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Coaching beyond the Game: Relationships Matter

As the 2018 Winter Olympics are just getting underway in PyeongChang, South Korea I look forward to seeing how the World’s Best Athletes focus on “the most import thing in the Olympic games is not the winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well”

It also a time where we can see the trials, the triumphs and the journies that both athletes and their coaches took to reach the Worlds stage.

This past week I was one of 40 guest speakers for “End Bullying and Abuse Summit” hosted by Dr. Jennifer Fraser and she referenced an Olympic Study in 2008 that had been done when talking to a few speakers that strong coach and athlete relationship are one of the most crucial factors leading to either winning an Olympic Medal or producing a personal best performance.

Bo Hansen, a 4 time Olympian himself in rowing, one of the other speakers in the summit speaks about the importance of developing relationships with your athletes.

 

 

In the 2008 study, Olympians shared insights about their relationships with their coaches;

 

“We had the best Coach, with a great deal of international experience. He was skilled technically, but he kept it simple.”

“My Coach is like a mentor to me. We have a good relationship, and are open to learning from each other.”

“We have complete confidence in our Coach.”

“With my Coach, we knew exactly what I needed, physically, technically, mentally—our motto was ‘Execute excellence.”

“I have a great Coach.”

“The key pieces of success were a very good Coach and very good training as a result of good coaching and a good support team.”

Those that took part in the study were Xiuli Wang (National long track speed skating coach), Clara Hughes (winner of medals in both winter (speed skating) and summer Olympics (cycling), Melody Davidson (Woman’s Ice Hockey Coach), Hayley Wickenheiser (3 Time Gold Medal Olympian in Women’s Hockey) among others.

The results of this study are no different than what I have heard from thousands of coaches whom I have surveyed over the years, when I have asked the question “What are the Top 3 Characteristics of the greatest coach/teacher of manager you ever had (or still have)?

Regardless of how I have accumulated the answers, the #1 response every time is that the coach truly cared about the athletes and second is that the coach respected them.  For the top 10 characteristics, check out the post I did in December 2017  HERE

Another great coach, one would argue he is one of the top hockey coaches EVER, is Mike Babcock is the only coach to win the Triple Gold Club

World Championship Gold – 2004, Stanley Cup (Detroit Red Wings) in 2008 and Gold Medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics on home soil in Vancouver, BC.  He then guided Team Canada to Gold in 2014.

I could not even consider getting tickets for the 2010 Gold game due to high costs (over $1000/Ticket), but like many avid hockey fans, I remember inviting many of my fellow coaching friends, family members to watch the second time Canada won gold in the Olympics since the 2002 games and how we all celebrated excessively when Sid the Kid put the puck behind Ryan Miller in OT.

What many don’t know about Mike is he too believes in the importance of being successful in coaching is embracing life long learning and the importance of treating your players respectfully as he found out one of his former players ended being his boss (Brendan Shanahan whom he coached in Detroit who is now President of the Toronto Maple Leafs)

“Trying to get them to be better as players, better as men, but better citizens for the world.

The number one thing you want to do is make sure you players love the game more when you are done with them than when they arrived..

Relationship building is so important.”

Fast forward to 2018 Winter Games and many diehard followers of Hockey are disappointed that Gary Bettman and the rest of the NHL executive opted not to permit the top players in the world to participate this year.

What was the reasons for their madness?

Insurance?  Mike had the players work on systems in ball hockey prior to 2010 games to avoid insurance costs

Potential Injuries to the players that would impact Stanley Cup Runs?

Taking too long a break in the season and losing out on media revenues?

Not having those best players at the All Star Break?

Connor McDavid, one of the games top players today expressed his sincere disappointment to not have the opportunity to represent Canada in the Olympics, as did Alexander Ovechkin who adamantly stated he was going regardless of the NHL’s decision but then his home country was banned for participation due to doping.  After the fact the IOC permitted “clean” Russion athletes to attend the games as “Olympic Athletes from Russia”

I personally would like to see the world’s best play in the Olympics but this will be the first time since 1994 that the NHL has not sent NHL players and coaches so it has created an opportunity for others that aspired to represent their countries to do so.  Paul Kariya was one of those fortunate players that wore the Hockey Canada Jersey in 1994 before he became the Hall Of Famer in the NHL and stated it was his most memorable events he was involved in even though he was a member of the 2002 team that won Gold for the first time since 1954.

If the NHL was going, chances are based on past success Mike Babcock would be the head coach.

In lieu, Willie Deschardins was available as had been let go by the Vancouver Canucks and was selected by Hockey Canada to be the head coach the Mens Olympic Team. Dave King will also be on board as assistant coach, whose list of hockey contributions in Canada are endless including the order of Hockey in Canada award in 2013. He has coached in university, NHL, Germany, Sweden, WHL and the KHL.

 

This brings Dave full circle with his former captain of the Saskatchewan University Huskies team, Willie Desjardins.  During their time together, the Huskies played and lost in two back to back National Championships but as they say three times a charm, won in their third trip in as many years.

Willie attributes much of his coaching success for the development he received under Dave, who in turn was mentored by one of the worlds all time great coaches Clare Drake (The John Wooden of Canada).

Now the mentee will work with the mentor as Canada’s Mens Olympic Team comprised of many players that welcomed the opportunity to represent their country.

In an CBC Interview Willie shared how coming back to work with Dave after all these years is the chance of a lifetime and Dave commented how special it was for an old coach (he is 9 years older than Willie) to work with one of his players who in turn has become a fine coach.

If you don’t think it is a big deal for the players to be selected, then maybe this story from Willie about two the players who were told they will wear the Team Canada sweater and what it is like for him now to be their coach..

 

As Willie so eloquently shared, never had the chance to be part of the hopes of dreams of Canadian athletes from the other side as a coach.

If there is another study done like the one referenced at the beginning of this article I suspect many of the players on the Men’s Olympic Hockey Team this year will be saying after the games are finished;

“I Had a Great Coach”

Let the games begin, good luck to Willie, Dave, Hockey Canada and all the great players that have been given that opportunity of a lifetime to represent their country in the Olympics.

Let’s all work together to bring the game back to the kids, where it belongs