Few coaches have shaped women’s hockey like Laura Halldorson. As the founding Head Coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey program at the University of Minnesota, she helped build one of the premier programs in college hockey.

But in her presentation, Halldorson focused less on championships and more on the impact coaches can have on people.

“Caring about players and building relationships will have a greater impact on their lives than the X’s and O’s ever could.”

For Halldorson, that impact begins with relationships. Systems and tactics matter, but caring about players and building genuine connections ultimately shapes their lives far more than X’s and O’s ever will.

When Winning Becomes Everything

At the height of her career, Halldorson realized something difficult. Coaching had slowly consumed her life.

When she reflected on her core values, three words stood out. Faith, family, and friends.

But she also recognized that if someone followed her around every day, those values would not be visible. What they would see instead were two very different priorities.

Working and winning.

The realization forced her to step back and reconsider what her life actually reflected.

A Moment of Perspective

In 2007, Halldorson experienced a powerful moment of reflection. On the same day she attended a colleague’s funeral, the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse shocked the state of Minnesota.

The events forced her to confront a deeper question about how she was living.

Her heart told her she could not continue on the same path. She wanted her daily life to better align with the values she believed in.

Soon after stepping away from coaching, Halldorson attended a Gophers hockey game as a fan for the first time in program history. Sitting in the stands felt strange at first. She had always seen the game from the bench.

But the new vantage point gave her something powerful.

Perspective.

“From the stands you can see the big picture.”

The Bench and the Stands

Halldorson now describes life through two perspectives.

The bench perspective represents the day to day responsibilities. The practices, the pressure, the constant demands of coaching and life.

The stands perspective allows us to step back. From there we can reconnect with our purpose, values, and meaning.

Both perspectives matter. Coaches need the urgency and commitment of the bench, but they also need the intentional reflection that comes from the stands.

Without that balance, it is easy to lose sight of why we started coaching in the first place.

Today Halldorson focuses on encouraging the hearts of the people she encounters. The relationships she built with players remain some of the most meaningful parts of her coaching career.

Coaches’ Challenge

Take a moment to step into the stands.

When you zoom out from the daily grind of practices and games, do your actions align with the values that matter most to you?

Noteworthy timestamps:

• 0:00 Why do you coach?
• 2:25 Finding your priorities
• 4:30 Stepping away from coaching
• 6:30 The bench/gaining perspective
• 8:10 Chance to coach again