Glass and Out

In episode #222, we're pleased to be joined by John O'Sullivan, best selling author, Ted Talk speaker and the Founder & CEO of the Changing the Game Project. O'Sullivan's work and mission are to give Youth Sports back to our kids. He has made it is life's work to provide a blueprint to providing kids a more holistic sporting experience, in which success is not predicated on kid's eventually earning a paycheck or a college scholarship. Listen as he discusses the optimal mindset for a coach, how both youth and professional coaches need to focused on relationship building, and the impact of a positive sports experience for young people.

Calgary Flames Assistant Coach Ryan Huska discusses penalty kill strategies during the playoffs, intentional relationship building with players, and coaches he admires. They explore the cat and mouse game between power play and penalty kill, the importance of communication and building relationships in hockey coaching, and the unique journey of Chris Tannov from offensive to defensive defenseman.

In episode #220, we had the honor of being joined by John Paris Jr., the first black coach in professional hockey. During the 1993-94 season, he was hired by the Atlanta Knights of the now defunct, International Hockey League, marking the first time a person of colour had been appointed the Head Coach of a pro hockey team. The move paid off as the Knights would capture the Turner Cup and an IHL Championship that same season. Listen as he discusses how he overcame the adversity of being a black hockey player and coach, the story of being scouted by Scotty Bowman, and the drive to get him inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

In episode #219, we're joined by Lee MJ Elias, who can be best described as a bit of a Swiss Army Knife in that he has accomplished a lot in our game, albeit in a number of different roles. Elias is an award-winning author and currently the Co-Chair of the Hockey Operations Committee and Assistant Coach of the Puerto Rico Men's National Team. He is also the co-host of the Our Kids Play Hockey Podcast, which was awarded the top hockey podcast by the Sports Podcast Awards in 2022. Listen as he shares how to best manage your time to ensure you get the right stuff accomplished, strategies for growing the game, and why sports is a vehicle to bring people together.

In episode #218, we welcome two friends to the show: Newly named Head Coach of the AHL's San Diego Gulls, Matt McIlvane, and his former Assistant Coach with EC Red Bull Salzburg, Ben Cooper. Fresh off a second consecutive win2day ICE Hockey League championship with Red Bull, the two joined to give us a behind the scenes look on their road to a repeat. Listen as they the incredible story behind their final series comeback victory, why composure was a key element to overcoming adversity, and why championship teams need to get the locker room right.

Head Coach of St. Cloud State women's hockey team, Brian Idalski, joins us for episode #217. Idalski is coming off his first season leading the Huskies' program and was named the US College Hockey Online National Coach of the Year, as his team made significant strides in virtually every defensive and offensive area of the game. Listen as he shares why pattern recognition is key to helping players process the game, coaching Team China in the Olympics, and how to get your team to buy into blocking shots.

In episode #216, we welcome Performance Coach and Founder of Deviate, Ryan Blanck. To date, Blanck has worked with over half of the team's in the NFL, including the league itself, the iconic entertainment industry agency, the William Morris Endeavor, professional athletes, leading universities such as Penn State, Clemson, Vanderbilt and Stanford, along with executives from major corporations to start-ups. He will also be presenting at TCS Live, taking place June 22-24 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Hear him discuss why empathy is the number one skill needed by leaders, what erodes culture and what it takes to be a leader worth following.

In episode #215, we we're joined by Detroit Red Wings Assistant Coach Jay Varady. Varady has had a remarkable trajectory since his early coaching days with the WHL's expansion Everett Silvertips, and yet there is much more to be written in his story. Today, we discuss the origin of analytics in hockey, implementing process & structure into a program, and how to navigate when to make the jump in one's coaching career.

In episode #214, we welcome former NHLer and current Cognitive Performance Coach Aaron Volpatti. He is also the author of the book FIGHTER: Defying the NHL Odds, an autobiography on how he turned tragedy into triumph on his unlikely journey to playing in the National Hockey League. Listen as we discuss how he learned to leverage his mind to make an unlikely return to the ice following his severe burns that almost took his life, how that experience became a skill later in his career, and how coaches can offer support in their athletes visualizing their own peak performance.

In episode #213, USA Hockey's National Coach-in-Chief Mike MacMillan joins the show. MacMillan's role, along with the regional coach-in-chiefs, is to make decisions on how to best educate hockey coaches, and ultimately have a direct influence on the development opportunity afforded to young players in the US. Listen as he discusses the pageantry that is the Minnesota High School Championships, how tech is evolving coach education, and the positive role the game plays in supporting the overall development young boys and girls.