The Coaches Site Founder Aaron Wilbur sits down with some of hockey’s top coaches and leaders to learn about their journey and dissect the lessons they’ve learn...
NCAA Head Coach Dave Smith: Learning from being let go, evolution of the royal road and following your passion
In episode #293, we welcome good friend of The Coaches Site, Dave Smith. Two days before we were scheduled to record this podcast he notified us that he had been relieved of his duties as the Head Coach of RPI. Despite that, he agreed to join the pod with his only request being that we focus on the future and the positive experiences he enjoyed during his eight season’s leading the RPI program. Previous to his time with RPI Smith spent 12 seasons as Head Coach at Canisius College. Prior to that, he was an Assistant Coach for seven seasons split between Miami University (Ohio), Bowling Green, and Mercyhurst. He is now going to start a new chapter in his coaching journey and will again relish in the opportunity to build and lead a team. We hope that this conversation will give other coaches hope and help them navigate the curveballs that the game throws at them. Listen as he shares the message he left his players with after being let go, why the royal road has changed offensive hockey, and why it all starts with following you passion.
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Tappara Head Coach Rikard Grönborg: Always choosing the challenge, encouraging decision making and failure over cowardice
In episode #292, we welcome Tappara Head Coach Rikard Grönborg. Last time we spoke with Grönborg, he and the Swedish National team were coming off back-to-back Gold medals at the World Championships, while he was also preparing to speak at TCS Live in 2019. His presentation on the evolution of coaching and player development in Sweden is a must watch. You can check it out at The Coaches Site. Grönborg was then hired by the Zurich Lions heading into the 2019-2020 season, his first opportunity to coach a club team in professional hockey. He would lead the Lions to first place in the NLA standings prior to his first season being cut short due to the COVID pandemic. From Zurich, he would head north to Finland, joining Tappara, and in the process, become the first non-Finnish coach to coach in the Liga. In his first season, he would lead Tappara to a league Championship. Now in his second season, he’s managing a younger roster, but also an organizational shift focused on sports science and homegrown talent. Listen as he shares why he's always accepted the challenge of trying something different, how to get players out of their comfort zone, and how to encourage your players to make decisions.
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HC Davos Head Coach Josh Holden: Skills-skills vs game-skills, passing habits in practice and the Spengler Cup bench incident
In episode #291, we continue our trip through Europe with a visit from HC Davos Head Coach Josh Holden. Davos is of course the home of the Spengler Cup, a tournament that Holden and HC Davos won last season (his first with the team), the 16th in the club's history. After a playing career in North America that saw Holden drafted 12th overall in 1996 by the Vancouver Canucks and spend time with Carolina and Toronto, he would travel overseas and evetually settle in Zug, Switzerland. Zug would also be where he got his start in coaching, joining Dan Tangnes’ staff the season following his retirement. During his five seasons as an Assistant Coach, the club would capture one Swiss Cup and back to back NLA Championships. Listen as he shares the difference between skills-skills and game-skills, the mentality of being "all in today," and what he learned from the infamous bench incident at the Spengler Cup.
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EV Zug Head Coach Dan Tangnes: Keys to playing a possession game, creating offence through risk management and integrity always comes first
In episode #290, we welcome current Head Coach of EV Zug Dan Tangnes. He grew up in Norway and represented his country internationally at the U20 level, and eventually made his way to Sweden where he would turn pro. Tangnes started coaching in the Rogle academy and eventually would work his way up to coaching Linkoping HC in the SHL, Sweden’s top league. From there, he would join Zug in 2018 and lead them to a regular season title in his first season. He continued to invest in relationships and along with his players, created a culture that would support Zug capturing back to back NLA Championships in 2021 and 2022. Next season, he will be returning to Rogle to become their next Head Coach. In the meantime, he’s focused on bringing a third Championship to Zug. Listen as he shares why filtering information down to what matters most is a key skill for coaches, why playing a possession game comes down to the players without the puck, and why integrity needs to come first before wins and titles.
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The Mental Game Academy's Larissa Mills: Phone usage affecting confidence, the gambling/porn problem and solutions for coaches
In episode #289, we're joined Cognitive Behavioural Sports Specialist Larissa Mills for a very important conversation. Whether it’s social media, sports betting, pornography or any number of other apps designed to highjack the focus of your players, smart phones have become an opponent we’re all grappling with. Mills holds a BA in Sociology, Psychology, and a Masters of Science in Education, specializing in brain functionality and learning mechanisms. She is the Founder of the Mental Game Academy, an organization committed to empowering athletes, specifically by helping them overcome addiction to their phones. She also gave a talk last year's at TCS Live on How Phones and Social Media Impact Athlete's Brains and Hockey IQ. Listen as she shares why confidence is directly linked to phone usage, why gambling and porn have become a major issue for today's youth, and solutions for coaches on handling these many issues.
The Coaches Site Founder Aaron Wilbur sits down with some of hockey’s top coaches and leaders to learn about their journey and dissect the lessons they’ve learned along the way. Each episodes features key take aways for coaches of all levels. The Glass and Out Podcast is required listening for coaches looking to gain key insights from hockey’s most influential leaders.
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