The Hockey Think Tank Podcast

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on a culture and team building expert in Lee Elias!! This was such an amazing conversation on team culture - and we encourage you to get your pens and notebooks ready. On this episode, we talk:-Topher is going to Michigan!-Empowering and developing leaders-The power of accountability and standards-Defining team identity-MUCH, MUCH MORE!!What a conversation this was...we can't wait to bring it to you! We want to thank our sponsors GELSTX, TrainHeroic, IceHockeySystems.com, and CuredNutrition. We want to thank our podcast parent company BlueWire Pods. And we want to thank all of our amazing listeners who support our podcast!! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we release a LOST EPISODE and talk with Chicago Blackhawks development coach Brian Keane of Prodigy Hockey. We get REAL in depth on youth development and youth hockey on this episode - it is one of the most downloaded we have ever done.It's a different type of episode as we use clips from one of the best youth development debates between experts Malcolm Gladwell and David Epstein to talk about what we see in the youth hockey world today. We talk:-Early sport specialization-Unstructured vs. structured play-How to teach anticipatory skills-The 10,000 hour rule-Deliberate practices, and so much more!This was the episode we dive the deepest into the research and we're excited to bring it to you! Thank you for tuning in to our podcasts!! Thank you to our sponsors, GelStx, TrainHeroic, IceHockeySystems.com, and CuredNutrition. And a special thank you to all of our amazing podcast listeners!! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, Jeff and Topher take on your listener questions!! We love all of you who support our podcast and we want to make sure we're hearing from you and helping you on your hockey journeys whether you are a player, parent, or coach. We tackled SO MANY QUESTIONS serious and funny on this one...here they are:-What is advice for a first year coach coming into a college locker room, who hasn't recruited the players, and create buy in?-What are the best things to do in a tryout to get noticed?-Is Nickelback good music for training?-What is advice for a head coach moving up to be an assistant coach at a higher level of hockey?-What are strategies for a player to earn more trust and ice time opportunities on the ice for a junior player?-What do I do as a parent when I see my kid liking the game but they don't compete hard?-What is advice for a parent that wants to cultivate a love and passion for the game in their kid?-What are your thoughts on plus/minus in assessing a player?-What is your most impactful lesson learned in hockey that you use today in life?-What are your thoughts on full ice practices for 12u teams?-Who should play goalie at the youngest ages of hockey?-How does a player get through the let down of making a team to be an impact player on the team when the season starts?-What is the number one "trick" for getting through a rut?-What are your thoughts on staying with one coach for five seasons in youth hockey?-Why are agents reaching out to kids so young when in Sweden there is a rule that you can't do that until the kids are 16 years old?-Is the defensive defenseman a thing of the past? Do NHL teams want/need this role anymore?-What are some tips for in season training?-What are important traits of a captain and what age should they be named?-What is more important to gain in transitioning to college hockey - strength or quickness?-What is the best way to establish my philosophy quickly as a coach of a new program?WOW we got through all of these!!!!!!!! Thank you to everyone that submitted questions - we really appreciate it!Thank you to our sponsor GELSTX, TrainHeroic, IceHockeySystems.com, and CuredNutrition. Thank you to Bluewire Pods, our podcast parent company. And thank you so much to all of our amazing listeners!! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on the Academy Director of DC United Soccer Club, Pat Ouckama! We are huge proponents of playing multiple sports, and it was awesome to bring on someone with both a soccer and hockey background to speak about development. Pat runs one of the top soccer academies in the US, with his 16u team winning the National Championship this year. In this conversations, we talk:-The similarities of each sports game tactics-What he sees in players that succeed at the next levels-The value of studying other sports as a coach-MUCH MORE!Thank you to Coach Ouckama for taking time to come on our podcast! Thank you to our sponsors GelStx, TrainHeroic, IceHockeySystems.com, and our podcast company BlueWire Pods. And thank you most of all to all of our amazing listeners! We appreciate you so much and you are going to love this conversation. Enjoy! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on current Montreal Canadiens defenseman Chris Wideman! Chris trains with Jeff in the summers and played for Topher when he was a grad assistant at Miami (Ohio) and this was a really, really fun and insightful conversation. On this episode, they talk:-Playing for Martin St. Louis in Montreal-Being grateful for the good and the tough times-The importance of a support system in reaching your goals-MUCH, MUCH, MORE!!Thank you so much to Wides for hopping on the podcast. Thank you to our sponsors GELSTX, TrainHeroic, IceHockeySystems.com, and our podcast company Blue Wire. And thank you most of all to all of our amazing listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring back one of your favorite episodes...especially for the hockey moms out there...with Topher and Jeff's Moms!! When we brought our podcast over to the BlueWire Network, we lost a few episodes in the transfer that were some of ours, and our listeners, favorites.On this episodes, we speak to Debbie Scott and Colleen LoVecchio and share some really fun stories about our childhoods and our moms talk about the joys of being a hockey mom. We had a ton of fun on this episode, we know you are going to love it!!Thank you so much to our sponsors GELSTX, TrainHeroic, IceHockeySystems.com, and CuredNutrition. Thank you to all of our amazing listeners. And most of all, thank you to all of the amazing hockey moms out there...this one is for you!!! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on a veteran of over 1,000 professional hockey games Derek Nesbitt! What a career spanning over 16 seasons. In this conversation, we talk:-The benefits of growing up in small town Canada-Playing for both Jared Bednar and Derek Lalonde-The keys to longevity in the game-Challenges of being a youth hockey director-MUCH MORE!Thank you to all of our sponsors - GELSTX, TrainHeroic, IceHockeySystems.com, and Cured Nutrition. Thank you to our podcast parent company BlueWire Pods. And thank you to all of our amazing listeners for continuing to tune in every week!! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on the girl who stole all of our hearts as the St. Louis Blues went on their Stanley Cup run...Laila Anderson. We all remember Laila as the inspiration for the team as she was going through chemotherapy during the teams championship playoff season in 2019. From the viral videos of her mom letting her know she could attend the games in person, to her on ice celebration with the cup, to the entire city of St. Louis chanting her name at the parade...Laila was an inspiration to us all to keep fighting. In this conversation we talk:-Her journey through a potential terminal sickness-Her inspiring relationships with the Blues players, especially Colton Parayko-Getting to Boston for Game 7 of the Cup Finals-Bethematch.org, the organization that saved her life-An UNBELIEVABLE story with Brett Hull and Jon Hamm-MUCH MOREThank you to Laila (who actually trains with Jeff) for coming on the podcast! Thank you also to our sponsors GelStx, TrainHeroic, IceHockeySystems.com, and our podcast parent company BlueWire Pods. And thank you so much to all of our amazing listeners...you are going to LOVE this episode. It's one of our absolute favorites!! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on 14 year professional player now leading a mentorship program for youth hockey players, Ryan Vesce! Ryan hails from Long Island, NY and played his college hockey at Cornell. He then went on to play 14 years pro over 7 different countries, including a stint with the San Jose Sharks where he scored his first professional goal on an assist from Joe Thornton (we talk about it on the pod). We also talk:-Developing a mindset for getting out of a slump-Some incredible prank stories-Scoring his first NHL goal in his hometown-The value of mentorship as you go through your journey-MUCH MORE!Thank you to Ves for this awesome conversation - you'll get a ton of insight into becoming an elite hockey player. Thank you also to our sponsors GelStx, TrainHeroic, IceHockeySystems.com, and our podcast parent company BlueWire Pods.To check out Ryan's incredible Mentor Program matching up former and current professional and college players, visit https://matterhornmentors.com/And thank you to our amazing listeners...you're going to love this episode! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on bestselling author and one of the top motivational speakers and leadership consultants in the world Jon Gordon! Jon has worked with many major companies and professional sports teams on the power of positive leadership. His books have also inspired millions of people and organizations of all sizes all over the world.On this specific podcast, we speak to Jon about his book "The Hard Hat, 21 Ways to be a Great Teammate." This book chronicles the life of George Boiardi, a Cornell Lacrosse player who died tragically on the field as a senior captain after blocking a shot in his chest. This inspiring story of an amazing leader and the aftermath of his passing of a team trying to honor him by their play on the lacrosse field is one that is going to make you feel all the feels.For more on Jon's work, visit https://jongordon.com/.For more on George Boiardi's legacy and his foundation, visit https://www.boiardifoundation.org/Thank you to our sponsors GelStx, TrainHeroic, and IceHockeySystems.com. And thank you to all of our amazing listeners, get ready to be inspired from this podcast conversation with one of the most positive leaders in our world - on one of the most positive influences and leaders ever to walk the lacrosse field. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.