Our hearts are heavy this morning with the news of the passing of Minnesota coaching and broadcasting legend, Glen Sonmor. Glen coached the Gophers, Fighting Saints (with whom he also served as GM) and North Stars before a long career calling Gopher games on the radio alongside Wally Shaver.

A few years ago, Glen was kind enough to grant us the privilege of sitting down with him for a series of interviews discussing his long hockey career, both on and off the ice. Below is the product of that discussion filled with fond memories and anecdotes from Glen’s lifelong love affair with the game of hockey.

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The post A Hockey Life appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Youth hockey coaches have an incredible opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of the young players on their teams. The coaches spend a considerable amount of time with their players and the players will learn not only hockey but many life skills and lessons from the coaches. The challenge for youth coaches is to deliver the right messages and model the right behaviors that will help the players grow as individuals and as players.

A goggle search of the word “coach” comes up with; “a person who directs players activities in a game.” Used as a verb, “to coach” means “to train.” Both functions of coaching require technical skills in the game, as well as skills as a trainer or teacher.

The first definition is really an illusion in hockey because when the puck drops at game time the coaches are not directing play on the ice ‐ although many coaches try to shout instructions throughout the game from the bench.

There is another way to perceive the role of a coach and that is to think of coaching young people as mentoring.

In the past when I’ve spoken at CEP clinics in Minnesota, and around the country, we discussed the difference between a coach and a mentor. When I brought up the idea of a mentor and asked the coaches to think of mentors that they have had in their lives a lot of smiles appeared and heads nodding up and down.

Bingo, the light went on. A mentor is someone who cares, helps, guides and teaches. Gosh that sounds like what coaches should be doing.

Checking again with Google and then to a Mentor website the following definition appears:

Matter of Trust. Mentoring is a structured and trusting relationship that brings young people together with caring individuals who offer guidance, support and encouragement aimed at developing the competence and character of the mentee. A mentor is an adult who, along with parents, provides a young person with support, counsel, friendship, reinforcement and constructive example. Mentors are good listeners, people who care, people who want to help young people bring out strengths that are already there.

It is hard to imagine any coach not agreeing that being a mentor is a good thing to be to youngsters but why when we hit the ice is it so hard to do? Is it because of personal ego or maybe the mistaken idea that the coaches job is just to win?

At the mite and squirt levels the atmosphere is pretty tame, but each year after it really heats up until bantams where the pressure to “win baby win” and the volatile nature of maturing young people collide. As the players move on to high school, the pressure to win moves to the top of the list with the parents leading the charge looking for scapegoats if the teams do not win, or worse yet, their child does not make the team.

It takes special people to balance the competitive pressures of bantam and high school players along with the mentoring the players need.

Mentoring activities include taking the time to get to know the players and what they like to do away from the rink. Taking an interest in them as individuals, their school work, and families helps to build the relationships it takes to successfully mentor/ coach a player. I believe that it takes entire seasons with a player to develop a good working understanding and trust in order to be effective as a coach.

Unfortunately, in our youth hockey system many of the players only spend one year with a coach before moving on. That means extra effort needs to be made to quickly build the trust and effective communication. Without these, a coach is just another loud adult to tune out.

Look for ways to engage every player on your team about something beside hockey. The effort will reward you and the players.

As you head to the rink each day, think first of being a mentor to all of your players and a coach second. By taking this approach you will leave a positive life‐long impression on your players, have more fun yourself and, although I cannot prove it, probably win more games.

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As coaches, we have a constant urge to take control, correct mistakes, and improve our players. When someone is doing something wrong, we want to intervene and demonstrate the proper technique.

In many cases this is what we are supposed to do. But when it comes to teaching teamwork and leadership, players need the opportunity to step up and take control. This often requires coaches to step back and give more ownership to their players, a tough thing to do especially when they are making some mistakes.

Our job as hockey coaches can be made even tougher because of the hockey culture we operate in. Coaches are supposed to design the rules and enforce them. But what is the responsibility of the player?

When one of his teammates is being bullied by another teammate or even by a non-teammate at school, should there be a rule (or rather an expectation) that he will step up and intervene? When a teammate is taking cheap shots in practice or constantly trying to check his weakest teammate as hard as he can, do others tell him to knock it off?

And when a meaningless personality conflict erupts, are the players expected to find a resolution? In all of these cases, do we really only expect the coach to do something?

Players do have a responsibility to protect their teammates and resolve conflicts amongst themselves.  Just imagine a bunch of a young peewee’s teammates telling a bully at school to stop messing with their teammate or a high school captain who doesn’t allow some of his senior buddies to try to check the weakest skaters as hard as they can at captain’s practice.

Of course, there are instances when coaches should step in, resolve a problem, and discipline their players. But in many cases, players can and should be encouraged to take ownership of a team problem.

They will often need some guidance as to how to do so, and even with advice may fail. But that’s okay.  Practice and a culture that expects players to take responsibility for their team will ultimately lead create better teams and hockey.

The post Teaching teamwork appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

I am not sure why this has become so prevalent. Last Sunday I was at a youth sports event, and as always, the sport does not matter. There were 6 year olds playing. One coach yelled at his player: “If you don’t want to be out here, I’ll get someone else in who does.”

I am not sure what bothered me more: the fact that nobody on this team thought this should be stopped, or more precisely, that this was obviously an every game occurrence.

Let me explain a couple of things about kids that I have learned from being a parent and a coach. Kids trust adults. Especially adults put in a position of authority. Trying to teach kids by yelling at them makes them feel awful. They live in the moment. When they feel hurt, they rebel, ignore, and/or shut down.

They are kids. The younger they are the harder it is to teach them “plays”. Just let them play everything and love to be active. You know how many times kids change their minds in a day? Besides, it’s like trying to herd baby kittens and puppy dogs when they are that age.

If you want to see kids playing well with no yelling, go to my website frozenshorts.com and click on videos. Scroll down to the Pop Warner video. These kids were given one minute of instructions and allowed to play. The officials were a high school volleyball player and a high school soccer player. They were out there for safety and to blow the whistle when the play stopped. These kids were averaging between nine and sixteen plays in a 20 minute half under their coach’s tutelage. In the second half they will run 21 plays! Watch them do cart wheels and summersaults.

They do not perform their best when they are constantly being told what to do either. Ever hear a two year old say this: “I can do it by myself.” When is the last time you were at a playground and you heard the children stop what they were doing to ask an adult to give them more structure?

Coaching is a very important part of youth sports. A wise man once told me, “Coach the kid, not the sport.”

Or, Coach Molly and Bo, not the x’s and the o’s.

This is what we do at Frozen Shorts. We use science, psychology, and data to teach all who will listen and want to learn that a safe, healthy, and happy child will play all day if you let them play for fun.

You see it’s not my job to decide when or even if the light goes on for those associated with youth and high school sports. My job is to just keep flipping the switch.

I am just the messenger, the truth was already there.

You can follow VJ on twitter @VJJStanley, Please like him on face book at frozenshorts, sign up for his weekly FREE newsletter at frozenshorts.com, or read other essays from VJ and watch related videos at frozenshorts.com

The post Let the kids play appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

What you say, and do, as a coach matters to your players.

There are 53.8 million kids playing sports in the United States and the most common phrases they all say to each other and their parents is, “Coach said….”.  Because kids pay close attention to what their coaches say and do, coaches hold great power to influence young people.

Research shows that in the hierarchy of adults coaches have the highest position in the minds and hearts of their players. Understanding this stature places quite a responsibility on youth and high school coaches.  What you say, and do, matters.

Coaches have a choice between being a transactional coach or TRANSFORMATIONAL coach.

Transactional coaches are concerned primarily about winning games. The inevitable results are, short benches, misplaced priorities, too many games and similar strategies that supports winning as a priority.  These strategies can be successful in the short run but they leave kids empty, uninspired, and looking elsewhere for what they need. The strategies also drain the depth out of a program as fewer kids develop the passion they need to sustain their participation and fulfill their potential.

Transformational coaches are concerned about developing the players’ minds, body and spirit. Transformational coaches  can  change the lives of their players in a positive direction and give the players the  skills they need to succeed in life  and not just  in hockey.

A transformational youth coach:

• Play all players regardless of game situations.
• Treats all players fairly
• Models sportsmanship
• Teaches respect for the game, teammates, officials and opponents
• Is patient and takes time with every player to help them overcome obstacles and build confidence
• Understands that to be successful a coach needs to teach each individual and the team as a whole.
• Has a strong set of values that guide their daily interactions with individual with players and the team.

A transformational High School Coach:

• High school is supposedly about winning! And yes winning is important. But high school coaches can also be Transformational and arguably their teen-age players are desperate for this type of adult in their lives. This age group is where coaches can make the biggest impact on their players.
• With all of the attention and pressure placed on high school players their coaches need to help keep them grounded and provide an environment in which they can succeed regardless of the final.

With all of the knowledge and resources we have about how to inspire and support our young people in in sports, it only makes sense that we not tolerate anything but a transformational approach to coaching. This approach can be hard and it can be challenging at times but the effort is worth it. Youth sports are called “Youth Sports” for a reason. It is about our kids.

Illustration by Jeran Schmidt

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Understanding position expectations and how to play a position well is important information to youth players as they move through the system. As I discussed in the last two articles about on ice effectiveness for goalies and defensemen in this article the role of forwards will be explored.

Forwards are either wings or centers. To some degree the positions are interchangeable although some players maybe better on the wing instead of as centers.  Each position has preferred skills in order to effective.

Centers tend to be playmakers and in the most common team systems they play deep in the defensive zone to assist the defensemen in regaining possession and beginning the counter attack.  Centers typically will take the face offs and good centers will win 60 percent of the draws. This is a skill that can be learned and coaches should work with the forwards to develop faceoff skills and puck support skills in the D zone.

Wings have different responsibilities in the defensive zone. In most systems they are responsible for covering the other teams defensemen at the blue line and to assist in the breakout.  As the rush moves up ice they need to find ways to create odd man situations in order to advance the puck to the opponents net for a scoring opportunity.  Many coaches will ask wings to play on their off wing (right shot on left wing/ left shot on right wing) which will give them better shooting angles and lanes to the net.  Playing on the off wing means learning how to handle puck on the wall in a different fashion than on the fore hand.  Wings need to learn puck support, how to create time and space and how to shoot effectively.  Puck handling skills are critical which include puck protection, passing and receiving.  Older players also need to develop body contact skills in order to be effective and safe along the wall and in front of the net.

Remembering back to the previous articles I suggested that with younger players these concepts should be introduced and discussed often. As players move to and beyond 12 years old meaningful statistics from games can help them identify areas where they can improve and help coaches identify skills that need work. Give aways and take aways are good statistics for all positions except goaltenders. I believe plus- minus on even strength goals is a good indicator of over all play. Shots attempted and shots on goal will identify players who need to focus scoring opportunities. Blocked shots are also an easy statistic to track and learning to block shots is easy to teach and learn.

Goalies, defensemen and forwards all have skill sets they need in order to be successful. Youth and high school coaches should be continuously working on measureable skills to help their players succeed at the various positions. Skating and puck handling skills rank one and two on the list. Consistent work in these areas will pay dividends as the players improve and develop confidence in these skills as they learn to incorporate these skills into their game.

Coaches should set time aside in every practice to develop the skills for each of the three distinct roles. Goalie drills, defensemen drills and forward drills. For younger players, 12 and under, they should rotate between forward and defense positioning during the season so they learn each of the positions. Often times when a player reaches high school or beyond the coach will look for a player to fill a need on the team. Skaters who can play forward or defense well will have more opportunities than those who can only play one position. Granted, some players are a natural fit at defense for example. Spending some time on a wing each year will make that player a better defenseman with the different perspective that forwards have and of course vice versa.

It is easy to simply run breakouts, power play etc. in practice and ignore skills however a coach has a responsibility to provide valuable information and development opportunities to players that will help them improve and be more effective on ice during games. It would be a mistake to defer to off-season programs for development. The winter season provides continuity and regular feedback opportunities that if used in the right way will help players develop faster and accomplish more in each game setting.

Start by discussing on ice effectiveness with your players. Once they are comfortable with the concept then introduce some measurable data to help them improve as players.

(Illustration by Megan Rankila ©2014)

The post Tearse: On-Ice Effectiveness – Forwards appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

In the first article I discussed that goalies, defensemen and forwards all have different roles to play on a team. They each need to have skills that allow them to preform in the position. Coaches need to recognize the individual skills required for each position and then help players develop those skills. Too often forwards are asked to play defense but often times only to add more offense to the lineup. This works for a while but championships are won with solid defense and quality defensemen are the best way to keep the opponents to 3 goals or less per game.

The view from the blue line is much different than from the forward positions. Defensemen have the luxury to view the game in front of them and react as needed. Maybe they read the play as a “force” or maybe they read it as a “contain” situation until help arrives. Some players are much better suited to this position than playing forward.  Defensemen need different skills than forwards and they need to work on them consistently to improve.

The most important skill they need is skating: Forwards, backwards, lateral backwards and transition skating. They need quick feet and acceleration. These skills need to be practiced over and over again.

Passing is also critical because the first pass initiates the counterattack and it needs to be the right choice. Executed poorly and the play comes back again with pressure from opponents.

Shooting is another important skills that need to be developed in defensemen. Specifically wrist shots from the blue line and one timers. The quicker the release the better the results. The objective is to get the puck in the scoring area around the crease if it does not go in on the original shot.

Gap control and body checking are other key ingredients for defensemen. Both require excellent skating skills and lots of practice. Gap control requires confidence in skating to keep up with the forwards and the knowledge that their partner is back up the play. Practice is the time to learn this.

Finally on the skill side is the courage to block shots. No other way to put this but in order to block shots a player must be willing to get in front of shots to prevent them from getting through. Many players pretend to block shots but careful review of game tape show that they never were in the line of the puck.  There are proper ways of blocking shots that make the play successful. These skills need to be taught to all players.

In regards to decision making and backing up the other defenseman on the ice these are skills that can also be learned and honed in practice. Things like playing between the dots, steering opponents to the outside, proper body position in front of the net, going to zero gap sooner all need to be taught and learned.

In order to track development, markers for defensemen should be giveaways, takeaways, plus/minus and shots on goal. Penalties hurt the team so they need to be kept to a minimum.

For anyone interested in skills drills to help improve defensemen they can go to www.minnesotahockey.org and click through to the skills videos in the coaches section.  The direct link is http://vimeo.com/5502815

(Illustration by Michelle Peterson)

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Hockey is a team game and youth hockey is for the enjoyment and development of all the players . At the college and professional ranks teams play 3 lines regularly and often times use the fourth line. In youth hockey the holy grail of “winning” is to often used to relegate the third line to the bench in many games.

When I coached Bantam A teams our opponents regularly shortened their bench early in the game. We beat a better team in the regional play offs a couple years because they only played two of their three lines. We changed our three lines every 30 seconds and wore them out. When we went through the post game handshake there were 5 cold dry hands. The last game of the season for them and the third line did not skate a shift. In another instance, the third line never played a shift against us in a scrimmage game, in October. In high school games I see opponents have left the third line sitting for entire games not to mention the fourth line. In Pee Wee B, our opponents routinely shorted the bench and in one instance, during the first period. Tournaments seem to bring out the short bench syndrome.

So what is this all about? Is it about winning? Perhaps or maybe it is about not losing. Perhaps the fear of losing is stronger than the joy of winning. I cannot actually understand what is so important that a coach needs sit a third of the team down in the important games. The impact on those players is devastating. Winning cannot heal the damage.

I am often told that the parents and players were told by the coach at the beginning of the season that this might occur and that everybody agreed to it. This is self serving for the coach because when would a parent or player speak up against a policy like this? After all, every parent and player thinks it will be the other kids who sit out. It is not until it occurs to them that the reality sinks in. By the time it happens, it is too late to object. The parents of the players who are getting the extra ice time are suddenly in favor of the short bench and will not speak up.

I know that there are two schools of thought about this. The first is that winning is the salve that heals all wounds. A player relegated to the bench during the championship run should be happy to be along for the ride. The second is that we play all season together as a team and as a team we will finish by playing together.

At the higher levels of hockey where it is a business and winning actually effects players and coach’s careers, player utilization is accepted by the participants. Players are delegated certain roles and they need to fulfill those expectations. In youth hockey, winning feels good but there are little other benefits other than adult ego gratification.

I believe that in youth hockey there is no place for the short bench. A good coach can manage the players so that all of the skaters participate in the game. A good coach will spend extra time with the weaker players through out the season to improve their skills. A coach who starts the season by talking about skill development, teaching, self esteem, and having fun would not break his word by shortening the bench. The short bench is the easy way out for a coach who has not prepared his team properly.

Does this mean a youth coach should run the lines 1,2,3? Well for the most part yes. I would suggest that a skilled coach can find a way to equal the ice time out. Will some players get more ice time than others? Yes. In fact some players do not want to be put into the game in pressure situations. Are there specific reasons to reduce ice time for individual players? Yes there are (discipline or perhaps illness) but to relegate 5 skaters and a goalie to the bench for extended periods of time in order to win is not a valid reason. In effect, the message is to those benched players is that they are being penalized for lack of talent and they are not really part of the team.

The game is for the kids, all of the kids. Research nationwide tells us that players would rather play on a team that wins 50 percent of their games than sit on the bench of a championship team with little or no playing time. The bottom line is that all of the kids want to play. Each year we lose 10,000 players nationwide as they move from pee wees to Bantams. Many cite the reason they quite because they are not having fun.

I can personally cite numerous conversations with pee wee and bantam parents over the past several years that told me that their boys had played for 5 or 6 years and they were about to quit because there is so much pressure to win and it was not fun. I received numerous emails this past season from parents upset that their child’s coach was routinely running a short bench. One instance was from the parents of a squirt C.

This is an issue that needs to be resolved at the beginning of each season. The parents and coaches need to all understand the policy. With a no short bench policy there are no problems. If your team is going to have a short bench policy, perhaps it is better to not have three lines but rather roster only 14 players. That would solve the problem. This one issue alone ruins the season for hundreds of kids and parents each year. Even in victory, it is hollow for the players who sat and watched their teammates play. I know several instances this past year where the teams had a problem with the policy in mid season and the teams fell apart for the rest of the year.

Parents of youth players should not put up with short bench policies. You need to get a commitment from your coaches at the beginning of the year that they will not shorten the bench. Be proactive about this issue at the beginning of the season because once the train leaves the station it is too late to get off.

(Illustration by Ann Macarayan ©2014)

The post Cold Dry Hands: The Short Bench appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

New columnist Hal Tearse offers his initial thoughts from the bench

The leaves are turning red, gold and yellow and a chill is in the air in the mornings and that can only mean one thing: Hockey Season!

Most programs have now completed their tryouts and the season is just getting underway. It is a time of anticipation and excitement for the players. They dream of unexpected success, one timer goals, saves off the knob of the stick, and tap-in goals.

The kids look forward to playing with their friends and spending time together in the locker rooms, on the bench and on the ice.  They look forward to out of town trips, a night or two in a hotel and swimming in the pool after their games.  When the skates have been hung in the garage this is what they remember.

The wins and losses? Just a blur.

Coaching youth and high school hockey is a special privilege and needs to be taken seriously and understood through the eyes of the players.  Coaches have the power to make a big impact on their players in a world of kids looking for leadership, affiliation, and the chance to be part of something special.

As a coach, spend time to understand and see from the perspective of the players. Help them to get better as players, become good teammates, and teach them to respect the game.  Make sure they have fun and that they play hard everyday.

This column will provide you with helpful ideas each week as the season progresses.

As a starter I want to direct you the skating videos that are available on this link.

These videos were developed for youth coaches to use with their kids. Spend 15 minutes of each practice in the first half of the season working on just skating. Mid season every other practice and late season ten minutes to each practice to stay fresh.  If you do just this one thing your players will skate much better and as a result they will play better also.

Have fun helping the youngsters on your team get better and learn to play the great game of hockey.

(Illustration by Leigh Luna ©2014)

The post Time to Drop the Puck appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Blaine, Minn. (June 14, 2014) – The Herb Brooks Foundation’s annual Golf Classic was held at the Victory Links Golf Course on the campus of the National Sports Center in Blaine, June 13. Proceeds raised by the tournament will support the Foundation’s mission to grow the game of hockey. A total of 135 golfers participated in this year’s event.

The event was a who’s-who of American hockey. Some of the hockey celebrities who participated included 1980 Olympians Dave Christian and Rob McClanahan, Minnesota Wild coach Mike Yeo and general manager Chuck Fletcher, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Nick Leddy, New Jersey Devils forward Ryan Carter, Colorado Avalanche forward Brad Malone, New York Islanders center Anders Less, St. Cloud State Hobie Baker Award nominee Jonny Brodzinski, Colorado College forward Sam Rothstein, Gopher defenseman Brady Skjei, 2007 Hobie Baker Award winner Ryan Duncan of the University of North Dakota, former Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School star Grant Besse, and retired stars Brian Bonin, Joe Dziedzic, Phil Housley, Pat Micheletti and Brian Lawton.

Micheletti also served as the co-MC of the banquet program along with Herb Brooks’ son Dan Brooks.

The centerpiece of the banquet was the induction of this year’s addition to the Herb Brooks Foundation Youth Hockey Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame honors those individuals who have significantly contributed to growing the game of hockey, the mission of the Herb Brooks Foundation.

The 2014 honoree was Chuck Grillo. For 50 years, the Hibbing, Minn. native has put his stamp on all levels of hockey, from youth up through the National Hockey League. The Hibbing High School and University of Minnesota-Duluth graduate was a pioneering Minnesota high school coach, in both hockey and baseball. At Bemidji High School, he took his hockey team to the state tournament four times and the baseball team to state seven times, including one state title. Following his stint up north, he moved to the Twin Cities, where he built the Rosemount High School hockey program from 1976-1980.

Grillo went on to be an NHL scout with the Rangers, North Stars, Penguins and eventually rose to become the general manager of the San Jose Sharks from 1992-1996.

In Minnesota however, Grillo is best known for his influence on youth hockey. As the creator and still owner-operator of the Minnesota Hockey Camps, a summer youth hockey camp based in Nisswa, Minn., Grillo has tutored young players in hockey skills, life lessons and the value of being a good teammate. From its creation in 1976 through the present, over 35,000 kids have come through the Minnesota Hockey Camps program.

“I owe my life in hockey to 16, 17 and 18 year old kids,” said Grillo, during his acceptance speech at the Herb Brooks Foundation banquet Friday evening.

Past inductees into the Herb Brooks Foundation Youth Hockey Hall of Fame have been Janet Marvin; Jim McDonough; Cal, Tut and Jack Marvin; Rudy Krampotich; Stan Hubbard and Wes Barette and Larry Hendrickson.

With a score of 51, the golf title went to the team of Rick Copeland, Chuck Grillo, Dino Grillo, Lou Schaefer and their celebrity player, Brad Malone. Grabbing second place with a score of 53 was the team of Jon Stoebe, Stefan Stoebe, Brent Johnson, Jack Brandes and their celebrity player Jonny Brodzinski. Slotting in for third place was the team of Peter Barsness, Keith LeBlanc Ross Bernstein, Murray Rudisill, with the celebrity player Brady Skjei.

The major sponsors of the 2014 Herb Brooks Foundation’s Golf Classic were Morrie’s Automotive Group, RBC Wealth Management, Total Hockey, Craig Hallum, FHIT Players, Minnesota Wild, Dave’s Sport Shop, The Butzow Foundation, ASPIRE Beverages, JB Hudson Jewelers, Victory Links golf course, National Hockey League Players Association, and Hockey Central.

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