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In Episode 346 of the Glass and Out Podcast, we're joined by longtime coach and executive Willie Desjardins, Head Coach and General Manager of the Medicine Hat Tigers.
A native of Climax, Saskatchewan, Desjardins began his coaching career at the University of Calgary under George Kingston before eventually taking over as head coach of the program. After a decade behind the bench in Calgary, he headed overseas to coach in Japan before returning to Alberta in 2002 to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers, quickly establishing the club as one of the WHL's premier programs.
Desjardins later joined the Dallas Stars organization as an assistant coach and went on to guide their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, to a Calder Cup championship. From 2014 to 2017, he served as Head Coach of the Vancouver Canucks and also spent the 2018-19 season behind the bench of the Los Angeles Kings.
Internationally, Desjardins has represented Canada at nearly every major tournament, building a resume that spans the highest levels of junior, professional, and international hockey.
Listen as he shares why instilling confidence is at the heart of a coach's role, how winning cultures are built, and what goes into developing offensive defencemen.
Video Timestamps:
- 0:00 TCS Live
- 1:15 Takeaways from NHL Playoffs
- 3:30 Culture takes time
- 9:10 Empowering players
- 16:10 Background in teaching/Dave King
- 17:50 Making the rink fun
- 21:05 Gavin McKenna/Helping players adapt
- 23:30 Key components for team building
- 25:25 Structuring practice for speed and execution
- 30:05 Coaching in different countries
- 32:00 Coaching influences
- 36:05 Journey to the coach of today
- 41:10 Coaching the Sedins/Player expectations
- 43:40 Why teams succeed
- 46:45 Being specific with players
- 50:50 Developing offensive defencemen
- 56:05 Ruck twins
- 57:05 Coaching resources
