WEBVTT 00:00:03.300 --> 00:00:06.160 Hello, it's Hockey on the Beach podcast and Daria 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:09.240 Mironova. While we stay active delivering episodes 00:00:09.240 --> 00:00:12.220 in Russian, it's crucial to revive our English 00:00:12.220 --> 00:00:15.419 broadcasting, so here we go. Women's hockey takes 00:00:15.419 --> 00:00:18.219 a special place in my heart. I'm happy to know 00:00:18.219 --> 00:00:20.640 so many amazing coaches and players who grow 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:24.199 the game globally. Today, we meet Brian Idalsky. 00:00:24.510 --> 00:00:26.370 a head coach of the St. Cloud State University 00:00:26.370 --> 00:00:29.089 women's hockey program who has been successful 00:00:29.089 --> 00:00:31.629 on the international stage by coaching Olympic 00:00:31.629 --> 00:00:34.350 team China and winning two cups with the funky 00:00:34.350 --> 00:00:37.070 race in Russia. Needless to say, Brian and I 00:00:37.070 --> 00:00:40.210 hosted a TV program on the KHL -TV. Good job! 00:00:40.490 --> 00:00:45.490 Meet coach Brian Idalsky. Brian, thank you for 00:00:45.490 --> 00:00:48.229 your time. I was looking forward to this one 00:00:48.229 --> 00:00:51.700 for about three years. well it's awesome i'm 00:00:51.700 --> 00:00:53.979 a big fan it's great to be able to talk to you 00:00:53.979 --> 00:00:56.439 again did you have your morning coffee already 00:00:56.439 --> 00:00:59.659 actually i'm uh just hitting my first cup right 00:00:59.659 --> 00:01:03.579 now with me talking to you so big coffee person 00:01:03.579 --> 00:01:06.719 enjoy it but uh i haven't finished my first cup 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:09.060 yet yeah i've heard about it what is that with 00:01:09.060 --> 00:01:12.120 your love for coffee uh to be honest with you 00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:15.180 it really started with uh associate head coach 00:01:15.180 --> 00:01:19.450 when i was at north dakota peter lander introduced 00:01:19.450 --> 00:01:23.209 me to Swedish coffee, told me it was super good. 00:01:23.609 --> 00:01:26.269 And from that point on, we started to buy different 00:01:26.269 --> 00:01:29.349 kinds of beans and get a grinder in the office. 00:01:29.390 --> 00:01:33.549 And we just turned into a staff of coffee snobs. 00:01:33.549 --> 00:01:37.500 And so. That continues with me today. I have 00:01:37.500 --> 00:01:39.900 a grinder in the office. I come in the morning, 00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:43.239 grind up some beans, make a big pot for the whole 00:01:43.239 --> 00:01:46.319 staff and everybody, and, you know, buy beans 00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:48.659 wherever we go. Anytime we're on the road and 00:01:48.659 --> 00:01:50.579 there's a little coffee shop, I'll always buy 00:01:50.579 --> 00:01:53.980 some beans and try them. It just became a thing 00:01:53.980 --> 00:01:56.939 over the years. That's amazing. At least now 00:01:56.939 --> 00:02:00.019 I know what I can give you. You can't go wrong 00:02:00.019 --> 00:02:01.959 with some good beans that you've come across 00:02:01.959 --> 00:02:04.579 in a little coffee shop somewhere. what about 00:02:04.579 --> 00:02:08.000 tea i mean you used to work in russia and you 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:10.199 know people over there are really big on tea 00:02:10.199 --> 00:02:15.599 um yeah even in china um i got into a little 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:19.360 bit of tea culture i still enjoy coffee more 00:02:20.170 --> 00:02:23.030 though I do have a bunch of tea from my time 00:02:23.030 --> 00:02:26.490 overseas and really enjoyed white tea thought 00:02:26.490 --> 00:02:28.810 that that was great and have some great bricks 00:02:28.810 --> 00:02:32.069 that were given to me by some people while I 00:02:32.069 --> 00:02:36.129 was there so every once in a while I'll dip into 00:02:36.129 --> 00:02:39.610 tea but the honesty is coffee still my number 00:02:39.610 --> 00:02:42.310 one thing let's talk about a different country 00:02:42.310 --> 00:02:45.270 you just came back from the Czech Republic where 00:02:45.270 --> 00:02:48.090 I believe you enjoyed the women's world championship 00:02:48.090 --> 00:02:50.520 how was your trip and What did you drink there? 00:02:51.979 --> 00:02:57.000 It was my first time in Czech, so I had heard 00:02:57.000 --> 00:02:59.939 a lot about Czech beer from some different players 00:02:59.939 --> 00:03:03.860 who have played for me from there, and they were 00:03:03.860 --> 00:03:07.520 not wrong. Czech beer is very good, so enjoyed 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:10.860 that. I thought... that they did a great job 00:03:10.860 --> 00:03:13.460 putting on the world i thought some of the marketing 00:03:13.460 --> 00:03:16.599 just the atmosphere around the rink the beer 00:03:16.599 --> 00:03:20.419 gardens they had between games outside the weather 00:03:20.419 --> 00:03:24.319 was great Obviously, they set some attendance 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:28.520 records, but it was a super good atmosphere. 00:03:28.539 --> 00:03:31.500 I thought they did a great job of promoting the 00:03:31.500 --> 00:03:33.620 game, and I thought the games themselves were 00:03:33.620 --> 00:03:36.520 pretty excellent. Obviously, you know, both medal 00:03:36.520 --> 00:03:39.500 games going to overtime and just being competitive 00:03:39.500 --> 00:03:44.639 and both round robin pools. It was a good event. 00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:47.379 Women's hockey continues to grow and improve 00:03:47.379 --> 00:03:52.659 and get better. It was nice to see. I thought 00:03:52.659 --> 00:03:55.979 it was a great event all the way around. I don't 00:03:55.979 --> 00:03:59.139 really like to compare, but for people who, let's 00:03:59.139 --> 00:04:02.060 say, have never been to Europe, can we say that 00:04:02.060 --> 00:04:05.800 Women's World Champ is up to the level of the 00:04:05.800 --> 00:04:10.460 Frozen Four over here? Oh, I would tell you this 00:04:10.460 --> 00:04:13.300 one in particular, the atmosphere, the crowd. 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:19.439 Yeah, it's way better in Europe. I wish that 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:22.100 more people had the opportunity to go overseas 00:04:22.100 --> 00:04:26.779 to experience that in person. Because as fans, 00:04:26.899 --> 00:04:31.060 what we grew up with and what we think is an 00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:37.180 interactive group is completely different. uh 00:04:37.180 --> 00:04:40.019 overseas when you start talking about the drums 00:04:40.019 --> 00:04:44.720 and the fan groups and fans and flags and just 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:47.759 the whole atmosphere is completely different 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:51.399 um never really got that growing up in north 00:04:51.399 --> 00:04:55.199 america so um the world championships uh when 00:04:55.199 --> 00:04:58.060 they're hosted in europe i think are always just 00:04:58.060 --> 00:05:01.920 a much different atmosphere i mean canada's one 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:05.279 thing but the us i still don't think we've gotten 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:08.930 that to uh the level that it could be or should 00:05:08.930 --> 00:05:10.949 be when it comes to marketing and some of the 00:05:10.949 --> 00:05:13.910 other stuff but uh no it was a super good tournament 00:05:13.910 --> 00:05:16.889 very interesting okay something you in saint 00:05:16.889 --> 00:05:19.970 cloud state can be proud of nine players including 00:05:19.970 --> 00:05:23.470 five active huskies were representing their nations 00:05:23.470 --> 00:05:26.829 did you feel like oh my god i am so proud of 00:05:26.829 --> 00:05:30.389 these girls and myself too Well, since I've only 00:05:30.389 --> 00:05:33.790 been here three years, I did not coach every 00:05:33.790 --> 00:05:36.550 one of those players. But obviously, we have 00:05:36.550 --> 00:05:40.430 a fair amount of players now and who had just 00:05:40.430 --> 00:05:43.389 graduated when say five or six who I actually 00:05:43.389 --> 00:05:47.129 coached here. Anytime you help elite athletes 00:05:47.129 --> 00:05:50.949 achieve goals and be a part of things like that, 00:05:51.029 --> 00:05:54.269 it's pretty cool. It's happy to see them do well 00:05:54.269 --> 00:05:57.100 and obviously the connections here. you know 00:05:57.100 --> 00:06:01.180 you really feel a little bit of like a part of 00:06:01.180 --> 00:06:03.899 it when you see them do well and take pride in 00:06:03.899 --> 00:06:08.399 that and so yeah it was it was awesome to see 00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:12.240 them do well but I'm also I've done this for 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:14.860 a while so there's actually another group of 00:06:14.860 --> 00:06:17.180 players who I coached at North Dakota who are 00:06:17.180 --> 00:06:22.319 still competing who It was super good to see 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:25.100 them play. They're a little bit older. They've 00:06:25.100 --> 00:06:27.420 been playing professionally now for almost 10 00:06:27.420 --> 00:06:31.939 years. And Andrea Dolan, who played for me at 00:06:31.939 --> 00:06:35.560 North Dakota, for her to have the opportunity 00:06:35.560 --> 00:06:38.300 to compete in the top level of the World Championships 00:06:38.300 --> 00:06:41.000 with Norway and then score their first goal, 00:06:41.259 --> 00:06:44.899 that was... Pretty awesome to be in and around 00:06:44.899 --> 00:06:48.480 and to see that obviously Michelle Carvin and 00:06:48.480 --> 00:06:52.360 Suzanna Tappany played for me as well at North 00:06:52.360 --> 00:06:55.860 Dakota so that group and watching them do well 00:06:55.860 --> 00:06:59.519 and win a bronze medal with Finland was super 00:06:59.519 --> 00:07:03.459 cool and Nice to see them continue to play at 00:07:03.459 --> 00:07:07.459 a high level and have success. So Yeah, it's 00:07:07.459 --> 00:07:11.279 fun to be around that and see and know that You 00:07:11.279 --> 00:07:14.480 played a small part in their lives and helping 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:17.300 them, and there's a lot of pride that goes along 00:07:17.300 --> 00:07:20.220 with that. So it was super fun, for sure. I mean, 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:23.000 that's amazing, because I think we kind of forget 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:26.500 about that, how big you are at the international 00:07:26.500 --> 00:07:29.300 stage. I mean, that's amazing when you have such 00:07:29.300 --> 00:07:32.319 a big group of players who are able to represent 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:35.800 their nations and just grow, grow, grow. Yeah, 00:07:35.800 --> 00:07:39.740 I mean, it's not... It's not entirely me. I mean, 00:07:39.740 --> 00:07:43.199 our staff way back when. I mean, that was a very 00:07:43.199 --> 00:07:46.139 years ago. That was a very targeted recruiting 00:07:46.139 --> 00:07:50.459 plan for me to go overseas. I'm not shy about 00:07:50.459 --> 00:07:54.480 the fact that Peter Lander was a big mentor and 00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:57.639 friend and really helped with that. But it was 00:07:57.639 --> 00:08:02.790 also me growing up in Detroit and. Watching the 00:08:02.790 --> 00:08:08.110 amount of Swedish players get drafted and be 00:08:08.110 --> 00:08:12.790 excellent in an area that was smaller than, you 00:08:12.790 --> 00:08:15.329 know, the state of Michigan. Watching, you know, 00:08:15.329 --> 00:08:19.509 the Russian Five and how successful Detroit was 00:08:19.509 --> 00:08:21.810 because of the way they played and the style 00:08:21.810 --> 00:08:24.250 that they played and puck possession and that 00:08:24.250 --> 00:08:28.850 being. more the way the women's game was opposed 00:08:28.850 --> 00:08:31.550 to the men's game that I grew up where it was 00:08:31.550 --> 00:08:35.909 more clutch and grab and everybody just hammering 00:08:35.909 --> 00:08:41.419 each other and very physical and You know, all 00:08:41.419 --> 00:08:44.100 kinds of obstruction. I still joke with kids 00:08:44.100 --> 00:08:46.399 that we practiced obstruction like 20 minutes 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:49.360 every practice, like literally how to put a stick 00:08:49.360 --> 00:08:51.559 on somebody to hold them up, but then let go 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:54.419 so you wouldn't get a penalty and then hold them 00:08:54.419 --> 00:08:58.840 again. So there were a lot of influences that 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:01.179 kind of led me to that point. But there's no 00:09:01.179 --> 00:09:03.980 doubt that I had a fair amount of success with. 00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:07.120 coaching players all over the world and really 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:10.580 have embraced that and learned from that and 00:09:10.580 --> 00:09:14.929 it's It's been a great journey to have those 00:09:14.929 --> 00:09:17.429 experiences. I think it's made me a better person, 00:09:17.509 --> 00:09:19.769 definitely made me a better coach. What about 00:09:19.769 --> 00:09:22.190 the Olympics? I know it's a pre -Olympic season 00:09:22.190 --> 00:09:24.929 and I'm sure some of your players will want to 00:09:24.929 --> 00:09:28.029 go to Italy. And I don't know about the rules, 00:09:28.210 --> 00:09:32.610 but does the NCAA season stop? No, we will continue 00:09:32.610 --> 00:09:37.830 to play. Our players, specifically from European 00:09:37.830 --> 00:09:42.179 countries, because they have never... centralized 00:09:42.179 --> 00:09:46.220 will just miss time during our season to go compete 00:09:46.220 --> 00:09:51.679 in the Olympics. So they'll miss a month, month 00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:55.100 and a half between semesters. So it's very interesting. 00:09:56.080 --> 00:09:58.600 how different schools handle that with academics 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:02.539 and with their course loads obviously they have 00:10:02.539 --> 00:10:04.700 to be very good students to be missing some of 00:10:04.700 --> 00:10:06.440 that time and you also need the help of your 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:10.600 administration and faculty staff to support those 00:10:10.600 --> 00:10:14.559 players and luckily ours do they understand that 00:10:14.559 --> 00:10:18.570 that's not only a big deal for our players to 00:10:18.570 --> 00:10:20.870 have that opportunity to represent their country 00:10:20.870 --> 00:10:23.409 and play in the Olympics, but also what that 00:10:23.409 --> 00:10:25.529 does and how that reflects on the university 00:10:25.529 --> 00:10:29.509 itself and the attention that brings to have 00:10:29.509 --> 00:10:33.590 us associated with, you know, culturally one 00:10:33.590 --> 00:10:37.730 of the greatest athletic competitions the world's 00:10:37.730 --> 00:10:41.210 ever known. So super cool. So they'll miss a 00:10:41.210 --> 00:10:43.330 little bit of school. We kind of prepare for 00:10:43.330 --> 00:10:46.820 that and kind of understand that. Our roster 00:10:46.820 --> 00:10:49.100 will probably need to be a little bit larger 00:10:49.100 --> 00:10:52.740 in Olympic year in anticipation for missing some 00:10:52.740 --> 00:10:56.519 players. So we support them. It's a big deal. 00:10:56.679 --> 00:10:59.399 That's really why they come here is development 00:10:59.399 --> 00:11:04.059 wise to improve so they can play in those arenas. 00:11:04.059 --> 00:11:06.720 So it'll be a fun year. We're really proud and 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:09.299 excited. We have potentially five players who 00:11:09.299 --> 00:11:12.559 will play in the Olympics in Italy coming up 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:16.100 this next year. when you got back to the ncwa 00:11:16.100 --> 00:11:19.220 hockey after professional women's hockey did 00:11:19.220 --> 00:11:23.419 you feel like you had to adjust change something 00:11:23.419 --> 00:11:27.720 in your game um that's a great question i honestly 00:11:27.720 --> 00:11:30.600 was a little bit worried about coming back into 00:11:30.600 --> 00:11:33.899 the ncaa just because of the fact i knew the 00:11:33.899 --> 00:11:36.340 landscape had changed dramatically with some 00:11:36.340 --> 00:11:38.419 of the recruiting rules and some of the things 00:11:38.419 --> 00:11:42.659 that are going on in college athletics but i 00:11:42.659 --> 00:11:48.320 was also concerned because I can be pretty direct 00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:52.639 and I enjoy coaching and I enjoy correcting and 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:56.879 teaching. And I think this generation sometimes 00:11:56.879 --> 00:12:01.539 gets a bad rap for not being receptive or the 00:12:01.539 --> 00:12:04.519 perception that this, you know, age group and 00:12:04.519 --> 00:12:08.120 generation is soft. So I was a little concerned 00:12:08.120 --> 00:12:12.059 how I would handle that. And, you know, it was 00:12:12.059 --> 00:12:14.220 easy to have conversations with professional 00:12:14.220 --> 00:12:16.759 players. They're older, they're more mature. 00:12:17.100 --> 00:12:19.879 They've experienced things in the game so they 00:12:19.879 --> 00:12:22.980 can talk at a little higher level and kind of 00:12:22.980 --> 00:12:25.120 give you feedback on what they're seeing and 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:27.159 what they're feeling and what's going on. And 00:12:27.159 --> 00:12:30.179 you can have a much higher level conversation. 00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:34.960 So I was worried about that. But honestly, I 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:39.549 was very lucky. The group was very hungry. to 00:12:39.549 --> 00:12:42.730 learn they were very hungry to make some changes 00:12:42.730 --> 00:12:46.590 in the way that they went about their business 00:12:46.590 --> 00:12:49.210 as hockey players here they took on a much more 00:12:49.210 --> 00:12:55.429 professional attitude and level and honestly 00:12:55.429 --> 00:12:58.769 the biggest thing was they were super hungry 00:12:58.769 --> 00:13:03.460 to be coached and to get feedback and to be coached 00:13:03.460 --> 00:13:07.179 and so the transition went better than I would 00:13:07.179 --> 00:13:10.580 ever have imagined. We were pretty successful 00:13:10.580 --> 00:13:14.580 immediately even though talent wise we weren't 00:13:14.580 --> 00:13:18.820 the most talented group that first year but a 00:13:18.820 --> 00:13:22.259 great group of kids and they made my transition 00:13:22.259 --> 00:13:26.360 pretty easy for me by Working really hard and 00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:29.659 being very coachable. I believe 18 wins, right? 00:13:30.019 --> 00:13:33.860 That was correct. So I think they had nine or 00:13:33.860 --> 00:13:36.580 eight the year before. So we doubled our wins. 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:39.600 And what is, it's not even arguably, what is 00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:42.919 the toughest conference in NCAA hockey in the 00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:46.720 WCHA? I mean, we consistently have. four and 00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:49.240 five teams ranked in the top 10 throughout the 00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:52.580 years so um it's the best of the best i think 00:13:52.580 --> 00:13:56.980 the wcha has won pretty much every national championship 00:13:56.980 --> 00:14:01.039 uh but two in like 25 years coach of the year 00:14:01.039 --> 00:14:05.460 award it's something that you you have experienced 00:14:05.460 --> 00:14:09.000 quite a few times and what lesson do you take 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:12.340 from that that's also interesting because i feel 00:14:12.340 --> 00:14:17.139 like that is an outdated award and term to be 00:14:17.139 --> 00:14:21.679 honest with you um 25 years ago there was a head 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:24.679 coach and you'd be lucky if you had an assistant 00:14:24.679 --> 00:14:29.120 coach and that was it so I don't really feel 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:35.100 like a head coach award is as much of a thing 00:14:35.100 --> 00:14:40.460 because we have I'm super blessed to have staff 00:14:40.460 --> 00:14:44.980 so I have three assistant coaches look at them 00:14:44.980 --> 00:14:47.879 and treat them as equals i have a video coach 00:14:47.879 --> 00:14:50.919 you know i have a athletic trainer i have an 00:14:50.919 --> 00:14:54.080 equipment manager like i there are a lot of people 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:58.320 that uh support and are here and pushing in the 00:14:58.320 --> 00:15:02.519 right direction and who are helping us be successful. 00:15:02.779 --> 00:15:06.500 So I feel like that should be changed to be a 00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:09.159 staff award because there are a lot of people 00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:11.980 that that goes into. I actually feel a little 00:15:11.980 --> 00:15:14.460 uncomfortable with one person being singled out 00:15:14.460 --> 00:15:17.100 because there are a lot of people that go into 00:15:17.100 --> 00:15:19.700 the success of a program. And for us, there's 00:15:19.700 --> 00:15:22.120 a lot of people that went into, you know, us 00:15:22.120 --> 00:15:25.100 turning the program around. It wasn't just me. 00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:28.100 Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up. That's something 00:15:28.100 --> 00:15:30.860 I want to talk about for the league and for the 00:15:30.860 --> 00:15:34.620 national award stuff. I think we should change 00:15:34.620 --> 00:15:37.940 that to a staff award and not just a coach award. 00:15:38.259 --> 00:15:40.960 That's a great point. I think it goes the same 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:43.759 even like with the KHL when people say, oh, this 00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:46.820 coach deserves this and that. But usually people 00:15:46.820 --> 00:15:50.440 mean that the team deserves it. 100 % because 00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:54.429 you're not, you can't run. two power play units 00:15:54.429 --> 00:15:57.809 you can and run the PK and run the D zone and 00:15:57.809 --> 00:16:00.730 the overall structure and manage personalities 00:16:00.730 --> 00:16:04.830 like without good people around you and the ability 00:16:04.830 --> 00:16:07.509 to delegate some of that stuff one person is 00:16:07.509 --> 00:16:10.570 not doing that anymore so let's hear it for your 00:16:10.570 --> 00:16:17.009 team then perfect love that but on your social 00:16:17.009 --> 00:16:20.450 media occasionally you post inspirational quotes 00:16:20.450 --> 00:16:24.830 is that for yourself for players or people around 00:16:24.830 --> 00:16:28.950 you a little bit of all of the above sometimes 00:16:28.950 --> 00:16:35.370 i can be a little negative and so some of that's 00:16:35.370 --> 00:16:39.909 just uh for me to remind myself to you know be 00:16:39.909 --> 00:16:43.769 in the moment and kind of make sure that i'm 00:16:43.769 --> 00:16:46.649 doing the right things and i'm modeling the right 00:16:46.649 --> 00:16:51.139 behaviors and i'm reminding myself of what's 00:16:51.139 --> 00:16:53.440 important and what it means to be doing what 00:16:53.440 --> 00:16:57.539 I'm doing. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sometimes 00:16:57.539 --> 00:17:01.360 putting it out to get a message to our team. 00:17:01.980 --> 00:17:03.899 There are times there are things we're talking 00:17:03.899 --> 00:17:06.279 about in the locker room and then sometimes like 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:09.940 material come to me and, you know, I should read 00:17:09.940 --> 00:17:12.859 more books like I did earlier in my career. But 00:17:12.859 --> 00:17:16.819 there's so much good content and podcasts and 00:17:16.819 --> 00:17:20.880 like social media postings that I get a lot of 00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:25.210 that stuff now from being on those kind of. And 00:17:25.210 --> 00:17:28.170 so I'll post that because it'll end up being 00:17:28.170 --> 00:17:31.289 something we've talked about as a team and share 00:17:31.289 --> 00:17:35.190 it with them and put it on stuff. So, yeah, I'm 00:17:35.190 --> 00:17:37.569 big into that. I'm big into what you surround 00:17:37.569 --> 00:17:43.250 yourself in. I'm big into, you know, what kind 00:17:43.250 --> 00:17:45.690 of message you're putting out for yourself and 00:17:45.690 --> 00:17:48.410 how you're talking to yourself and talking in 00:17:48.410 --> 00:17:51.990 and around other people. And so it's good to 00:17:51.990 --> 00:17:54.269 surround myself with some of that stuff for sure. 00:17:54.589 --> 00:17:56.970 well thank you and i use it i'm sure a lot of 00:17:56.970 --> 00:18:00.490 people find it very helpful yeah i probably spend 00:18:00.490 --> 00:18:04.089 so much time looking at stuff but uh i i enjoy 00:18:04.089 --> 00:18:07.210 it and i do i do think that uh and i believe 00:18:07.210 --> 00:18:11.160 that That stuff helps to be reminded of that 00:18:11.160 --> 00:18:13.779 and to surround myself with some of those messages 00:18:13.779 --> 00:18:16.920 to reinforce some of my beliefs and what I believe 00:18:16.920 --> 00:18:20.799 and to keep me in a positive state of mind and 00:18:20.799 --> 00:18:23.819 reference and to not get down when things aren't 00:18:23.819 --> 00:18:27.559 going great. uh get caught up too much in the 00:18:27.559 --> 00:18:30.000 day -to -day and i always make sure that i have 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:33.319 uh as i stay in the moment that i still understand 00:18:33.319 --> 00:18:36.319 that uh that's a process and that their goals 00:18:36.319 --> 00:18:38.720 that we're working to and they take time and 00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:42.039 it's nothing is immediate um when it comes to 00:18:42.039 --> 00:18:45.859 buildings so as a coach i think the next question 00:18:45.859 --> 00:18:49.039 is really helpful to parents and the players 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:53.359 as a coach what are you looking for in a new 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:57.630 player So everyone always asks this question 00:18:57.630 --> 00:19:04.549 and it's not easy to answer. I try to explain 00:19:04.549 --> 00:19:07.990 like every situation is different. I think people, 00:19:08.170 --> 00:19:11.670 especially coaches, when you're recruiting for 00:19:11.670 --> 00:19:17.890 whatever team you're building, talent is one 00:19:17.890 --> 00:19:21.130 thing. Absolutely. We need to be able to skate, 00:19:21.269 --> 00:19:25.390 need to be able to, you know. handle a puck need 00:19:25.390 --> 00:19:29.029 to have some hockey IQ need to be able to compete 00:19:29.029 --> 00:19:35.230 be physical like all these intricate pieces are 00:19:35.230 --> 00:19:40.029 important your character your work ethic so just 00:19:40.029 --> 00:19:44.049 picking out a couple I think is wrong here's 00:19:44.049 --> 00:19:47.609 the best advice that I was ever given and it's 00:19:47.609 --> 00:19:50.690 you need to be really honest with yourself about 00:19:51.180 --> 00:19:53.119 who you are, what kind of player you are, and 00:19:53.119 --> 00:19:56.759 you need to be great at one thing. So whatever 00:19:56.759 --> 00:19:59.480 that one thing is that you can bring to a team 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:04.140 that no one else can bring. Unfortunately, everyone 00:20:04.140 --> 00:20:07.299 thinks that that's scoring goals. Everyone thinks 00:20:07.299 --> 00:20:09.140 that, you know, I've got to be on a successful 00:20:09.140 --> 00:20:13.440 team where I'm always putting the puck in the 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:17.200 net or, you know, putting up a lot of points. 00:20:18.059 --> 00:20:21.170 When we're building a team, We understand there's 00:20:21.170 --> 00:20:25.470 certain people that, yes, we need people who 00:20:25.470 --> 00:20:28.329 can put the puck in the net. But there's so many 00:20:28.329 --> 00:20:30.630 other things and roles we're trying to fill. 00:20:31.369 --> 00:20:35.289 I don't need, you know, 12 forwards who cheat 00:20:35.289 --> 00:20:38.250 on the offensive side of pucks and, you know, 00:20:38.309 --> 00:20:42.069 play for offense and have holes in their game. 00:20:42.230 --> 00:20:45.329 Like, don't play a 200 -foot game. I need kids 00:20:45.329 --> 00:20:48.849 who... are grade F1 and always hound the puck 00:20:48.849 --> 00:20:52.750 and are relentless. I need kids that always back 00:20:52.750 --> 00:20:55.150 check to the house and are very responsible and 00:20:55.150 --> 00:20:57.910 always understand getting above the puck when 00:20:57.910 --> 00:21:01.730 it turns over and always thinking about what 00:21:01.730 --> 00:21:05.650 might go wrong. I need kids that block shots 00:21:05.650 --> 00:21:08.349 and kill penalties and always win their board 00:21:08.349 --> 00:21:13.789 battles. And so every given cycle, You're kind 00:21:13.789 --> 00:21:16.910 of evaluating as a coach, whether it's pro, NCAA, 00:21:16.970 --> 00:21:20.670 about what your team is missing. And you're trying 00:21:20.670 --> 00:21:24.450 to bring in somebody who can fill that role. 00:21:25.029 --> 00:21:28.849 At least I do. So I recruit very much with the 00:21:28.849 --> 00:21:32.549 roster I have and trying to pair them up with 00:21:32.549 --> 00:21:36.130 other people that I think they would play well 00:21:36.130 --> 00:21:41.500 with. I feel like we're deficient in an area 00:21:41.500 --> 00:21:43.859 bringing players, I think, address that and kind 00:21:43.859 --> 00:21:47.000 of make us better, deeper and more talented in 00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:51.259 those areas. That could be as minute as a physical 00:21:51.259 --> 00:21:54.299 defenseman that just boxes out really well. That 00:21:54.299 --> 00:21:57.839 can be, you know, as minute as someone who's 00:21:57.839 --> 00:22:01.579 really good at board battles and defending in 00:22:01.579 --> 00:22:08.019 the D zone. So there isn't one thing, unfortunately. 00:22:09.170 --> 00:22:12.490 But I do believe, Daria, that people sometimes 00:22:12.490 --> 00:22:16.329 get busy chasing exposure instead of working 00:22:16.329 --> 00:22:19.630 on their craft to be great at one thing. Oh, 00:22:19.710 --> 00:22:22.329 I totally get it. I mean, I agree and I think 00:22:22.329 --> 00:22:25.009 you answered this question perfectly. It still 00:22:25.009 --> 00:22:28.200 goes... back to the youth hockey. Because like 00:22:28.200 --> 00:22:30.859 you said, everyone is focusing that their kids 00:22:30.859 --> 00:22:33.859 need to score, score, score. But when you're 00:22:33.859 --> 00:22:36.619 a child, you need to focus on developing different 00:22:36.619 --> 00:22:39.559 skills. So when you actually go to the university, 00:22:39.880 --> 00:22:43.559 you know what are your good skills. Yeah, everyone 00:22:43.559 --> 00:22:48.500 wants to be a center, roam around and score goals. 00:22:48.779 --> 00:22:52.220 But every level, everyone's looking for a solid 00:22:52.220 --> 00:22:56.839 shutdown defenseman. But there's very few of 00:22:56.839 --> 00:22:59.420 them at every level who are competent and very 00:22:59.420 --> 00:23:02.700 good at that. So it's always very interesting 00:23:02.700 --> 00:23:05.700 to see how kids kind of come through. I mean, 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:09.579 my goodness, I've had what I enjoy now really 00:23:09.579 --> 00:23:12.559 is players who have played both positions and 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:18.869 are good at both positions. I've had a fair amount 00:23:18.869 --> 00:23:21.029 of kids who played forward their whole life. 00:23:21.069 --> 00:23:25.109 And so they're weak at skating backwards. So 00:23:25.109 --> 00:23:27.329 now when you lock a lane and try to get them 00:23:27.329 --> 00:23:31.250 to go backwards to forwards and angle. they're 00:23:31.250 --> 00:23:33.849 not really good at it. They can't do it. Or defensemen 00:23:33.849 --> 00:23:36.509 who, you know, you start to teach joining the 00:23:36.509 --> 00:23:39.890 rush and being engaged in the offense and attacking 00:23:39.890 --> 00:23:42.269 as a group of five in the O zone and they get 00:23:42.269 --> 00:23:44.690 a puck below the goal line and they panic with 00:23:44.690 --> 00:23:47.130 it and throw it away because they're not comfortable 00:23:47.130 --> 00:23:50.730 handling pucks in those situations because they've 00:23:50.730 --> 00:23:53.329 been a D their whole life and just stand on the 00:23:53.329 --> 00:23:57.470 blue line. Being a well -rounded player with 00:23:57.470 --> 00:24:02.569 the way that the game is going is super important. 00:24:02.950 --> 00:24:06.430 And the biggest thing now for us acquiring players 00:24:06.430 --> 00:24:11.490 at our level is dealing with the increased physicality 00:24:11.490 --> 00:24:15.829 and understanding what competing hard really 00:24:15.829 --> 00:24:19.569 looks like and that it's okay. What about the 00:24:19.569 --> 00:24:24.250 coaches who want to grow and reach the NCAA level? 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:28.680 Do you have any advice for those guys? Well, 00:24:28.680 --> 00:24:31.960 if I've learned anything over my time is that 00:24:31.960 --> 00:24:37.099 I personally feel like the hockey stuff is very 00:24:37.099 --> 00:24:43.259 easy. Lots of people can drop a drill at practice 00:24:43.259 --> 00:24:47.839 and run a drill. That's probably the easier things 00:24:47.839 --> 00:24:51.799 that we do. um we're in a people business being 00:24:51.799 --> 00:24:55.660 good with people networking getting people um 00:24:55.660 --> 00:24:58.839 to know you feel comfortable with you being exposed 00:24:58.839 --> 00:25:02.339 to them and kind of so networking is such a big 00:25:02.339 --> 00:25:06.539 thing going to conferences working camps continually 00:25:06.539 --> 00:25:09.500 learning new things and exposing yourself to 00:25:09.500 --> 00:25:13.579 different things and learning from people um 00:25:13.579 --> 00:25:18.829 i feel like that really big when you build a 00:25:18.829 --> 00:25:23.750 coaching staff you're in small quarters working 00:25:23.750 --> 00:25:30.329 long hours for a long time and so you want to 00:25:30.329 --> 00:25:33.109 be around people that you enjoy that you know 00:25:33.109 --> 00:25:36.910 have a solid work ethic and are students of the 00:25:36.910 --> 00:25:39.950 game and love the game and that's being at the 00:25:39.950 --> 00:25:45.099 rink is their happy place so It's really hard 00:25:45.099 --> 00:25:47.039 to get to know someone just going through an 00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:50.119 interview process. So I would tell you networking. 00:25:50.940 --> 00:25:53.240 Don't be shy to introduce yourself to people 00:25:53.240 --> 00:25:56.099 and ask questions and get engaged with that. 00:25:56.180 --> 00:25:58.740 You'd be shocked at how many people would be 00:25:58.740 --> 00:26:03.019 more than happy to help you, advise you, guide 00:26:03.019 --> 00:26:05.900 you, have a conversation and share experiences. 00:26:06.940 --> 00:26:12.180 I think that's what makes hockey. so special 00:26:12.180 --> 00:26:15.599 is it's such a close -knit small community that 00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:20.220 I think we easily go out of our way to help other 00:26:20.220 --> 00:26:22.559 people and kind of talk and have those discussions 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:26.599 and grow the game so get yourself out there talk 00:26:26.599 --> 00:26:31.319 to people and when you were growing up who did 00:26:31.319 --> 00:26:34.039 you look up to well I was lucky to play for some 00:26:34.039 --> 00:26:37.819 pretty good coaches who I kind of laugh with 00:26:37.819 --> 00:26:42.640 our kids because when i was younger if i was 00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:46.799 going to learn anything i had to be in front 00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:49.579 of that person i had to be at that camp i had 00:26:49.579 --> 00:26:52.740 to be working with them or introduced to them 00:26:52.740 --> 00:26:56.000 or meet them in person um so getting information 00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:59.819 was hard you really had to work for it you had 00:26:59.819 --> 00:27:04.200 to be there um kids coming up now my goodness 00:27:04.200 --> 00:27:07.920 you can go on instagram and follow the 10 best 00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:12.509 skill coaches in the world and run through content 00:27:12.509 --> 00:27:16.710 information isn't a problem them actually getting 00:27:16.710 --> 00:27:19.690 up every day and like putting in the work a small 00:27:19.690 --> 00:27:22.450 amount every day over a long period of time like 00:27:22.450 --> 00:27:28.990 that that is a harder task um i think for the 00:27:28.990 --> 00:27:33.750 younger generation so i i tell people that my 00:27:33.750 --> 00:27:37.069 first year or so of coaching i worked like eight 00:27:37.069 --> 00:27:40.279 to ten weeks of camp in the summer and it wasn't 00:27:40.279 --> 00:27:44.460 to get richer for the money it was just to learn 00:27:44.460 --> 00:27:48.759 to be exposed to things to pick up things to 00:27:48.759 --> 00:27:52.319 listen to other people how they taught things 00:27:52.319 --> 00:27:55.559 drills that they ran and stole those drills like 00:27:55.559 --> 00:28:01.279 that was a big part of me developing and getting 00:28:01.279 --> 00:28:04.640 better and I was lucky to you know be surrounded 00:28:04.640 --> 00:28:07.759 by some pretty good people in those time frames 00:28:07.759 --> 00:28:10.380 too and kind of learn a lot from a lot of different 00:28:10.380 --> 00:28:14.980 people so but for sure I mean it was Bruce Garber 00:28:14.980 --> 00:28:17.640 was the first I played for Bruce for a couple 00:28:17.640 --> 00:28:19.759 years he was the first person to give me a coaching 00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:23.539 job he played for Lou Lamorello at Providence 00:28:24.599 --> 00:28:30.880 Obviously, Mark Johnson played for Madison early 00:28:30.880 --> 00:28:35.519 in my career. You know, it was kind of influential 00:28:35.519 --> 00:28:38.720 a little bit. One of the best coaches I ever 00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:45.619 had was my junior coach. He was in still. probably 00:28:45.619 --> 00:28:48.980 is the one i most like in my personality with 00:28:48.980 --> 00:28:51.339 how i go about my day -to -day and commitment 00:28:51.339 --> 00:28:55.220 to improving uh not only as a person and studying 00:28:55.220 --> 00:28:58.339 the game but just work ethic and grit and what 00:28:58.339 --> 00:29:03.559 it takes to be successful so um yeah those were 00:29:03.559 --> 00:29:07.500 people i looked up to and uh were kind of important 00:29:07.500 --> 00:29:10.099 to me in the early years of me getting into coaching 00:29:10.099 --> 00:29:14.019 and playing Something I just remembered, you 00:29:14.019 --> 00:29:19.000 recently reposted Chris Pronger's quote, the 00:29:19.000 --> 00:29:21.779 ability to show up even when you don't feel like 00:29:21.779 --> 00:29:25.400 it, the most underrated skill in life. Yeah, 00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:29.839 100%. I thought that was awesome. And, you know, 00:29:29.859 --> 00:29:34.799 that was... In my career, I didn't have anyone 00:29:34.799 --> 00:29:39.440 necessarily kind of... giving us that kind of 00:29:39.440 --> 00:29:44.259 information like it was very spotty and weight 00:29:44.259 --> 00:29:46.940 training didn't really understand it i don't 00:29:46.940 --> 00:29:49.619 think i consistently lifted till i got to college 00:29:49.619 --> 00:29:55.960 at 20 um and now you've got kids at 14 15 or 00:29:55.960 --> 00:30:00.240 you know being exposed to having world -class 00:30:00.240 --> 00:30:02.640 strength and conditioning coaches and being on 00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:06.279 exercise programs and uh are taking care of their 00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:08.940 bodies but To be honest with you, that quote 00:30:08.940 --> 00:30:14.339 reminded me of Jocelyn and Monique Lamer, who 00:30:14.339 --> 00:30:18.019 played for me in North Dakota and obviously with 00:30:18.019 --> 00:30:22.319 the U .S. Olympic national team, because they 00:30:22.319 --> 00:30:26.180 embodied that to me. There was nobody who did 00:30:26.180 --> 00:30:32.259 work on a daily basis. like those two kids over 00:30:32.259 --> 00:30:34.859 a long period of time like from the moment I 00:30:34.859 --> 00:30:37.940 first met them as like 14 year old 15 year old 00:30:37.940 --> 00:30:41.740 kids it was easy to see their work ethic but 00:30:41.740 --> 00:30:46.140 to watch them over the course of that time frame 00:30:46.140 --> 00:30:49.720 in college and deal with adversity but those 00:30:49.720 --> 00:30:52.920 kids showed up on a daily basis and I always 00:30:52.920 --> 00:30:55.319 tell people like they they weren't the tallest 00:30:55.319 --> 00:30:58.529 kids or biggest kids they were you know, five, 00:30:58.710 --> 00:31:02.210 six, which is kind of undersized nowadays a little 00:31:02.210 --> 00:31:06.029 bit. They weren't our strongest kids. I had kids 00:31:06.029 --> 00:31:09.130 that were, you know, lifted more weights and 00:31:09.130 --> 00:31:12.250 tested better in the weight room. They weren't 00:31:12.250 --> 00:31:15.190 our best skaters, but my goodness, those two 00:31:15.190 --> 00:31:18.470 kids were so competitive and they worked hard 00:31:18.470 --> 00:31:24.309 day in, day out over eight plus years to get 00:31:24.309 --> 00:31:28.059 to the point where They make those plays in Sochi. 00:31:28.279 --> 00:31:33.480 To me, there's no greater human beings or players 00:31:33.480 --> 00:31:36.019 than those two because I got a front row seat 00:31:36.019 --> 00:31:40.140 to watch them work so hard over such a long period 00:31:40.140 --> 00:31:44.400 of time to be in that moment. Actually, I think 00:31:44.400 --> 00:31:48.380 I know one girl who stood out when she was still 00:31:48.380 --> 00:31:50.960 a teenager. Well, she's still a teenager, but 00:31:50.960 --> 00:31:54.759 I mean, Maria Mikhailian, you know that name 00:31:54.759 --> 00:31:58.710 too. The first time I met her, she was probably 00:31:58.710 --> 00:32:02.990 about 14. And I'm just so happy that she is committed 00:32:02.990 --> 00:32:06.230 to the university where she will be able to work 00:32:06.230 --> 00:32:10.650 with you. Yeah, I'm super happy to reconnect 00:32:10.650 --> 00:32:14.490 and to see her again. And so, yeah, looking forward 00:32:14.490 --> 00:32:19.849 to her coming in next year as a first year collegiate 00:32:19.849 --> 00:32:25.019 athlete. I kind of joke with people. that she 00:32:25.019 --> 00:32:28.619 has some characteristics of being kind of a female 00:32:28.619 --> 00:32:33.259 vetchkin she can really shoot a buck and she's 00:32:33.259 --> 00:32:35.799 got a good knack around the net and still has 00:32:35.799 --> 00:32:38.700 that kind of physical presence as well so which 00:32:38.700 --> 00:32:42.720 is funny because he ran over cole caulfield and 00:32:42.720 --> 00:32:47.619 that's my college teammate's son and so i got 00:32:47.619 --> 00:32:49.579 a chuckle out of that i thought he gave a great 00:32:49.579 --> 00:32:52.750 app interview afterwards and they asked him how 00:32:52.750 --> 00:32:54.970 that felt and he said yeah I wouldn't recommend 00:32:54.970 --> 00:32:59.950 that that wasn't great so I'm super happy to 00:32:59.950 --> 00:33:02.170 have Maria come in next year I think she's gonna 00:33:02.170 --> 00:33:04.390 have a great career here collegiately for us 00:33:04.390 --> 00:33:08.029 yes I'm very happy for her too and thank you 00:33:08.029 --> 00:33:10.130 for that because I believe she will eventually 00:33:10.130 --> 00:33:13.789 be able to grow up in a high caliber national 00:33:13.789 --> 00:33:17.029 team player too well that's the hope i would 00:33:17.029 --> 00:33:19.730 hope that we kind of develop her to a point where 00:33:19.730 --> 00:33:23.069 uh you know she's able to uh compete at that 00:33:23.069 --> 00:33:25.349 level i definitely think she has the ability 00:33:25.349 --> 00:33:29.190 and the talent um so um yeah looking forward 00:33:29.190 --> 00:33:34.829 to that and you already mentioned 25 and i'm 00:33:34.829 --> 00:33:38.150 talking about 25 year mark anniversary for you 00:33:38.150 --> 00:33:42.460 did you have any party anniversary No, I think 00:33:42.460 --> 00:33:46.000 when you get older, you just kind of pass that 00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:50.200 by. It's just a reminder of how much time's passed. 00:33:50.319 --> 00:33:53.640 And so, no, won't make a big deal about that. 00:33:54.319 --> 00:33:58.500 Why not? You have to. It's a lot. It's a big 00:33:58.500 --> 00:34:02.619 deal. Yeah, that's not my style. What about some 00:34:02.619 --> 00:34:05.160 quotes about that? I wouldn't even know what 00:34:05.160 --> 00:34:08.960 to say. I love what I do. I enjoy doing it. You 00:34:08.960 --> 00:34:11.639 know, something that always stuck out with me 00:34:11.639 --> 00:34:15.900 was I was playing some kind of board game with 00:34:15.900 --> 00:34:19.679 some friends and a couple of couples. And one 00:34:19.679 --> 00:34:23.300 of the cards was something to do with if you 00:34:23.300 --> 00:34:26.320 could do anything in the world, what job would 00:34:26.320 --> 00:34:29.110 you have? And, you know, my friends were, you 00:34:29.110 --> 00:34:31.670 know, saying, oh, I'd love to do this as a professional. 00:34:31.750 --> 00:34:34.269 I'd love to do that. And it's like it came to 00:34:34.269 --> 00:34:38.909 me and I was like, yeah, I really like what I 00:34:38.909 --> 00:34:41.610 do. I don't think I would want to do anything 00:34:41.610 --> 00:34:48.349 else. Like this is it for me. So I feel very 00:34:48.349 --> 00:34:51.690 blessed to do what I do. It's fun. It's rewarding. 00:34:51.849 --> 00:34:55.269 And, you know, I still enjoy it. going on the 00:34:55.269 --> 00:34:57.130 ice shooting the puck off the glass every once 00:34:57.130 --> 00:34:58.989 in a while letting everyone know that i used 00:34:58.989 --> 00:35:02.010 to play a little bit and so it's still fun going 00:35:02.010 --> 00:35:05.389 back into your playing years have you ever imagined 00:35:05.389 --> 00:35:07.929 that you're gonna find your success in women's 00:35:07.929 --> 00:35:15.329 hockey uh absolutely not um i think just generationally 00:35:15.329 --> 00:35:17.889 where i grew up those opportunities didn't exist 00:35:17.889 --> 00:35:21.750 i like Most males, you grow up and you think 00:35:21.750 --> 00:35:25.010 you're going to the NHL in some capacity. And 00:35:25.010 --> 00:35:28.369 even when I started coaching, I thought I was 00:35:28.369 --> 00:35:31.590 really smart and I knew everything early on and 00:35:31.590 --> 00:35:34.449 that I was going to be a high riser and move 00:35:34.449 --> 00:35:38.489 up through things. And so as you get older, you 00:35:38.489 --> 00:35:41.489 start to look around the landscape and you understand 00:35:41.489 --> 00:35:46.309 that it's... uh difficult and so i just feel 00:35:46.309 --> 00:35:49.769 very fortunate uh that i've been able to continue 00:35:49.769 --> 00:35:52.889 to do it as long as i i've done it i know there's 00:35:52.889 --> 00:35:55.590 a lot of people who would love to do it and don't 00:35:55.590 --> 00:35:58.710 get those chances and or get one shot and for 00:35:58.710 --> 00:36:01.010 whatever reason it doesn't work out and they 00:36:01.010 --> 00:36:04.869 don't get another chance so i feel very just 00:36:04.869 --> 00:36:08.909 blessed that um uh that i continue to be able 00:36:08.909 --> 00:36:11.449 to do that so i guess i don't want to celebrate 00:36:11.449 --> 00:36:14.030 because i don't want to jinx it Oh, that's a 00:36:14.030 --> 00:36:17.030 good point. See, we made it. We made to that 00:36:17.030 --> 00:36:19.210 point. Okay, that's a good point. Maybe I'll 00:36:19.210 --> 00:36:21.929 celebrate it when I retire because of old age 00:36:21.929 --> 00:36:25.389 or something. But I still enjoy, you know, and 00:36:25.389 --> 00:36:27.449 as you get older, people ask you if you want 00:36:27.449 --> 00:36:29.809 to do other things. You want to GM, you want 00:36:29.809 --> 00:36:32.710 to, you know, scout, you want to be a commissioner, 00:36:33.030 --> 00:36:38.530 you know. And the fact is, I still really like 00:36:38.530 --> 00:36:43.380 being... on the ice I love running practice I 00:36:43.380 --> 00:36:47.099 love running the bench in a game and line matchups 00:36:47.099 --> 00:36:50.159 and going back and forth with our coach and trying 00:36:50.159 --> 00:36:52.800 to figure out what's best for our club to be 00:36:52.800 --> 00:36:55.980 successful against any given opponent and the 00:36:55.980 --> 00:36:59.420 preparation like I still think that that stuff's 00:36:59.420 --> 00:37:03.699 awesome it's awesome it's true but you have to 00:37:03.699 --> 00:37:06.460 tell us how does it feel when you have to do 00:37:06.460 --> 00:37:10.059 it for international players For people who speak 00:37:10.059 --> 00:37:13.340 different language, how does it change? Like 00:37:13.340 --> 00:37:15.900 the way you talk hockey? Well, it's funny because 00:37:15.900 --> 00:37:19.139 when I came back, the cadence of my speech had 00:37:19.139 --> 00:37:24.719 changed. So everyone has a certain level of English, 00:37:24.820 --> 00:37:27.420 but we talk really fast in our native tongue. 00:37:27.500 --> 00:37:30.900 So it was hard for people to understand. So I 00:37:30.900 --> 00:37:35.809 had to be very deliberate. I had to really slow 00:37:35.809 --> 00:37:39.789 down and pause between words. And I think when 00:37:39.789 --> 00:37:43.409 I came home, people thought I was simple a little 00:37:43.409 --> 00:37:47.829 bit because of that. But I just learned how important 00:37:47.829 --> 00:37:54.309 communication is, was, and how effective it is 00:37:54.309 --> 00:37:57.949 when you speak clearly about what your expectations 00:37:57.949 --> 00:38:01.530 are and what you want players to do and how you 00:38:01.530 --> 00:38:05.690 want them to. do things I think that learn to 00:38:05.690 --> 00:38:08.269 be very good explaining the why of everything 00:38:08.269 --> 00:38:11.809 that we're doing so everyone knows why we do 00:38:11.809 --> 00:38:14.070 certain things and how it fits into the bigger 00:38:14.070 --> 00:38:16.750 game and how it fits for what we're going to 00:38:16.750 --> 00:38:20.590 do against the next opponent and why it's important 00:38:20.590 --> 00:38:23.070 for the long haul and for the end of the year 00:38:23.070 --> 00:38:27.369 and what these things mean and every drill. that 00:38:27.369 --> 00:38:31.530 we're doing has a piece to improving us for the 00:38:31.530 --> 00:38:35.110 bigger picture and being able to have players 00:38:35.110 --> 00:38:38.889 understand why we do things a certain way. So 00:38:38.889 --> 00:38:42.809 that, that was, I think that was super huge for 00:38:42.809 --> 00:38:45.250 me. Cause you're right. I mean, when I was overseas 00:38:45.250 --> 00:38:48.570 with the Chinese team in Russia, I mean, I think 00:38:48.570 --> 00:38:52.070 we had players from eight different countries. 00:38:54.489 --> 00:39:00.000 So. It was fun. I enjoyed it. There were obviously 00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:02.780 some of those challenges in trying to communicate, 00:39:02.960 --> 00:39:05.440 but I thought we did a good job of spending time 00:39:05.440 --> 00:39:08.599 to overcome some of that so people understood 00:39:08.599 --> 00:39:11.559 and being accessible to answer questions as much 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:15.619 as possible outside of rink time and explain 00:39:15.619 --> 00:39:19.139 things super well. Another thing that people 00:39:19.139 --> 00:39:22.119 probably don't understand, yes, you can get ready, 00:39:22.340 --> 00:39:25.989 you can explain, but... when it's a game time 00:39:25.989 --> 00:39:29.730 you don't have time it's all about reaction and 00:39:29.730 --> 00:39:32.530 that's why preparation was so important so that 00:39:32.530 --> 00:39:35.250 they they knew but that's definitely a conversation 00:39:35.250 --> 00:39:39.230 like and that's getting to know your players 00:39:39.230 --> 00:39:43.610 and because there's numerous times i'm like i 00:39:43.610 --> 00:39:47.269 need you to trust me i don't have time to explain 00:39:47.269 --> 00:39:50.400 in the moment in a game But I will sit with you 00:39:50.400 --> 00:39:53.119 afterwards and tell you what I see, how I see 00:39:53.119 --> 00:39:56.639 it, and why I believe what I did. But right now, 00:39:56.639 --> 00:39:58.500 you just need to do what I'm asking you to do. 00:39:59.039 --> 00:40:04.219 So that's some of the equity. And also in explaining 00:40:04.219 --> 00:40:07.039 to players that playing time is trust. It's me 00:40:07.039 --> 00:40:10.179 trusting you to do the right thing in the right 00:40:10.179 --> 00:40:13.639 moment at the right time. And it's you trusting 00:40:13.639 --> 00:40:16.420 me that I'm putting in situations for you and 00:40:16.420 --> 00:40:19.969 the team to be successful. That goes back to 00:40:19.969 --> 00:40:22.690 relationships. That's hard to do if you do not 00:40:22.690 --> 00:40:26.630 have a relationship with a player and an understanding 00:40:26.630 --> 00:40:30.349 of knowing who they are as people and what their 00:40:30.349 --> 00:40:33.690 motivations are and them knowing what your expectations 00:40:33.690 --> 00:40:36.269 are and what your role is for them and how they 00:40:36.269 --> 00:40:39.150 can best help the club. As a Michigan kid, are 00:40:39.150 --> 00:40:42.659 you still... the fan of the Detroit Red Wings. 00:40:43.460 --> 00:40:47.420 100%. I still read the Detroit Free Press every 00:40:47.420 --> 00:40:52.860 morning. It's been a tough few years, but I do 00:40:52.860 --> 00:40:56.139 believe that, you know, they're doing the right 00:40:56.139 --> 00:40:59.159 things. They're drafting well. Their younger 00:40:59.159 --> 00:41:04.159 player pool is very good. But you don't win with 00:41:04.159 --> 00:41:08.079 20 -year -olds, 22 -year -olds in the NHL. Like, 00:41:08.079 --> 00:41:12.639 you still need a veteran base. And they're kind 00:41:12.639 --> 00:41:17.400 of missing that talent at those older, mature 00:41:17.400 --> 00:41:19.699 levels. And there are definitely still some holes 00:41:19.699 --> 00:41:22.900 in the roster. But, you know, I lived through 00:41:22.900 --> 00:41:25.699 25 years straight of them making the playoffs. 00:41:25.980 --> 00:41:29.000 I guess I can ride through nine or ten if not. 00:41:29.480 --> 00:41:33.809 So I've still been... Pretty spoiled as a fan 00:41:33.809 --> 00:41:37.030 of the Red Wings. And like I said, that's been 00:41:37.030 --> 00:41:40.789 pretty influential on me growing up and watching 00:41:40.789 --> 00:41:44.170 that program be built and watching them fail 00:41:44.170 --> 00:41:48.130 and then be successful and just the change in 00:41:48.130 --> 00:41:52.789 the game and the international players and the 00:41:52.789 --> 00:41:56.630 success that they had with Detroit. And so, yeah, 00:41:56.690 --> 00:41:59.309 I'll always be a fan. What about the Russian 00:41:59.309 --> 00:42:02.130 Five? Have you ever had a chance to meet someone? 00:42:02.389 --> 00:42:06.869 I did. And so that's a great story because we 00:42:06.869 --> 00:42:12.550 were in Ufa and I can't remember what team at 00:42:12.550 --> 00:42:15.429 the time, but some of our players were playing. 00:42:15.769 --> 00:42:21.309 What club is the old French Canadian coach at? 00:42:21.489 --> 00:42:23.849 He's a legend there. Been there a long time. 00:42:24.110 --> 00:42:29.199 Avant -garde? Oh, avant -garde. Yes. Yes. So 00:42:29.199 --> 00:42:33.199 they were in the same hotel and one of the older 00:42:33.199 --> 00:42:35.559 assistant coaches started talking to a couple 00:42:35.559 --> 00:42:40.539 of our Canadian kids. And so he started talking 00:42:40.539 --> 00:42:43.559 to me and he was like, oh, yeah, like, where 00:42:43.559 --> 00:42:45.900 are you from in Michigan? Oh, yeah. Red Wings 00:42:45.900 --> 00:42:48.739 fan. Same thing. He's like, oh, Slava Kozlov's 00:42:48.739 --> 00:42:52.940 on our staff. And so he came down and had breakfast 00:42:52.940 --> 00:42:56.829 and he introduced me and I was just like. That's 00:42:56.829 --> 00:43:00.429 crazy. Like, how cool is that? I got to meet 00:43:00.429 --> 00:43:04.889 him in person in Russia. Like, yeah, so that 00:43:04.889 --> 00:43:08.150 was cool. And then I did get a chance to watch 00:43:08.150 --> 00:43:13.369 a Datsun play when we were in his hometown. So 00:43:13.369 --> 00:43:16.989 that was awesome, too, because I think that arena 00:43:16.989 --> 00:43:20.250 is like five thousand, seven thousand. And, you 00:43:20.250 --> 00:43:23.489 know. I was maybe eight rows away and taking 00:43:23.489 --> 00:43:26.230 pictures of him taking face -offs. And he's still 00:43:26.230 --> 00:43:29.989 throwing backhand sauce from one sideboard to 00:43:29.989 --> 00:43:33.590 the other and made it look effortless. That was 00:43:33.590 --> 00:43:37.210 cool. I'd seen him play in Detroit, you know, 00:43:37.230 --> 00:43:42.170 as a kid a fair amount. But I was like 20 ,000 00:43:42.170 --> 00:43:45.449 arena. I was up in the nosebleeds. So that was 00:43:45.449 --> 00:43:48.070 such an intimate setting and being that close 00:43:48.070 --> 00:43:53.530 and watching him. That was super cool. That's 00:43:53.530 --> 00:43:57.590 it as far as my Detroit and Russia experiences. 00:43:58.570 --> 00:44:01.869 Didn't get to meet Datsuk, but I did meet Kozlov, 00:44:01.909 --> 00:44:05.070 so that was awesome. What about Sergey Fedorov 00:44:05.070 --> 00:44:08.250 or Igor Larionov? I mean, you guys were so close. 00:44:08.329 --> 00:44:13.170 I know, and I never was able to cross paths or 00:44:13.170 --> 00:44:17.860 track anyone else down, so Larionov. plastered 00:44:17.860 --> 00:44:21.059 all over the rink in southern Moscow that we 00:44:21.059 --> 00:44:25.360 played with 3 .62. And so I took a bunch of pictures 00:44:25.360 --> 00:44:27.760 of that and sent it back to my family. I thought 00:44:27.760 --> 00:44:31.300 that was very cool in the history and that rink 00:44:31.300 --> 00:44:35.840 and him growing up in that program. Yeah, I love 00:44:35.840 --> 00:44:38.739 that. I'm a big history fan, so I enjoyed going 00:44:38.739 --> 00:44:41.559 to different rinks and walking around and seeing 00:44:41.559 --> 00:44:43.760 different players that played in different organizations 00:44:43.760 --> 00:44:46.960 and where they ended up and playing in the NHL. 00:44:46.980 --> 00:44:50.320 I thought that was super cool. And I love that 00:44:50.320 --> 00:44:52.440 about my experience, just going to the different 00:44:52.440 --> 00:44:55.539 areas and towns and rinks. And so I thought that 00:44:55.539 --> 00:44:58.019 that was super cool. Yeah, I kind of feel bad 00:44:58.019 --> 00:45:01.320 because if I knew about your... Russian Five, 00:45:01.599 --> 00:45:05.920 Childhood, and Detroit. I would invest more time 00:45:05.920 --> 00:45:08.340 in trying to make sure that you meet all of them. 00:45:08.559 --> 00:45:12.840 Now I feel so bad. Well, that's all right. Before 00:45:12.840 --> 00:45:16.659 I'm done and it's all said and done, hopefully 00:45:16.659 --> 00:45:20.199 I get back in some capacity and then I can maybe 00:45:20.199 --> 00:45:22.920 cross paths with them as well. And I'm sure we're 00:45:22.920 --> 00:45:25.500 going to meet too. I mean, right now I'm in Florida. 00:45:25.579 --> 00:45:29.219 You are in where you are. It's off season. NCA 00:45:29.219 --> 00:45:32.400 coaching is everyone kind of chuckles like, what 00:45:32.400 --> 00:45:35.440 do you do in the summer? I recruit. So I'm in 00:45:35.440 --> 00:45:38.500 a rink and going to different areas and scouting 00:45:38.500 --> 00:45:42.400 players throughout most of the summer. So there 00:45:42.400 --> 00:45:47.800 really isn't an off time for us. But the NCA 00:45:47.800 --> 00:45:52.199 coaches convention is coming up in another week 00:45:52.199 --> 00:45:57.000 or so. Naples, Florida. So that was probably 00:45:57.000 --> 00:45:59.159 the smartest thing that the Coaches Association 00:45:59.159 --> 00:46:04.139 ever did. About probably 30 years ago, they decided 00:46:04.139 --> 00:46:06.840 to have the Coaches Convention and Conference 00:46:06.840 --> 00:46:11.019 down in Florida. So that's been a rite of passage 00:46:11.019 --> 00:46:15.940 for us to go to the nice weather coming up in 00:46:15.940 --> 00:46:20.500 the beginning of May, end of April. So I'll be 00:46:20.500 --> 00:46:22.699 down in Florida soon. Are you going to play golf? 00:46:22.940 --> 00:46:26.860 No. Um, wife comes down with me, so, um, the 00:46:26.860 --> 00:46:29.659 restaurants, um, there's, you know, meetings 00:46:29.659 --> 00:46:33.139 for our leagues and national meetings. And so 00:46:33.139 --> 00:46:37.010 I have a sprinkle into some of that. Not much 00:46:37.010 --> 00:46:40.469 of a golfer when I go down there, though I try 00:46:40.469 --> 00:46:42.889 when I'm up north once in a while, but I definitely 00:46:42.889 --> 00:46:45.590 don't get out as much as I would like to. So 00:46:45.590 --> 00:46:47.989 I don't think you can be good going out, you 00:46:47.989 --> 00:46:50.389 know, two to four times a summer. That's not 00:46:50.389 --> 00:46:53.230 really how that works. That's another interesting 00:46:53.230 --> 00:46:56.269 detail that I learned about you today, the golf. 00:46:57.269 --> 00:47:00.250 When you practice obstruction and cross -checking 00:47:00.250 --> 00:47:02.909 people, it wasn't really good for my swing either. 00:47:03.010 --> 00:47:06.260 So I would tell you, not very fluid. a little 00:47:06.260 --> 00:47:09.860 uh a little clunky with my swing so that is so 00:47:09.860 --> 00:47:13.019 funny well thank you so much for your time i 00:47:13.019 --> 00:47:16.260 really enjoyed it thank you and you should know 00:47:16.260 --> 00:47:18.760 that i have really huge hopes for you i'm not 00:47:18.760 --> 00:47:22.039 going to share them i appreciate that and i've 00:47:22.039 --> 00:47:24.239 always been a big fan i appreciate what you do 00:47:24.239 --> 00:47:27.039 not only for hockey but women's hockey and your 00:47:27.039 --> 00:47:31.340 platform and i feel very fortunate to have crossed 00:47:31.340 --> 00:47:34.900 paths with you over in russia to call you a friend 00:47:35.619 --> 00:47:38.980 Thank you so much. You're too nice. Thank you.