Glass & Out

TSN's Bob McKenzie: Observations on the Evolution of Coaching by Aaron Wilbur

Former Team Canada Head Coach Laura Schuler: Growing the Women's Game by Aaron Wilbur

The recent growth of German hockey has been one of the more intriguing stories within the hockey world over the past few years. A silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics, four first-round picks over the past three NHL drafts, and the reigning Art Ross, Ted Lindsay and Hart Trophy winner in Leon Draisaitl are just a few accomplishments the country has to boast over that span. As arguably the most celebrated German player ever and former national team head coach, Marco Sturm has left an impact at almost every level of German hockey. The current LA Kings assistant coach played a key role in the developing the German Ice Hockey Federation’s “POWER PLAY 26” program, which aims to make Germany a consistent medal contender at the World Championships and Olympics by the year 2026. Sturm’s 14-season NHL career saw him spend time with six different teams and finish in first place in games played (938) and points scored (487) for a German born player. He was also a fixture with the national program, including captainin

Well, the NHL pulled it off. Under the unprecedented circumstances of a global pandemic, the league was able to fully complete four rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs within two bubbles and no positive tests of COVID-19. Congratulations to them and the Tampa Bay Lightning on capturing a historic Stanley Cup championship. We're joined today by a member of the Lighting coaching staff and friend of the site, assistant coach Derek Lalonde. Lalonde's first two seasons in the NHL have been eventful to say the least. The last time he joined the podcast, Tampa was fresh off a disastrous first round sweep at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He now joins us just over two weeks after the Bolts captured their second championship in franchise history, and one that could definitely be put in the "hardest Cup runs in NHL history" conversation. Lalonde's journey to the NHL took a total of 23 years working his way through the NCAA, USHL, ECHL, and AHL. After 16 season as an assistant in NCAA Div 3 and Div 1 hockey, he

The career of a hockey coach is often a long journey filled with many stops along the way. Success and prominent jobs usually take years of grinding and patience. At the age of 34, Adam Maglio is in the process of preparing for his first season as the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs -- making him the youngest current head coach in the WHL. This comes after just one season as an assistant on Manny Veiveros' staff, which saw the Chiefs finish with a 41-18-4-1 record, including wins in each of their final 10 games, before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Maglio's quick rise up the coaching ladder speaks to his ability to sell his vision through good communication and attention to detail. A native of Nelson, BC, Maglio's unique coaching journey began in Hong Kong of all places. After graduating from a playing career at the University of British Columbia, he travelled east to run a hockey academy for kids between the ages of 5-15, while also playing in the local semi-professional league. Dur

Goaltending is one the most evolved and complex positions in hockey. Take the current Stanley Cup Final for example. It features two vastly different netminders who have helped propel their teams to within four wins of Cup. On the Dallas side, we have Anton Khudobin, a 34-year-old career backup on the playoff run of a lifetime. On the Tampa Bay side, there’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, a 26-year-old Vezina Award winner whom many would have picked to be in this exact position at the beginning of the year. Despite their paths, resume, and playing styles, either could end up lifting the Cup. Few in hockey have knowledge of the position like LA Kings goalie coach Bill Ranford. From his days backstopping the Edmonton Oilers to a 1990 Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophy, to his 14 years helping develop the Kings future in net, Ranford has seen the evolution of goaltending first hand. His playing career included 15 years in NHL, a 1991 Canada Cup, and a gold medal at the 1994 World Championships. Following retirement, Ranfor

Over the past 10 years, few coaches have climbed the coaching ladder as efficiently as Reid Cashman. His noted work ethic, overall attention to detail, along with experience gained under several established coaches have led him to his current situation: preparing for a new chapter as first time head coach with Dartmouth Big Green. Cashman's fast-tracked coaching journey began at the young age of 29 with his alma mater Quinnipiac University, where he spent five years as an assistant under the mentorship of his former coach Rand Pecknold. He then made the jump to the AHL with the Hershey Bears and, after just two seasons, would join the big club in Washington as an assistant under Todd Reirden. During his time with the Capitals, Cashman was in charge of handling defencemen and played a key role in the development of players like 2020 Norris Trophy candidate John Carlson. Cashman shared his thoughts on defenceman development at the 2019 TeamSnap HockeyCoaches Conference, where he presented on building deception

We're back! Welcome to the fourth season of the Glass and Out Podcast. We hope you had a safe and productive summer. Although we remain in uncertain times, we hope to continue to provide a resource for anyone involved in the game to learn from and stay up to date in the latest happenings of the hockey world as we head into a what is sure to be a season like no other. We kick things off with a man who may have just been they busiest person in hockey this past summer, Hockey Canada Chief Executive Officer Tom Renney. Renney, like a lot of executives and leaders, has been navigating uncharted waters during the COVID-19 pandemic. The possibility and aftermath of a cancelled season are likely concepts that he never thought he'd have to contemplate. As a hockey lifer, he can certainly relate to the range of emotions so many have been feeling during these times. The Cranbrook, BC native has coached at just about every level over his more than 40 years involved in the game. His resume includes two WHL championships a

By now, you're probably sick and tired of hearing the phrase "unprecedented times," but that is the reality we currently live in. As the NHL prepares for a possible return to play, it, along with the rest of the hockey world, remains in a state of great uncertainty. Nowhere is that more prominent than minor and youth hockey. What happens if a player tests positive for COVID-19? When will full team practices be allowed? Will 5-on-5 games be played or will it be purely skill development and practice? Those are just a few of the many questions that face Ian Taylor, the Executive Director of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association, and Glen Andresen, Executive Director of Minnesota Hockey. Both men oversee two of the largest hockey organizations in the world and will play critical roles in how their leagues approach the upcoming hockey season during the current pandemic. Their main objectives will be keeping everyone involved safe, while returning to some level of normalcy to keep the game fun and competitive. It's

In many ways, the Boston Bruins have been one of the model NHL franchises over the past 10 years. Over that span, the B’s have won a Cup while making three Finals appearances, captured two Presidents’ Trophies and only missed the playoffs twice. One of the main reasons for their success? Top notch special teams — and more specifically, their penalty kill. Bruins assistant coach Joe Sacco is currently in his sixth season with the team and is in charge of the PK. The Bruins have finished with a top-three unit three times under his watch, including the current season. Sure, having arguably the top two-way forward in the league in Patrice Bergeron, along with super-pest Brad Marchand and a 6-foot-9 Zdeno Chara helps, but a lot of the credit belongs to Sacco. The Medford, Massachusetts native played college at Boston University and was selected by Toronto in the fourth round of the 1987 NHL Draft. He would go on to play 13 seasons in the NHL and represent USA Hockey eight times, including the 1992 Olympic Games in

Ownership instability, the constant threat of relocation, and only two playoff series victories in 22 years have made the history of the Arizona Coyotes franchise one filled with turmoil. But for the first time in years, it appears that things could be trending upwards for the Desert Dogs. A young core that includes Clayton Keller and Jakob Chychrun, plus veteran stars like Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Taylor Hall, and a solid goaltending-tandem of Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta compose a team looking to end a seven-year playoff drought. They will take on the Nashville Predators in a best-of-five play-in series this summer. Assistant coach John MacLean is his third season with Arizona and knows the struggles of trying to build a contender. MacLean spent 22 years as a player (14) and coach (8) with the New Jersey Devils, and played a pivotal role in their journey from basement dwellers to NHL powerhouse. Drafted sixth overall in 1983, he would finish his career as their all-time leading scorer (347 goals and 701 p

Well, it appears that NHL hockey will be resuming sometime this Summer. While the unprecedented circumstances will create a playoffs like we've never seen before, the unique best-of-five series play-in round that kicks things off is sure to offer some intriguing matchups. The Minnesota Wild and assistant coach Bob Woods are now in preparation mode as they get ready for a series with the Vancouver Canucks. The Wild have had a turbulent year that saw head coach Bruce Boudreau replaced by Dean Evason in February. The Wild went 8-4 following the coaching change and appeared to be turning things around right as the season came to a halt. With no exact dates currently set, Woods and the Wild staff now face the tough task of two months of uncertainty and designing a plan for Elias Pettersson and the upstart Canucks. After an ECHL Hall of Fame playing career, Woods would take on a role as a player-assistant coach with the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks and Mississippi Sea Wolves for four seasons. It was there that he met B

Hockey's transition from a standard of big, tough, physical defencemen to mobile, puck-movers has truly been one of the more interesting changes the game has seen. Not only are undersized defencemen now given a legitimate chance to succeed, they're flourishing as some of the hockey's brightest stars. If Nashville Predators assistant coach Dan Lambert had been born 20 years later, his playing career may have played out very different. As a 5-foot-9 defenceman, Lambert had an impressive junior career that saw him rack up 319 points in 244 games with the WHL's Swift Current Broncos, capture a Memorial Cup championship and represent Canada at the 1989 World Junior Championships. He was drafted in the sixth round by the Quebec Nordiques but would go on to play just a handful of NHL games, spending most of his career in the AHL, IHL and DEL German pro league. Following his playing career, Lambert got his first coaching gig as an assistant with the WHL's Kelowna Rockets. After five seasons, he was named head coach a

Here at the Glass and Out Podcast, we tend to focus on topics like tactics, player development and leadership/communication. This week, we’ll be focusing on an often forgotten side of the game — but one that is just as integral to success on the ice: the mental game. Dr. Leonard Zaichkowsky is credited as one of the pioneers of sports psychology, bringing together cognitive neuroscience and sports performance. He has spent his career researching, writing and speaking on performance psychology, sports science, and the emerging technology that allows us to better understand it. A co-founder and senior consultant at 80 Percent Mental Consulting, Dr. Zaichkowsky advises coaches, teams and sports organizations on developing athlete cognition. His current list of clients includes the Pittsburgh Penguins and Golden State Warriors. He’s also consulted with teams in the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, Australian Rules Football, the Spanish men’s national soccer team and Olympic sports organizations around the world. From 2010 to

Look up the phrase “hockey lifer,” and you’ll likely find a picture of Rick Bowness right next to it. Bowness has coached for an incredible 35 consecutive years in pro hockey and currently sits in first place in all-time NHL games coached with over 2,400 of them. At 65 years old, he doesn't appear to be slowing down either. Bowness is currently the interim head coach of the Dallas Stars after taking over the team in December. The Stars sat in third place in the Central Division at the time of the season postponement. Ranked second in goals against with 177 allowed, there's no doubt that they will be a contender in the Western Conference if/when the season resumes. The Moncton, New Brunswick native began his coaching career in 1984 as a player-coach with the Sherbrooke Jets, Winnipeg's AHL affiliate at the time. The Jets promoted Bowness to assistant coach of the big club the following season. After four seasons back in the AHL, he would join the Boston Bruins as head coach for one season. Bowness would then h

One of the toughest challenges a coach can face is to be named interim head coach of a struggling team that is expected to make the playoffs, midway through a season. There’s no exact playbook for turning things around in such a short timespan. That is the exact situation that the Minnesota Wild’s Dean Evason faced this season. With the team sitting at 27-23-7 under Bruce Boudreau, Evason was promoted from assistant to interim head coach on February 14. He would guide the Wild to an 8-4 record and within a point of the final Western Conference wild card spot when the season was put on hiatus. The appointment was 22 years in the making, as Evason had progressed from coaching junior hockey in the WHL, to professional hockey in the AHL and NHL. After getting his career started with WHL stops in Kamloops, Vancouver, and Calgary, his first shot in the NHL would come as an assistant with the Washington Capitals. Seven seasons later, he would move to the AHL and become head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals for six se

From his pro career as an undersized enforcer, to his journey through unlikely destinations as a coach, Kevin “Killer” Kaminski has just about seen it all. The former tough guy recently finished his first season with the La Ronge Ice Wolves of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, leading them to the playoffs after three consecutive last-place finishes. In fact, the Wolves won more games under Kaminski than they had the previous three seasons combined. As a result of the impressive turnaround, he was named co-SJHL Coach of the Year. Standing at just 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, Kaminski was able to carve out a 12-year pro career as an enforcer after being drafted 48th overall by the Minnesota North Stars in 1987. He would go on to play 139 NHL games, collecting 528 PIMs and battling heavyweights like Bob Probert, Tie Domi, and John Kordic. Did we mention he was 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds? Following his retirement, Kaminski accepted an assistant coaching gig with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the AHL under Mike Bab

There are few coaches in the history of hockey as accomplished as Ken Hitchcock. While he may not be officially there yet, it’s fair to say that’s it’s only a matter of time before he receives a call from the Hockey Hall of Fame. Hitchcock has dedicated nearly 50 years of his life to coaching and his list of achievements are endless: - 3rd all-time in NHL wins(849) - 6th all-time in NHL games coached(1598) - Stanley Cup winner - Jack Adams Award winner - 3 Olympic Gold Medals with Team Canada - World Cup of Hockey Championship - WJC Gold Medal - 2 WHL league titles - 2 WHL Coach of the Year awards - CHL Coach of the Year - Honoured with the Order of Hockey in Canada Hitchcock's coaching career began at the grassroots level in his hometown of Edmonton, Alberta with the Sherwood Park Chain Gang Midget AAA program. After 10 seasons of great success, he would join the WHL's Kamloops Blazers. In his six seasons there, the Blazers would advance to the Memorial Cup twice. His first shot at the NHL would come as an a

When you think of sports and the state of Nebraska, Cornhuskers football and the College World Series are usually the first things that come to mind. But thanks in part to current Omaha Lancers head coach David Wilkie, you can now add growing pipeline for ice hockey players to that list. There are few people as deep rooted in Omaha hockey as Wilkie. Prior to his three seasons with the Lancers in the USHL, he guided the Omaha AAA Hockey Association for seven seasons as their Director of Hockey Operations. He coached the program’s U16 and U18 teams to 34 major championships, bringing the program to national prominence. During that time, the program produced 92 junior hockey players, 44 NCAA Division 1 commitments and four NHL drafted players. Included in that list is his son Chris Wilkie, who finished this season second in goals in the NCAA as a senior forward for Colorado College. As a player, Wilkie was a first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens and would go on to play 167 NHL games. He also represented Tea

Today marks a special day for the Glass and Out Podcast. We’ve arrived at episode 100! We want to send a special thanks to everyone who’s tuned in over the past few years. Here’s to a 100 more! We are certainly in bizarre times around the world. When it comes to hockey, you’d be hard pressed to find a coach who had a stranger season than Kelowna Rockets bench boss Kris Mallette. The Rockets were struggling under head coach Adam Foote with a record of just 24-26-2-2 in late February. With the 2020 Memorial Cup taking place in Kelowna and things not going according to plan, GM Bruce Hamilton decided to shake things up by replacing Foote with Mallette, who had worked as an assistant for five seasons. Mallette was handed the reigns of a struggling Memorial Cup-bound team with only 14 games remaining in the regular season, all while replacing a well-respected former NHL star, whose son also happened to be the captain of the team and a first-round NHL draft pick. Then, just when the Rockets appeared to be respondin