As one of the sport's most decorated bench bosses, Jussi Ahokas has built a distinguished reputation in the coaching industry. At TCS Live 2024, Ahokas provided a key lesson to all coaches on the power of breaking up a season into chapters to keep players engaged. 

Building culture from day one is Ahokas’ first priority when he first gets his team. For Ahokas, culture is what we believe in, how we behave, and how we act. Every team has culture, however, some are built and others are not. Taking time to teach the X’s and O’s can always be done, but building a culture is the most important role as a coach. A team's culture is set on day one, but it needs to be built upon throughout the long hockey season. A good culture revolves around trust with everyone being involved and working together from top to bottom of an organization. Conversations need to be honest and direct which will help fix inevitable problems that arise. When everybody gives their best effort for the person beside them, that is when a culture takes root. Ahokas’ motto on culture is that the culture of an organization is shaped by the worst behavior their leaders are willing to tolerate. 

A new practice that Ahokas has adopted is breaking the season up into 10 to 13 games. This is where Ahokas and his staff discuss with their players and talk specifically about the state of their culture and what areas of the team’s culture are working and not working. Setting up an open line of communication with his players allowed Ahokas to always understand what his players were experiencing and what areas as a coach he could step in and support. Having a culture that is built on trust has been Ahoka’s secret ingredient for success. Getting all the players involved and to buy into the team culture has gotten Ahokas to tremendous success even with younger, less experienced teams.

Noteworthy timestamps:

• 1:10 What is culture and how can we use it?
• 4:05 Qualities of teams that have good culture
• 6:10 How the Rangers built culture
• 14:45 Chapter 1 stats example
• 16:20 5v5 rush chances breakdown
• 17:35 Questions after every chapter