http://hockeysensei.com The secrets of winning at ice hockey and in life Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:19:55 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en One of the e-zines that I get is from Dr. Denis Waitley. In his February 23, 2010 edition he makes some excellent observations as he ties together winning, the Olympic Games, and life. The Winner's Circle by Dr. Denis Waitley Every four years we see those five brilliant, interlocking Olympic rings on ... http://hockeysensei.com/235/the-olympic-winners-circle-and-life/ A great as the Vancouver Olympics have been on so many levels, it seems like the Canadian athletes were set up to fail. A campaign with the slogan ‘Own the Podium’ has been blasted at the Canadian population for months now. Here is part of an op ed in Tuesday's Globe ... http://hockeysensei.com/232/keeping-perspective-when-setting-expectations/ Here is an article that hit home with me. Our team is at the tail end of a string of games during which we played hard, played strong, competed—we just didn’t win. There was a situation or two in every game where someone didn’t get the job done. The isolated ... http://hockeysensei.com/223/want-to-win%e2%80%94there-are-no-little-things/ Toronto’s Globe and Mail writer Matthew Sekeres posted an article on Sunday, November 29, 2009. With the buildup to the Vancouver Olympics in high gear across Canada, the main focus as always is on the men’s hockey team. Using insight from world class defenseman Rob Blake, the writer highlights a ... http://hockeysensei.com/220/moving-the-puck-the-key-to-a-defenseman%e2%80%99s-success/ We all like to do unique things for our players. Skating is one area where there are lots of products and people suggesting they can offer just such a thing. Well, we have a special guy for you and your team- Graeme Townsend. I had the pleasure of coaching Graeme ... http://hockeysensei.com/216/a-special-team-skating-session-with-graeme-townsend/ As the regular season winds down for most of us, there are all kinds of stories about post game reactions to winning and losing. There is some great stuff happening out there along with the occasional horror story. Here are some observations from this past season. Celebrating Wins Most of us ... http://hockeysensei.com/214/celebrating-wins-and-dealing-with-losses/ Whether you are in the pre-season phase or have taken over a team in midseason, developing a system that allows for smooth flowing communication within your team will do wonders for team culture. At the moment, we are going through the experience of taking over a team that already played ... http://hockeysensei.com/212/building-team-culture-using-a-great-communication-framework/ Few can imagine why a coaching change would be made during the season unless those in power felt compelled to do so. Regardless of the reasons, here are some points to consider by those involved-management initiating the change, and the coach coming on board. Do ... http://hockeysensei.com/210/making-a-coaching-change-during-the-season/ In a December 18, 2008 Globe and Mail article titled Bargain-basement league, David Shoalts talks about the effect of the economy on NHL teams and how teams are slashing ticket prices and giving freebies in an attempt to draw fans. Check out the reaction of a couple of ... http://hockeysensei.com/207/promoting-your-team-in-these-economic-times/ Mike Smith has been a GM with two NHL teams and with Team USA. He is well known as one of the cerebral people in the game, having studied the game at different levels and written books on various hockey topics. Now one of his projects is a blog on ... http://hockeysensei.com/203/the-case-for-experience-and-stability-in-building-a-management-team/