Glass and Out

Ask any longtime coach about their coaching journey and the lessons learned along the way, and they'll likely have more than a few stories to share. It's truly a profession all about learning from your mistakes and growing from every situation you encounter. Troy Ward is no exception. With over 30 years of coaching experience at just about every level of hockey, he's seen it all and probably more importantly, he's reflected on it all. It's this incredible wealth of knowledge and experience that let led to the creation of Troy Ward's Mailbag from the Pond at Deer Lake, one of the newest features here at The Coaches Site. Every other week, Ward will answer your questions on topics such as the tactical side of the game, systems, communication, leadership, drills, and anything else coaching related. He's an open book when it comes sharing what's worked, what hasn't, and what's he's learned along the way. Make sure to check out the latest episodes below and send any questions you have to troywardmailbag@thecoachessite.com. Ward got his coaching career started in NCAA Div. III with the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where was an assistant/head coach for five total seasons. After three seasons with the University of Denver, he'd have stops in USHL and IHL before making the big jump to the NHL as an assistant for the Pittsburgh Penguins for three seasons. In between a couple of stops in the ECHL, he'd return to NCAA with the University of Wisconsin for three seasons. His next seven seasons would be split between the AHL's Houston Aeros and Abbotsford Heat. Most recently, he spent time in the Austrian Hockey League as the head coach of EHC Linz. Currently, Ward is an amateur scout for the Vancouver Canucks and covers the midwest part of the United States, specifically the USHL and Minnesota High School Hockey. In this week's podcast, we'll discuss his mentor role for many young coaches, the biggest lessons he's learned throughout his career, and the challenges of scouting players during a pandemic.

Over the past few years, few NHL teams have been able to shock the hockey world they way the Columbus Blue Jackets have. With John Tortorella leading the way, the Jackets have become a team committed to playing a gritty brand of hockey that has helped them stay competitive despite big roster turnover and numerous injuries. Assistant coach Brad Shaw has worked under Tortorella for four of his five years with the team and has played a big role in helping create the Blue Jackets identity. Some of the Jackets' incredible accomplishments during that time include falling one win short of an NHL record 17 consecutive wins in the 2016-17 season and a first-round upset of one of the best teams in NHL history with a sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019 playoffs. While they've failed to get past the past the second round of the playoffs during that time, there is no doubt that Columbus will continue to stay competitive for the foreseeable future -- thanks in large part to their strong team identity. Following his retirement as a player in 1999, Shaw got his coaching career started by immediately jumping behind the bench as an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning for one season. He would then make the move to the Detroit Vipers of the IHL the following season to become their head coach. After four seasons in the AHL, he'd make the jump back to the NHL with the New York Islanders as an assistant coach before taking over as head coach midway through the following season. The Cambridge, Ontario native's next move would see him incredibly spend the next 10 seasons as an assistant/associate coach in St. Louis, where he worked under four different head coaches. That includes Mike Kitchen, Andy Murray, Davis Payne, and Ken Hitchcock. After his time with the Blues, Shaw joined Tortorella's staff in Columbus in 2016. As the team's defensive coach, he has also had the opportunity to mentor two of the game's top young defencemen in Seth Jones and Zack Werenski. In this week's podcast, we'll discuss how the Blue Jackets have been able to create their identity, his philosophy for developing young defencemen, and his keys to developing meaningful relationships with his players.

We'd forgive you if you haven't heard the name Karl Schwarzenbrunner before. He may not be well known within North American hockey circles, but he's quickly gaining notoriety in one of hockey's rising nations -- Germany. Karl has been involved with German hockey since 2016 and is the current Director of Coach Education and Sports Science for the German Ice Hockey Federation. He's been tasked with helping create a successful development program for German players and coaches, and he's doing this without a traditional hockey background -- he's never played or coached the game. But that's what makes his perspective so fresh and intriguing. He doesn't share the typical philosophy of a hockey lifer and is willing to consider anything that will enhance his agenda. Prior to joining the German Federation, Karl was the Athletic Trainer for FC Wacker Innsbruck. He's also a former competitive power lifter and is known for his analytical approach to solving situations. It's this approach that has resulted in him seeking every resource, ounce of data and science backed strategy to elevate German hockey. With the recent introduction of the POWERPLAYER26 program, the country has been seeing success like never before. A silver medal at the 2018 Olympics, a Hart and Art Ross Trophy for Leon Draisaitl, and several NHL first round draft picks over the past few years are just a few of their accomplishments. It's Karl's objective to keep things rolling, while continuing the creation of development program that is uniquely German. In this week's podcast, we'll discuss his unusual path to a career in hockey, why data and analytics are so important to him, and his unique philosophy for enhancing Germany's coach education system.

Over the past few years, the NHL has attempted to take steps towards creating a more diverse, accepting game. That includes the introduction of the Hockey is for Everyone program and the newly formed Hockey Diversity Alliance. But while some progress has definitely been made, anyone who has been in a rink or locker room knows there is still a long way to go for the hockey community. With his recent public announcement of coming out as a gay man, player agent Bayne Pettinger is hoping to continue that progress towards creating a more inclusive game. In a sport where there has never been an active active player to openly come out, the move was a brave and a necessary one. The announcement has been been praised some of hockey's most influential leaders, including public support from superstars Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. It shows that progress is being made within the sport. It also shows that, just like in every other industry, there are gay men and women in prominent leadership roles within hockey, and they deserve to be treated no different than anyone else. At just 33 years old, Pettinger is one of the youngest player agents in hockey, recently joining CAA Hockey and working under the guidance of high profile agents J.P. Barry and Pat Brisson. Prior to that, Pettinger spent 10 years as the manager of hockey operations for Hockey Canada, working with many of hockey's biggest superstars and most well-respected coaches. During that time, he helped Canada capture gold at the 2013 U18's, 2014 Winter Olympics, 2015 and 2016 World Championships, the 2015 World Junior Championships, and 2016 World Cup. Few people have had the experience of witnessing how world class organizations and leaders function that he's had. In this week's podcast, we'll discuss his time with Hockey Canada, what he's learned during his brief time in the player agent world, and how he hopes his decision to come out will influence opportunities for other gay athletes, coaches and executives in hockey.

When the NHL announced its return-to-play plan back in May, the result was the end of the season for seven teams with the likelihood of an extended offseason. Those seven teams have now gone almost eight months without playing a game. With an anticipated start of season date to be sometime in January, it could be a total of 10 months with no game action. Ottawa Senators assistant coach Davis Payne and the rest of the Sens coaching staff will be now tasked with preparing a young, rebuilding team coming off of one of the longest off-seasons in NHL history. The struggling Senators have finished as a bottom two team in the league in each of the past three years. While times have definitely been tough, a young core of Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot, and 2020 top five picks Tim Stützle and Jake Sanderson provide a core that is giving reason for some hope to Sens fans. Payne will be heading into his 11th consecutive season as an NHL coach and his second as an assistant in Ottawa. The Kamloops, BC native got his coaching career started in the ECHL, spending seven seasons split between the Greenville Grrrowl, Pee Dee Pride and Alaska Aces. He would lead the Aces to a Kelly Cup championship in 2006. The St. Louis Blues took notice of his ECHL success, hiring him to coach their AHL affiliate in Peoria in 2007. Just three seasons later, Payne would replace Andy Murray midseason and become head coach of the Blues. His next stop was in LA as an assistant to Darryl Sutter for five seasons, highlighted by a Stanley Cup Championship in 2014. After two seasons in Buffalo, Payne landed in Ottawa to join DJ Smith's staff. In this week's podcast, we'll discuss the art of guiding a team through a rebuilding process, dealing with the extended offseason, and Payne's advice for developing individual skills in your players.

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

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

The recent growth of German hockey has been one of the more intriguing stories within the hockey world over the past few years. A silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics, four first-round picks over the past three NHL drafts, and the reigning Art Ross, Ted Lindsay and Hart Trophy winner in Leon Draisaitl are just a few accomplishments the country has to boast over that span. As arguably the most celebrated German player ever and former national team head coach, Marco Sturm has left an impact at almost every level of German hockey. The current LA Kings assistant coach played a key role in the developing the German Ice Hockey Federation's "POWER PLAY 26" program, which aims to make Germany a consistent medal contender at the World Championships and Olympics by the year 2026. Sturm's 14-season NHL career saw him spend time with six different teams and finish in first place in games played (938) and points scored (487) for a German born player. He was also a fixture with the national program, including captaining Germany at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. He got his coaching career started with that same national team, leading the Germans at the World Championships, World Junior Championships and Deutschland Cups between 2015-2018. During that time, he helped Germany qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. Then came the Cinderella run that resulted in the first silver medal in hockey in the country's history. That same season, Sturm joined Willie Desjardins' staff in LA midway through the NHL season. He would remain with the club when Todd McLellan took over as head coach the following year. The Kings are currently in the midst of a rebuild with one of the most promising prospect pools in the league. In this week's podcast, sponsored by Elite Prospects, we'll find out about his experience growing up playing hockey in Germany, how the "POWER PLAY 26" program has helped the growth of German hockey, and what he's learned since making his coaching debut in the NHL.

Well, the NHL pulled it off. Under the unprecedented circumstances of a global pandemic, the league was able to fully complete four rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs within two bubbles and no positive tests of COVID-19. Congratulations to them and the Tampa Bay Lightning on capturing a historic Stanley Cup championship. We're joined today by a member of the Lighting coaching staff and friend of the site, assistant coach Derek Lalonde. Lalonde's first two seasons in the NHL have been eventful to say the least. The last time he joined the podcast, Tampa was fresh off a disastrous first round sweep at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He now joins us just over two weeks after the Bolts captured their second championship in franchise history, and one that could definitely be put in the "hardest Cup runs in NHL history" conversation. Lalonde's journey to the NHL took a total of 23 years working his way through the NCAA, USHL, ECHL, and AHL. After 16 season as an assistant in NCAA Div 3 and Div 1 hockey, he got his first opportunity as a head coach and general manager came with the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers. During the 2011-2012 season, he guided the Gamblers to the organization's fourth Clark Cup and USHL Championship, and was named the USHL Coach of the Year in the process. Ironically, the Gamblers' previous USHL championship had occurred in 2010 under the guidance of a coach named Jon Cooper. Following three seasons in Green Bay, Lalonde made the jump to the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL. In his first season, he led the Walleyes to a regular season championship and again, was named Coach of the Year. His next move would see him graduate to the American League with the Iowa Wild, where he'd spend two season as an assistant before joining the Lightning. Today, we'll discuss how Lalonde has been celebrating his first Stanley Cup, the challenges of playing in a bubble, and Tampa Bay's secret to rebounding from a first round sweep only a year ago.

The career of a hockey coach is often a long journey filled with many stops along the way. Success and prominent jobs usually take years of grinding and patience. At the age of 34, Adam Maglio is in the process of preparing for his first season as the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs -- making him the youngest current head coach in the WHL. This comes after just one season as an assistant on Manny Veiveros' staff, which saw the Chiefs finish with a 41-18-4-1 record, including wins in each of their final 10 games, before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Maglio's quick rise up the coaching ladder speaks to his ability to sell his vision through good communication and attention to detail. A native of Nelson, BC, Maglio's unique coaching journey began in Hong Kong of all places. After graduating from a playing career at the University of British Columbia, he travelled east to run a hockey academy for kids between the ages of 5-15, while also playing in the local semi-professional league. During that time, he learned the different aspects of coaching and running a hockey program in a foreign country, something that has definitely paid off early in his career. After a few years in Hong Kong, Maglio returned to UBC as an assistant coach. He would then join the BCHL's Prince George Spruce Kings. After two seasons as an assistant, he was named head coach and would lead the Spruce Kings to a BCHL Championship in 2019, along with a birth in the gold medal game of the Centennial Cup, the Canadian Jr A championship. In this week's podcast, we'll here about Maglio's time coaching in Hong Kong, how communication and attention to detail have helped him to his position with Spokane, and how he's preparing to lead his team during a the uncertainty of a pandemic.