**Disclaimer:** The following article represents the personal views and insights of an anonymous coach and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or editorial stance of Ohio Hockey Digest. This piece has been shared with us as a lighthearted feature, offering a unique perspective from the world of high school hockey coaching. We hope readers enjoy it as a fun read as the high school hockey season kicks off!
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Luckily (or not), I found my way back into coaching several years ago when I was called upon to join the staff of our local high school hockey team. At the time, I had accumulated an aggregated “resume” of approximately 15 years of experience as a head coach, assistant coach, manager, or concerned party in a variety of sports, including but not limited to hockey, football, soccer (both boys and girls), and, briefly, co-ed basketball.
My 15-year case study led me to conclude that there are three types of players and coaches. As you dive into this season and the inevitable grind of hockey, you must recognize and identify what hand you have been dealt. Players and coaches fall into one of these three classifications: (1) those driven by their love of winning, (2) those driven by their hatred of losing, and (3) those who are apathetic.
Hockey players and coaches driven by their love of winning usually find themselves in high school hockey after a stint, long or short, in a successful AA program or even an AAA program; other times, they just happen to be committed athletes who found a path into the sport. You can spot these kids quickly by how they carry themselves. They look and act like hockey players. Their gear is top-shelf, and they look sharp. They have invested time, money, and sweat into mastering the hockey craft. They know where they need to be during strength play, penalty kill, and the power play. Their demonstrated qualities and work ethic are often transferable to other sports they play.
Those who are driven by their love of winning are the ones who put in work both during the season and the offseason, simply because they are motivated by their desire to "be better." Frequently, one or both of their parents enjoyed some degree of success in another sport; occasionally, they may have a parent who played the game at some level. They look crisp in their team photos, are typically well-liked by teammates and parents alike, and are respected by players in competing programs. This likability is a result of the recognition of their work ethic and positive traits by others. Your fortunes this season will turn on the number of these players on your roster, and your fate will be influenced by the number of shifts they play.
Real hockey players play for the love of the game. If your JV team needs help, they are there without hesitation. They practice stick handling in the hallway outside the locker room before games. These goalies juggle during dinner. Solid people, solid players. This elite group forms the core of captains, assistant captains, team MVPs, and are the most likely to evolve into future coaches.
Coaches committed to winning think about this season, the next, and even the one after that, preparing accordingly in the offseason. They plant seeds with younger kids, hoping these seeds will sprout into players for seasons to come.
From a management and coaching perspective, players driven by a hatred of losing can create challenges. But these players are often the ones who get gritty, go into the corners, are relentless forecheckers, and scramble to get to the net to make the play—often in situations that defy the odds. Typically, they are your hardest hitters, and if used correctly, they can make a difference in games when it’s needed most. They may be slightly less skilled; however, their drive and emotion during games, when harnessed effectively, is immensely valuable. Against more skilled teams, the player who cannot stand to lose can pull you through. Recognizing who these players are and knowing how to leverage their strengths is part of the art of coaching.
However, players driven by a hatred of losing can also bring challenges. These are the ones who may break sticks, talk back to referees, and sometimes criticize teammates (and occasionally coaches) when things go south during a game or season. These players can be the most affected by the fickle finger of fate if the bounces start going badly. Keeping them focused mentally in such situations (and preventing on-ice meltdowns) can become a constant job unless you’re fortunate enough to dominate your division. These players may also resist helping with JV games—they tend to be status-oriented, and helping a struggling team isn’t their priority.
Surprisingly, some coaches driven by a hatred of losing find noticeable success. These coaches can be effective leaders, particularly in managing internal discipline and maintaining team motivation. They are your trash-can kickers, face-mask pullers, in-your-face yellers, and bench-meltdown screamers.
Lastly, there’s the third category: The Apathetic.
"Apathy. Learn to avoid it like the plague. You will see him all over campus and he'll be all over you. And he is never the guy who has done one damn thing for civilization." – Woody Hayes
I did not recognize apathy when I first saw it in coaching. At first, it presented itself with players who went with the flow, did the minimum, and were more concerned with the social benefit of sports than with their individual skills. Over time, apathy grows with players. Allowed to fester, it will inevitably creep through and infest a program.
Players that fall into this category are not truly athletes in the traditional sense; they are participants, and participants in name only. They play hockey to collect rather than earn their varsity letter. Apathetic players describe more successful athletes as “try-hards”; they accept defeat by traditionally stronger teams before the puck is even in play or even setting foot on the ice. Apathy is prevalent in teams accustomed to losing that have become comfortable accepting their place in the lowest level of league play.
The most loathsome form of apathy is the apathetic coach. This coach frequently takes the “off-season” off in a literal sense; they disengage from offseason training, fail to follow the kids in pre/post season, and appear just in time for the final check-in a week before tryouts with next year’s lineup already set. The apathetic coach is a box checker and a scribe, typically the biggest threat to their teams success.
As coaches, it is our mission to dispel apathy at all costs.
Hockey is a long season full of high highs and inevitable low lows. Knowing who is in your room, what makes them go, and where they will stumble is truly the art of coaching.
Teams find their heroes in the dead of winter, during the grind. This next season will be littered with the corpses and shells of teams that were sure they had everything “all figured out” in August. Never forget… We find our true friends on the battlefield.
--- Coach E. Dolan
