In the world of Hockey, there are some people who, when they speak, you just listen. They just know what they are talking about and have the knowledge and experience that makes what they say invaluable.
Former NHL Coach and Hockey Canada Executive Tom Renney is one such person who, whenever he speaks, you listen. It’s that simple. With the new NHL season right around the corner and so many changes taking place across the game over the years, Blittner’s Blue Line figured now was the time to call upon Renney to drop some knowledge on us all.
To best let Renney teach us about the evolution of NHL Coaching and the progress that has been made by USA Hockey, we’re conducting this question-and-answer style.
*Editor’s Note: Questions and Answers have been lightly edited for clarity.
Blittner’s Blue Line: How have you seen Head Coaches evolve in their day-to-day handling of the job beyond their in-game responsibilities?
Tom Renney: “Much like the game, head coaching has changed somewhat as well. That being said, I do believe that coaches still rely heavily on a great staff, management that forges a real good relationship where there’s a great interface between what the management sees and what the coach and coaching staff see.
“There’s a great understanding between both positions. There always has been, but maybe a little bit more of an EQ approach, almost, where the mental wellness of the players, the organization at large, is really important. But I would have to say, as much as anything, some of the rule changes have forced coaches to think somewhat outside the box and involve their staff a little bit more.
“But certainly, technology and I see technology being probably at the forefront of the head coach’s job in terms of learning it and how to apply it. And also, at the end of the day, interpret what statistics, data analytics, again, what technology provides them. And that might be as big a change as any.”
Blittner’s Blue Line: How are coaches handling the challenges that come along with the younger generation of players who are entering The NHL?
Tom Renney: “Although the end game is the same and as we’re talking about the National Hockey League being the apex, in other words, the end game, or potentially that NCAA scholarship or professional hockey abroad, whatever that might be, the end game is the same. And along the way, the player wants to be as good as he possibly can be. That said, I think the dynamic between the coach, the coaching staff and the players is much more interactive. It needs to be.
“There’s a bit of a fallacy now between head coaching and the player and the relationship they’re in. Head coaches nowadays are fully aware that the player needs to hear from them, as well as a great coaching staff, but they need to hear from them. And because of technology, it allows the coach and the coaching staff to be a little more direct, not so anecdotal, when it comes to what’s going on on the ice.
“Certainly, coaches have used video for a very, very long time, but because of the nature of how we compartmentalize that and how we can be very specific in what the player needs to work on, methodology with which to get there. And then that human touch that I think also needs to interface with that connection with the technology is really critical. I think kids, young players, girls and boys certainly require a certain amount of attention.
“But they want detail, they want honesty. They want to know how to get better. And it becomes more of a partnership between the coach, the coaching staff and the players of today, more so than an anarchy, if you will.”
Blittner’s Blue Line: From a coaching standpoint, how do you integrate advanced metrics without overwhelming your players?
Tom Renney: “That’s where the human touch is really, really important. Technology is one thing. The analytics they’re in and the data they’re in are something else. How we frame that and present it to athletes nowadays, whether it’s individually, as a small group, or as a team, how we choose to present that is what I think is really important. That’s the key to bridging the gap between technology, analytics, data and real-time participation of the athlete. So it still takes a person to describe that, to help break it down and to interpret findings.
“The big thing that the player needs to know is that what we’re doing as coaches is to help them and ultimately, the team. There’s no question that at the beginning of the year, every team talks about what they want to achieve. Every coaching staff wants to talk about what they will achieve. They want to help every individual player be the best that they can be. Of course, no question. And if you’ve done that, if you’ve created an environment where the enjoyment of coming to the rink is there and present daily, you will win.
“If there’s less joy coming to the rink or happiness, happiness is a competitive advantage and if I know that the coach and the coaching staff care about me, if I know that the organization does, in a very tough business, especially at the National Hockey League level or the highest level of pro sport period, it’s sometimes hard to do that.
“However, the coach is responsible for the culture and data analytics. All those things are important. There are markers along the way, but at the end of the day, it’s about culture. It’s about the environment that the players are in and who’s responsible for the environment on a daily basis? The coach, his staff and ultimately team leadership. If you’ve done it right, everybody’s engaged. Everyone feels relevant and you should continue to grow and achieve from a performance perspective.”
Blittner’s Blue Line: What has allowed The USA to take the steps it has, where they are now challenging Canada for world supremacy in hockey?
Tom Renney: “There’s a dynamic in play that sort of supersedes all of that. I think USA Hockey has done an excellent job of reaching the masses. In Canada, the game, geographically, the population has been saturated almost with hockey to the point where, in a population of maybe 38 to 40 million people, as opposed to a population of 380 million people, there’s more opportunity in The US than maybe there is in Canada.
“There’s opportunity for sure in both countries and both approach the game a little bit differently in terms of how they identify and deliver on high performance. Both are extremely successful, no question about that. But I think what USA Hockey’s done is deliver the game to the masses, reach out to every inch of the country and get the participants front and center with their sport.
“The idea behind the National Development Team program is a very good one. It works for USA Hockey. It really, in a very clean cut and precise way, identifies the top 40 to 50 athletes every year within an age group that allows them to experience high performance and become very, very good at it. And not only the players, but coaches, managers and training staff. The medical teams are all on side and that’s not unique to just The US. I think everybody does that now.
“But the bottom line is that The US has the scalability to reach the masses, whereas Canada, I think, has a smaller percentage of people. As a matter of fact, on a per capita basis, I think Canada may still be producing more NHL players. But at the same time, as I say that, it’s so saturated that there are diminishing returns on that. I think what The US has done has been able to capitalize on their volume and I don’t see any diminishing returns in the near future, at all, for USA Hockey and the success they’re having on the ice.”
Blittner’s Blue Line: In your estimation, how and why has The US been so effective in getting its message to all corners of the country?
Tom Renney: “Well, they serve a huge population, so number one, they have a huge population of volunteers and people who are in paid positions around the land who work in rural USA as well as urban USA. They have a great infrastructure whereby coaches and those in leadership positions are certified, not unlike Canada.
“The bottom line is that they have people out there and they all identify with the same processes in evaluating talent and getting kids on the ice for the right reasons in the first place. Identifying with great leadership across the country to make sure that in that little area of Spokane, Washington, or California, or in and around Dallas, Texas, wherever it might be, the game is presented and delivered similarly.
“It speaks volumes for the organization and for its deployment of people and how they are encouraged to take it seriously. In any sport that involves the growth of a young person, all the way up to as far as they can get, we are in the experience industry and USA and Hockey Canada, have done enormous work in that end to make sure that it’s not just about recruiting players to participate in the game of hockey, but retaining them. And I think, because of that infrastructure, there’s an opportunity to make going to the rink fun and enjoyable for a lifetime.
“Those same people who went through that process, circle back in and remember how important the sport of hockey was to them and they now start to pay it forward. Sports can be a lifetime experience with the lessons they teach. And that becomes a part of who we are. In hockey, it becomes a part of our identity.
“The beauty of that is, I think the sport’s popular because its participants learn and apply physical, mental and emotional skills that will serve them for a lifetime. When you see people staying in the game, that speaks volumes as well. Quite honestly, in both countries, I think North America’s done an exceptional job at that. And I do believe USA Hockey, because of its mass, has incredible reach here. They make the experience everything that it should be for a young player.”
