Glass and Out

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.

Goaltending is one the most evolved and complex positions in hockey. Take the current Stanley Cup Final for example. It features two vastly different netminders who have helped propel their teams to within four wins of Cup. On the Dallas side, we have Anton Khudobin, a 34-year-old career backup on the playoff run of a lifetime. On the Tampa Bay side, there’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, a 26-year-old Vezina Award winner whom many would have picked to be in this exact position at the beginning of the year. Despite their paths, resume, and playing styles, either could end up lifting the Cup. Few in hockey have knowledge of the position like LA Kings goalie coach Bill Ranford. From his days backstopping the Edmonton Oilers to a 1990 Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophy, to his 14 years helping develop the Kings future in net, Ranford has seen the evolution of goaltending first hand. His playing career included 15 years in NHL, a 1991 Canada Cup, and a gold medal at the 1994 World Championships. Following retirement, Ranford joined the Coquitlam Express of the BC Junior Hockey League as a goalie coach. Over the next four seasons, he would platoon as a goalie coach for the Express, Seattle Thunderbirds and Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League. In 2006, he would make the move to Los Angeles and join the Kings. Ranford played a key role in the rebuilding process that eventually resulted in the two Kings championships, one of which included a Conn Smythe Trophy awarded to Jonathan Quick. The Kings have also won the Jennings Trophy as the team with the lowest goals against average twice during his tenure. Essentially, every goaltending and team defensive record has occurred under his watch. In today’s podcast, we’ll discuss the evolution of the goaltending position, how Ranford’s role requires him to be part coach, mentor, and psychologist, and how coaches can support the development of their goalies.

Over the past 10 years, few coaches have climbed the coaching ladder as efficiently as Reid Cashman. His noted work ethic, overall attention to detail, along with experience gained under several established coaches have led him to his current situation: preparing for a new chapter as first time head coach with Dartmouth Big Green. Cashman's fast-tracked coaching journey began at the young age of 29 with his alma mater Quinnipiac University, where he spent five years as an assistant under the mentorship of his former coach Rand Pecknold. He then made the jump to the AHL with the Hershey Bears and, after just two seasons, would join the big club in Washington as an assistant under Todd Reirden. During his time with the Capitals, Cashman was in charge of handling defencemen and played a key role in the development of players like 2020 Norris Trophy candidate John Carlson. Cashman shared his thoughts on defenceman development at the 2019 TeamSnap HockeyCoaches Conference, where he presented on building deception into your defenceman’s game. To him, simplicity and a focus on building fundamental habits can empower players to make world class plays on a consistent basis. It struck a chord with the audience and was voted the top presentation at the event by the coaches who attended. It was clear then that Cashman had an effective process for developing individual players and that it would only be a matter of time before he got the opportunity to apply that process in leading his own team. The Minnesota native also took part in our popular Chalk Talk series at the 2019 draft, in partnership with the NHL Coaches Association. In this week's podcast, find out Cashman's thoughts on defenceman development, how relationships forged during his playing career have led to opportunities as a coach, and how he plans to build a championship program at Dartmouth.

We're back! Welcome to the fourth season of the Glass and Out Podcast. We hope you had a safe and productive summer. Although we remain in uncertain times, we hope to continue to provide a resource for anyone involved in the game to learn from and stay up to date in the latest happenings of the hockey world as we head into a what is sure to be a season like no other. We kick things off with a man who may have just been they busiest person in hockey this past summer, Hockey Canada Chief Executive Officer Tom Renney. Renney, like a lot of executives and leaders, has been navigating uncharted waters during the COVID-19 pandemic. The possibility and aftermath of a cancelled season are likely concepts that he never thought he'd have to contemplate. As a hockey lifer, he can certainly relate to the range of emotions so many have been feeling during these times. The Cranbrook, BC native has coached at just about every level over his more than 40 years involved in the game. His resume includes two WHL championships and a 1992 Memorial Cup with the Kamloops Blazers, as well as four NHL stops with the Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, and Detroit Red Wings. Renney has also spent much of his career serving Hockey Canada at various roles (coach, team manager, CEO, president). That includes time at the World Junior Championships, World Championships, Spengler Cups, and Olympic Games, which includes a silver medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics. Today, he oversees the growth and development of the game in Canada as Hockey Canada's Chief Executive Officer. That makes him one of the key influencers in the hockey world. In this week's podcast, we'll hear how Hockey Canada plans to approach the upcoming season, his thoughts on the overall direction of the game globally, and about his journey to becoming an influential voice in hockey.

By now, you're probably sick and tired of hearing the phrase "unprecedented times," but that is the reality we currently live in. As the NHL prepares for a possible return to play, it, along with the rest of the hockey world, remains in a state of great uncertainty. Nowhere is that more prominent than minor and youth hockey. What happens if a player tests positive for COVID-19? When will full team practices be allowed? Will 5-on-5 games be played or will it be purely skill development and practice? Those are just a few of the many questions that face Ian Taylor, the Executive Director of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association, and Glen Andresen, Executive Director of Minnesota Hockey. Both men oversee two of the largest hockey organizations in the world and will play critical roles in how their leagues approach the upcoming hockey season during the current pandemic. Their main objectives will be keeping everyone involved safe, while returning to some level of normalcy to keep the game fun and competitive. It's a tall task that will require all involved, including players, parents, coaches, managers, and volunteers, to do their part. Taylor has over 28 years of coaching and minor hockey experience. After 14 years as the OMHA’s director of development programs, he was named executive director in 2016. He holds a NCCP High Performance 1 Coaching Certification and has sat on Hockey Canada’s Athlete Development Council, as well as the National Coach Mentorship Program Advisory Committee. Andresen has spent nearly eight years as Hockey Minnesota’s executive director and oversees the marketing, promotion and growth of game in the State of Hockey. Prior to that, he spent four years working with the Minnesota Wild as their website and social media manager. He's a graduate of the University of Minnesota and is also an executive board member of the Positive Coaching Alliance. In this season's final episode of the Glass and Out Podcast, find out how they are developing a game plan for their players getting back on the ice, what the biggest challenges will be, and what they’ve learned about the importance of youth sports and the role of their organizations.