In honour of Black History Month, we’re revisiting one of our favourite episodes in Glass and Out history, featuring the legendary Willie O’Ree.
Back in 2018, host Aaron Wilbur and former co-host Kelvin Cech were lucky enough to be joined by O’Ree for an in-person interview as he shared some incredible stories about his journey to the NHL, the many challenges he faced along the way, how he feels about the current state of hockey, and what can be done to create a more diverse game.
Along with being the first Black player in NHL history, O’Ree was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 in the builder category for all the work he’s done on creating a more inclusive game. Also in 2018, the NHL instituted the annual Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award in his honour, to “recognize the individual who has worked to make a positive impact on his or her community, culture or society to make people better through hockey.”
In addition, we were joined by the first woman President of the NHL Coaches’ Association, Lindsay Artkin.
Under Artkin’s leadership, the NHLCA has been incredibly proactive in playing a role in creating a more inclusive hockey culture and in providing women and non-white coaches an equal opportunity to pursue a career in hockey. These initiatives include the Female Coaches Development Program and BIPOC Program.
Listen in as we revisit a conversation with one of the legends of the game and a woman who is leading the charge in creating a more inclusive game.
The Coaches Site is proud to host the Beyond the X’s and O’s with Dr. Cassidy Preston and Chris DePiero in our podcast network! Stay tuned for more episodes that will help coaches develop the “human” skills of leadership.
Rane Carnegie is a Motivational Speaker, minor hockey coach and the youngest grandchild of the late Hockey Hall of Famer Dr. Herb Carnegie. Rane was a former 1st round draft pick in the 2001 OHL draft. He went on to play semi pro in the AHL, ECHL, CHL and finished his career overseas in Sweden, Finland and France respectively. He has helped keep his grandfather’s legacy alive through the Carnegie Initiative and continuing the Futures Aces Hockey School.
Dr. Herb Carnegie broke barriers and made hockey history by being part of the only “All Black Line” in the semi-pro leagues in the 1940s. Following his hockey career, he established the first registered hockey school in Canada in 1955. His greatest contribution to society began by including a character development component along with hockey skills training.
Rane is an avid sports fan, passionate storyteller, and a family man. Specifically in this episode we dove into:
The experience of getting Dr. Herb Carnegie inducted into the Hall of Fame
Minor hockey in the GTHL – Toronto, Ontario
Coaches, parents, and players losing sight of their why
His perspective on the changes in the game
The cultural problems and unfair treatment — but also the beacons of hope & support
This has a lot more to do with the structure than the people.
Most people in hockey have good intentions but it is the structure of the game that does not foster an optimal environment.
As a result, destructive behaviours and practices are normalized and repeated at all levels. Here some of the top signs that the structure of hockey is broken:
Neglect At the junior levels a significant number of players are being consistently scratched and getting limited playing time – these are 16 and 17 year old kids that are being sidelined during the peak years of their development – this is NOT development. This trickles down into minor hockey as well. But what is worse is when most players get decreased playing time or get scratched they don’t even get a word from the coach. This is neglect and it is recognized as one of the worst forms of emotional abuse – it leaves players feeling like the coaches don’t care about them. They feel lost in the dark – not knowing what they can do about their situation. This is wrong but it’s far too common at all levels within the game of hockey. We touched on this in numerous episodes during season 2 of the podcast: A Declaration of War Against the ‘Old-School’ Coaching Mentality.
Prejudice Hockey has been under the microscope for a lot of issues of which include: homophobia, racism, and misogyny. Fortunately Brock McGillis has been a beacon of light within the hockey community. But as Brock highlights, we need to continuously challenge the status quo when it comes to the cultural norms within the hockey community. The insular nature of hockey promotes conformity – which can make it difficult to change problematic language and behaviours that are embedded in the culture. In order for hockey to truly be inclusive and make real change, the gatekeepers and leaders need to continuously evolve, humanize the issues, and be at the forefront of shifting the culture – not just in hockey but also in society.
$$$ The privatization of ice, development, teams, organizations, and leagues have skyrocketed the price to play the game. There are a slew of issues that come from this. Not only does this make a significant barrier to entry and development – it also rewards people in leadership positions to make decisions that are not in the best interest of development. Instead, those in leadership positions are focused on the short-term results of winning, keeping their job and maximizing financial gains.
Can it be fixed?
It is less about ‘fixing it’ per-say but rather about getting better. But in order to improve something there needs to be clear measures of what to improve upon.
We don’t pretend to have all the answers but our opinions on measures that should be prioritized, tracked, and regularly shared by governing bodies include:
Retention Rates – the number of kids coming back year over year
Net Promoter Score – comes from the business world and is about how satisfied a client (athlete) is with their service, product or experience
Abuse Claims – clearly there is a need to decrease all forms of abuse
Does this mean we shouldn’t care about Gold Medals? No – those are great and in fact, improving the structure and experience for players will lead to better development and even higher probabilities of Gold Medals.
The concern is not that Hockey Canada prides itself on winning Gold Medals, but that it does not seem to pride itself enough about increasing retention rates, creating positive experiences, and ensuring a safe sporting environment.
We don’t know everything going on with every league and behind all the closed doors, but from our perspective we stand by this proclamation that Hockey Is Broken.
The question to ask is what are we going to do about it?
The answer is better leadership at all levels is needed to fix this structure.
The bottom-up approach calls on coaches and organizations to go Beyond the X’s and O’s, do things differently, and raise their standards for the betterment of the athletes. There are coaches and organizations stepping up and we are hopeful that this number continues to grow.
However, at what point will we see a top-down approach where Hockey Canada, provincial governing bodies, and the leagues make some bold and necessary decisions to change the structure, challenge normalized practices, and enforce a higher-standard for the game of hockey.
Reach out, comment or share your opinions as we continue to go Beyond the X’s and O’s.
Like the old saying goes, “coaches are hired to be fired.” Take a look at any career coach’s Elite Prospects page and you’ll likely find a long list of different teams from various leagues.
Carlson has the rare honour of being the only head coach in the history of the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders since their inception in 1999. That’s 22 consecutive years in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In addition, Carlson has also served as GM and President of the RoughRiders since 2014. While many are looking to make that next step towards reaching the pros, Carlson has found his calling by committing to helping young men become good people first, and players second, as they prepare for the next level.
His long list of accomplishments includes over 600 wins, three USHL Coach of the Year awards, a Clark Cup championship, and three Anderson Cup titles as the USHL regular season champions. More importantly, over 500 of his players have received Division I scholarships, and 38 have been selected in the National Hockey League Draft, 41 have signed NHL contracts — with 22 having made their NHL debuts.
Carlson has also had the honour of serving as head coach for Team USA during the 2008 and 2009 World Junior A Challenge. Both years, USA won the gold medal. In 2009, he was recognized as the United States Olympic Committee Development Coach of the Year.
Currently, Carlson and the RoughRiders are awaiting the start of the 2021-22 season after making the tough decision to not play the USHL season due to significant damage done to their arena and community of Cedar Rapids caused by a severe summer storm.
Find out how Carlson has created a culture that prioritizes his values over winning games, his decision to stay in Cedar Rapids, and how he’s dealt with the adversity of a missed season.
Performance anxiety is one of the leading reasons athletes struggle to perform when it matters most.
In this podcast, we want to show you how to break through the limiting beliefs and cultural norms that perpetuate performance anxiety. This is a follow up to the How to Perform Under Pressure video recently posted.
Here are the main concepts we unpacked to help athletes overcome performance anxiety:
Building Up the Context
Athletes, coaches, parents, and fans alike often attach too much meaning to the event or game.
Athletes then build up the context in their mind and get too hyped up for a particular opponent, ‘pressure’ situation, or a ‘must win’ game.
As a result, the context becomes overwhelming and the athlete mentally falls apart, they panic or hesitate on the field of play, and choke under the pressure.
In last year’s Stanley Cup final, Tampa Bay Lightning all-world defenceman Victor Hedman was asked about how he and his teammates are able to maintain a high level of play in their third straight Cup finals. His response was “easy, we never let the moment be bigger than any one particular play.”
This was a brilliant response.
The ability to detach from the context and be dialled into the task at hand is the key to being totally present.
This mindset allows them to have trust and faith, not only in their own abilities, but those of their teammates as well. It’s no surprise they have been the Gold Standard for culture and excellence for the better part of a decade.
Do or Die
As alluded to above, the language we use with ourselves and others will influence our mindset.
One of the most common lines in sports is that it is a “do or die game.”
This is partially true – on one side yes if you lose the game the season is over.
But is your career over? Is your life over?
I exaggerate the point because many athletes build up the context to feel that way.
Instead you want to frame the event as an opportunity, not a threat – turning pressure into privilege.
Similarly the common verbiage of ‘Need to, Have to, or Should’ can provoke a state of fear.
Is your goal to be comfortable and survive or be courageous and thrive?
Playing sports is a choice, it is not a ‘Need to, Have to, or Should.’
So be mindful of the language we use and the questions we ask ourselves and others.
How we frame the game shapes our perspective.
When we keep a healthy perspective, it becomes easier to choose courage and overcome performance anxiety.
This choice is not about just being positive and framing everything with rose coloured glasses – that is fluffy BS that doesn’t work.
Rather it is about staying centered or neutral – credit to the late Trevor Moawad.
Regardless of the challenge or adversity you are in, you can always choose a thrive mindset over survive mindset – you can find a way to keep moving forward.
Enjoy the Moment
The most cliché advice in pressure situations is tell an athlete to enjoy the moment.
This is great advice because it is true – enjoying the moment is key to thriving in the moment.
However, it is way easier said than done.
Most athletes struggle to adhere to this advice. They get consumed by the pressure.
As long as an athlete is holding on to the results they won’t be able to truly enjoy the moment.
The key to letting go is to accept the range of results.
But the problem is our society misunderstands what acceptance is and often labels it as a weakness.
It’s misconstrued to be this fluffy, lovey dovey concept best reserved for hippies.
However, if properly understood and effectively used it is one of the most powerful tools to play free and in the moment.
In summary you can overcome performance anxiety by breaking through the cultural norms and being mindful of your language, beliefs, and perspective.
Again check out the previous published video that walks you through the 3 steps to Perform Under Pressure.
I hope you found this helpful. Let us know if you have any questions.
If you know anyone that could benefit from this post – please share it with them.
Fresh off a championship run at a World Juniors tournament like no other, Nate Leaman joins us for this week’s Glass and Out podcast.
Led by Leaman, the Americans dominated their way to gold, going 6-1 while scoring 38 goals and allowing just 10. The championship game would see them surprise an equally dominant Team Canada with a 2-0 win.
Leaman is currently in his 10th season at Providence College. He led the program to its first NCAA Championship in 2015 and currently has the Friars on a streak of six consecutive berths in the NCAA tournament. During his tenure, he’s produced a total of 28 NHL draft picks. On a personal level, he was awarded the 2011 Spencer Penrose Award, presented to the top coach in college hockey by the American Hockey Coaches Association, and was also named the top coach in the NCAA in 2015 by USCollegeHockey.com.
He got his coaching career started at the age of 26, volunteering at the University of Maine as they went on to win the 1999 National Championship team. After four seasons as an assistant at Harvard, Leaman would take over as head coach at Union College for nine seasons. In his final year at Union, the Dutchmen’s hockey program would capture their first ECAC regular season championship and invitation to the NCAA tournament.
Prior to winning gold at this year’s World Juniors, Leaman was an assistant with Team USA twice, winning Bronze in 2007.
Find out about the journey that ended in a gold medal, why an emphasis on skill has resulted in recent success for the Americans, and Leaman’s advice for other coaches navigating the early parts of their career.
This assertion may be a little over the top, but Chris De Piero and I (Dr. Cassidy Preston) strongly feel it is warranted to say the leaders of sport are failing.
This episode of BXO’s is a follow-up to the ‘Is Hockey Broken?’ episode we recently did, which doesn’t just apply to hockey.
Although the episode received a lot of support, it was also criticized by many, which drove us to double down and create this episode.
People can and will disagree with us; we welcome those that oppose to share their take, but from our perspective it is clear that much of sport is not in a good place:
As a former elite athlete – I experienced emotional and physical abuse.
As a researcher – I examined the problems in sport through the critical lens of academia.
As a mental performance coach – I see the problems firsthand day-in and day-out.
The purpose of the last episode was to call on leaders to make more bold decisions and take action to improve hockey and all sports.
We are not saying that all leaders are failing, but we are saying that too many leaders are not doing enough to help make the sports we love a better experience for all – and especially for our youth.
I’m sure this won’t be too popular of an opinion with those in leadership positions.
Heck, I’m sure there will be some ‘powerful’ leaders that won’t like what we have to say.
But I’m not doing this to make friends or please people. I’m doing this because I think it is what needs to be done.
It’s Time to Shake Things Up.
Chris can attest to this, I was a bit of a shit disturber as a player; I liked to play hard, play on the edge, and get under the skin of the opponents. I loved to compete.
But as a Mental Performance Coach I’ve kept to myself, focused on helping my clients, building our coaching firm, and generally I have avoided going out of my way to step on anyone’s toes.
I won’t keep quiet anymore.
It’s time to shake things up – it’s time to be a shit disturber again.
This time it’s not fighting to win a game, but for the game as a whole, for our youth, and for the generations to come.
This is a fight I’m passionate about and I’m not afraid to mix things up, challenge the status quo, and step on some toes.
People might not like the headlines we are using, but I am not trying to be a ‘downer’ and perpetuate negativity – I am taking this stand because I know we can do better and the athletes and our youth deserve better.
Some people might not like my approach, but I’m playing to win, which means a better system and structure for the athletes.
Here are the three main reasons why the leaders of sport are failing:
Leaders are Afraid to Rock the Boat
Too many leaders continue to maintain the status quo instead of making bold decisions and taking action.
They are taking the easy way out.
It’s easier to just keep things the way they are, make minor efforts for change, or do performative acts to appear progressive.
I know numerous people who have met with the ‘leaders’ of high-level sport organizations. The consensus aligns with the few meetings we’ve had, the leaders are interested in improving sport but are not committed to making real change.
They blame the red tape and challenges of making changes, instead of making a stand, fighting to improve the sporting experience, and finding a way around or through the ‘red tape.’
There are a lot of ‘excuses’ and not a lot of results.
As such, the leaders don’t step on each other’s toes and don’t upset the ‘old-guard.’
But what we need is leaders with courage that are willing to rock the boat, step on some toes, and take bold action in order to shift the sporting structures and fight for a better sporting experience for athletes and especially for our youth.
Ignorance is not Bliss
Too many leaders are conveniently looking away so that they don’t have to do the hard work of addressing the problems.
When you see smoke you don’t look away and hope there is no fire.
We are not blaming current leaders in sport for the ‘fire.’ Most of them probably just inherited the current cultural norms and structural problems.
But we are challenging more leaders to take responsibility and accountability by doing something about it.
Denying or downplaying the current state of sport is simply being ignorant.
Fortunately great investigative reporting is making it hard for leaders to be ignorant of the problems.
For example, a couple recent stories that we make mention to in the episode include:
The W5 episode with Rick Westhead on the U18 minor hockey player that died at a training camp.
The Athletic article on the Harvard Women’s Hockey coach Katey Stone’s 27 year coaching career – titled: Hazing, Naked Skates and a ‘Mental-Health Hunger Games’
There are countless other reports across all sports.
But what might be most frustrating about these recent stories is the culture of silence in sport.
Incompetent Leadership Perpetuates the Culture of Silence
The culture of silence is where people know bad things are happening, but they either won’t speak up or don’t feel they can speak up and stop it.
If that doesn’t scream that the system is broken – I don’t know what will.
One of the most important ways to break the culture of silence is for leaders to make it safe for people to speak up.
But the problem is when people do speak up nothing changes.
This creates a culture of ‘why bother speaking up in the first place?’
For example, I strongly believe that the Athletic Director at Harvard should be fired. Katey Stone is still coaching despite the countless reports of the incredibly toxic culture she has created with the Harvard Women’s Hockey Team.
It’s not just Katey that is the problem, it is the organizations that protect her and her actions.
Heck, I’ll take it further and ask the question: does Harvard as whole not have higher standards, or does the NCAA league not care about the maltreatment of the athletes in the league?
It is clear in many situations the athletes don’t trust the organizations and the leagues to have their best interests at heart.
The governing bodies, associations, leagues, and institutions that control the structure and the system appear more concerned with looking good than doing what is right.
Instead of facing the problems head on, they keep sweeping the dirt under the rug in the name of winning, profits, or simply because of a lack of courage.
These people in power don’t want to rock the boat, they play ignorant to the problems, and as such they are FAILING as leaders and perpetuating a culture of silence.
Things are not going to get better, until more people in leadership positions make a stand for what is best for the athletes.
This doesn’t mean we need to rehaul everything from scratch, although that is idealistic. I do understand that practically, it would be impossible.
We need leaders to start making some decisions to help build a new model, system, and structure where athletes can feel safe to speak up and that they trust the leaders to have their best interest at heart.
This is about the leaders of the organizations, leagues, and sporting associations taking a more progressive and proactive approach instead of the reactive and performative measures that don’t solve the root of the problem.
Is there Hope?
There is certainly a lot of hope.
We have received a lot of support from the previous post.
I do believe that most people get it and want to do what is best for the athletes.
For example, at 9 am the day that the last post dropped, I got a call from a CHL general manager. It was a great discussion because he felt he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
He doesn’t want to have to healthy scratch 16 or 17 year old players every night, but the system makes it difficult to avoid, especially when trying to compete for a league championship.
But he was adamant that he would support change to the structure, where the league focused on protecting the players by setting new rules and holding every team accountable to the same standards.
So, we have no doubt that people want change and will support it.
I am also aware that when leaders start to make these changes there will be resistance from the ‘old-guard,’ the ‘protectors,’ and simply the idiots that are uncomfortable with change, progress, and innovation.
But to me, that is exactly what makes humans so special – our ability to adapt, innovate, and evolve.
It is time for sport to evolve.
We are calling on the leaders to step up to the plate – be a leader, do your job, and do what is right for the athletes.
At The Coaches Site and Glass & Out podcast, from the pros to the grassroots level, we’re all about tackling the important issues facing our game.
This week, we welcome Senior National Writer for The Athletic, Sean Fitz-Gerald to the podcast. He is the author of Before the Lights Go Out: A Season Inside a Game on the Brink, a book that details the many issues facing minor hockey in Canada. According to Fitz-Gerald, rising costs, exclusivity, and a decline in enrolment across the country have the game heading towards a state of crisis.
A season following the OHL’s Peterborough Petes provides the back drop of the book, as Fitz-Gerald attempts to get to the root of the problem by explores the motivations and expectations of the players, coaches, front office staff and hockey fans in the city. While Before the Lights Go Out focuses on some of the systemic issues that exist in hockey, it also sheds light on what is good about it and what steps can be taken towards creating a better sport.
Fitz-Gerald is one of the most well respected journalists in Canada, and as you’ll hear, a gifted storyteller. As a reporter, he’s covered the Olympics, Pan American Games, Super Bowls, NBA playoffs, and NHL playoffs. In 2015, he was named the Sportswriter of the Year by Sports Media Canada.
As a passionate, lifelong fan of the game, and hockey dad himself, he’s also seen the good and bad of the sport firsthand. The “minor hockey complex,” as he describes it, presents a big challenge to everyone involved in the sport. Whether you coach youth, junior, college, or pro, he believes we must all focus on creating a more affordable, more accessible, more diverse, and more inclusive game.
Don’t miss out on this important discussion on the current state of hockey!
A head coaching job in the NHL is the ultimate goal for just about every aspiring bench boss. With only 31 positions currently available (soon to be 32), the journey get there is no doubt a difficult one based on hard work, dedication, smarts, networking, and a little good luck.
At just 35 years old, Paul McFarland already has three seasons of NHL experience under his belt. He spent last year as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs in what can be described as a tumultuous season, that included a head coach firing, a season pause due to COVID-19, and a return to play inside the Toronto bubble. Prior to that, McFarland spent two seasons as an assistant on Bob Boughner’s staff with the Florida Panthers.
This past spring, McFarland decided to make the difficult decision to step back from the NHL and rejoin his former OHL team, the Kingston Frontenacs, as the GM and head coach. With an eye on one of those NHL head coaching positions, he decided it was the best course of action to further his career.
McFarland’s coaching career got started in 2012, when he decided to leave his career as an accountant and join his former OHL coach, DJ Smith, as an assistant with the Oshawa Generals. After two seasons in Oshawa, he was named the head coach in Kingston, where he led the organization to its best regular season in franchise history in season two. His next stop would be in the NHL with Florida, where he was put in charge of the team’s power play, helping them improve to second in the NHL. After the Panthers staff was fired in 2019, he’d quickly be hired by his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs to work under Mike Babcock.
Now currently waiting to begin the OHL season, he hopes to lead a young, talented team featuring phenom Shane Wright towards a Memorial Cup championship.
Find out about his decision to leave Toronto for Kingston, what lessons he’s learned during his time in the NHL and his philosophy for running a potent power play in this week’s podcast!
While 2020 was a year that many would like to forget, one silver lining came in the form of a number of talented and accomplished women breaking down sporting world barriers like we’ve never seen before.
The Miami Marlins hired Kim Ng as the first female general manager in Major League Baseball, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon was the first female to act as a head coach in the NBA, and Kendall Coyne Schofield was hired by the Chicago Blackhawks as a player development coach. Just to name a few.
You can also add this week’s guest to that list: Emily Engel-Natzke. At just 29 years old, she was hired to be the video coach of the Hershey Bears, the Washington Capitals America League affiliate, and in the process became the first female coach hired in the AHL.
Engel-Natzke got her coaching career started in 2014 with the University of Wisconsin as video coach for the women’s basketball team. With hockey always being her end goal, she eventually took on the role as video coach for both the men and women’s hockey programs the following season. After two seasons, she would be promoted to director of hockey operations for the men’s program, along with her duties as the team’s video coach. Under the leadership of Badgers head coach Tony Granato, she gained the valuable experience that led to her historic signing with Hershey.
She has also served as part of the coaching staff for the U18 Women’s National Team and the senior U.S. Women’s National Team.
In this week’s podcast, hear about the challenges of being a young, female coach, why being a video coach requires a high level of commitment and attention to detail, and her advice for others, men and women, who are looking to get into a career in hockey.
