that I hold dear today.

Thanks COACH.

COACHES JIM AND FRANK – Bantam Football Coaches

Fast forward a few years later, three more schools, houses, MHA’s later and we returned back to the home my parents purchased in the Vancouver area and I was now 13 years old in Grade 8. Thanks to all the schools and teams I was on, I was apprehensive of becoming friends with anyone but did end up hanging out with a group of guys that became my “friends” that and the following year.

By the time we got to the summer break between Grade 9 and 10, however, those friends were bringing me down the wrong path, they were doing drugs, drinking alcohol, vandalism, B&E’s and other criminal activities and my football coaches got wind of it and two pulled me aside during one of our two a days we had in June.

One was the receivers coach, Jim, the other was the defensive coordinator, Frank, and they sat me down on one of the benches and started to challenge me what I aspired to do with my life.

I was like “huh”, I am 15, who knows.

They then shared they knew the group of guys that I was hanging around with, that many had already been thrown into juvenile detention and were going the wrong way.

Then Frank said to me “Big Red” (my nickname), you have a choice to make, you can either continue hanging out with the juvenile delinquents or you can become part of our family but you can’t have both.

Look out at the field he said, those guys are your family (my 39 brothers on my football team).

Choose.

Then they stopped talking and just waited for me to speak and I was like, what, I can’t play football and hang out with my buds?

They waited.

I then had an Epiphone moment and realized they were right, I was going nowhere with my then druggie and delinquent peer group and I LOVED sports so I told them, ok, I choose the team.

They both then said, good, get back to practice and from that day forward I worked my butt off with all of my brothers and that year we won the provincial championship (when there was only ONE to be one before multiple tiers for community and high school football)

Thanks COACHES.

MRS. STATZ – Grade 12 French Honours teacher

The third was not a coach, but the teacher of my French Honours class in my last year of high school.

My mother did her best to raise me and my brother but both he and I had part-time jobs to help with expenses, pay for sports and what she called “luxury” items like Nike Running shoes (vs. generic shoes) or name brand clothes vs. Zellers etc.

I remember working my Pizza Driver shift until 1130PM on a Sunday then groggily got to my first class for French and just as we all had gotten seated, she (Mrs. Statz) announced we were going to have surprise Quiz as we needed to continue preparing for the Provincial Exam.

To which I said F…. That.

(My Lizard Brain kicked in again in part as I was going thru a tough time having lost my father at such a young age)

To which she said, Mr. Mulcahy, Get your Ass out of My Class!!!!

I grabbed my jacket, binder and headed out of class and once in the hallway heard the door SLAM and thought she was in the classroom but as I turned around she was standing there.

She then went on to go up one side of me, down the other side how disrespectful I was using foul language, towards her but also how much potential I had to go onto University and so on.

I was speechless, but then apologized and had another lightbulb moment that she was right. I was just coasting thru all of my courses, smart enough to get B’s without a lot of effort but was not even thinking about University, all that was on my mind then was work, sports, parties, girls etc.

THANKS MRS. STATZ

Two Coaches – One Teacher who touched my Heart.

Cared about me in different ways, steered me in a different direction and had it not been for them and all other coaches and teachers I had along the way I never would have committed to applying and completing my degree at UBC.

When I received my degree, my mother and Nanny rented a Limousine to come to see the ceremonies, one of my favorite pictures (which is buried in a trunk with others) is me with my Nanny (another huge influencer in my life)

When we went for a bite to eat, my Nanny and Mother gave me the graduation ring pictured below (shot from a smartphone) and they shared with me how proud they were as I was the first cousin from two large families, 9 siblings on one side, 5 on the other with multiple kids (first cousins) to have graduated from University.

I still wear the ring proudly to this day, not just to celebrate my graduation, but to remember my Nanny and Mother who sadly passed away.

Had it not been for the coaches and my teacher, my Nanny and Mother who knows where I would have ended up.

“That is Why I coach.”

To have the same impact in helping kids make those important decisions so they stay out of harm’s way, learn life lessons and not only become the best athletes they can be, but the best people the can be.

This is why one of my favorite quotes of all time is the spin-off of Teddy Roosevelts by Pat Summit (one of the GOATS)

Pat Summit – Almost 1100 NCAA Div I wins (#1 at the time she retired) – 8 National Championships

If you aspire to be the best coach you can be, touch the hearts of your players and ensure that the legacy is a positive one so you are not a Kid’s Last Coach.

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