1 Bad Mirada

Ive coached at both the high school and the college level, and I am current a head coach of a varsity high school team. hockey is certainly a sport in which one player can REALLY make the difference, and while i have a few players on the team who i could certainly focus on, i try to make sure that it doesnt happen. it is more often that in a sport like hockey, a coach wont rely heavily on one player, but more of a core line. Im not a fan of putting your best three players on the same line, as it can weaken the rest of your lineup. plus, while i work to find good line chemistry, its also important to keep in mind that if one of your "big dogs" gets hurt, if you (as a coach) have put all of your efforts into that player, or that players concrete line, it can seriously damage your season.

I try to make sure that I never hold one player in the spotlight for too long, and I avoid favoring a certain player by making both positive and negative examples of that person. Ill never say "this guy always does everything right", but I will highlight something that player has done poorly, but then reinforce it with how he can improve, and i finish with pointing out something that the player did very well. that way, you can repremand players without really tearing down their ego. I find that some coaches praise one player constantly, and they build the entire flow of the team around that one player, but that seems very shortsighted to me, because what if that player gets hurt? I also dont like "me players", and im some cases, a team is focused on a single player because of the player himself, and the coaches inability to step in. While this will sometimes create some team connection, as they rally around one player, but at the high school level, it can create bad feelings as other players want a piece of the spotlight as well.

now, maybe i feel this way because ive never had one player who could carry the team in every aspect of the game...but i have coached a few very good players, and one player who i really think is an amazing hockey player. in his case, i did a few things differently, but when he missed games, we didnt change our game plan, we just had less offense without him. i knowingly catered to his wants, such as who he felt would work best with him on a line, but he is also a very quiet kid, so he doesnt demand much attention.