Befuddled, Bemuzed and Generally Bedeviled

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This hockey coaching thing sure ain’t gettin’ any easier.  My team of 13 and 14 year old girls is struggling mightily to say the least and while I’ve not yet thrown my hands in the air, I’m certainly near the point of calling on the Hockey Gods for some divine intervention.  To be blunt, the team hasn’t seen a check mark in the W column dating back to late November. Frustrations among the players, parents and most certainly the coaching staff are mounting as the potential exhibited by this squad to start the season, including a home tournament win, has been quashed by inconsistent, undisciplined play mixed with odd flashes of brilliance.

The latest case in point came last night when our last place team played two periods of seemingly inspired hockey and a took 1-1 tie into the third frame against the top team in our league, who to date have the same grand total of losses as we have wins (ONE!)  My assistant coaches and I, having been to this dance before, implored our charges yet again to hone their focus for the final period. We commended them on their play through the first two and let them know they have the talent to win against any team they face when the put forth their best effort. I believe we could all sense small cracks in the armour as orange peels were flung gaily at a garbage can in the middle of the room.  A couple of players were noted to be brushing their hair in un-hockey-like fashion, though for some this is a necessary evil of supporting abundant locks. In previous games I’ve suggested we focus on playing one period at a time.  In this case, I demanded even smaller shift-by-shift chunks for added clarity. And yet, the first shift of the third period ended with a puck in the back of our net followed by the same result less than a minute later.  All the hard work the players had put in up to that point was a faint memory.  Body language was not good across the board as I’m certain the phrase “Here we go again” reverberated in each player’s head.  The play would turn somewhat in our favour again for fleeting moments, but the final score signaled what would otherwise look to be a lopsided 5-2 victory for the opposition to anyone just seeing the numbers.

I am convinced at this point our biggest challenge is one of a psychological nature; yup, it’s in their heads.  When we reach the third period with a slim lead or the prospects of a win, I can almost see the players grips on their sticks ratcheting up a few notches.  Pucks are handled with more trepidation.  Passes are made with more urgency and less precision.  Battles for pucks are enjoined with hesitation.  No one wants to make a mistake, but inaction and/or ultra-caution leads to the same.  Far too often these mistakes manifest themselves as penalties which only serve to exacerbate the situation.  A little over a week ago one of our defencemen took a rare delay of game penalty for covering the puck with her glove at the end of a game; an infraction which led to us giving up a game-tying goal with only 30 seconds left.  Yet another victory narrowly aborted.  We coaches will try to counteract fear and doubt with positive reinforcement, but I’m afraid for the most part it’s falling on deaf ears; deafened by our recent failures.

Some folks around our team are no doubt lobbying for a harsh response to our undisciplined play. Some have suggested I “bench” players who are exhibiting undisciplined behaviour, which is leading to some of our downfalls. I understand their intent.  However, I contend that the team tends to hit the proverbial wall en masse, which I attribute back to hitting the panic button.  I would be hard pressed to select just one player deserving of being benched when entire lines seemingly stop skating for a shift.  That being said, I am increasingly open to doling out stiffer consequences (i.e. benching) those players who are consistently taking “bad” penalties; those who aren’t learning from their mistakes.  In principle, I am against benching players as I feel in developmental hockey sitting on the bench does little to improve the player; but perhaps sending a subtle message in the form of a missed shift might be just what the sports psychologist ordered.

With only a few games left in our regular season and playoffs to follow shortly thereafter, there is still plenty of time to salvage some positives.  I recently sent an open letter to our parent-group asking for their honest feedback, to which I received several thoughtful, positive and constructive responses. I shouldn’t have been surprised to note that each looked at the situation from the perspective of their child.  I will also be holding a pre-playoff team meeting where I intend to speak with each player individually about their strengths, weaknesses and responsibilities moving forward. The learning experience for this first-year head coach and his developing, challenging, evolving, group of young athletes continues.  While challenging, I am still managing to smile and have some fun along the way.  A couple of wins down the stretch would sure help though.

#imahockeydad

Hockey Dad Resolutions

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happy new year 2012

The New Year brings with it a fresh outlook; an opportunity to reset goals and expectations; to continue to learn and grow.  These are admittedly a wee bit late, but I’ve taken some time to reflect on the year past to come up with a list of rink-related New Year’s resolutions many of my hockey-parent brothers and sisters will no doubt be able to identify or perhaps sympathize with.  I, a veteran hockey dad and rookie head coach, do hereby resolve  for 2012 I will:

  • try to limit the number of teenage girls I make cry in tense practice, game and/or locker-room situations
  • try to give the ladies and gentlemen in stripes (i.e. the refs) the benefit of the doubt when they inexplicably blow their whistles signalling phantom calls against the Boy’s or Devil’s teams or when those same whistles are muted in the face of obvious infractions on the part of the other side
  • shield my ears from the often nonsensical exhortations of opposing hockey parents who are obviously watching some other contest or have a distorted point of view when they cry foul on penalties, hits or other such on-ice occurrences
  • resist the urge to chuckle out loud when the Boy performs some in-game gaff (it just slips out every few games)
  • work harder on encouraging my charges to consistently compete at the level to which they have proven they are capable, which will in turn result in more positive outcomes
  • not always make the Devil the first choice to send to the penalty box to serve a bench minor or an extra two minutes sometimes doled out by the aforementioned stripes
  • attempt to limit keep my intake of rink fries and gravy within acceptable levels under the Canadian Nutrition Guide, though who can really resist those deep-fried boxes of deliciousness

fries and gravy

As with every other year only a few, if any, of these frosty affirmations are likely to be honoured despite all of my best intentions. The passion of the game, the heat of the moment, the smell of crispy fried strips of potatoe topped with beef gravy are all likely to get the best of me before too long.

#imahockeydad

Ok, One More Wish for the List

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The challenges for my young girls’ team continue as we entered a pre-xmas match against the last place team; last place by no more than a single point on our squad.  Having suffered a painful loss in our previous game and sporting a not-so-flattering 1-7-6 record overall, I decided to declare this a “must-win” game.  “Must-win” to buoy the spirits of both the team and the befuddled coaching staff, who have seen this same team compete at high level against some stiff competition who sit at the top of the standings in our league, if only for periods at a time.  One of my assistants suggested the team give us an early Christmas present with a victory.  A win against last place would put a few points between us and them; perhaps providing some momentum for the final few games of the season. What happened next was the opposite of what we had hoped or expected.

Adding to our on-ice challenges are some ongoing clashes threatening the overall balance of the team as a team.  I’m beginning to realize how difficult it can be to meld the personalities of 17 relatively young female teenagers.  I’d jokingly questioned my sanity in wanting to take on a whole group like this, but I now know it was an even bigger deal than I imagined it might be.  I believe some of our issues have been exacerbated by our poor record (there are generally far fewer complaints from players or parents when you’re winning), but regardless our team temperature will need to be monitored closely as this we move forward through the rest of the season.

Back to the game, where the first few shifts went pretty well. Within a few minutes of the opening puck drop we had a 1-0 lead. However, the rest of the contest could only best be described as woefully forgettable; marking a low point in our season to date. The girls went from hot to flat for no apparent reason. Over the last few games I think the entire coaching staff has felt this team’s focus slowly slipping.  We have certainly tried to exhort the players to dig deeper; to show the kind of effort we’ve seen flashes of.  I’m pretty sure we’ve used nearly every sports catchphrase in the book short of “You have to give 110%”.

Several people have suggested to me that it may be time to start “sitting” players to send a message to the rest of the team. Generally speaking I am against such tactics.  I’m not sure this type of measure will have the desired effect. I also feel at this level we are involved in developmental hockey so every player should be granted equal and fair ice time.  Lastly, I would be hard pressed to single out just one player deserving of being benched. When our team has failed, it has done so in a holistic fashion. After this most recent disappointing loss I again took the route of letting the girls know I was more disappointed with the effort than the loss itself. I also told them that perhaps having players sit out would be an option moving forward more as a psychological threat than anything else. Though desperate times may call for desperate measures, to steal one more cliché.

When we hit the ice for our next game (which I actually won’t be present for as the fam and I will be watching my beloved Winnipeg Jets beat down the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second time in six days) we’ll see if a mini holiday break from hockey will enable this team to refocus; to finish our last few games of the regular season in a positive manner.  Despite our lacklustre persformances of late, the team does still have an opportunity to win a few games a rise a few points in the standings in preparation for the playoffs.  I will still contend, as will others I’m sure, that this team’s record belies its potential.  There have really been few games where we’ve been over-matched.  Any team in our league should have some trepidation at having to face us, knowing we’ve been competitive with them all. And so, the final item on the wish list is to fulfill the promise, to turn the corner, to finish strong and at the very least to have fun simply playing the game.

#imahockeydad