Glass and Out

Job Fransen, Senior Lecturer and founder of SkillACQ, shares insights on skill acquisition in team sports. He explores the crucial differences between competence and confidence training, revealing why coaches should trust their intuition. Job emphasizes the importance of balancing both training types for optimal athlete engagement and performance. He discusses creative practice design, the role of coaches as facilitators, and the need for long-term learning versus short-term wins. Plus, he highlights innovative methods to assess learning and promote growth in athletes.

Jim Hulton, the Head Coach and General Manager of the Charlottetown Islanders, shares his wealth of experience from over 30 years in hockey. He emphasizes the importance of situational awareness in player development and the value of community in junior hockey. Hulton discusses how to balance short-term wins with long-term player growth, the significance of teaching off-puck skills, and fostering a culture of accountability. His insights reveal that coaching goes beyond tactics—it's about shaping character and learning life skills.

Pete DeBoer, an accomplished NHL coach with over 1,400 games and international experience, shares insights on his role with Team Canada for the upcoming Olympics. He discusses the importance of versatility in roster selection and hints at potential tactical shifts in the NHL. DeBoer reflects on his early coaching experiences and the lessons learned from both victories and setbacks. He emphasizes the value of mentorship in coaching, while also advising those facing job changes to stay positive and prepared for future opportunities.

In episode 319 of the Glass and Out Podcast we welcome the focus of our new Shift Change documentary, Head Coach of the Lloydminster Lancers U18 AAA team, Chris King. If you haven't heard the incredible story behind his switch from National Champion basketball coach to youth hockey bench boss, you can check out the first two episodes of Shift Change now on The Coaches Site. In summary: After incredible success with the Lakeland College women's program, including being named ACAC Coach of the Year a six times and National Coach of the Year twice, King was fired based on a complaint from a disgruntled former player. The Lloydminster Lancers of the Alberta U18 AAA league were looking for a coach to resurrect the struggling program. In stepped King. Could a career basketball coach shift to the ice and replicate the same success he enjoyed on the court? Listen as he explains the background behind the unlikely switch, how coaching girls and boys differs, and why shinny is a critical part of developing creativity and problem solving. Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/j-8RocI3NSo Learn more about our presenting sponsors: State & Liberty: stateandliberty.com/tcs Biosteel: BioSteelTeams.com/Glassandout Hudl: hudl.com/tcs

In episode 318 of the Glass and Out Podcast we're joined by skills coach and TCS Live presenter Maxim Noreau. Noreau enjoyed a tremendous playing career. He played a handful of games in the National Hockey League to kick off a 17-year professional career, mostly in the Swiss National League. He also represented Canada on multiple occasions at the Spengler Cup and Winter Olympics. Upon retirement he founded Noreau Hockey, a development program operating out of Montreal, where he is also a development coach for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMHJL. You can check out his TCS Live presentation on Blueline Shooting Options now on The Coaches Site. Listen as he shares why coaches need to focus on making the fundamentals elite, the importance of selling player development to parents, and how the position of defence as evolved in hockey.

In episode 317 of the Glass and Out Podcast we welcome back Andrew Lord, Head Coach of the AHL's Ontario Reign. Last time we spoke with Lord he was coming off four seasons as both a player and the Head Coach of the Cardiff Devils of the UK Elite Ice Hockey League. Since that conversation his coaching stock has been on the rise. That includes a South Division title and the Jack Brophy Award as the ECHL's coach of the year during his tenure with the Greensville Swamp Rabbits and a brief stop in the QMJHL with the Halifax Mooseheads. Lord now leads the LA Kings AHL affiliate, which has him just one step away from standing behind an NHL bench. Listen as he shares the importance of finding the link between practice and game, how to manage uncomfortable conversations, and how to handle the struggles of a rebuild.

For episode 316 of the Glass and Out Podcast we welcome CEO of Sports Innovation Lab Angela Ruggiero. She is best known as a 4x Olympian and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. She was a senior in high school when she played for Team USA and won gold at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano. In 2004 she won the Patty Kaizmeir Award as the top player in college hockey. She was also the first woman to play in a regular season professional hockey game in North America at a position other than goalie when she suited up for the Tulsa Oilers in a Central Hockey League game. However, her list of achievements extend well beyond her career as an athlete. That includes time as a member of the International Olympic Committee from 2010 to 2018. She served as a member of the Executive Board of the IOC after being elected Chairperson of the IOC Athletes' Commission, the body that represents all Olympic athletes worldwide, a post which she held from 2016 to 2018. She also has an MBA from Harvard and was a senior management associate with Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund in the world. Listen as she shares why learning to love adversity is key to success in life, why utilizing data in sports has to be built on trust, and why athletes are the best opportunity for corporations in the world.

Ryan Huska, head coach of the Calgary Flames, shares insights from his extensive NHL experience. He discusses the lost art of passing and why it's essential for modern players. Huska also emphasizes the importance of team chemistry during road trips and prioritizing focused drills during limited practice time. He showcases valuable breakout drills and the necessity of celebrating both small and large wins to maintain player morale. Additionally, he reveals how elite players like Sidney Crosby hone their skills and the significance of mental resilience in young athletes.

In episode 314 of the Glass and Out Podcast we chat with Hockey Hall of Famer Jayna Hefford, who currently works as the Executive Vice-President of Hockey Operations for the PWHL. As the person who has largely been the face of the league since it's inception in August of 2023, she has played a key role in the growth of female hockey. Her unique background prior to becoming a sports executive includes a playing career as a star on Canada's National Team, playing in five Olympics, capturing four gold medals, and 12 World Championships, where she collected another seven gold medals. Throughout her career she has gravitated towards leadership roles and demonstrated a knack for bringing people together to achieve a common goal. Nowhere has that skill-set been more valuable than her time with the PWHL. Listen as she shares the origins of the PWHL, why female hockey is rooted in passion and why the league's upwards trajectory has created an exciting time for women's sports.

In episode 313 of the Glass and Out Podcast we visited the University of St. Thomas campus in Minnesota to chat with Tommies Head Coach Rico Blasi. Blasi's coaching career dates back to 1994 with the Wexford Raiders. He would take over the University of Miami (Ohio) program, his alma matter, at the ripe old age of 27 - and would eventually turn them into a perennial contender. Now in his fifth season at St. Thomas, he has the Tommies on a similar track to success in the brand new Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. As you'll hear, Blasi's story is a reminder that while we're all on our respective coaching journeys, life is happening all around us. Listen as he shares his approach to getting players to play free, why the human need for connection is a vital part of coaching, and why his favourite day of the week is "Battle Tuesdays."