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The Difference Between Success and Winning

By Dan Pollard, 10/02/18, 3:45PM EDT

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Supporting player development throughout the year


As a hockey parent, we all want our kids to be on teams that are prepared and encouraged to win games, tournaments and competitions at every level. Winning can be a crucial part of a player’s development journey and success at any level helps breed confidence for the future but at the most critical years of development, winning shouldn’t be the ultimate aim. The individual development of the young players should be the priority, meaning the decisions that aid the development of all players at the cost of an isolated result should be taken.

It’s about adjusting how we look at players from a short term view to something much longer over the course of a season and multiple years as they continue to grow and develop. As long as players are engaged, learning and having fun they will have a desire to keep coming back regardless of the result. So, how much do we push winning?

“At this time of year, early in the season, I think that’s a question every coach should ask themselves,” said Ian Taylor, Executive Director of the OMHA. “Hopefully at this point they’ve planned out their year, they recognize the age group they’re working with, the level they’re working with, and have got some type of plan or idea of what they want to teach these kids. What are the skills they want to teach? Where do we want to get to?”

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Just like the school curriculum is planned out over the course of the year in terms of what will be taught and when, coaches can do the same thing on the ice. Parents can step back and see their child is improving and enjoying hockey outside of the wins and losses.

“When the coach decides at the start of the season what his objectives are, it’s really important to communicate that not only to the players but to the parents as well so everyone’s aligned with what that message is and there’s no surprises as they progress through their season,” said Hamilton.

While the definitions of success and winning can be intertwined, they don’t need to be. Success can be measured in areas like skill development and progression. Players should be encouraged to try new things and given latitude to grow and learn new skills.

"When the coach decides at the start of the season what his objectives are, it’s really important to communicate that not only to the players but to the parents as well so everyone’s aligned with what that message is and there’s no surprises as they progress through their season."

“No hockey game has ever been played that’s perfect. There’s going to be mistakes. Something I’ve always talked to my players about is mistakes out of hard work and trying something are acceptable,” said Taylor. “Mistakes when they’re doing the same thing over and over again, we might have to address that in a different way and work through it, maybe there’s a different way we have to get that message across or teach it. There’s certainly the element of risk and reward.”

“If we give players the same direction every time, we’re not encouraging creativity and critical thinking for players to assess situations and make decisions based on what they’re seeing…” said Hamilton. “Coaches are teaching this because it may not be necessarily be a tactic to win but it’s a tactic not to lose so I think they’re very motivated by that.”

Where coaches can make their mark is helping players adjust when they make mistakes. If they notice a pattern, they can develop practices and drills that mimic game-like situations and work through it with their team.


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dan Pollard is the host of Breakaway, The Minor Hockey Podcast. His passion for hockey led him to volunteer as a coach and administrator while his professional career has allowed him to cover the game at various levels with CBC, Sportsnet, the NHL Network and TSN. You can currently hear Dan every morning on 105.5 Hits FM in Uxbridge.

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