Vancouver Canucks – PARADIGM Sports

Why the stars are aligning for Dallas

Posted September 19, 2020January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, Early Sport Specialization, Organization Executive, Parents

I never thought in my lifetime that I would be having discussions with people regarding the NHL playoffs in September when all prior years they were finished by May/June timeframe.

Nature of the beast as they say during the COVID-19 era that the NHL and all other professional sports are dealing with to complete or start their seasons with various protocols to ensure the safety for all parties concerned.

Although I am a long time Habs Fan having grown up in Montreal, and was disappointed when they and then the Vancouver Canucks were knocked out of this years Bubble Playoffs, I am happy to see that Rick Bowness and the Dallas Stars will be heading to the final for the first time in 20 years.

Two reasons why I feel that the “stars” have aligned for them to get there this year, the amazing coaching job that “interim” coach Rick Bowness has done since he took over the reigns after former head coach XXXXX was fired mid season and the later is the leadership from team captain, Jamie Benn, whom I have highlighted in numerous talks and interviews when I been asked to share insight on the benefits of multi-sport participation.

RICK BOWNESS – AKA BONES

Rick Bowness played in the NHL for a number of teams like many other NHL coaches after he played Major Junior and in the NHL. He has been a head coach for a number of NHL teams but this is the first time in his career that he has lead a team to the Stanley Cup Final

His coaching career ironically started out in 1982-83 as a player coach (AKA Reggie Dunlop for the Chiefs in Slapshot) for the first Winnipeg Jets minor league affiliate Sherbrooke Jets.

Much like the infamous “Chiefs” in Slapshot, the team really struggled under his watch so he retired as coach and player at the end that season and a year later was recruited by Winnipeg Jets Head coach in 1984 to join his coaching staff as an assistant.

He has gone on to coach a number of teams in the NHL since, many as the head coach and several years as associate or assistant coach, including the Vancouver Canucks where he was Alain Vignault’s right hand man when they had their amazing run in 2011.

He moved on from the Vancouver Canucks in 2013 and was with Tampa when they advanced to the final in 2015 but lost to Vancouver’s long time nemesis, Chicago Blackhawks.

Rick has now been in the NHL as a player and now a coach for 45 years and many are pulling for him to win his first Stanley Cup.

Why are so many pulling for him?

#1. He is a player’s coach – loved by all of his players who will do everything they can to win for him

#2. He truly cares about his players as people, not just as hockey players.

The list of players under his watch for decades have all shared in interviews time and time again how he connects with them as individuals, is approachable and takes the extra time to help them not only become better players, but better people.

“He Cares about his players. You can just see it in his actions. He will never chastise them, he will never embarrass them in front of his peers or in front of other people, if there is a tough conversation to have he does it behind closed doors.” George Gwozdecky (Tampa Assistant Head coach with Rick 2013-2015)

#3. He has a high level of emotional and social intelligence.

Although this past Hockey Season the NHL saw several coaches fired from their roles due to what many feel are no longer (nor were they ever) appropriate coaching styles, Rick has always set the bar as the players coach

“He’s a coach you just want to do everything for, lay your body on the line for”

Jamie Benn

#4 – He has coached more games than any other coach EVER in the NHL, now over 2,500 games leaving Scotty Bowman’s record of 2,164 3 years ago and he is still going

#5 – He has adapted to being either a head or an assistant coach depending on the team needs, many of his head coaching stints he took over mid season when the head coaches were let go much like this season with the Stars.

#6 – Cody Hodgson played under Rick and Alain while in Vancouver and shared that “you get some coaches that are very talented but not necessarily good people (as the firings in recent year showed). But Rick ‘s a great coach and a great person …. and will be able to stick around as long as he wants to”

#7 – He is very humble. Whenever people try to give him credit for his leadership, he defers to the players, much like he did when was interviewed after they advanced the final.

#8 – He’s a great coach.

Ironically he played as a forward, but has spent much of his coaching career working with defence and is acclaimed for helping develop many D-Men over his career, most recently was helping Victor Hedman become one of, if not the best, d-men in the NHL currently.

#9 – He is transformational and focuses on connecting with his players vs. many coaches still focusing on the X’s and O’s. Per former player he coached, Brad Barry who is now coach of University of North Dakota X’s and O’s are one thing, but if you don’t have the communication skills or the ability to connect, then I don’t think the X’s and O’s matter anymore.”

#10 – He loves the game as much now as he did when he was a kid.

In every talk I do with coaches I end with key takeaways and one is the measurement of a great coach is one that creates a culture on their teams where kids love the game more at the end of the season then they did at the beginning and come back the following year with big smiles on their faces.

JAMIE BENN – AKA Chubbs

Below is a slide from one of my core talks LTPD vs. Early Sport Specialization where I talk about Jamie Benn’s path to the NHL.

Jamie and his brother Jordie grew up on Vancouver Island and played a number of sports growing up, both played hockey in the winter and baseball in the spring as well as tried several other sports until they both found the one they loved the most – Hockey.

Note on the slide some of Jamie’s accolades – Gold in the World Juniors, Gold in the Olympics, Art Ross Trophy and now he is going to the Stanley Cup Final.

Did you know that he did not decide to focus on hockey until he was 19?

This is why Hockey Canada did not even identify him for any of the U16, U18 or U20 Junior Camps until he was 19 as his path was junior B, then Junior A, then WHL and was drafted in the 5^th round to then become the captain of the stars in 2013 when he was 24 years old.

His path the NHL, much like the majority of players, was playing multiple sports until his later teens. When I interviewed Ken Martel for one of our summits last year, he shared with me that over 90% of NHL players were multi-sport athletes until at least 14.

“Just a game boys, there’s always next time” Tyler Sequin

Now at 31 he is considered the old guard with the NHL youth movement, but as much as I would love to see a Canadian team be in and ultimately win the final since the Habs won their last one (and last one for a Canadian team) in 1993 27 years ago, I will be pulling for the stars to align for Rick, Jamie to hoist their first and ultimately drink from the Stanley Cup.

Ode to the Sedins

Posted February 15, 2020January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, Early Sport Specialization, Organization Executive, Parents

I would like to give Kudo’s to the Vancouver Canucks Organization for the amazing events they hosted this past week to celebrate the amazing careers that Henrik (Hank) and Daniel (Danny) Sedin had playing for the Canucks for their entire careers (a true rarity in this day and age of free agency, salary caps).

I was fortunate, as were many other residents of Vancouver, to see two boys drafted by Brian Burke #2 and #3 in the 1999 draft (coincidentally the birth year of my son) and watch them grow into men over the course of 18 amazing years.

#1 Their work ethic was off the charts and not just amazing hockey players, but ATHLETES.

Even though they may not have been the greatest skaters early or later in their careers, they worked on becoming better every practice and off seasons for their entire career. This not only included working on skating but all other core hockey skills AND balance, agility, strength, aerobic capacity.

This could be part of the reason why; check out this short video highlighting the differences of the Swedish Hockey Development Model vs. other nations and they now have the highest per capita number of players in the NHL as a result.

#2 They were extremely humble during their careers and still are

For them it was all about the team, including when their contracts came up for renewal, they accepted contracts lower than market value so they could help the team succeed which included the amazing run to the Stanley Cup in 2011 (the Canucks third since entered the league but still looking to win their last game).

#3 Founding the Sedin Family Foundation

Founded by both Hank and Danny and their wives to celebrate people, recognize achievements and address the needs of family and children and all the philanthropic fundraising to do so.

#4 They are the second-highest brother scoring duo in the NHL of ALL TIME

** Based on the fact that the Canucks has one of the Hughes Brothers, Quinn, and his brother Jack (Devils) now in the league both drafted in the first round, perhaps they will be the next duo to chase the Sedins record?

#5 – For all those naysayers that thought they were too soft;

Hank held the ironman streak for consecutive games 679 games! Over 10 Years including several playoff deep playoff runs including 2011 Stanley Cup run.

It ended only because of a vicious cross-check in the back of the ribs although he tried to play in two subsequent games and assistant coach Mike Sullivan shared when could not suit up the following game ending his ironman streak;

“The fact he’s been able to play that many games consecutively is just a testament to his determination and how tough he is,” Sullivan said. “Him and [twin brother] Daniel both play in the hard areas of the rink on a consistent basis because they have the puck so much.”

Danny also was durable as Hank but his longest time out of the lineup was recovering from concussion when he was knocked out (literally) by a vicious hit by Duncan Keith

I have called this type of hit the infamous chicken wing, where players raise their elbows up to a players head and knock them out, a type of hit that has now been deemed intent to injure and players have received multi-game suspensions as a result as the NHL continues to focus on protecting the players from what could be career-ending injuries

Ironically when the Canucks played the Black hawks who Keith has been with since the beginning of his career, every time he touched the puck he was booed for that hit in 2012… deservedly so.

#6 – How they evolved as leaders for the next generation of young prospects

Bo Horvat was named the team captain after one season of having alternate captains only in part to respect Hanks legacy as long time captain who took over the reins from fellow swede from same home town Markus Naslund who jersey number also has been retired and hangs high in Rogers arena adjacent to the Sedins and other Vancouver great players, Trevor Linden, Pavel Bure and Stan Smyl.

When Bo was chosen as captain, Hank handed him his jersey in a public ceremony pre-game but this was after the players had been told by Hank who the next captain was going to be in the team dressing room a few days prior to the game.

# 7 – How good they are as people

In addition to their foundation, all of the community work they did and still continue to do including supporting Canuck Place Hospice I must confess I teared up as I sadly had to move my mother from hospital to hospice as she was losing her fight to cancer. It’s one thing for a son or daughter to lose their parent, its another thing altogether for a parent to lose their son or daughter to Cancer.

As I shared several years back, in 2013 I lost both my best friend AND my mother.

When I was at my best friend’s house for days after he passed and helped the family plan his service, all we kept saying is NO parent should bury their child.

I remember how much his parents cried that week and probably still do although they are too proud to admit it.

The work that Hank and Danny as well as all other members of the Canucks organization to support Canuck Place to help families was (and still) is amazing

# 8 – They were top in fitness testing on the team their entire career (although Kevin Bieksa’s roast claimed Hank would come to training camp every year overweight)

As a result of their work ethic, in all the fitness tests the team did every year, both Hank and Danny were #1 and 2 (with a competitive fire to be #1) which set the bar for all of their teammates to follow.

#9 – They were grateful

After their jerseys were retired, they took out a full-page ad in the Vancouver Sun and Province to thank the fans for their support over their 18-year career in Vancouver

In all the years that I have followed various professional sports in the Vancouver area, I think the only other professional athlete that took out a full-page ad was one of their teammates, Roberto Luongo after he was traded back to the Florida Panthers after 10 amazing seasons for the Canucks.

I only hope that the Canucks organization show the same class they showed this season in tributes to the Sedins (retiring their jerseys) and Alex Burrows (Ring of Honour) and do the same for Roberto, the way they handled the goalie controversy with emerging Corey Sneider to become the starting goaltender over Roberto only to trade him for Bo Horvat left everyone’s head spinning, including Roberto who was then back to the starter and eventually traded to Florida to make room for current starter Jacob Markstrom to take the reins.

Roberto deserved better, like the Sedins, was one of Vancouver’s top players for a decade and also a great person.

#10 – The fact they continue to call Vancouver their home

Although some professional athletes return back to their birth cities, countries, they continue to reside in Vancouver and are raising their kids and still supporting current players, coaches, and other Canucks Organization members when asked.

I will never forget watching them play live or on TV over the years and just shaking my head in awe of their raw skill and their compete level.

Their short 3-5 foot passes while cycling, behind the back passes, innovators of the slap pass now common in the league or what wowed me the most were the full cross-ice saucer passes on their forehand as well as backhand literally dropping on their brother’s sticks was amazing to see.

Off-Ice, aside from all the great community work they did, I thought this (and still is) one of the funnier things they did, when they appeared in an NHL commercial to help promote the league after the lock-out season to regain their fan base.

Over and over again this past week former teammates, coaches, general managers, and sports journalists shared the top character traits of the Sedins were (and still are):

Goodness – Decency – Selfishness – Humility – Work Ethic – Leadership

As coaches, please ensure that you focus on reinforcing these character traits with all of your players in lieu of just focusing on the outcome of a game as has become commonplace today with the focus of winning at all costs.

Our calling as coaches is not to make a living.

Our calling is to make a difference by developing youth into adults.

Kudos to the Sedins for their amazing career, becoming not only great players, but great adults before our eyes for 18 amazing seasons.

Kudos also to their original grassroots coaches that helped develop them into the adults they became to set the bar for so many kids as role models.

When the NHL dream comes to fruition

Posted June 24, 2019January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, Early Sport Specialization, Organization Executive, Parents

BONUS – Download this Blog in PDF Format HERE

Having been a fan of the NHL since I literally came out of the womb, and for the First 3^rd of my life growing up in various suburbs of Montreal, QC and every other city thereafter having a hockey rink it became a dream of mine like any other kid growing up to be like my idol and play in the NHL.

We dreamt of scoring that game-winning goal in double OT to hoist the Cup or making the save to keep the game or series alive, making that blocked shot to prevent the game winning goal, making that pass to set it up, making that big hit to get momentum and the list goes on.

Most of those dreams as was shared in the recent NHL draft that I was fortunate to receive a last minute ticket to attend for the first time, when player videos were played on Rogers Arena big screen of the time the kids being drafted in the first round spent on their backyard rinks, outdoor rinks, ponds or mini- stick competitions in their basements as I did as a kid.

In the case of this year’s NHL draft, another of the Hughes brothers was drafted in the first round to follow his older brother Quinn who was selected as the 7^th overall pick in the first round by our home city Vancouver Canucks.

This time, it was Jack, who was pegged for most of this season to be picked 1^st overall and the New Jersey Devils, announced by one of the greatest goalies of all time and hall of famer Martin Brodeur.

Back to back years where brothers and parents hugged in the stands where all the players sat with their families waiting for their names to be called by one of the 31 teams with all of their senior management, coaches and other personnel amassed on the floor of Rogers Arena

Although two of the three Hughes brothers drafted in to the NHL thus far (the next projected to come to the NHL is Luke), participated in the US NTDP, until that point they experienced playing on outdoor rinks (the epitome of free play) and their organized minor hockey in Toronto, Canada as their dad worked with the Leaf’s and other Hockey organizations.

The very same coaches that I have worked with facilitating Hockey Canada NCCP Clinics for BC Hockey but their Ontario counterparts are the ones that were instrumental in developing Quinn’s and Jacks passion for the game and initial development of their core skills.

Like the other Canadian players who were drafted, Quinn and Jack had very similar experience playing mini stick, on outdoor rinks or ponds, minor hockey in the GTHL then their junior path was US NTDP vs. Junior A or Major Junior

Listen to the podcast below to get more insight from the US NTDP U18 head coach who shares insight on the various players before they were selected in this year’s draft (including Montreal’s pick Cole Caulfield who they stole at 15)

The second pick by the New York Rangers, as suspected, was for Kappo Kakko, the Finnish phenom who played on the Finnish U18, World Junior and World Championship Gold Medal teams this past season.

Similar to 2016 when Auston Matthews (USA) was the #1 pick by Toronto, then Patrick Laine (Finland) the 2^nd overall pick by the New York Rangers so game on, as both teams are in the same division, we will see these two young players playing each other for years to come.

What was different about this draft, however, was the number of other US born players that were selected in the first round, 8 from National Development Team (7 in the first 15 picks), three others were born in the USA that was also chosen the first round, 5 others in additional rounds for a total of 13 (62% of the players from the NTDP U18 team)

Compare that to Canadian players, #3 – Kirby Dach – WHL, #4 – Bowen Byram (WHL) and 11 others for a total of 13

Others chosen not from the NTDP or Canadian (the exception being Thomas Harly with dual citizenship

1 other from the USA – USHL

1 – Dual Citizenship (Canada/USA)

2 more from Finland

4 from Sweden

1 from Russia – think back in the 60-70-80’s when the Red Army Dominated Internationally

1 from Germany

When I talked to Ken Martel for our online summer event, he shared that this year’s U18 US NDTP was a special group of players and they did anticipate several to be drafted in the first round, I think he and rest of USA hockey staff are sitting back and doing the same thing I did…. especially once all rounds completed, 17 were drafted.

WOW with a sense of pride like many of the parents who did the same when their son’s names were called.

So what makes the US National Team Development Program unique and lead to so many players being drafted in the first round from ONE team?

#1 – With the exception of Jack who played all his minor hockey in Canada, this year’s group are all players that went thru the US American Development Model (ADM) which adheres to age-appropriate training, small area games, and cross-ice hockey for the earlier age groups (from 5-8 years of age), endorsing multi-sport participation and FUN.

The ADM was implemented by USA Hockey in 2009 when all of the players from this year’s draft class would have been 7 years old.

#2 – Coaching certification – they all benefited from coaching certification programs in either Canada or the USA.

All of Quinn’s and Jacks Minor Hockey Coaches would have been certified thru the NCCP Hockey Canada program and all the other US players benefited from one of the top coaching certification programs in the USA to coincide with the roll-out of their ADM model in 2009. The majority of other sports in the USA have less developed or no coaching certification programs at all as they don’t have a centralized coaching certification program as we do in Canada.

#3 – Unlike all the Canadian and International players that come to Canada to play in major junior or Junior leagues playing on multiple teams, the U18 and U16 US NDTP are national teams that train and play in all tournaments and stay together as a group annually so they develop chemistry, competitive spirit vs. Canada’s “all-star” teams that are formed a few weeks prior to participating in international events.

Did Quinn and Jack get the best of both worlds then? Playing minor hockey in Canada than being selected to the US National Development program where they moved to Plymouth, billeted, went to school and trained with their teams?

The closest equivalent in Canada would be the explosion of academies where kids play on U15, U16 or U18 teams, go to schools together, the billet in same neighborhoods etc.

In BC/Alberta alone, there are 14 academies as members of the CSSHL (Canadian School Sport Hockey League) now with bantam prep, bantam varsity, U16, U18 boys and now girls teams with an annual bill to parents anywhere from $15-40K

A few other things jumped out for me when I was watching the draft in person that you don’t get a true feel for when watching on TV;

# 1 – When each player was interviewed and aired on the big screen to fill the 3 minute time limit that teams have to make their pick, literally EVERY player said that the experience was surreal, it had not sunk in yet, that their dream of playing in the NHL was getting closer and many shared that they wanted to make an impact and help their teams.

Translation – they are Gen Z, and regardless if it is sport, business, school, having mentored many students over the years who work with us as interns, literally every one answers the question, where do you see yourself in 5 Years?

Answer – I want to make a difference and contribute.

#2 – In those interviews, they also would thank their parents, friends, coaches and others who helped them get to this special moment that showed how much it takes a village to raise a child.

At about the ½ way point of the draft (after the Habs picked), I went to get a snack and while walking in the concourse came across a group of those from the village, several Alex Newhook’s (Colorado) friends who flew in from his home town in St. Johns Newfoundland, wearing his various jerseys were screaming at the top of their lungs in celebration.

Another was a group of Moncton WHL Wildcats teammates sitting adjacent to us who also traveled across the country from Moncton, Nova Scotia who jumped from their seats when their fellow teammate Jakob Pelletiers named was called and drafted to Calgary.

Many of the other players shared how many friends and family were there and what the whole experience reminded me of was high school graduation, as each player went up to receive his jersey ( graduation certificate), family and friends sitting in the stands would celebrate.

It was similar to when I attended both of my kids (now adults) high school and university graduation ceremonies and all I could think about was how proud I was of both of them, similar to that of all the parents would be of these potential prospect NHL players.

For a fleeting moment I thought to myself it would have been great to have been one of those parents to have seen all of my sons hard work pay off over the years to be drafted to either the WHL or the NHL, but then I reminded myself he learned a ton, had fun (for the most part) and he is now playing adult rec (AKA beer league) and loving the game more than he did in the crazy days (when winning at costs prevailed for all kids to contribute but that is another story in itself).

The other thing I thought about was all those players I coached (hundreds over the years), only a handful have gone on to play junior, one is finishing his tenure playing major junior whom I thought potentially would be drafted to the NHL and would have been great to see him go up on that stage with others but it was a reality check just how hard it is to make it just to the NHL draft, let alone play.

Then as the draft finished up we walked to a local restaurant to have dinner and truly appreciated the moment when Alex Newhook and his family and friends walked up the restaurant we were at on the outside deck, we all stood up to give him a standing ovation and then quieted down when he approached the hostess and asked if it would be possible to get a table.

Two of the tables on the deck as did we stood up (we were heading out) offered ours so a teenager could celebrate such a special moment with his family as I did with my kids when they hit such special milestones.

I then headed to my car, my cohort headed to his hotel as was attending day 2 of the draft the next day.

Although such a small % of kids that play hockey will reach this milestone, and even if drafted, may or may not even play or have long careers in the NHL my friend shared with the reason why he loves going to the drafts is that is the time we as coaches can see when kids realize their dreams they had as toddlers, as Jack Hughes did and all those other first overall picks before him.

I am looking forward to seeing how the careers of this year’s draft class evolves.

I can then look back when they make team rosters and do all the others things that we dreamed about as kids and say to myself like all the other members of their villages and say to myself, WOW I was there when they got drafted and saw their dream come to fruition.

Bonus – Download this blog in PDF Format HERE

The Transformation of John Tortorella

Posted April 25, 2019January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, Organization Executive, Parents

I am writing this as the Columbus Blue Jackets are going to start the second round of the NHL playoffs against the Boston Bruins but won’t be posting for another week so won’t reflect the first 4+ games played in the second round.

I would be remiss not doing a post during the Stanley Cup Playoffs not referencing the amazing accomplishment of the Columbus Blue Jackets led by the “new” John Tortorella.

Everyone knows John for his antics in past exploding towards players, coaches, and officials when he lost his temper.

But what people don’t know is he is no longer the John Tortorella of old, people say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks but John is the epitome of how this is not this case.

In 2004 John led the Tampa Bay Lighting to their first (and only to date) Stanley Cup captained by Dave Andreychuk with fellow Canadian counterparts Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Brad Richards and 13 others who won against the Calgary Flames in 7 games. The following season the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup against the last Canadian Team to reach the finals, the Edmonton Oilers and another Stanley Cup Final will be US teams as all three Canadian teams that made the playoffs this season were knocked out in the first round.

Fast Forward to this season, Columbus Manager rolled the dice before the trade deadline to acquire several rental players to reach their goal to win their first playoff round EVER acquiring Adam McQuaid, Keith Kinkaid, Ryan Dzingel, Matt Duchene and Julius Bergmen.

Although it took several weeks for the new players to buy-in to John’s systems the results paid off, and John led the Blue Jackets to their first ever playoff win against his former Tampa Bay Lighting team he led to the Stanley Cup 15 years prior.

I remember watching game 4 and was blown away how Columbus outplayed this season’s President Cup Winners as the top team, tying the NHL record for points and wins (62) in one season only to be swept by Columbus in the first round. Others followed Calgary (top team in the west) and recently the Washington Capitals who were defeated by Carolina who advanced to the second round for the first time since 2010.

The buzz amongst all those in the Hockey world is WOW, Tampa, Washington, Pittsburgh, Leafs, Jets, and Calgary who were all picked as favorites at the beginning of the season to potentially go deep in the playoffs have been eliminated in the first round.

This has Boston licking their chops now as the top seed remaining of the 8 teams

GO BLUE JACKETS!!! (never been a fan of Boston as long-time Habs fan)

Often when teams load up on rental players with the aspirations of going deep into the playoffs don’t make the playoffs or sputter out early so how did John Tortorella lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to take out the best team in the league in the first round?

Because he transformed.

John Tortorella is no longer the John of old that was infamous for his rants, systems, and strategies that many know him for.

Think back when he was hired by the Vancouver Canucks, in the only season he coached the team as they did not make the playoffs for the first time in 7 years, which included multiple 100+ point seasons and advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010-11.

I will never forget when John lost it when Calgary started their 4th line in January game in 2014 where he did the same and ensuing line brawl that occurred and then Torts chased down Calgary Coach at the time Bob Hartley in the dressing room hallway.

Suspect not his proudest moment, nor was it a great moment for the NHL with a full 5 on 5 brawl to start a game reminiscent of what the Hansens in Slapshot.

That season he coached the Canucks he overplayed many of his top players, opted to play his top two lines for the majority of the ice time where the third and 4th lines saw limited ice time.

The Sedins had their WORST seasons ever in terms of points, suffered injuries, as did Edler who was -37 that season and many of the other players also had poor seasons.

At the end of the season, John was fired by Mike Gillis and in his end of the season media conference, John shared that the Canucks needed to get younger to return back to the playoffs.

Ironically the Canucks hired Willie Desjardins the following season and he opted to roll 4 lines, connected with all of his players and lead them to the playoffs although they lost in the first round. As the Canucks were getting older and needed to go thru a “rebuild” Willy only lasted 2 seasons behind the bench and was let go but has returned to coach Team Canada in 2018 Olympics and interim head coach for the LA Kings this season.

John was the head coach of the USA World Championship Team in 2016 that received a lot of criticism as they did not medal and finished 7th overall and many in the hockey space felt that John would not behind the bench again as a result.

This after Columbus had hired John to be their head coach in 2015 and one of the conditions that they made when they did so is that he would have to change his coaching style to be less confrontational (Old School) and more transformational (New School)

The season that was prefaced by the World Cup of Hockey in 2016, John continued to change his coaching style so that he could be more of a player’s coach and less abrasive when dealing with media, he committed to developing all of his players in lieu of “playing his favorites” and rolled 4 lines and VOILA at the end of the 2016-17 season he was voted Coach of the Year.

In that season he led Columbus to a 16 game winning streak, one game short of NHL record held by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins (Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr were “pretty good” that year)

Columbus finished 3rd overall that season with 50 wins, 108 points, with the Capitals and Penguins (who won the cup that year) finishing 1st and second in the East.

Unlike this season, however, when they knocked Tampa out in the first round, they faced the Pittsburgh Penguins who knocked Columbus out in the first round and went on to win the Stanley Cup in back to back seasons.

A few other things that commentators shared during one of the Columbus playoff games;

John and his wife founded the John and Christine Tortorella Family Foundations for Giving Back.

The foundation focusing on providing funding to those that protect children, animals, and environment from harm. Prior he provided funding to charities in Tampa and New York where he previously coached.

When John moved to Columbus he opted to buy a horse farm as he LOVES animals, particularly dogs.

“If it isn’t Hockey, its Dogs”

People want to keep their dogs but can’t afford to do it, have a program in the foundation, try to facilitate helping people keep their dogs that require expensive vet care.

Although John and Christine have never had experience raising horses, they recently adopted two Bella Run Fosters who were going to be slaughtered.

John has always been one of the most knowledgeable coaches in the NHL, but now that he has modified his coaching style to focus on the players, has a softer demeanor where he even wears hoodies on the bench, it is another example of how winning just becomes a byproduct if you are transformational coach focusing more on the person than the outcomes of games.

If John can transform his leadership style if you are not drinking the kool-aid yet in terms of transformational leadership, shouldn’t you?

The Greatest Coaches EVER were/are transformational leaders including John Wooden, Clare Drake, Phil Jackson, Pete Carroll, Sean McVay amongst others.

Will you be next?

Let’s all work together to bring the game back to the kids …. Where it belongs.