Grassroots: The Minor Hockey Show

At age 13, after years of playing various sports with boys, Kim McCullough began playing hockey. Just five years later, she was playing Div. 1 hockey at Dartmouth followed by stints in pro hockey. She's coached girls in junior, AA, and in national programs in addition to running development and strength/conditioning programs from her home base in Toronto's Leaside Girls Association. Her next chall...

For no apparent reason, Grassroots goes in a completely different direction in this episode which, on the surface anyway, is not at all connected with minor hockey nor even sport.  The late economic historian Carlo Cipolla theorized that underestimating the stupid is done at our own peril. But why? Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com X (Twitter): Richard - @berky544 Dean Holden: funlearn...

Anyone who's been around minor hockey for any length of time has heard them, perhaps even used one. From the standpoint of halting personal growth and/or organizational development in their tracks, three common statements are at the forefront. How will minor hockey's leaders ignore them and move forward or, as stated in the podcast, learn to discover new oceans by first leaving the shore? Contact:...

A mock interview with a coaching candidate launches this episode into a discussion about how to conduct these things in a minor hockey setting. One of the biggest questions addressed in this podcast is whether or not interviewing coaches is even necessary in most instances. Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com X (Twitter): Richard - @berky544 Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

At first, while hanging around his hometown Scarborough arena, Steve Kouleas wondered why there were hockey players with ponytails. Then he grew up, became a well known sportscaster and hockey nut and is now host of an NHL Live show on Sirius XM radio. Along the way, "Kool" watched the female game with awe, had two daughters, put them in hockey and saw what they - and he - got out of the game. Oh,...

There was a time when Gaston Marcotte was considered one of the finest hockey teachers anywhere. Though not well known outside Quebec, his teachings, books and hockey school were regarded as vitally important foundations for how the game should be taught. Podcast host Richard Bercuson was at one time one of his instructors, an anglo among francophones. They finally reconnected late last year. Marc...

Yes, minor hockey has been butchered by Covid, with thousands of kids unable to play or practice. A lucky few,  especially at the more elite levels, have at least had some ice time. What does the future hold as teams, players and coaches look ahead to a hopeful fall. Oshawa coach Tony Stabile discusses what he's been doing with his AAA group and what the future holds for him and his players. Conta...

As Covid has decimated nearly all youth activities, junior hockey has been especially hard hit. For instance, older players have been forced to end their careers early, denied finishes to last season and with practically nothing to show for this season. Trenton junior A head coach and general manager Peter Goulet describes the impact on his club and then describes his approach to finding the right...

Writers talk about their "voices." So do singers who have distinctive styles. What about coaches? Do we have voices and do they change - or should they - from one age group or level to another. Dean Holden, who has a vast background in coaching different levels and is completing his PhD in coaching, discusses how he approached it, especially in his earlier years. Contact: richard(at)grassrootsmino...

What seemed to have begun in hockey with Graham James in terms of awareness of abuse and sexual violence has certainly not ended there. Sexual violence is ever-present, as we know from high profile cases, but has also been even more horrifying in the realm of sport. Two university hockey players, Amy Graham and Patti-Anne Tracey, are attempting to make discussions, awareness, and prevention more m...

Canada's volunteer-based minor hockey associations are the foundations of the sport. But how efficient are they and what could they do to improve? Is there a place for a type of board or board member training program like coaches, trainers and officials have? Former Hockey Eastern Ontario Executive Director and association president Richard Sennott discusses this. Contact: richard(at)grassrootsmin...

It's regarded as the most important position in the game. And yet, finding coaches to work with goalies is challenging, let alone unearthing ones who are skilled and knowledgeable enough to provide up-to-date instruction. In this episode, Richard talks with Stefan Nichols, an Ottawa-based professional goalie teacher, about what goalie coaches need and where to find them. Contact: richard(at)grassr...

2021 at last! This first show of the new year is with Gregg Kennedy who last spoke from roadside in Thunder Bay on his cross-Canada drive to Slave Lake. He'd just accepted a job as head coach/GM of the Slave Lake Ice Dogs. Now, with a handle on the environment and team needs, he shares what he's seen and needs to tackle in this new hockey environment. Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com...

A brief junior sojourn. A late night development chat. A shot in the dark. The game through a different lens. And then there's pillaging... Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com X (Twitter): Richard - @berky544 Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

The minor hockey world is far removed from the pro, college and even most junior worlds. Then why are so many coaches stuck on developing tactics  when their players don't yet comprehend why these might or should work? Shouldn't we be teaching core principles of play built on sound foundational skills? Dean Holden returns to discuss this and examine what we should be looking at. Contact: richard(a...

In October, the OHL was told by the Ontario government it could only return to play - without bodychecking! Was there any science behind that decision? Is hockey inherently more or less susceptible to Covid-19  than other sports? An American researcher, Dr. Stephen McGregor, completed a three-year study last spring for USA Hockey which produced some surprising results to address that question. Con...

In recent years, minor hockey seems to have been overrun with private skill development businesses or vendors. Most associations seem to have someone or some group running regular skills sessions with kids of all ages. They do, however, raise a lot of questions about what they do, how they do it, the cost, and whether these sessions truly benefit the players they're teaching. Jim Mercer, an OMHA d...

Gregg Kennedy is driving almost clear across the country, from Ottawa to northern Alberta, to take over a junior A team. In his 40th year coaching, it's a challenge he both welcomes and looks forward to. In this episode, he explains what his likely first steps will be when he arrives and what he needs to do to get a handle on the team. Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com X (Twitter): Ric...

This podcast's first episode was an overview of what was going to be discussed in future shows. However, I used Howie Meeker and his book "Hockey Basics" as my introduction since I believed then, and now, that he was one of Canada's most important hockey teachers. During my earliest coaching days, I once had the good fortune to share an instructional session with him in Montreal. Some years ago, w...

In this segue from Episode 32 about girls in sport, Jane King discusses how to get them into the sport and coach them the right way. While coaching kids of both genders have certain commonalities, she says, working with girls requires some particular skill sets. Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com X (Twitter): Richard - @berky544 Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

Jane King has been a coach, teacher, and advocate for women in sport for decades. She's a featured speaker with the Coaches Association of Ontario and is a chartered professional coach with the Coaching Association of Canada. She pretty much has the pulse of what we need to do to involve more girls in sport, especially hockey. In this first of a two-parter, she examines where we are and where we c...

Do we expect too much of our coaches? At what level(s) should we expect to see expertise in coaching kids? Is it even necessary. Jim Mercer, a Hockey Canada coaching program teacher, evaluator and instructor with a lengthy coaching background, steps in to evaluate what the game has and needs. Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com X (Twitter): Richard - @berky544 Dean Holden: funlearnreturn...

It's been over 20 years since the NHL/Hockey Canada Open Ice Summit recommended that a formal mentorship program was central to improving coaching and thus the state of our game. What's happened to that recommendation? A discussion with Ottawa-area coach, mentor, and coaching program instructor Ron Graham. Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com X (Twitter): Richard - @berky544 Dean Holden:...

How practical would it be to institute a hard and fast equal ice time idea, as Grant Johnston suggested in Episode 27? Should it even be done? Dean Holden and Rick Ladouceur weigh in. Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com X (Twitter): Richard - @berky544 Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

The most important relationship in sport is the one between the coach and athlete. In minor hockey, the realm of children, teens and non-professional adults as coaches, it's especially crucial. Dr. Cassidy Preston, a former player and AAA coach and now a sport performance consultant, discusses this dynamic and its impact on him as a player and on today's youth. Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorh...