Hal Tearse
Season end: Time to reflect
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- Last Updated on Wednesday, 06 March 2013 17:01
By Hal Tearse
Minnesota Hockey
At the end of each season, all players should take some time to review their performance and quality of experience playing the game. This process transcends the win-loss record of the team and looks at individual development and overall quality of the experience. There are no so-called “life lessons” on the scoreboard and only through intentional review and discussions in the proper context can the real benefits of playing athletics be realized.
The future of hockey in Minnesota
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- Last Updated on Wednesday, 06 March 2013 16:36
By Hal Tearse
Minnesota Hockey
Thinking about the future of hockey is always a dangerous topic as there are so many opinions about what could or should be done to make the game safer and a better experience for all players who want to participate. The ideas below are a compilation of ideas that have been forwarded to me over the past year and are perhaps representative of a wider feeling than just those that choose to share their opinions.
On-ice effectiveness: Defensemen
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 14 February 2013 16:34
By Hal Tearse
Minnesota Hockey
In the first article regarding on-ice effectiveness, I discussed how goalies, defensemen and forwards all have different roles to play on a team. They each need to have skills that allow them to perform well in their position. Coaches need to recognize the individual skills required for each position, and then, help players develop those skills.
Too often, forwards are asked to play defense with the goal of adding more offense to the lineup. This works for a while, but championships are won with solid defense. Quality defensemen are the best way to keep the opponents to three goals or less per game.
Dad, you love hockey ... I like hockey ... don’t ruin it for me
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 21 February 2013 17:26
By Hal Tearse
Associate Coach-in-Chief,
USA Hockey, Minnesota District
The district playoffs have started and for most teams, the final periods are about to be played. The headline comments above were actually said by a son to his father/coach. It is interesting that a 15-year-old player is able to succinctly articulate his feelings and his anguish. In 12 words, he expressed what so many have written in these pages and in youth sports publications for years.
Read more: Dad, you love hockey ... I like hockey ... don’t ruin it for me
On-ice effectiveness
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 31 January 2013 17:19
By Hal Tearse
Minnesota Hockey
The final score of any game is the result of the actions of all players on both teams shift by shift. Most people will look at the final score to determine if the team played well. However, the final score does not tell the whole story, nor should it. A concept that we have used in our program the past couple of years is to discuss and implement “on-ice effectiveness” ideas and ratings for each player.
On-ice effectiveness is based on the idea that every player needs to contribute to the team effort in his/her unique way. There are many ways a player can have a good performance besides scoring goals. Here are some ways to think about it.
