Grassroots: The Minor Hockey Show
By:
Language: en-ca
Categories: Sports, Hockey
A provocative, in-depth podcast that examines the world of minor hockey, from coaching to program development to the myriad of issues faced by everyone in the game.
Episodes
Episode 122 - The DMIQ
Dec 15, 2025From IQ to Hockey Sense to Hockey IQ, and now to DMIQ: The Decision-Making Intelligent Quotient. Richard and Dean discuss its importance, when we should introduce it and how to go about it. Naturally, it involves using appropriate spaces in order to enhance children's and teens' decision-making skills.
Listeners are encouraged to read this research document related to the topic. It can be found online by copying and pasting the title into a search engine.
"How Small-Sided and Conditioned Games Enhance Acquisition of Movement and Decision-Making Skills"
Duration: 00:56:29
Episode 121 - TOP Sports: A different kind of experience - in three sports!
Nov 15, 2025TOP ("The Other Path") Sports aims to provide families with alternatives to both traditional sport experiences and the private ones, though this, too, is privately owned. Kevin Shier, executive director and co-founder with two other men, discusses what's so different, especially since its approach to hockey, lacrosse and soccer employs what is widely known as the Constraints Based/Led Approach to teaching, something that is mostly non-existent in Canada's minor hockey landscape. Club Technical Director for soccer Tom Waud further describes the approach as it's presented to their paid coaches and why it is foundational to the club's coaching.<...
Duration: 01:15:10Episode 120 - The proliferation of non-sanctioned hockey in Alberta
Oct 30, 2025Dallas Ansell's recently completed PhD dissertation examined development in the world of non-sanctioned leagues in Alberta which have proliferated in recent years. A lecturer at the University of Alberta and newly minted manager of player development for Hockey Alberta, Ansell discusses what brought him to this subject and what he learned from his research.
His dissertation is available on the grassrootsminorhockey.com site under "Docs and articles from the podcasts."
Duration: 01:09:25Episode 119 - Old or New? Appropriate or not? Other?
Oct 05, 2025HEO coach and coach developer Brian Gillam returns to share what he'd planned to provide coaches in the coaching seminar he and Richard were going to run for a minor organization. The seminar didn't happen, but the content would have been interesting. He explains in detail what he feels coaches needed to know first about the CLA/ED approach.
richard@grassrootsminorhockey.com
bgillam@rogers.com
Duration: 01:32:49
Episode 118 - Quebec Research Conference: John Lind (Sweden) - Applying the research
Jun 18, 2025This is the final episode from the May 30-June 2 Hockey Research Conference at Laval University in Quebec City as well as the final episode for this season of Grassroots.
Please be advised that, because the discussions were held in public spaces, the sound quality and background noise are inconsistent. Also, all five episodes are with individuals whose first language is not English.
Here is the link to the conference's proceedings:
https://grassrootsminorhockey.com/links/
Thanks for listening. Until next fall...
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
<...
Episode 117 - Quebec Research Conference: Part 4 - Gergely Geczi (Hungary) - Team complexity
Jun 16, 2025This is the fourth of five episodes of content from the May 30-June 2 Hockey Research Conference at Laval University in Quebec City.
Please be advised that, because the discussions were held in public spaces, the sound quality and background noise are inconsistent. Also, all five episodes are with individuals whose first language is not English.
Here is the link to the conference's proceedings (Gergely's abstract is on page 32):
https://grassrootsminorhockey.com/links/
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
...
Episode 116 - Quebec Research Conference: Part 3 - Lukas Chmelir - Testing Puckhandling
Jun 12, 2025This is the third of five episodes of content from the May 30-June 2 Hockey Research Conference at Laval University in Quebec City.
Please be advised that, because the discussions were held in public spaces, the sound quality and background noise are inconsistent. Also, all five episodes are with individuals whose first language is not English.
Here is the link to the conference's proceedings:
https://grassrootsminorhockey.com/links/
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com<...
Episode 115 - Quebec Research Conference: Part 2 - Kalle Valiaho (IIHF)
Jun 09, 2025This is the second of five episodes of content from the May 30-June 2 Hockey Research Conference at Laval University in Quebec City.
Please be advised that, because the discussions were held in public spaces, the sound quality and background noise are inconsistent. Also, all five episodes are with individuals whose first language is not English.
Here is the link to the conference's proceedings:
https://grassrootsminorhockey.com/links/
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com<...
Episode 114 - Quebec Research Conference: Part 1 - J.F. Leblond (Hockey Quebec)
Jun 06, 2025This is the first of five episodes of content from the May 30-June 2 Hockey Research Conference at Laval University in Quebec City.
Please be advised that, because the discussions were held in public spaces, the sound quality and background noise are inconsistent. Also, all five episodes are with individuals whose first language is not English.
Here is the link to the conference's proceedings:
https://grassrootsminorhockey.com/links/
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden...
Episode 113 - Jim Haverstrom: ”Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.”
May 18, 2025Jim Haverstrom is USA Hockey's Coach-in-chief for Florida. Over 25 years as a coach and now coach developer, he's become an ardent advocate for the Constraints Led and an Ecological Dynamics approaches which he's successfully applied in his own coaching.
The soccer study he refers to in the podcast is:
“Train as you play”: Improving effectiveness of training in youth soccer playersContact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 112 - Why you need a coach development person
Apr 20, 2025As minor hockey associations prepare for their AGMs, one key position needs consideration: someone to take charge of coach development. Richard and Dean discuss why this role is crucial, what this person should or should not be responsible for and where to find them.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 111 - Teaching skills using an ecological dynamics approach
Apr 05, 2025Some years ago, Brian Gillam began to adopt an ecological approach to coaching and teaching the game. Today he is immersed in it as a coach but especially as a "skills instructor." In this episode, he discusses what he does in special sessions, how he does it and why. Brian is the coaching development director for Hockey Eastern Ontario.
His website: briangillamhockey.com
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 110 - Meanwhile in Bristol, England...
Mar 13, 2025Access to rinks, ice time , and cost may be impediments to growing a program in a small hockey market. But not to Chris Benson who helps direct the fortunes of the Bristol youth program in England. Speaking from Riga, Latvia, where his son is attending a hockey camp, Chris passionately describes the challenges and the steps being taken to programming, one of which includes the "management" of parents.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 109 - What I learned from coaching U11
Mar 07, 2025"We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience."
Host Richard Bercuson spends this episode providing an overview of his season coaching 10 year olds in a unique house league-type environment. Dean Holden poses some pointed questions that has Richard using the "wayback machine" to reflect on the approaches he's used and why.
--------------------------------------------
In the introduction, Richard refers to his co-authored novel that was published last year through Amazon: The Burden of Guilt.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):<...
Episode 108 - Many tries - Many times - Many ways
Jan 10, 2025How to get out of the "tick box" practice scenario. Richard and Dean discuss why coaches need to learn that players have to experience skill and tactical content in ways that are closer to competitive situations. This means moving away from the age-old and time worn approaches we've long accepted.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 107 - Leadership in hockey
Dec 13, 2024Special guest Dr. Stephen Norris and Dean Holden discuss their recent trip to Kazakhstan as part of an IIHF initiative to grow the game in other parts of the world. What is the impact of this initiative on our own game's leadership? Where are we going? Is it the right direction? An in-depth look at those and other questions.
https://www.iihf.com/en/news/64332/first_asian_general_secretary_summit
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
<...
Episode 106 - Are you a transformational coach?
Oct 14, 2024The modern lexicon of coaching includes terms like transformational and transactional to describe the approaches coaches use. What are their characteristics? In minor hockey, can someone be both? Dean Holden delves into this topic, aided and abetted by host Richard Bercuson who tosses out questions and examples to investigate.
Toward Understanding Youth Athletes’ Fun Priorities: An Investigation of Sex, Age, and Levels of Play: Amanda Visek, Heather Mannix et al
https://activeforlife.com/why-every-coach-needs-a-coaching-philosophy/
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dea...
Episode 105 - Greg Revak: ”I’m just trying to be less dumb.”
Sep 16, 2024Greg Revak, an Ohio-based coach and USA Hockey coach developer, has unique and progressive ideas on coaching the game. His podcast and newsletter hit on various topics which are pertinent to coaches at every level. In this episode, he shares with Richard his personal bugaboos and annoyances about practice design and what we can do better.
His website: https://hockeysarsenal.substack.com/
The HockeyIQ Podcast: https://hockeysarsenal.com/podcast
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail...
Episode 104 - Are you a new coach - of some sort?
Aug 30, 2024However you define "new," Richard and Dean discuss what coaches need to consider at the start of a new adventure and the resources they should access.
Books:
How we learn to move by Rob Gray
The Coach's Guide to Teaching by Doug Lemov
Transforming Basketball by Alex Sarama
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier
Podcasts:
This one, of course!
The Talent Equation - Stuart Armstrong
The Perception-Action Podcast - Rob Gray
HEO Youtube channel - Brian...
Episode 103 - Checking in on checking
Aug 11, 2024Season 5 begins with an important pre-season look at how contact and checking need to be taught to take it beyond the confines of the current checking clinic module. Richard and Dean examine an approach using spectrums of skill for different ages and levels of play, built within the current four-stage checking progression espoused by Hockey Canada.
Those who'd like a copy of the spectrums diagram should email Richard: Richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden...
Episode 102 - The Norwegian Blue and Coach Education
Jun 08, 2024This episode is a unique collaboration with Stuart Armstrong whose podcast is The Talent Equation. His May 28, 2024, show was called "Coach Education is broken." It struck a chord with Grassroots host Richard Bercuson who felt it reminded him of the famous Monty Python Dead Parrot sketch. He connected with Stuart and here's the result: a tripartite discussion with Stuart, Richard, and Dean Holden about coach education's demise.
Stuart will simulcast the show on his own podcast soon, once he completes his multi-part analysis of the subject.
Listener Advisory: Stuart's script read of the Dead Parrot s...
Episode 101 - Hockey Coaching Terminology 101
Apr 06, 2024Modern coaching approaches include a litany of expressions, phrases, words and acronyms that are sometimes baffling in what they mean. In this episode, Richard and Dean delve into some of the more common ones and relate them to coaches need to understand about them and how to apply them in minor hockey.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 100 - The Value of Small Space Activities & Games
Feb 25, 2024Brian Gillam, HEO's Coaching Coordinator and Gold Medal Pathways mentor, delves into the myriad of ways in which small or reduced space practice activities are central to how children will develop both their skills and ability to play games on similar sized areas. Gillam is a longtime proponent of ecological dynamics and constraints led approaches. He explains how important it is for children and teens to be trained in space consistent with their developmental stages and what they can learn from the approach.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard...
Episode 99 - Hockey Factories through a different lens
Feb 13, 2024Matt Dumouchelle is a writer for The Coaches Site and assistant GM for a junior A team near Windsor. But he also authored a revelatory five-part series, "Hockey Factories" published last year on thecoachessite.com. A second series focusing on five different hockey organizations in Europe and North America will be out shortly. In this episode Matt shares what can be learned from these clubs, their programs and approaches. He also discusses his own journey in sports, with keen observations about our sporting culture, including now being a dad to a hockey-loving six year old.
To get...
Episode 98 - Joe Baker: The Tyranny of Talent
Jan 30, 2024One of the more important publications in recent years is The Tyranny of Talent by Prof. Joe Baker. Baker is a professor of kinesiology and physical education at the University of Toronto and inaugural holder of the endowed Tanenbaum chair in sport science, data modelling and sport analytics at U of T’s Tanenbaum Institute for Science in Sport (TISS). In this episode, he discusses some of the key points of this seminal work and how they relate to hockey and talent identification.
The Tyranny of Talent is available through Amazon.
Contact:
richa...
Episode 97 - When science meets art in coaching
Jan 21, 2024This first episode of 2024 features a discussion about the science that should inform current coaching approaches and how coaches need to now examine the effects on their coaching art. Host Richard Bercuson discusses with Dean Holden and John "the Colombian" Castrillon who has spent decades using game-based approaches in soccer and hockey, even before he was aware of what the science showed.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 96 - When kids discover through play
Dec 15, 2023It didn't look like fun. So Kevin, dad of a little girl new to hockey, decided to "go his own way" by leaving the local "Timbits" program and adopting an ecological dynamics approach. He rented a small patch of ice, invited others to join in, and used play activities to turn the kids on to the game. Now he is on his own discovery path of how to properly introduce and teach the game to children.
Kevin's Instagram: AthleticDevelopmentGames
Kevin's web site: hockey training.com
Dropbox video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/fswu6...
Episode 95 - Madame President: Where we are - Where we’re heading
Nov 09, 2023Kealy Lambert is a former college hockey player, now a mom, a coach, a lawyer and the president of Bow River Minor Hockey in Calgary. She's seen the game from just about every angle and now, as the head of an organization, she suspects Canadian minor hockey is heading...well...listen to find out where.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 94 - Dr. Stephen Norris - Part 2
Oct 18, 2023Stephen Norris delves deeper into Canada's minor hockey world, finishing with the challenge: What would you do if declared King of Hockey Canada?
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 93 - Dr. Stephen Norris - Part 1
Oct 14, 2023Stephen Norris, one of Canada's pre-eminent sport scientists and performance experts, has worked with numerous sport organizations including Hockey Canada. He refers to himself as a "performance guide to a chosen few." In this first of a two-parter, we hear about how and why he started in the field and ends with his annual suggestion to a minor hockey organization that was voted down every time he brought it up.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 92 - Holding my feet to the fire
Oct 05, 2023Podcast host Richard Bercuson has taken on coaching a U18AA team this season, a somewhat new experience for him even after coaching for decades. In this episode, Dean Holden poses some interesting questions for him to consider as he navigates these waters using a competition or game-based approach.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 91 - What is Coach Development?
Sep 11, 2023Season 4 kicks off with Richard and Dean in a pretty deep discussion about the definition of coach development, professionalism in coaching and related topics. It all begins with Richard's follow-up presentation to Oshawa coaches in August when he asked participants to provide their definitions of coach development.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 90 - Follow the leader?
Jun 15, 2023For Canadian minor hockey to evolve and improve, solid visionary leadership is the key. Richard and Dean invite Rick Ladouceur to discuss what we have and where we can go. Ladouceur is the executive director of Prairie Storm Minor Hockey near Regina. In addition to an extensive coaching and teaching background, he's held key leadership positions in hockey and recreation/sport management. Thus he is able to offer some interesting perspectives.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
<...
Episode 89 - The Evolution of the Coaching Life of Brian
May 19, 2023It took Brian Gillam nearly 20 years to realize that perhaps his coaching approach had room for adjustment. His epiphany came at a High Performance conference and, since then, his readings about leadership, ecological approaches, constraints, etc. have made him reconsider what coaching the game could be about. As Hockey Eastern Ontario's (HEO) coaching development coordinator, he's also in a position to influence others into seeing coaching in a different light. He has created a YouTube series for HEO about skill acquisition, interviews with some of the key figures in the field. All of which, however, leads to one key...
Duration: 01:34:04Episode 88 - Reflecting on a S.E.E.P. Presentation
Apr 25, 2023S.E.E.P. - Six Elements for Effective Practices - is a presentation Richard created to educate, inform, and assist coaches in improving their approaches. In this episode, he describes how the first one went on April 18 in Oshawa, ON, attended by 27 competitive level coaches.
The 2-2 1/2 hr presentation is available for any minor hockey organization to share with its coaches. It can be done via Zoom or preferably in person for those within reasonable driving distance from Whitby, ON.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Episode 87 - Five Questions that need Answers
Mar 27, 2023There are questions we need to address in order for coaching and coach development to move forward, utilizing research evidence now available to us. Richard and Dean attempt to answer these questions, which were posed recently by Dr. Mark Williams, a research scientist at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition and the University of Utah.
Visit:
Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition
FIFA Training Centre
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.c...
Episode 86 - Raymond Verheijen: The Evolution of Coaching
Mar 08, 2023Dutch football (soccer) coach and coach developer Raymond Verheijen has developed a worldwide following through books and courses on how to coach, not just football but coaching in general. In this episode he explains the importance of using objective facts and logical reasoning to counter long-standing beliefs on coaching approaches, whether they be in his sport or hockey. Though Richard and Dean had first touched on his work in episodes 78 and 80, hearing from him directly on various aspects of coaching provide a banquet of food for thought on what we do and why we do it.
Visit R...
Episode 85 - The Language of Coaching
Feb 12, 2023In recent years, coaching has taken on an entirely new lexicon thanks to research into coaching methods and approaches. Richard and Dean examine some of the key ones pertaining to hockey, ones they feel are essential for the modern coach to not only be aware of but also employ. These include: constraints (as in the Constraints Led Approach), ecological dynamics, TGfU, skill vs. technique, observation, variability, and small area games (aka. small sided games).
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.c...
Episode 84 - Wally Kozak: For the good of the game
Jan 21, 2023Wally Kozak is a resident of host Richard Bercuson's virtual Pantheon of Canadian hockey developers. Here, he begins by reflecting on his stint with Father David Bauer's national team and its influence on his future as a teacher and coach. Then comes the segue into the importance of creating a mission statement as most recently done with the parents of a U13 girls team. Along the journey, he shares stories of his experiences in developing the exercise. This includes one about how Hockey Canada's instructional DVD series, Goals 1 & 2, once included a third DVD which featured the exercise but somehow n...
Duration: 01:14:15Episode 83 - S.E.E.P. - Six Elements for Effective Practices
Dec 19, 2022Organizing a practice is challenging enough. However, Richard and Dean contend that incorporating six key elements will make a practice hum and provide the players with all they need to experience success and enjoy themselves. The first element is Fun. After that comes...well, listen in and find out.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 82 - Wherefore bodychecking?
Nov 26, 2022In the last few months, two Canadian research studies have concluded that bodychecking in hockey should not begin till age 18, when kids are out of minor hockey. One of those studies, headed by the renowned brain injury and concussion expert, Dr. Charles Tator, reached some startling conclusions about long term concussion symptoms. The other study was completed by researchers in Alberta with teenagers in various minor hockey organizations. And so in this episode, Richard and Dean ask if it's time the question not just be posed but also answered: what are we doing?
Links to the t...
Episode 81 - Beer League Hockey Practice
Nov 15, 2022A departure from the normal content as this one scratches an itch: how to get adults who've never played hockey to give it a try. Peter Munro has started a venture called "Beer League Hockey Practice" which invites adult learners in various Ontario municipalities to learn to play the game. But will this also become a breeding ground for new coaches? According to one participant, a coach who's registered in the program, he's unearthed a whole new respect for what he asks his youngsters to experience. How did this get started and where is it heading? Richard discusses with Pet...
Duration: 00:53:47Episode 80 - Applying C-D-E-F to minor hockey coaching
Oct 30, 2022The fascinating C-D-E-F approach taken by Dutch coach and coach developer Raymond Verheijen is the subject of this episode, a sequel to Episode 78 with Neil Sedgwick. Richard and Dean adapt Verheijen's ideas that were designed for soccer coaches and re-package them for minor hockey. They base the discussion on Verheijen's recent guest appearance on the John O'Sullivan podcast "Way of Champions." Here's the link to Episode 294 of that show:
https://wayofchampions.libsyn.com/294-raymond-verheijen-4x-world-cup-and-european-champion-coach-on-the-importance-of-fitness-training-within-sport-context-overuse-injuries-periodization-of-training-and-managing-load-when-athletes-play-up-an-age
Verheijen can also be seen on this YouTube podcast "The Magia Mindset" at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLLC_xoSDRI
Episode 79 - Explaining critical thought in coaching
Oct 20, 2022"A Problem Well Stated is Half Solved," said the late Charles Kettering who headed the GM research department in the mid 20th century. How does this apply to the application of critical thought in coaching, especially in minor hockey? Dean Holden explains what it means and how it applies, referring as well to the work of Robert Ennis ("Critical Thinking Dispositions"). Also mentioned is the 2006 World Cup match between Argentina and Serbia/Montenegro in which the Argentines completed 26 consecutive passes before scoring. Here is the YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR3Om0WfErA
The Robert...
Episode 78 - A paradigm shift: C-D-E-F
Oct 04, 2022Neil Sedgwick is the head coach of the Univ. of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) women's soccer team in Prince George, BC. His coaching approach has been radically changed by the teachings and courses offered by Dutch coach Raymond Verheijen who is transforming the coaching landscape. The long-accepted ways of looking at coaching invasion team sports like soccer using the technical-tactical-mental-physical-social criteria need to be re-examined. Since soccer and hockey have much in common, we can see through Sedgwick's experiences with Verheijen how the minor hockey coaching landscape should now also change.
References:
Raymond Verheijen...
Episode 77 - Practice Structure
Sep 14, 2022Once a coach gets past the basic practice template, what are the myriad of priority considerations to have in a good practice? What to teach, when, and, most importantly, how are the key questions a coach should be answering. In this episode, Richard and Dean delve into how to shape practices while also dispensing with some of the myths about what we've long done.
Dean refers to this research doc in the show:
"Decision-making practice during coaching sessions in elite youth football across European countries"
If you'd like a copy of the...
Episode 76 - Deconstructing Deconstruction
Sep 04, 2022This episode takes the listener from sewing quilts to line dancing to "Achy Break Heart" and finally a western bar in Houston. The journey is all about wondering why we've long accepted that deconstructing hockey skills in practice would actually produce improvement. We know now it doesn't. And Dean puts Richard on the hot seat with an important question. A conversation rife with clever metaphors.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 75 - Observational Insanity: Copy & Paste
Aug 22, 2022The first show of Season 3 features a discussion with soccer and hockey coach John "the Colombian" Castrillon on his observations of elite team practices. Are teams just recycling timeworn drills? Why? What's missing? He also comments on how goalies are used in practice, what guest host Dean Holden refers to as "punching bags."
NOTES:
Karl Marius Aksum's Twitter commentary for his PhD on the effectiveness (or not) of the Rondo in soccer is at (and you don't need a Twitter account to read it):
https://twitter.com/aksumfootball/status/1555122997433774080
His interview...
Episode 74 - About that conference
Jun 09, 2022In this final episode of the 2021-22 season, Richard and guest host Dean chat about the June 4-5 coach conference hosted by the Whitby Girls Association that Richard set up, its first ever such conference. The agenda was designed for coaches to reflect on their past approaches, by "opening their parachutes," so as to improve their coaching methods through the latest research and knowledge on how children learn. The conference included presentations by Vic Chiasson and Jim Mercer who have developed a unique program to develop the culture on teams and in organizations. Former Olympic champion Jenn Wakefield also p...
Duration: 00:36:45Episode 73 - Prof. Rob Gray: ”How we learn to move”
May 23, 2022Rob Gray, from Caledon, Ontario, is a professor at Arizona State University where he specializes in perceptual motor skill development. His recent book "How we learn to move," available on Amazon, may very well be what he wrote on the cover: A revolution in the way we coach & practice skills. While his work in Arizona has been primarily in soccer and baseball, in this podcast he seemed pleased to delve into hockey and the myriad of timeworn traditions about how we teach and practice the game he played so much himself growing up. His own podcast, The Perception and A...
Duration: 00:56:20Episode 72 - The end of patterned coaching approaches is coming
May 03, 2022"How we learn to move" by Rob Gray, PhD, may be the game-changer minor sports, especially hockey, needs to shake up the coaching tree. If you like pylons, patterned drills, and specialty toys on the ice for kids to skate around, follow or go through, then this podcast will not be for you. Best to move on to a different episode right now!
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 71 - Do our coaches need what they’re doing in Australia?
Apr 18, 2022Those who run Australian sports have concluded that the coaching of children has become too structured. Now they're doing something about it. The CEO of Water Polo Australia, Richard McInnes, explains what it is and how they're going about it. Interestingly, it involves many of the same approaches to coaching children as are being advocated in Canada. He also reveals their novel way to entice coaches to become better educated and trained. Here is the link to the cricket video he referenced in the podcast: vimeo.com/184622185. It employs the same ideas USA Hockey used i...
Duration: 00:49:33Episode 70 - Yogi was right! (Part 2)
Apr 12, 2022"We take a minor hockey coach off the ice, stand him at the glass, and we're going to ask him to watch his practice that the assistant coaches are going to run. What does he look for - and why?" So begins Part 2 with host Richard Bercuson posing the questions. Dean Holden and John Castrillon describe the importance of self-reflection in observations, beginning with, as Dean says, the constraints of what the coach even knows. So, even by posing the right kind of questions to the coach, the depth of knowledge to be able to properly and adequately answer i...
Duration: 00:45:03Episode 69 - Yogi was right! (Part 1 of 2)
Apr 06, 2022"You can observe a lot by watching," said Yankees Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. He couldn't have known just important that statement would become for minor hockey coaches. The power of observation is indeed linked to critical thought, self awareness and self reflection, which is to say that all coaches would well to step back a moment and watch themselves. This is what mentors and coach developers do on a regular basis. In this first of a two-parter, host Richard Bercuson dives into a discussion with guest host Dean Holden and previous interviewee John Castrillon, a longtime soccer and...
Duration: 00:36:54Episode 68 - It’s not the what; it’s the how and why
Mar 24, 2022USA Hockey's American Development Model (ADM) has made huge strides since its 2009 inception. One of the program's original regional managers, Roger Grillo (www.admkids.com/rogergrillo), a successful college coach for 20 years before joining the ADM, provides a unique perspective on the ADM's successes and challenges. He also delves into practice and teaching approaches that are now tried and true, describing what he sees as the three key elements of a good practice.
This episode harkens back to a Feb., 2015, version of Grassroots the minor hockey show on Ottawa's TSN 1200 radio, hosted by Richard Bercuson...
Episode 67 - Do you have an open parachute?
Mar 12, 2022What does Leonardo da Vinci have in common with three intrepid French inventors and Scottish whisky distiller Lord Thomas Dewar? It's all about first having a parachute and then opening it. Without it, the game will remain mired in its age-old traditions and conventions about how it should be taught.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 66 - Could a club system work in Canada?
Mar 03, 2022Canadian minor hockey players mostly play within their municipalities or regions. It's only at the highest competitive levels where there is more freedom to move. However, each playing area or association is largely a collection of teams governed by a board. With few exceptions, teams and coaches are on their own with respect to development, training, and direction. In Europe, for instance, clubs have more clearly defined top-down training and guidance with coaching experts and mentors directing every team. Should such an approach happen in Canada?
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (T...
Episode 65 - What a master soccer and hockey coach sees
Feb 23, 2022John Castrillon's father brought his family from Colombia to Montreal in the 1970s. There, young John, already a fine soccer player, fell in love with hockey (and the story of Maurice Richard whom he once met) after watching it on TV. He taught himself how to skate on outdoor rinks then, at age 14, began to play hockey. Eventually, he was good enough to make a midget team and then a junior squad. He maintained his soccer skills and still plays at a high level. Today, John is a sought-after coach developer in the two sports, having worked with elite...
Duration: 00:49:44Episode 64 - Concepts: What a concept!
Feb 16, 2022The new coach of the Montreal Canadiens, Martin St. Louis, stated in his initial press conference that he was about teaching concepts, not systems. Whether or not that works remains to be seen. However, the idea of presenting concepts to players directly impacts minor hockey in various ways. In Episode 38, host Richard Bercuson and his guest, Dean Holden, examined the teaching of principles of play vs. systems. Now, with St. Louis' statement as a backdrop, how do concepts come into play for coaches of kids?
Two books referred to in the show:
Slavomir Lener: Transition...
Episode 63 - The 90% Factor
Feb 07, 2022For any coach, there should be a tacit understanding of the need to make practices as game-like as possible. The one possible exception might be the teaching of raw skills. That aside, in order to best teach the game, how many players should be involved in an activity, be it drill or small area game? Shouldn't that number replicate what happens in a game? What is that number? In 2009, Slovakian coach Igor Andrejkovic published a scientific paper based on his breaking down 60 game videos of a U18 team. His conclusions about how many players are actively involved in hockey e...
Duration: 00:53:58Episode 62 - How to create a positive culture
Jan 31, 2022Jim Mercer and Vic Chiasson return from Episode 61 ("Culture is everything") to discuss the program they've created called "Creating a high performance environment." It includes a document participants work with in a seminar format. With a website and other social media connections on the horizon, the program is just under way after having been piloted last November with the Whitby Girls Hockey Association. Those wishing to contact Jim or Vic should email podcast host Richard: richard (at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - ...
Episode 61 - ”Culture is everything”
Jan 24, 2022The episode begins with an overview of a research report which showed how a group of Canadian college coaches completely changed their teams' culture without ever dealing with tactics or strategies. Can this be done in minor hockey? Guests Vic Chiasson and Jim Mercer have about 75 years of coaching and teaching experience between them. They are hot on the heels of defining culture in sport, explaining its importance, and determining what organizations or teams can do to improve it.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
<...
Episode 60 - The Room
Jan 17, 2022This one begins with the story of the dressing room eavesdropper before a championship game. Then, host Richard Bercuson reveals three short tales of his own dressing room talks that didn't go well. Otherwise though, this episode delves into what coaches should or should not be saying in minor hockey dressing rooms, let alone how they say it. And the guest host does an even deeper dive into a topic that is rarely examined.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail...
Episode 59 - The Addiction to Drills
Jan 10, 2022We are inundated with drills from a host of sources. Leagues host drill exchanges. Coaches can access software that will provide them with more drills of every possible type than they will ever need. As tools, or learning opportunities, drills can serve a purpose. More importantly, however, is that using drills may be stultifying coaching creativity and not providing our young players with the kind of direction they should have. Then, there's the infernal whistle. In this episode, Richard and his guest host break this down and identify alternatives.
Books: "The Hockey Handbook" by Lloyd Percival, "H...
Episode 58 - Where have you been?
Jan 04, 2022After a few months of reflection and other distractions, host Richard Bercuson returns with a list of new topics he will address in future shows, along with a guest host. The minor hockey addiction, development planning, triages, how to teach space, what is said in a room and many more are on the agenda. A new ride is about to begin on the only podcast about minor hockey.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 57: Final words for the season
Jun 01, 2021This shorty is the last podcast for the long, Covid-laden season. A few words from the host and then we'll be back in August with more great interviews and discussions about the minor hockey world. Till then...
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 56: Getting the edge on skating
May 21, 2021The teaching of skating has improved immeasurably over recent years. While aided by improved technology, it's mostly because of a crop of eager young development people who explore ways to teach not just old skills but also the newer ones the game is being built on. One of those riding this wave of expert instruction is Jon Cara, a development teacher at a facility in Winnipeg, The Rink. In this episode Jon discusses his approach and offers advice to coaches of the key components they need to teach.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
<...
Episode 55: And now, from Scandinavia...Part 2
May 10, 2021As David Laszlo heads to Finland to oversee development and coaching for young teens, he sees that his new club seems to have a strong vision for its future. There will, of course, be new challenges, such as finding proper goalie coaching and dealing with parental issues. Some things never change though. Here's more from Laszlo and his Norwegian goalie coach Frederik Meling on minor hockey in that part of the world.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
<...
Episode 54: And now, from Scandinavia...Part 1
May 02, 2021Chicago native David Laszlo was once a middle school teacher and later owned a pro shop where he often sharpened the skates of some Carolina Hurricanes players. Today, after eight years coaching minor in Denmark, Finland and Norway, he has learned much about hockey overseas and his own skills as a coach. For instance, he uses his whistle judiciously and talks less, a lesson he learned in Detroit when hearing that ice cost $400 per hour. "Am I worth nearly $7 a minute to hear myself talk?" Here's his conversation, along with his Norwegian goalie coach Frederik Meling, and host Richard...
Duration: 00:46:01Episode 53: Inside the American Development Model
Apr 21, 2021USA Hockey's ADM has radically changed the game south of the border, accomplishing much of what it had aimed to do years ago. It has increased participation in the sport and, at the same time, made US hockey a world power. In this episode, we see how it works in a Massachusetts community, as described by Al Ramsay, who coaches and directs the program where he lives near Boston.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 52: Teaching what has ”maximum impact”
Apr 10, 2021At age 13, after years of playing various sports with boys, Kim McCullough began playing hockey. Just five years later, she was playing Div. 1 hockey at Dartmouth followed by stints in pro hockey. She's coached girls in junior, AA, and in national programs in addition to running development and strength/conditioning programs from her home base in Toronto's Leaside Girls Association. Her next challenge is stepping out of coaching and into mentoring and a broader development framework. What is she facing?
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544<...
Episode 51: On Stupidity
Apr 02, 2021For no apparent reason, Grassroots goes in a completely different direction in this episode which, on the surface anyway, is not at all connected with minor hockey nor even sport. The late economic historian Carlo Cipolla theorized that underestimating the stupid is done at our own peril. But why?
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 50: Three statements that are development killers
Mar 20, 2021Anyone who's been around minor hockey for any length of time has heard them, perhaps even used one. From the standpoint of halting personal growth and/or organizational development in their tracks, three common statements are at the forefront. How will minor hockey's leaders ignore them and move forward or, as stated in the podcast, learn to discover new oceans by first leaving the shore?
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 49: The coaching interview
Mar 13, 2021A mock interview with a coaching candidate launches this episode into a discussion about how to conduct these things in a minor hockey setting. One of the biggest questions addressed in this podcast is whether or not interviewing coaches is even necessary in most instances.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 48: ”Kool” waxes eloquent on girls hockey
Mar 06, 2021At first, while hanging around his hometown Scarborough arena, Steve Kouleas wondered why there were hockey players with ponytails. Then he grew up, became a well known sportscaster and hockey nut and is now host of an NHL Live show on Sirius XM radio. Along the way, "Kool" watched the female game with awe, had two daughters, put them in hockey and saw what they - and he - got out of the game. Oh, and yes, he has thoughts on how to improve the female game, as good as it is already.
Contact:
...
Episode 47: Gaston Marcotte: the world’s first humanizer
Feb 27, 2021There was a time when Gaston Marcotte was considered one of the finest hockey teachers anywhere. Though not well known outside Quebec, his teachings, books and hockey school were regarded as vitally important foundations for how the game should be taught. Podcast host Richard Bercuson was at one time one of his instructors, an anglo among francophones. They finally reconnected late last year. Marcotte no longer teaches hockey. Instead, he has set himself a new goal.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden...
Episode 46: The Covid Coach
Feb 20, 2021Yes, minor hockey has been butchered by Covid, with thousands of kids unable to play or practice. A lucky few, especially at the more elite levels, have at least had some ice time. What does the future hold as teams, players and coaches look ahead to a hopeful fall. Oshawa coach Tony Stabile discusses what he's been doing with his AAA group and what the future holds for him and his players.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 45: The World of Junior Hockey
Feb 13, 2021As Covid has decimated nearly all youth activities, junior hockey has been especially hard hit. For instance, older players have been forced to end their careers early, denied finishes to last season and with practically nothing to show for this season. Trenton junior A head coach and general manager Peter Goulet describes the impact on his club and then describes his approach to finding the right players.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 44: The Coaching Voice
Feb 06, 2021Writers talk about their "voices." So do singers who have distinctive styles. What about coaches? Do we have voices and do they change - or should they - from one age group or level to another. Dean Holden, who has a vast background in coaching different levels and is completing his PhD in coaching, discusses how he approached it, especially in his earlier years.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 43: Preventing sexual violence in sport
Jan 30, 2021What seemed to have begun in hockey with Graham James in terms of awareness of abuse and sexual violence has certainly not ended there. Sexual violence is ever-present, as we know from high profile cases, but has also been even more horrifying in the realm of sport. Two university hockey players, Amy Graham and Patti-Anne Tracey, are attempting to make discussions, awareness, and prevention more mainstream through a unique web site and series of lessons. In this podcast, they describe what they learned and how they're going about it. Their site is: https://x2017tet.wixsite.com/teaminsvp<...
Duration: 00:53:47Episode 42: How to improve minor hockey boards
Jan 23, 2021Canada's volunteer-based minor hockey associations are the foundations of the sport. But how efficient are they and what could they do to improve? Is there a place for a type of board or board member training program like coaches, trainers and officials have? Former Hockey Eastern Ontario Executive Director and association president Richard Sennott discusses this.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 41: The Goalie Coach
Jan 16, 2021It's regarded as the most important position in the game. And yet, finding coaches to work with goalies is challenging, let alone unearthing ones who are skilled and knowledgeable enough to provide up-to-date instruction. In this episode, Richard talks with Stefan Nichols, an Ottawa-based professional goalie teacher, about what goalie coaches need and where to find them.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 40: Back to Slave Lake
Jan 09, 20212021 at last! This first show of the new year is with Gregg Kennedy who last spoke from roadside in Thunder Bay on his cross-Canada drive to Slave Lake. He'd just accepted a job as head coach/GM of the Slave Lake Ice Dogs. Now, with a handle on the environment and team needs, he shares what he's seen and needs to tackle in this new hockey environment.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 39: Past - Present - Future
Dec 26, 2020A brief junior sojourn. A late night development chat. A shot in the dark. The game through a different lens. And then there's pillaging...
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 38: Principles or Tactics & Systems?
Dec 12, 2020The minor hockey world is far removed from the pro, college and even most junior worlds. Then why are so many coaches stuck on developing tactics when their players don't yet comprehend why these might or should work? Shouldn't we be teaching core principles of play built on sound foundational skills? Dean Holden returns to discuss this and examine what we should be looking at.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 37: BAM! How long does that take?
Dec 05, 2020In October, the OHL was told by the Ontario government it could only return to play - without bodychecking! Was there any science behind that decision? Is hockey inherently more or less susceptible to Covid-19 than other sports? An American researcher, Dr. Stephen McGregor, completed a three-year study last spring for USA Hockey which produced some surprising results to address that question.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 36: Do development vendors work?
Nov 28, 2020In recent years, minor hockey seems to have been overrun with private skill development businesses or vendors. Most associations seem to have someone or some group running regular skills sessions with kids of all ages. They do, however, raise a lot of questions about what they do, how they do it, the cost, and whether these sessions truly benefit the players they're teaching. Jim Mercer, an OMHA development leader, coach and instructor, shares his views on the subject.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
...
Episode 35: ”Where do I start?”
Nov 20, 2020Gregg Kennedy is driving almost clear across the country, from Ottawa to northern Alberta, to take over a junior A team. In his 40th year coaching, it's a challenge he both welcomes and looks forward to. In this episode, he explains what his likely first steps will be when he arrives and what he needs to do to get a handle on the team.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Howie Meeker - A Personal Tribute
Nov 14, 2020This podcast's first episode was an overview of what was going to be discussed in future shows. However, I used Howie Meeker and his book "Hockey Basics" as my introduction since I believed then, and now, that he was one of Canada's most important hockey teachers. During my earliest coaching days, I once had the good fortune to share an instructional session with him in Montreal. Some years ago, we reconnected, both of which I described in Episode 1. When Howie passed away on Nov. 8 at age 97, all I could think of was the magnitude of his influence on how...
Duration: 00:14:23Episode 33: Coaching girls hockey - Jane King (Part 2)
Nov 12, 2020In this segue from Episode 32 about girls in sport, Jane King discusses how to get them into the sport and coach them the right way. While coaching kids of both genders have certain commonalities, she says, working with girls requires some particular skill sets.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 32: Where are we with girls in sport?
Nov 06, 2020Jane King has been a coach, teacher, and advocate for women in sport for decades. She's a featured speaker with the Coaches Association of Ontario and is a chartered professional coach with the Coaching Association of Canada. She pretty much has the pulse of what we need to do to involve more girls in sport, especially hockey. In this first of a two-parter, she examines where we are and where we could and should be.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn...
Episode 31: Expertise vs. Competence in minor hockey coaching
Oct 30, 2020Do we expect too much of our coaches? At what level(s) should we expect to see expertise in coaching kids? Is it even necessary. Jim Mercer, a Hockey Canada coaching program teacher, evaluator and instructor with a lengthy coaching background, steps in to evaluate what the game has and needs.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 30: What’s happened to mentorship?
Oct 23, 2020It's been over 20 years since the NHL/Hockey Canada Open Ice Summit recommended that a formal mentorship program was central to improving coaching and thus the state of our game. What's happened to that recommendation? A discussion with Ottawa-area coach, mentor, and coaching program instructor Ron Graham.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 29: Now about that idea...
Oct 16, 2020How practical would it be to institute a hard and fast equal ice time idea, as Grant Johnston suggested in Episode 27? Should it even be done? Dean Holden and Rick Ladouceur weigh in.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 28: The Coach-Player Dynamic
Oct 09, 2020The most important relationship in sport is the one between the coach and athlete. In minor hockey, the realm of children, teens and non-professional adults as coaches, it's especially crucial. Dr. Cassidy Preston, a former player and AAA coach and now a sport performance consultant, discusses this dynamic and its impact on him as a player and on today's youth.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 27: Grant has an idea
Oct 02, 2020Minor hockey in both Canada and the U.S. is working hard both at trying to attract newcomers as well as retain youngsters playing the game. What then would it take to help ensure both objectives are achieved? Perhaps a simple idea - a rule - might do it.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 26: ”A better way of leading” - Dan Church
Sep 25, 2020Since taking over the York University women's hockey program in 2004, Dan Church has established himself as one of the game's most complete and well respected coaches. His team has consistently been among the top ten in Canada and he's coached Canadian women's teams to golds at numerous international events, including the world championships. But it's his philosophy on coaching that both sets him apart and creates an example for coaches to follow.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 25: ”All in” - Vicky Sunohara: from Olympian to coach
Sep 18, 2020University of Toronto women's coach Vicky Sunohara bridged two generations of national team successes as a player. She started with the likes of Angela James and France St. Louis and finished with players such as Jayna Hefford and Cassie Campbell Pascall. Along the way, in Olympic and world championships, she won 15 gold and three silver medals. Now in her tenth year as the head coach at U of T, she's brought what she learned as an athlete to today's young female players.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - <...
Episode 24: The state of Ontario women’s hockey
Sep 11, 2020Nearly 20% of the world's female hockey players are in Ontario, governed by the OWHA whose head is Fran Rider. How does she see the current state of female hockey and where it's going? What about the open boundaries that exist only in the women's game? A discussion with a woman who has been honoured in Canada and internationally for her contributions to women's hockey.
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Episode 23: From gym to ice
Sep 04, 2020Over 20 years as an elementary school phys. ed. teacher and coach, dealing with hundreds of kids each day, have taught Jonathan Lloyd a few things about coaching. He takes those tools straight into the rink in the evenings as a competitive level minor hockey coach. What has he learned and how does he apply it to coaching hockey?
Contact:
richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com
X (Twitter):
Richard - @berky544
Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com