Glass and Out

A head coaching job in the NHL is the ultimate goal for just about every aspiring bench boss. With only 31 positions currently available (soon to be 32), the journey get there is no doubt a difficult one based on hard work, dedication, smarts, networking, and a little good luck. At just 35 years old, Paul McFarland already has three seasons of NHL experience under his belt. He spent last year as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs in what can be described as a tumultuous season, that included a head coach firing, a season pause due to COVID-19, and a return to play inside the Toronto bubble. Prior to that, McFarland spent two seasons as an assistant on Bob Boughner’s staff with the Florida Panthers. This past spring, McFarland decided to make the difficult decision to step back from the NHL and rejoin his former OHL team, the Kingston Frontenacs, as the GM and head coach. With an eye on one of those NHL head coaching positions, he decided it was the best course of action to further his career. McFarland’s coaching career got started in 2012, when he decided to leave his career as an accountant and join his former OHL coach, DJ Smith, as an assistant with the Oshawa Generals. After two seasons in Oshawa, he was named the head coach in Kingston, where he led the organization to its best regular season in franchise history in season two. His next stop would be in the NHL with Florida, where he was put in charge of the team’s power play, helping them improve to second in the NHL. After the Panthers staff was fired in 2019, he’d quickly be hired by his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs to work under Mike Babcock. Now currently waiting to begin the OHL season, he hopes to lead a young, talented team featuring phenom Shane Wright towards a Memorial Cup championship. Find out about his decision to leave Toronto for Kingston, what lessons he’s learned during his time in the NHL and his philosophy for running a potent power play in this week’s podcast!

While 2020 was a year that many would like to forget, one silver lining came in the form of a number of talented and accomplished women breaking down sporting world barriers like we've never seen before. The Miami Marlins hired Kim Ng as the first female general manager in Major League Baseball, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon was the first female to act as a head coach in the NBA, and Kendall Coyne Schofield was hired by the Chicago Blackhawks as a player development coach. Just to name a few. You can also add this week's guest to that list: Emily Engel-Natzke. At just 29 years old, she was hired to be the video coach of the Hershey Bears, the Washington Capitals America League affiliate, and in the process became the first female coach hired in the AHL. Engel-Natzke got her coaching career started in 2014 with the University of Wisconsin as video coach for the women's basketball team. With hockey always being her end goal, she eventually took on the role as video coach for both the men and women's hockey programs the following season. After two seasons, she would be promoted to director of hockey operations for the men's program, along with her duties as the team’s video coach. Under the leadership of Badgers head coach Tony Granato, she gained the valuable experience that led to her historic signing with Hershey. She has also served as part of the coaching staff for the U18 Women’s National Team and the senior U.S. Women’s National Team. In this week's podcast, hear about the challenges of being a young, female coach, why being a video coach requires a high level of commitment and attention to detail, and her advice for others, men and women, who are looking to get into a career in hockey.

Welcome everyone to a new year of Glass and Out podcasts! We hope you had a safe and happy holidays. To kick off 2021, we welcome Anaheim Ducks head coach Dallas Eakins. Eakins was gracious enough to join us on the eve of the start of Anaheim’s training camp (December 31), as the Ducks and the rest of the NHL prepare for what is sure to be a season like no other. With the many challenges and increased stress that is sure to come with the upcoming season, it has never been more important for everyone involved to keep a monitor on their mental health. As Eakins heads into his 16th season as a professional coach and second as head coach of the Ducks, he’s learned a few keys to making sure he and his team are on top of their mental game. For Eakins, creating a positive team culture is the first step to creating resiliency. You can check out his 2020 NHLCA Online Global Coaches’ Clinic presentation on the topic here. Another key? Taking good care of your physical health. Eakins is well-known for his commitment to exercising, eating healthy, and getting the right amount of sleep. To him, physical health and mental health go hand in hand — coaches included. The Sault Ste. Marie native got his coaching career started in 2005 as an assistant with the Toronto Marlies under Paul Maurice. After just one season, Eakins was promoted along with Maurice to the Leafs, where he’d remain an assistant for thee seasons. He would then return to the Marlies as head coach for four seasons, leading them to one Calder Cup appearance. His first NHL head coach gig would come with the Edmonton Oilers for two seasons. Then, after four season with the San Diego Gulls, he’d jump back to the NHL with the Ducks. In this week’s podcast, hear more about his keys to dealing with stress and staying mentally healthy, how he’s approaching the uniqueness of the upcoming season, and how he’s trying to instil a positive team culture within a rebuilding Ducks franchise.

Happy holidays everyone and welcome to a very special edition of the Glass and Out podcast! For many hockey fans, the holidays mean one thing: the start of the World Junior Championships. To celebrate this year's tournament, we decided to bring on two former gold medal winning coaches to discuss their processes to leading their respective teams and countries to a World Junior Championship. Brent Sutter led Canada to back-to-back gold medals in 2005 and 2006, going an incredible 12-0 in the process. The 2005 team is of course widely considered the best Canadian team of all-time, featuring a star-studded lineup of NHL All-Stars and future Hall of Famers. He would also return to coach in the 2014 tournament, where Canada finished fourth. Phil Housley was twice an assistant coach with Team USA in 2007 and 2011, capturing bronze medals both years. He would then return as the program's head coach in 2013, leading them to the fourth gold medal in the country's history. Sutter has been owner and president of the WHL's Red Deer Rebels since 1999. During that time, he's spent 16 total seasons as the team's GM and head coach, leading Red Deer to a Memorial Cup and taking home CHL’s Coach of the Year Award in 2001. He spent five seasons coaching in the NHL, split between the New Jersey Devils and Calgary Flames. As a player, Sutter is a two-time Stanley Cup champ and played over 1,000 games. He represented Canada on four occasions, including three consecutive Canada Cups. Housley is a Hockey Hall of Famer and one of the most decorated defencemen to ever play the game. He got his coaching career started in Minnesota with Stillwater High School. After nine seasons, he'd join the Nashville Predators as an assistant. His first head coaching gig would come with Buffalo Sabres for two seasons. Currently, he is in the process of preparing for his second season as an assistant with the Arizona Coyotes. We hope you enjoy this very special episode, as the two share their experience leading their respective countries to Gold.

Search up “hockey skills coach” on Instagram and you’ll be sure to find a long list of user names. It’s become a great platform for coaches to display short videos with drills that anyone can then take and attempt to replicate on the ice or add to their game. Daniel Broberg, AKA @db_hockey_factory is right at the top of the list when is comes to skills coaches leaving impact on and off social media. Broberg is a Swedish skills coach with over 30 years of experience and has built a reputation for breaking down very complex skills and transferring them to players of all ages, including some of the game’s best. His list of clients includes NHLers William Nylander, Carl Haglin, Jesper Bratt, Marcus Krugger, and Oliver Kyllington. Most recently, Broberg spent time as a skills coach for the SHL’s Vaxjo Lakers. Prior to that, he spent six seasons as a head/assistant coach in the HockeyAllsvenskan league in Sweden. He’s also spent time helping out at the Detroit Red Wings’ prospects summer camps. If you follow Daniel on Instagram, you’ve likely seen some of elite players performing his drills — and just how challenging they can be. Throw in his bleached blonde hair and numerous tattoos, and it’s no wonder he’s caught the attention of the hockey world. In this week’s podcast, we’ll discuss Broberg’s journey towards becoming a skills coach, how he’s been able to earn the trust of some of the game’s top players, and his philosophy on developing fundamentals skills versus more complex ones.

When you think of top NCAA hockey programs, schools like Minnesota, Boston College, Michigan State, and North Dakota are usually some of the names that come to mind. While American International College is not quite yet in that conversation, head coach Eric Lang has helped the small school quickly gain notoriety during his short tenure. Lang has helped turn the Yellow Jackets program from a bottom feeder to one of the rising programs in college hockey. After only winning a combined 11 games the previous two seasons, Lang was named head coach of his alma mater in 2016. Within four seasons, he helped AIC to its first two Atlantic Hockey Conference playoff championships and its first ever birth in the NCAA Championship in the 2018-19 season. It was there that they completed one of the biggest upsets in College Hockey history, taking down #1 ranked St. Cloud State in the first round. The success resulted in Lang being named Atlantic Hockey’s Coach of the Year twice and College Hockey News Coach of the Year once. The Bronx, New York native played two seasons for AIC, serving as captain for both years, while being honoured with the ECAC Merit Medal and the school’s Henry Butova leadership award. He would start his coaching career by returning to his alma mater in 2006 as an assistant coach for two seasons. Lang then became the head coach for Manhattanville College, a NCAA Div III women’s program. After three seasons, he returned to men’s hockey and serve as an assistant for Army at the US Military Academy for five seasons. Now in his second tenure as a coach with AIC, he currently has the team 2-0 heading into the holiday break. In this week’s podcast, we’ll discuss how Lang has been able to turn around the AIC program, the challenges of recruiting for a small school, and leadership lessons learned while coaching at a military school.

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.