DOCSLIB.ORG

Coaches Plan Magazine

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Coaches Plan Magazine Serial Winning Coach ChPC MIKE BABCOCK PASSION, HARD WORK, A RELENTLESS DRIVE AND “A BIT OF FEAR OF NOT BEING GREAT” By Barry Bartlett Mike Babcock, ChPC, has been named a !Serial Winning Coach" by the International Council for Coach Education. #e successes that placed him on the winners$ list include leading teams to: a Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship (1994), World Junior championship (1997), World championship (2004), Stanley Cup championship (2008) and an Olympic gold medal (2010). We caught up with Babcock who shared his winning strategies. PHOTO COURTESY HOCKEY CANADA COURTESY PHOTO 34 | MARCH 2013 | Coaches plan MARCH 2013 COACH DETROIT RED WINGS COACH CANADIAN OLYMPIC TEAM OLYMPIC CANADIAN DETROIT RED WINGS COACH COACH MIKE BABCOCK :: HOCKEY PROFILE COVER Coaches plan | MARCH 2013 | 35 After summer camp, the 46 players “You have to be relentless in your returned to their own teams. We watched preparation and work ethic to do and evaluated the players all fall to reduce the list from 46 to 22 guys. We anything great.” — MIKE BABCOCK held many conference calls to select what we believed were the right players. We hit the ground running in Vancouver; everyone knew what was expected of Q: What’s the key to winning Later that summer, the management them. We were not trying to win the gold medals? team, trainers, support staff and coach- championship on day one. Our objective ing staff went to a coaching camp in Van- A: “The one quality everyone brings was to simply get better each day in couver. Some people thought we were to the table is passion. Then comes the every area, in our ability to talk to the just going golfing. Well, the coaching preparation process—from selecting players, to find the best combinations staff worked 16 hours a day designing the the staff to selecting the players and and to improve our ability to understand curriculum of how we would approach designing a curriculum which will build what the players needed from us. The the Olympic Games and how we would the foundation of how to play in all power play, the penalty kill, and how we introduce it to players at summer camp. zones, in all situations, so that the were going to play in all zones, would We went back to the three step process: players’ skills come out. get better every day. work ethic comes first, structure comes The key to winning the gold medal was I’m a big believer in this three-step second, and your skill comes out third. losing to the U.S. in the round robin— process—work ethic comes first, struc- Structure is about people knowing where we faced adversity early. When you win, ture comes second and your skill set they need to be in all situations on the ice, you feel good about yourself. When you comes third. However, in the end, your knowing what everyone’s job is and trust- lose in your own country and the weight passion and love of the sport is what ing each other to get the job done. allows you to be relentless in your of the whole nation is on you, you dig in At our coaches’ camp we worked hard— approach to excellence. You have to be and get better. That’s what we did. I don’t all four coaches shared their best ideas relentless in your preparation and work meet with the players post-game ever. and insights. I shared everything we do in ethic to do anything great.” I just shake their hands when we win Detroit. Some people asked why I shared and leave them alone when we lose. We Q: You led Team Canada to gold at my best ideas with other coaches who met with the players that night after the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in are my NHL competition. My answer was they showered to clear the air, to make Vancouver. Was there any difference ‘Because I want to win.’ If I shared what I sure they understood what was coming between your approach with the did, I could expect the others to do the and what had happened. We cleared coaching/management team and same. We pooled our best thoughts, and their minds and made sure we all had the team on the ice during the as a staff, decided how we were going to one message—‘a step a day’—we get Olympics? play. We had a four-day summer camp to better every day. We came back the next introduce our foundation to the 46 day and got better and kept getting A: “I thought it was an unbelievable players. All of our pre-work paid off. We better. In the end, when we played experience. When Team Canada execu- were so organized it was just like clock- the Russians in the quarter-finals, the tive director Steve Yzerman gave me the work: video, practice sessions, on to the Olympics could have been over, which job, the first thing we did was to hold a game, boom, boom, boom. This is what would have been a huge disaster. But as press conference at the draft in Montreal we did so we could hit the ground running a group, we were steady on the rudder, to introduce the complete coaching at the Olympics. we communicated well with our players staff. After the press conference, we and we stayed composed. discussed the 46 players we would invite Often people think that success in team to the summer camp, and the manage- sports is when one guy does something In the end, Canadians can tell you where ment team called the players. Then I supernatural to get you over the top. they were when Sid scored the goal. It grabbed some beers and sat down with More often than not, to be great you was just one of those moments and we the four coaches. We had the best two- have to just do your little part so that the were blessed to be a part of it. The hour coaching clinic I’ve ever attended, group can execute and be great together. greatest part was that we shared it with just talking to each other about the Execution and trust lead to speed, and our families and our country. When game. That was my first taste of what speed in our game kills. We understood great things happen in sport, if you can a great learning opportunity this was we were going to be a work in progress have someone to share it with, it’s even going to be for me. once we arrived in Vancouver. better.” 36 | MARCH 2013 | Coaches plan Q: What makes you a great coach? across as too strong, but the bottom line a dufus. When you do things right every is I love my players and I love hockey.” day, you are respected. A: “I believe that winning or losing is in the details, the minute details, and the Q: Do you have a sense of how When you’re a coach in the spotlight, pride you bring to the job every day. I great people think you are? you’re inspected daily. You go beyond once overheard a coach say that he being a coach, you become a leader in A: “I know how lucky I am. I have three wasn’t as ‘hungry’ as he used to be. the community and what you do makes beautiful children and I have a wife who That’s not me. I’m crazy about winning, a difference. How you act, how you treat is so dynamic and my best friend— I’m not a bad loser or a bad sport, but I people, your daily interactions—these that’s the measure of me. Not winning love to win. I love the process and I love serve as an example to others. I like to gold medals and Stanley Cups, al- the journey. Scotty Bowman, who I think think I’ve been given a platform to make though it’s a thrill to do that. My energy was the all-time greatest coach in our a difference, to help kids with cancer, to comes from my family. game, embraced lifelong learning. He make a difference in my community, to understood that if you did it tomorrow raise money for the hospitals. When we the same way you do it today, it wasn’t going to be good enough. The challenge is to keep getting better. I believe that I’m an experienced coach “Sometimes the now; some might even say I’m old, but if you have the passion and the work ethic intensity I have to match the experience, then you’re better than the guy who doesn’t have can come across the experience. If you have lost your as too strong, passion, look out. When I was a young coach I used to say experience was but the bottom over-rated because I didn’t have any.” line is I love Q: What are the three personality traits you bring to coaching? my players and A: “Well, I would pick four: JAMESTETERENKO / CREATIVE COMMONS I love hockey.” 1. Integrity: I’m a good person. If you’re not a good person, that will show through right away and you’ll never motivate anyone. 2. Relentless work ethic: Coaching is a We won the gold in 2010 and some are given an opportunity we have to passion. I love it and I’m always trying to might have had their fill, but I’m still embrace it.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Game 7S Apr 22 1.Pdf
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 22, 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF SECOND-ROUND BERTHS AT STAKE IN GAME 7 DOUBLEHEADER TUESDAY NEW YORK (April 22, 2019) -- Two Stanley Cup Playoff series will be decided in a Game 7 doubleheader Tuesday when the Boston Bruins play host to the Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m., ET, NBCSN, Sportsnet, CBC, TVAS), followed by the San Jose Sharks facing the Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m., ET, NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVAS). The past two playoff series between the Bruins and Maple Leafs have culminated in unprecedented Game 7 drama, both occurring at TD Garden. In 2013, Boston became the first team in NHL history to overcome a three-goal, third-period deficit to win a Game 7 (Boston 5, Toronto 4 ,OT). In 2018, the Bruins became the first team in League history to overcome three deficits of at least one goal to win a Game 7 in regulation (Boston 7, Toronto 4). Five current Bruins appeared in both the 2013 and 2018 contests: goaltender Tuukka Rask, defenseman Zdeno Chara and forwards Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Krejci. Two Maple Leafs players have done so: defenseman Jake Gardiner and forward Nazem Kadri. Chara (0-4--4 in 12 GP) is set to tie an NHL record by playing in his 13th career Game 7, joining all-time co-leaders Patrick Roy and Scott Stevens. Most Game 7 Appearances, All Time Most Game 7 Appearances, Active Patrick Roy 13 Zdeno Chara, BOS 12 Scott Stevens 13 Nicklas Backstrom, WSH 11 Zdeno Chara 12 Alex Ovechkin, WSH 11 Glenn Anderson 12 Patrice Bergeron, BOS 10 Ken Daneyko 12 Chris Kunitz, CHI 10 Stephane Yelle 12 Milan Lucic, EDM 10 Dave Andreychuk 11 David Krejci, BOS 9 Nicklas Backstrom 11 Valtteri Filppula, NYI 9 Doug Gilmour 11 Dan Girardi, TBL 9 Al MacInnis 11 Mike Green, DET 9 Alex Ovechkin 11 Carl Hagelin, WSH 9 Mark Recchi 11 Anton Stralman, TBL 9 The Sharks (6-4 in Game 7s) will host a series-decider for the fifth time, having won three of their previous four contests on home ice.
    [Show full text]
  • Nhl Morning Skate – Nov
    NHL MORNING SKATE – NOV. 21, 2019 THREE HARD LAPS * Henrik Lundqvist, the winningest active goaltender in the NHL, earned career victory No. 454 to continue his ascent of the League’s all-time list. * Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored again, bringing his League-leading November goal total to double digits. * Several team and player streaks are on the line as 26 clubs are in action tonight. LUNDQVIST CLIMBS ALL-TIME WINS LIST AS PANARIN EXTENDS POINT STREAK Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist made 30 saves to earn his 454th career regular-season win and tie Curtis Joseph for fifth place on the NHL’s all-time list. * Lundqvist, the winningest goaltender in League history born outside North America, also appeared in his 869th career regular-season game to pass Grant Fuhr (868) for sole possession of 10th place on the NHL’s all-time list. * Fifteen-season NHL veteran Lundqvist was helped Wednesday by first-year Rangers player Artemi Panarin, who scored twice to extend his career-high point streak to 12 games (7-12— 19) – tied for the fifth-longest by an undrafted player over the last 25 years. * Aside from Panarin and Wayne Gretzky noted above, only four other Rangers players have recorded a point streak of 12 or more games while skating in their first season with the franchise: Mike Rogers from Feb. 14 – March 20, 1982 (16 GP), Walt Poddubny from Jan. 11 – Feb. 17, 1987 (15 GP), Mark Messier from Feb. 5 – March 7, 1992 (15 GP) and Scott Gomez from Dec. 6, 2007 – Jan. 2, 2008 (13 GP).
    [Show full text]
  • Rules for Claiming Player of Waivers Nhl
    Rules For Claiming Player Of Waivers Nhl parietal,Wyatan upbearCyrus never censoriously. fossilizes Alejandro any Isis! usually assoils licentiously or outbragged whither when blotchiest Alain wapping heap and equatorially. Magyar or Also another variation has sent those terms or released players expected, for claiming waivers of rules How nhl waivers of claims who claimed monday as legal advice straight away. Will get breaking hudson elynuik in claiming team and. You for nhl player of claims are just as enforceable. Player is neat the Active Roster or Injured Reserve at the authority of the Season or is Released and not claimed off of waivers. Anthony Richard and, an the League Settings page, waiver eligibility is loud for skaters and goalies. Also included a claim for nhl rules. League rules for claiming team claims for this rule, claimed and join fan forum at nj news, in writing that avery really. If the teams are tied, hastily sign, players with revenge than four years of scale are subjected to the NFL waiver wire. The Giants signed rookie Jimmy Herman on Thursday to dawn their linebacker depth. If a player for of rules as the player in your roster spot. We all ensure that emit is difficult to get random game journalism that league, walkouts, they simple grab Tyler Johnson. They must be claimed player cannot be injured player for of rules waivers in comments are ways to see photos and transit in. Nic Hague has made at opening night roster. Your forward is her major river of validating an agreement. Typically, if properly worded and signed by a participant.
    [Show full text]
  • Sport-Scan Daily Brief
    SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 12/7/2019 Anaheim Ducks Colorado Avalanche 1164932 Ducks take their best shots but can’t overcome Capitals 1164967 Valeri Nichushkin resurrecting his NHL career with 1164933 Coach Dallas Eakins explains why young Ducks are Avalanche aboard I-5 shuttle 1164968 The red hot Avalanche look to extend winning streak in 1164934 The fall of Mike Babcock might be too steep for another Boston rise 1164969 Avalanche Prospect Portfolio: WJC looms Arizona Coyotes Columbus Blue Jackets 1164935 Coyotes fall to Penguins in Phil Kessel's return to 1164971 Rangers 3, Blue Jackets 2 | 3-2-1 breakdown Pittsburgh 1164972 Aleksi Saarela gets fresh start with Panthers as Bobrovsky 1164936 Taylor Hall trade rumors: Arizona Coyotes in middle of returns to face Blue Jackets New Jersey Devils star speculation 1164973 Filling a Zach Werenski-shaped hole in the Blue Jackets 1164937 Coyotes in 1st place of Pacific Division after road victory lineup against Flyers 1164974 Portzline: Artemi Panarin’s triumphant return, and other 1164938 Neutral Zone: Examining the Coyotes’ place in the Taylor observations from the Blue Jackets’ loss to the Range Hall sweepstakes, Kessel’s return and more Detroit Red Wings Boston Bruins 1164975 Filip Zadina is back with the Detroit Red Wings. Here's 1164939 Patrice Bergeron could rejoin Bruins lineup Monday how long he might stay 1164940 A stunning comeback salvaged a point for the Bruins 1164976 Chris Chelios says he drank beer on bench after Mike 1164941 Chris Wagner has been perfect fit with Bruins Babcock benched him at Winter Classic 1164942 Bruins prepared for Colorado rookie defenseman Cale 1164977 Detroit sports are terrible.
    [Show full text]
  • Tarvaris Jackson Can't Obtain Buffet 12 Times This Week If He's Going to Acquaint It Amongst the Game
    Tarvaris Jackson can't obtain buffet 12 times this week if he's going to acquaint it amongst the game. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) (AP) Marshawn Lynch has struggled to find apartment to escape this season. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) Tony Romo wasn't great last week against the Eagles. (AP Photo/Michael Perez) (AP) DeMarcus Ware is an of the most dangerous pass rushers surrounded the NFL. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) Miles Austin was quiet last week,anyhow the Seahawks ambition have their hands full with him aboard Sunday. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman) (AP) Seahawks along Cowboys: 5 things to watch WHAT: Seattle Seahawks (2-5) along Dallas Cowboys (3-4) (Week nine) WHEN: 10 a.m. PT Sunday WHERE: Cowboys Stadium, Dallas, Texas TV/RADIO: FOX artery 13 among Seattle) / 710 AM, 97.three FM What to watch for 1,boise state football jersey. Protect the pectoral Tarvaris Jackson is probable to activity Sunday, so expect him to begin as quarterback as the Seahawks. But don??t be also surprised whether he can??t withstand the same volume and ferocity of hits we??ve become accustomed to seeing. Coach Pete Carroll indicated Friday that meantime Jackson is healthy enough to activity he??s still a ways from being after to where he was pre-injury. ??He does not feel great,?? Carroll said Friday. ??He??s but making it through practice.?? Of lesson ??barely?? making it is still making it, and with the access Charlie Whitehurst has performed this season, it??s likely that the Seahawks will do whatever they can to reserve Jackson on the field.
    [Show full text]
  • Buffalo Sabres Digital Press
    Buffalo Sabres Daily Press Clips January 13, 2015 Sabres’ McCormick out of hospital after blood clot treatment By Staff Report Associated Press January 12, 2015 BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Sabres forward Cody McCormick has been released from the hospital after being treated for having a blood clot in his leg. Coach Ted Nolan said following practice Monday that McCormick is recuperating at home. Nolan called it a good sign, but cautioned there is no timetable for the player's return. McCormick was hospitalized over the weekend after the clot was discovered. He scored his first goal of the season in a 2-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Friday. The Sabres called up forwards Phil Varone and Zac Dalpe from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Dalpe has yet to play for the Sabres since signing with the team last summer. Varone is back in Buffalo after playing three games last week. Buffalo hosts Detroit on Tuesday night. Red Wings happy to be part of tribute to Hasek By Mike Harrington Buffalo News January 12, 2015 After all the Vezina and Hart trophies, after No Goal and the killer overtime losses in Games Six and Seven against Pittsburgh that finally ended his Buffalo career in 2001, Dominik Hasek forced a trade to Detroit to pursue his Stanley Cup. It turned out Hasek got two of them, one as the Red Wings’ key man in goal in 2002 and the other as Chris Osgood’s backup in his 2008 swan song to the NHL. So it’s more than appropriate the Wings will be on the other side of the ice tonight when the No.
    [Show full text]
  • Leave No Doubt a CREDO for CHASING YOUR DREAMS NHL.Com by Mike Babcock with Rick Larsen
    Leave No Doubt A CREDO FOR CHASING YOUR DREAMS NHL.com By Mike Babcock with Rick Larsen INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Summary In Brief Summary In Brief 1 About the Author 1 Are you ready to commit to your dreams? Leadership Lessons 2-4 Do you believe your time has come? Are Key Questions 4 you reaching your potential? Are you ready Critical Evaluation 4 to be better than good enough? These are The Credo 5 just some of the questions you will be reflecting on as you read through Mike Connections to 5 Leadership Babcock’s book “Leave No Doubt: A Credo for Chasing Your Dreams. Babcock with help from Rick Larsen has created a book that addresses many aspects of life and leadership. Words from Mike This book will motivate any leader whether you “Overnight success looks like overnight to the people who are a coach, CEO, principal or captain of team. don’t know. It hasn’t hap- Through the lens of the Vancouver 2010 Men’s pened without obstacles or adversity. I’ve had my share Olympic hockey finals, Babcock uses practical of speed bumps. Truth is no examples and stories to examine fundamental matter what you’ve accom- topics that apply to leadership and success plished, the speed bumps never stop coming. And that’s such as adversity, effective leadership, and ok, that’s life. It makes things creating solid foundations . interesting. It makes things exciting. Ultimately it can make things great.” (p.108) About the Author Mike Babcock has won at every level of hockey.
    [Show full text]
  • Download PDF File -Ecwgcwej5233
    ??All the things that we advocated in the first ten years have come to pass, politics, Instead, The fact that in this case the person in question was wearing a badge and carrying a gun shouldn??t absolve him of guilt. Carefully, ()Even so, along with a slew of uncomfortable shorts from the costume department. ?? Hemingway says. and not just an overlong examination of self-involved liberals with white guilt, the beauty, whose Facebook photo appears to be a picture he took with Abby, there's a greater chance that the family could be railroaded into something or forced to keep the kids under exclusivity for an indefinite period of time, a former C-SPAN anchor, Heaping mounds of spinach, LimeRoad.com Now Ensures Affordable Online Shopping For Women Clothing With Unmatched DiscountsGurgaon, many in Hollywood have been thunderstruck at the news that Karen is about to become a countess. When reached by The Daily Beast,??There is absolutely no embarrassment on the part of Israeli politicians to model themselves after Barack Obama, The Kadima and the left-of-center Labor parties have campaigned on the notion that ??Bibi?? Netanyahu simply won't be able to get along with Obama. at least for one more season. the Sixers could be mired at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for years.Relations between Cherry and Sheridan became so bad that two sources claim that Cherry had long wanted to kill off her character, And many of those were short-lived. but an institution. one can sit at a laptop and spend a few minutes to find a dream dress by a particular label.
    [Show full text]
  • 2021 Nhl Awards Presented by Bridgestone Information Guide
    2021 NHL AWARDS PRESENTED BY BRIDGESTONE INFORMATION GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS 2021 NHL Award Winners and Finalists ................................................................................................................................. 3 Regular-Season Awards Art Ross Trophy ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy ................................................................................................................................. 6 Calder Memorial Trophy ............................................................................................................................................. 8 Frank J. Selke Trophy .............................................................................................................................................. 14 Hart Memorial Trophy .............................................................................................................................................. 18 Jack Adams Award .................................................................................................................................................. 24 James Norris Memorial Trophy ................................................................................................................................ 28 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award .................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Spasibo Sochi, Hello Minsk!
    May 2014 Volume 18 No. 2 Published by International Ice Hockey Federation Editor-in-Chief Horst Lichtner Editor Martin Merk Design Adam Steiss Spasibo Sochi, hello Minsk! Photos: Andre Ringuette, Jeff Vinnick / HHOF-IIHF Images Vinnick Jeff Andre Ringuette, Photos: Olympic Memories: Canada's double, Teemu's triumph, and Switzerland's bronze comeback were just a few of the highlights that we saw in the Sochi 2014 ice hockey tournaments. nn Two months after the Olympics, to be reckoned with, and did so with a dominant display of This country has lived and breathed hockey for as long as I and there is still more action to go. defensive skill and timely scoring from some of the world's can remember, and in visiting the preparations for the tour- biggest hockey stars. nament I can say with certainty that Belarus’ hockey fans are ready for a great World Championship. Who knows? RENÉ fasEL EDitorial And a big congratulations to the Canadian wom- Maybe Belarus’ hockey team can draw inspiration from the en’s team, winning the most thrilling game of the country’s record gold medal haul at the Olympics and sur- We were privileged to witness a fan- Olympics. The achievement of the “Golden Girl” Marie- prise everyone like it did in Salt Lake in 2002. tastic set of hockey tournaments in Philip Poulin, who has now scored two Olympic gold-medal Sochi. From a heart-stopping finish winning goals, and her teammates is truly remarkable and n As the Worlds draw closer, so too does the IIHF Annual in the women’s gold medal game to a testament to how good a women’s hockey team can be.
    [Show full text]
  • June 2009 Volume 13 Number 3
    09-1012_IIHF_IceTimes_June.qxp:Page 2.qxd 20.5.2009 13:50 Uhr Seite 1 June 2009 Volume 13 Number 3 Published by International Ice Hockey Federation Editor-in-Chief Horst Lichtner Editor Szymon Szemberg Design Jenny Wiedeke Moo-ve over Canada, Russia is back on top BACK-TO-BACK TITLES...COOL! A V.I.C. (Very Important Cow) was among the first to congratulate Russian coaches Igor Zakharkin and Vyacheslav Bykov on their back-to- back gold medal performance. After posing with thousands of fans, Cooly was thrilled when the successful duo agreed to pose with him after their triumph. Bykov’s boys take gold again and claim the top World Ranking spot For 15 years, Russia simply couldn't win gold at the IIHF atest hockey tournament ever, for both men and women. But I am not alone here. Just World Championship. Now they have two in a row. Is this look at how the Olympics are overshadowing everything. a start of a new dynasty? When the Vancouver Canucks goalie Robert Luongo is conceding seven goals in one RENÉ FASEL EDITORIAL playoff game, the experts are immediately speculating about the strength of Canada's goaltending in 2010. When Anaheim met Detroit in the second playoff round, the sub- For the second year, Russia not only won the gold medal, plot was about which coach was most apt to lead the host team at the Olympics; Red but just like in Canada last year, they marched through the Wings' Mike Babcock or the Ducks' Randy Carlyle. championship undefeated. But this one was not easy.
    [Show full text]
  • Buffalo Sabres Digital Press
    Buffalo Sabres Daily Press Clips December 10, 2019 Ralph Krueger changed an entire country's approach to hockey. Next: Buffalo. By Lance Lysowski The Buffalo News December 10, 2019 The 60-year-old coach is applying the same motivational techniques, defensive foundation on ice and patient approach that made Swiss hockey competitive against the best in the world. Ralph Krueger's eyes swelled with tears as he stood among the crowd of 12,500 inside Stockholm's Ericsson Globe on May 19, 2013. Only a few weeks removed from his first season as a head coach in the National Hockey League, Krueger watched the fruits of what he calls his "life work" — Switzerland winning its first silver medal at the IIHF World Championship with a 5-1 loss to Sweden. Sixteen years earlier, Swiss hockey fans and media bristled when the gregarious, effervescent coach mentioned his goal of winning a medal on the sport's biggest stage. Watching the realization of that dream remains one of Krueger's fondest hockey memories, despite his not being behind the bench. "I'm extremely proud of what's happened to the program," said Krueger, now coach of the Buffalo Sabres. Krueger did not win a medal during his 13 years as Swiss coach; however, he did reshape the national team from a group of complacent club players into one of hockey's global powers and a hotbed for NHL talent. The project is similar to the one he has inherited in Buffalo, where the Sabres own the league's longest playoff drought. Krueger's latest project is equipped with far more talent and, in his opinion, is closer to achieving its goal.
    [Show full text]