Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Linktree
In episode 292 of the Glass and Out Podcast we welcome Tappara Head Coach Rikard Grönborg.
Last time we spoke with Grönborg he and the Swedish National team were coming off back-to-back Gold medals at the World Championships, while he was also preparing to speak at TCS Live in 2019.
His presentation on the evolution of coaching and player development in Sweden is a must watch. You can check it out here.
Grönborg was then hired by the Zurich Lions heading into the 2019-2020 season, which was his first opportunity to coach a club team in professional hockey. He would lead the Lions to first place in the NLA standings prior to his first season being cut short due to the COVID pandemic.
From Zurich, he would head north to Finland and join Tappara, and in the process become the first non-Finnish coach to coach in the Liga. In his first season he lead Tappara to a league Championship. Now in his second season he’s managing a younger roster, but also an organizational shift focused on sports science and homegrown talent.
Listen as he shares why he's always accepted the challenge of trying something different, how to get players out of their comfort zone, and how to encourage your players to make decisions.
Video Timestamps:
- 0:00 Coaching/playing at St. Cloud
- 2:40 Transition from Sweden to North America
- 9:10 How a defenceman's role as evolved
- 11:35 Getting his Masters in leadership
- 14:05 Decision to coach
- 17:00 Choosing the different path
- 19:15 Taking on the challenge in Tappara
- 24:45 Introducing an attacking style
- 28:00 Player performance stats
- 35:45 Youth development in Tappara
- 39:45 Setting up players to play out of their comfort zone
- 45:00 Allowing players to make decisions
- 49:10 Developing instincts
- 52:30 Accepting risk taking
- 55:25 How the game can evolve
- 59:20 Coaching the Swedish National Team
- 1:04:40 Influential coaching moments
- 1:07:35 2014 Gold medal game
- 1:11:20 Nick Lidstrom
- 1:15:40 Lessons from starting a youth program
- 1:19:10 Being curious/book recommendations
Presented by State and Liberty Clothing. Visit https://stateandliberty.com/tcs and save 15% on your first purchase with the code TheCoachesSite.
