A Coach’s Notebook Archives

Hockey Smarts = Ice Time!

By CoachC | November 9, 2024 |

As many of you might know by now, I once ran 2-teams under the New England Hockey Institute banner. The high school guys were with me from late-May until Thanksgiving (when the local school teams began), and my junior high school aged kids were with me for almost 11-months. For sure, I did a lot…

Reversed Grip on a Draw

By CoachC | November 4, 2024 |

One night I happened to notice one of my centermen reversing his lower hand on his stick just before moving in to take a face-off. I’m sure you know what I mean… He switched his lower hand in the opposite direction, supposedly to gain more strength for pulling the puck rearward. The good part of…

A Coach’s Guide to Thinking Like a Scientist

By CoachC | October 30, 2024 |

As a hockey coach, your goal is to help your players reach their full potential. One way to achieve this is by adopting a scientific approach to coaching. Just like scientists, coaches can benefit from curiosity, objectivity, evidence-based reasoning, and experimentation. By thinking like a scientist, you can make informed decisions about player development, team…

Games! Games! More Games!

By CoachC | October 28, 2024 |

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The 10 Commandments of Hockey

By CoachC | October 25, 2024 |

I’ve seen versions of the following numerous times over the years. And, while each point is valid, I’ll suggest that key “commandments” in hockey probably aren’t limited to just ten (in fact, I’ll someday let you know my rather extensive list). Anyway, I some time ago happened upon the following graphic on Facebook. And, although…

The Value of Keepaway Games in Hockey

By CoachC | October 23, 2024 |

To begin, I like to use drills that simulate real game conditions. Secondly, I like to use drills that sorta force players to deal with problems, consequently forcing them to solve those problems on their own. Thirdly, I’ll quite frequently just toss players into a set of conditions and let them initially sink or swim…