00:01welcome to the belfrey hockey podcast my
00:03name is Daryl belfrey and this is season
00:06three of the belfrey hockey podcast and
00:09this is going to be episode 15 shaping
00:12moments so what I wanted to do is have
00:16my last episode of this of this series
00:20be something more of an introspective
00:23and be able to share some of these like
00:28like left to right turns in the road of
00:32my career that were really impactful
00:35like I they were like moments that
00:37changed everything like I thought about
00:39things different from that moment
00:42forward and I think everybody in every
00:44Walk of Life has those moments where
00:47like once you once you've had that
00:50happen nothing's the same ever since
00:53like you it takes you in a whole
00:55different direction and I don't think
00:57those things happen by coincidence I
00:59think As you move your along you end up
01:02with these and then it's just up to you
01:04to figure out how impactful that those
01:06are going to be in your life and I was
01:07always very mindful that I knew that
01:10there was going to be these moments that
01:11were going to happen so I was always on
01:12the lookout for them and these are I
01:16guess 10 or 11 moments that I had with
01:19players that really dramatically shaped
01:22uh the way that I thought from that
01:24moment forward so without any further
01:26Ado let's get started so the first
01:28player I want to talk about is is
01:30Patrick Keane obviously he a long the
01:32longest um the longest client I've ever
01:36had he started with him when he was very
01:39young and um there were millions of
01:42moments with him um and so to pick one
01:46has been a bit of a challenge but I
01:48think this one was one of the more
01:51impactful ones so I'm going to start
01:55so basically when he had turned this is
01:59a moment where he had turned Pro and he
02:02NHL and uh during the course of that off
02:07that those off Seasons there was a lot
02:10of like building of something new like
02:13creating new aspects to to his game and
02:16so you know we to research what we
02:18wanted to do we got out there I had a
02:20good game plan of how I wanted to attack
02:23it and we would get into it and a lot of
02:25the movements particularly early on in
02:28the development sessions were highly
02:30specific movements we're really trying
02:33to move trying to change a movement
02:35pattern so we get started and as we
02:40would get into it you know he would be
02:42going through uh the movements and he he
02:46would just be standing there and you
02:48know he would he had this thing where he
02:50would be like recant re re retelling
02:54what it was that I want okay so you want
02:55me to go here you want me to do this you
02:57want me to do that and he would have his
02:58hand you could see he he was almost like
03:01acting it out but he was just standing
03:03still and then to get started he would
03:07then go the opposite direction and then
03:10he would do like two or three like
03:12skills like when I say skills I mean
03:14like maybe a fake maybe a pass off a
03:16self pass off the boards um maybe he
03:19would go down the wall and then like do
03:22like a turn like all these like random
03:25movements that had nothing to do with
03:27what we were doing like normally
03:30anybody else you say go and they go they
03:34just start going towards what what
03:36you're prescribing them to do this guy's
03:39going in the complete opposite direction
03:41and he's doing all these like these like
03:44couple of skills and then he would go
03:47and he would and he would do it and he
03:49did it you know for quite a while and
03:51then finally I said to him I'm like okay
03:54so like what are we doing here and he's
03:57like well I'm trying to connect it so
03:59that just doesn't feel like a drill like
04:02it it I want it to feel like a game like
04:06I'm I'm trying to you know imagine
04:08myself in it and I was like oh like I'm
04:13thinking we're just repping this out but
04:15in his mind it's going to go faster if
04:18he can feel it like way it's going to
04:20feel in a game so in a game you don't
04:23just do the movement you have things
04:25that are going to happen before and
04:27things that are going to happen after so
04:29that that's what when when he said that
04:32and he started doing it and then I
04:34started playing with it and then you
04:37know we started adding all kinds of
04:39different things that's what started me
04:42on the path of snacking stacking things
04:46together having uh one skill then blend
04:51into another skill and shouldering
04:53skills and so I started to run with it
04:56and uh he constantly would do it and
04:59every every time I have a nice time with
05:01him he's always like adding something
05:04different and personalizing it in some
05:07way and that was a major major turning
05:10point for me because I started to view
05:13skills more from that like two or three
05:17parts like how do you lead yourself in
05:19to the skill and then how do you lead
05:21yourself out and you know then creating
05:24isolation in certain pieces building it
05:27up and then sticking it back in and then
05:30you know creating a lot of variability
05:33in the entrance and the exit all that
05:36came from that moment and that's what
05:38started me along that path I called it
05:41pre-re movement and uh he he was the
05:45that which kind of brings me to the next
05:48one which was uh a moment I had with
05:52ooso and Kyle aroso uh for those of you
05:56who don't know is a absolute freak of an
06:00athlete like he he could play when they
06:04say guys could play any sport that's
06:07kylock poo he his level of
06:11athleticism is is one of the highest of
06:14of anybody I've ever worked with uh he
06:17has an insane ability to acquire skills
06:20um his power and ability to produce
06:23power is through the roof and uh a nicer
06:27person you will never meet but that's
06:30that's a whole other
06:32discussion so Kyle very similar uh I
06:36would have him you know working on
06:38something and uh I was talking to him
06:42okay so I want you to do this when you
06:44get here this is the skill don't forget
06:46this remember that you know and
06:49describing the movements and uh and like
06:53I would finish talking to him and then
06:57he would do like a dve run like just
07:00walk through he would just go he would
07:03just start moving and then he would you
07:05know he would have the move okay so be
07:07like this and he'd be asking me while
07:10while he's doing his walkth through like
07:12is this what you want and if I say well
07:14yeah that or no then he would go back
07:17and back it up just like a step and go
07:20well is it like this yeah no like that
07:22okay move your elbow here y do that okay
07:24great and he would get every
07:28correction out of the way in that
07:31walkthr before he did a single
07:33rep and I'd never seen that before I was
07:36like what is this and he he would do it
07:41over everything that was like a new
07:44pattern New Movement where we were
07:45trying to change something he would do
07:48the same thing every time and it was he
07:52he would get all the corrections done
07:54through this what I had termed a feel
07:56through and I players that I saw
08:00afterwards I saw that happen more and
08:04more cuz once you see it then you start
08:05to notice it right it's like driving
08:08down a highway and you say hey there's a
08:11red car and then next thing you know all
08:13you see is that same red car over and
08:16over again right that's that's what
08:18happens once you're drawn to that thing
08:20that that it comes up so now you
08:23remember Pat Kee story right he would be
08:26standing in one place and he'd kind of
08:27be like moving his arms or just like
08:29slightly moving or whatever he's doing a
08:31feel through but it was a mental feel
08:33through he was mentally going through
08:36what he was doing and he could imagine
08:39himself which was it's a major part of
08:42of his learning was the imagination part
08:45he it was there was a visualization and
08:48he had to be able to visualize it and
08:50then see himself doing it that was a big
08:53part of how he would learn Kyle his
08:57approach was through the actual ual feel
09:00of the movement like he was actually
09:02going through it at a very slow pace
09:04getting all the corrections out of the
09:06way and then that's how he would start
09:09and um it was it was fascinating and
09:11then once I saw that I started to notice
09:14it with more people and I started to
09:17provide more space for them to do it and
09:22I would start asking questions and I
09:24would create dialogue during this
09:25because I wanted to see kind of more and
09:27more about how they would how they were
09:29thinking I wanted I remembered the cane
09:32stuff that I had learned a few years
09:34earlier and then I was trying to tie
09:37this whole thing together there's mental
09:39re rehearsals and then there's these
09:42physical rehearsals and some players
09:45might want to do both and some players
09:47are not familiar with
09:49Fields so it was a couple of years after
09:52that I had a junior player he and one of
09:56his his agent had called me and said hey
09:59I'd like you to work with this player
10:01player was a junior player playing in
10:02the OHL so he comes out to train with me
10:06and he was so I don't know if it was
10:09like he was nervous or whatever but he
10:10was so eager like I would say go like I
10:14would tell him what I wanted to do I say
10:16go he's gone he would just try to do it
10:18as fast as he could and I was like okay
10:20you're not going to learn anything like
10:22that like you have to actually we're
10:23trying to change you need to be able to
10:26feel like and you're going so fast
10:28you're never going to be able to feel
10:29feel that so I was like I'm like
10:32teaching him and I didn't know like is
10:34he like more like Kan or he he would
10:37need to visualize it or is he more like
10:39Kyle where he would really need to feel
10:42it but I want to create like these
10:43awarenesses physical and mental
10:46awarenesses of the types of things that
10:49we were trying to change and so I'm like
10:52during the sessions I'm like getting
10:54them to slow down let's you know go
10:57through it let's get a feel for
10:59differences and change let's Rec oh and
11:02he was one that was like oh that feels
11:04terrible yeah that's what we want at
11:07least you're feeling things different
11:08like because it took a while to actually
11:10like be cognizant of his actual feel so
11:14I really learned then that like there
11:16are a lot of players that don't like
11:18they don't feel or they don't like that
11:21feeling they just want to do things so
11:24much more unconsciously but you can't
11:26change anything like that you have to
11:28Bubble it up to the surface Sur you can
11:30manipulate it then and then stick it
11:32back into the self-conscious that's the
11:34essence of Player Development in in
11:38sport so that was huge but if I hadn't
11:41understood those other things it would
11:43be harder for me to really make an
11:45impact with that particular player and
11:48and so I I and then that became
11:51something else I was on the lookout for
11:53was just because the only thing I knew
11:55to that point was learning styles the
11:57way it's like but it's explained is like
12:00well some people are visual and some
12:02people you know they need to hear it and
12:04then other people they just need to do
12:06it and yes but no like it's all of that
12:10right but at the same time it's this
12:13it's the rehearsals and the ability to
12:15to to associate feel and know feel
12:20yourself in movement that's a major part
12:22of changing any type of of move we we
12:25are in the movement business and so
12:28changing movement is a major part of it
12:30you're not going to get anywhere unless
12:31the player can feel where they are in
12:32space and in movement so fascinating
12:36which brings me to my next one which was
12:39Nathan Horton Nathan Horton was like my
12:43first guy he was the first one he's uh
12:45three years older than Patrick Kane and
12:49uh I had worked with him and he was like
12:51my first big guy and we kind of knew
12:54like early on like this guy's going to
12:56play like he was when I say he could
12:59play any other sport like with with when
13:02I talk about Kyle looso the way I talk
13:04about him Nathan was very similar he he
13:07if not even more like he he was an
13:10absolute freak athlete um and he could
13:14acquire skills so fast and I was in the
13:16infancy part of my own personal
13:19development so I wasn't all that
13:22sophisticated so like I would try to
13:24give him a skill and he would learn it
13:26like that like literally instantly I I
13:28I'm like like I I remember having to
13:31come to the rank with like 25 to 30
13:34ideas because I was worried like that he
13:37was going to run through him I remember
13:38coming to the rank and I'm like okay we
13:40have 50 minutes um I'm going to bring 10
13:44things that's five minutes a thing I had
13:47it figured out how many reps it would be
13:50and I'm like okay go and we were done
13:52all those 10 things in like the first 15
13:5520 minutes it was done he was was
13:57already like he could already
13:59do it all like it was nowhere near at
14:02the edge of his ability and I'm like
14:05okay like clearly I'm either
14:07underprepared which at first I'm like
14:09okay I need more volume of stuff and I'm
14:11throwing different stuff okay you got
14:13that okay grab this okay grab that which
14:15he loved because he was that kind of kid
14:17like he he loved learning something new
14:20and different ideas and he loved like he
14:22was at very much like a challenge guy
14:24like you could the idea was to appeal to
14:28his is um like you can't do that or I
14:31got something for you and then he'd be
14:33like oh yeah and then he would be laser
14:36focused and pick it up and I remember
14:39this one skill that we would do we I
14:41used to do a lot of over speed work I
14:43had read the book from Jack blatherwick
14:46right near this time that I I was
14:48working with Nathan and Nathan was
14:49probably like I don't know like 10 or 11
14:51years old and uh we would do these over
14:54speed drills so we have the whole group
14:57out there there like 20 players divide
15:00them up into four corners just five kids
15:03in a five kids in a line and we would do
15:06I would send the whole line at the same
15:08time and you would do one Circle as fast
15:11as you could humanly do it and then
15:12you'd be over to the other Circle was
15:15basically like a ton of figure eights
15:17and you would add different types of
15:18skills at different times right so um
15:23one day Nathan he had to he couldn't
15:27come to the his regularly scheduled time
15:30with his peers and so he asked can I
15:33come like earlier to the earlier session
15:37and I'm like yeah but there those kids
15:38are like a couple years younger like
15:40you're he was like to to know Nathan at
15:43that time like Nathan at like 11 years
15:48old there were like 15y olds that
15:51couldn't play with him like at at 12
15:52years old at 12 years old he was playing
15:56like Junior B Hockey which I thought
15:59what that's when Junior B was actually
16:00like really good there were players
16:02going to the ol from there he's like
16:03there at like 12 at 13 years old he's in
16:07that League he's 5'11 6' 170 PBS and
16:13he's like a star in the league at 13
16:16years old like this is the type of
16:18player that he was just to give context
16:20like he was he was not at 11 years old
16:24he was better than most every 15year old
16:27you could put on the ice in our area
16:28area pretty much like it was crazy how
16:31good he was so one of the things that he
16:34would do um there was one day we were
16:37doing that over speed stuff and he's
16:41flying around and um all of a sudden
16:45like the puck kind of flips up on his
16:49and Nathan like while he's Crossing his
16:53feet he picks it up like not like today
16:56you know like today they put pressure on
16:59and then you know they they can they can
17:01pick it up or like scoop it like it's
17:04not like it was today like it was just
17:06like this accidental thing that like as
17:08it was as he was handling the puck it
17:10had flipped up on its Edge and obviously
17:13like his stick kind of flipped over and
17:16then the puck was sitting flat on his
17:18stick and he could feel that and all of
17:20a sudden he just picks it up and he
17:22skates the rest of the
17:25pattern with the stick with the puck on
17:27a stick like in the air and then like
17:30throws it in the net like it's lacrosse
17:32 and I'm like okay what the hell was
17:35that like he never did it again like
17:37we'd never seen that before but that was
17:39like he had these like abilities where
17:42all of a sudden like he would just go
17:44with whatever was going on and he could
17:46just adapt and adjust and he just had
17:50that ability to acquire skills and so
17:52for me at that stage in my development
17:55it was phenomenal because I had a player
17:59insatiable I he was so much more better
18:02he was so much better than me like his
18:05level at 11 years old far exceeded my
18:10understanding of skill and so I was
18:12forced to like learn more and more and
18:14more because I wanted to keep them um
18:17and keep them I had to keep them engaged
18:19and keep them interested and so I would
18:20just keep adding these things I mean
18:23there were times like again like the
18:25puck is bouncing right the puck is
18:28bouncing and he would like use his foot
18:32like like kick it over to his stick on
18:36the other side like as he's moving so as
18:38he's moving the puck kind of flips or
18:40bounces he kicks it over to his to his
18:43stick on this side like crazy stuff like
18:46you you've never like You' never seen
18:48but a lot of like they were they were
18:51reactions a lot of it was just like
18:54there was environmental reactions that
18:57he would just go with
19:00and most of the kids there like if
19:02anything if anything like anything like
19:05that happened they would like stop they
19:08would they would stop them not
19:10necessarily come to a complete stop but
19:12they would stop their movement to settle
19:14the puck and then they would continue on
19:16he would go with it he would just go
19:18with stuff and see kind of where it took
19:21him and that level of confidence and
19:24just a level of like curiosity he had um
19:28like I said I was I was so in on it I
19:31was trying all kinds of different things
19:33and I thought years later like I would
19:36wished I would have had him like so much
19:39earlier in my career or like so much had
19:42him later in my career I I would have
19:45loved to have had that one as a doover I
19:48wish he wasn't like that part of that
19:50first group because I would have no more
19:53but it doesn't work like that like there
19:55was a reason why I had him first because
19:57he just taught me so much like it was
20:00like a fast forwarding process of
20:02learning how to acquire skill and a lot
20:04of it I couldn't even label I didn't
20:06really know what was going on but I just
20:08like implicitly just watch what was
20:10happening and was videotaping stuff and
20:12I could kind of see where he was like
20:15where he was and what he was doing and I
20:16had my mentor bud and we would be
20:18talking about him all the time but it
20:20was literally like so much of it what he
20:22was doing was you were in awe of all all
20:24the time like and everybody all the
20:26players anybody was on the ice was
20:29yeah it it was quite something like he
20:31was impressive to to spend any time with
20:35it it was it was a true gift to spend
20:37time with him and he taught me so much
20:41and most of it I I had no idea like it
20:43was years later I could kind of think
20:45about some of this stuff but what I also
20:47remember about him was he was also a
20:51feel based kid like he he did not like
20:54going first he liked to watch it and
20:58then he wanted to do some like
20:59rehearsals and so one of the things that
21:01he would do which is a great story was
21:04when he was young we would do all these
21:06like over speed stuff and I wanted him
21:09to go first and he hated going first and
21:13I would like make him go first and then
21:15he would be like no I don't want to go
21:16first we' have this like battle right
21:20and one day he goes to the back of the
21:23line and all so we go like you know you
21:27do one Circle the other Circle and then
21:30now you're you know you come back to
21:31your line he starts at the back line
21:33these are all kids his age and he starts
21:36last so let's say he's in the sixth
21:39position so last is sixth he goes around
21:41the first round and then he's third now
21:44he's passed two guys and then the next
21:48time he goes he passes like two three
21:50more now he's like first or second once
21:52he gets to first he would go back to the
21:55to the back of the line and do it again
21:58and I had no idea like I'm watching this
22:00whole thing and I'm like what is going
22:03on here and then I start watching him in
22:07the movements so most of it it's a
22:10Sprint so you can Envision there's six
22:12kids in the line we go okay go around
22:14this circle then go around the other
22:16Circle figure eight all of you go at the
22:17same time well they're all at different
22:19abilities you know some of kids are like
22:21losing their Puck some kids like
22:23crossing over is a bit of a challenge
22:26that's not really their strengths you
22:28know some pucks like they got to stop
22:30all of a sudden they got to move this
22:32way he was there and he's Crossing his
22:36feet but all of a sudden he's got to
22:37react to like the kid in front of him
22:39and he's like moving over this way or
22:40he's like deaking him out there was one
22:42time like I remember him putting the
22:44puck like through the guys like through
22:46the guy's triangle from behind like the
22:48guys in front of him he's putting the
22:50puck through his triangle and ending up
22:52on the other side I'm like okay what is
22:55going on this is crazy like how many and
22:58I remember saying how many skills is
23:01this guy going to use and he's doing it
23:03so fast he's passing all these people it
23:06was insane it was insane to see and he's
23:09doing that on his own because he's
23:10looking for more Challenge and like I
23:12said he's he he he was just that guy
23:16that he could do everything everything
23:18came pretty easy to him and he was
23:22always just looking for that different
23:24type of Challenge and to see him do that
23:27stuff like to this day
23:29I talk about it it's like all inspiring
23:31like it was I've never seen it since so
23:34that's how good that guy was um which
23:38kind of brings me to my next guy so next
23:40guy is uh John Tavaris so I spoke about
23:43John Taris the last segment then and we
23:46talked about that story now I want to
23:48talk about emphasis on detail so when I
23:53first started with John he was in his
23:55first year in the NHL playing for the
23:57Islanders and and when I saw him that
24:00summer um and I started working with him
24:04he he was so detailed in how the process
24:11like uh trying to understand the process
24:14and be a participant in the process and
24:16the level of detail and the questions
24:19and there were just many times I had to
24:22just say like I don't know he would ask
24:24me a question that I just didn't have
24:26the answer for so I learned with him
24:29cuz up until that point like I I was
24:32trying so hard to be like an expert like
24:36become that guy and I and I
24:39remember just not a lot of players would
24:42ever ask me a lot of questions and I
24:46when I started working with him he had a
24:48lot of questions you know Patrick was
24:50different cuz it was kind of like
24:53brother I was like a big brother to him
24:55more so than student teacher
24:58because I known him since he was really
25:00young 8 years old so and I was a kid
25:03working with a kid so it was that's that
25:06kind of how the relationship was with
25:08with um with John it was different I
25:11he's I'm I'm not this is not a brother
25:14relationship like it's client clearly
25:17client and um and student teacher
25:20relationship and so all of a sudden
25:22there's dialogue and he's asking me
25:23questions and like really smart
25:25questions that I'm like okay like
25:27genuinely I don't I do not have the
25:29answer for and I remember being so
25:32scared to say that like I remember being
25:36there and I'm like there's no way
25:37there's nothing I can say to this
25:38question he's going to know that I don't
25:41know so I I just may as well say because
25:43if I try to say something and he's going
25:46to just look at me and I'm just going to
25:48lose all credibility so I'm going to
25:49lose all credibility anyways I may as
25:51well do it with the Integrity of just
25:54saying like I don't know and but I'm
25:56going to try to find out and and uh I
25:59remember the impact I feel like that had
26:02on our relationship with him it just it
26:05felt like there was a real genuiness and
26:09it kind of broke down quite a few
26:10barriers with the vulnerability of just
26:13saying hey I don't know and it just
26:15became a lot more like lock and step and
26:19I always appreciated that about him not
26:21like holding that against me like hey
26:23I'm coming to you I'm paying you to work
26:26with me and you're supposed to have all
26:27these ANS answers but you don't have
26:29this answer like he could have very
26:31easily been like you know he was like
26:34what 19 years old 18 years old he would
26:38have very easily been like what are we
26:39doing with this guy but it wasn't like
26:41that at all and it just became a lot
26:43more collaborative in our in our
26:45relationship ever since and I was much
26:47more comfortable not only with him but
26:50with every player thereafter by be
26:52having that if I didn't know which
26:54there's lots that I don't know I was
26:57very I'm very upfront about it say like
27:00I don't I don't pretend to know I don't
27:02have that answer um these are some of my
27:05thoughts I might have on it but I don't
27:07know for sure like a lot of sometimes I
27:09would say like I don't know that answer
27:11specifically but here's if you were
27:13going to if you were pulled my feet to
27:14the fire this is the answer I would give
27:17these are some of the ideas and then it
27:18would spark a good discussion so that
27:20was a big one with John
27:23tars uh next guy is larell so larell is
27:28a was a really interesting player for me
27:31and I learned a ton working with lar
27:33Zeller he is a fascinating person um to
27:37talk to and extremely thoughtful like he
27:40can he he he really is analytical and he
27:45he he has a high level of intelligence
27:48when he's like he's processing
27:51everything and one of the things that
27:52really irritated him when he was on the
27:54ice was a lack of symmetry he did not
27:58like it that he had a strong side and a
28:01weak side so like one of the first
28:03things that we were working on was his
28:05turning and trying to become more
28:08efficient in the turn and come faster
28:10and carry more speed into the turn carry
28:13speed out of it maybe build speed in
28:16turns all of that and of course one side
28:20was significantly better than the other
28:23of course as it naturally would it's
28:26there's always that that you know that
28:29way it's always like that that you're
28:31going to have that and he just did not
28:33like it he would always be like upset
28:36that this one side just wasn't he wasn't
28:40picking it up as fast and I remember in
28:44working with him he would he' be like
28:47well that's my that's my weak side so
28:49what I started doing was using doing
28:51that side first I would do a lot of work
28:55on his off like the side that he wasn't
28:58I as comfortable with I would do a lot
28:59of that work first and then he we would
29:03work out a lot of The Kinks in a at a
29:05where he was uncomfortable so he was
29:08uncomfortable he had already expected
29:10that this was going to be harder on that
29:12side so I would start on that side and
29:15then when we went to his good side of
29:18course pick it up right away but we I
29:20felt like we were making a lot of the
29:22corrections on one side because he was
29:24so like adamant that he wanted to be
29:28have this sense and feel of symmetry and
29:32so I started to carry that forward and I
29:35use that even to this day I do a
29:37whenever I'm in a situation I try to
29:40work on a player's uh weak side first
29:44build out all the corrections because
29:46expectation that it's going to be
29:49difficult and then when we go to the
29:50good side we hit it right away we don't
29:52need quite as many reps and that SC but
29:55if you do it the opposite way you start
29:57off on the the good side you do it they
29:59do it really easy now you go to the off
30:01side it can get really frustrating for
30:03them and I learned that from LS because
30:06he was so you could tell it just
30:08bothered him that you know he uh he just
30:11did not like having a weak side hey he
30:14would say all the time I'm going to have
30:15to turn this way I want to do it well I
30:18want to do it right and I always had to
30:19keep that mind with him was really
30:22really quite something
30:24um so the next one I have is is um
30:29Nathan McKinnon so I have kind of two
30:33two stories with him um the one part
30:36about Nathan is he is extremely intense
30:39like before you go on the ice with him
30:42he is very calm hey how's it going just
30:45very normal there's something about the
30:48second he puts that helmet on it's
30:50totally different like he's he's he's
30:53working and he has a high level of
30:55expectation not only for himself but for
30:58you and I'd never been on the ice with a
31:02guy who was that demanding of himself
31:06and of me the only other guy I'd ever
31:09spent time with that was like that was
31:11Paul goad but Paul goad was much more he
31:15was so hard on himself I'd never seen
31:17anybody that hard on himself ever before
31:20I met Paul goad and thank God I met Paul
31:22goad before I worked with Nathan
31:24McKinnon because I wouldn't have never
31:26been able been I wouldn't have been
31:28anywhere near prepared to work with any
31:30anyone like Nathan had I not worked with
31:33Paul Paul was so at like he was so
31:38intense and had a high expectation of
31:41himself and wanted to get things right
31:42away and when it didn't happen like he
31:46would lose it on himself angry snapping
31:49sticks helicoptering him like just
31:51pissed off and I was like oh my God like
31:54it was like I'd never seen that before
31:56usually my sessions are very like calm
31:59subdued this guy comes out and it's
32:01right up to like level 11 and I'm like I
32:04just wasn't used to that and I but I but
32:08he was not ever demanding of me it he
32:11was it was always on himself he wasn't
32:13like yelling at me or he wasn't he
32:16wasn't uh you know any he he he placed
32:20no blame onto me it was always on
32:23himself now Nathan was not placing it
32:26would never place any blame on me wasn't
32:28would never yell at me or anything like
32:30that it wasn't like that it was just the
32:33intensity you could cut it with a knife
32:35and I I you felt a responsibility to be
32:39better like he he just has that effect
32:42where when you're on the ice because he
32:44is so intense in his uh process and
32:50demanding of himself to get better and
32:52try different things and learn skills
32:55quickly and then he has like it wherever
32:58you think the skill is going to go he's
33:00trying to go 10 times past that all the
33:03time so you got to be prepared like he
33:05is driven and really working towards it
33:08not to say other players aren't but
33:10there's just this intensity this is you
33:12can feel it and a lot of times you can
33:15literally cut it with a knife and so for
33:18me I felt you feel this like obligation
33:22to kind of meet him not with that
33:24intensity but with better information
33:28like you got to be on you got to be on
33:31fire so I'm like going on an ice session
33:34with Nathan was like going on an ice set
33:36like being on an ice like 10 times you
33:39felt like you'd done 10 Rounds with Mike
33:41Tyson when you got off because it was
33:43just so intense and it took a lot out
33:45because the level of focus because if
33:48he's going to be this intense and this
33:49demanding of himself I better bring it
33:52my best like I gotta be my best when I'm
33:54out here I got to have the right answer
33:57I got to be on it I can't miss a detail
34:00that's what I mean and I started to
34:03think about it afterwards after working
34:05with him I I remember coming home my
34:06wife's like what is wrong with you I'm
34:09like I am exhausted I'm exhausted and I
34:13remember my daughter coming out with me
34:15and Ella is like oh my god dad like that
34:17is I've never seen anything like that
34:19and I was like yeah that's like another
34:23level and like you see how he drives
34:25himself to be the best like in and now
34:28he is like he's for my money this year
34:30he's the best player in the NHL and
34:34that's just that's what that's way
34:36everything just has to be on on on all
34:40the time he's Relentless Relentless and
34:43like I said like that forces you to
34:46match and i' never had that before but I
34:48thought about it afterwards and I was
34:51like this feeling you have of being like
34:54on it and being perfect and really being
34:57dial in and watching every single rep
34:59and being critical like doesn't every
35:01player deserve that level of intensity
35:04from you like shouldn't you have that
35:07have that you know bring that level of
35:10of of energy to every session like you
35:14need to be on it like you need to be
35:16dialed and I remember thinking like yeah
35:20maybe it won't be like I'm not going to
35:22get this matched energy and it's not
35:24going to be like he's forcing me like
35:27Nate there was no there's no way to be
35:29on the ice with him and not Elevate to
35:32the your you have to he's going to force
35:34you he's going to force you and I
35:37remember thinking like why do I need to
35:39be forced like why do why do I need to
35:41be forced why don't I this guy is
35:45showing me something here like I need to
35:48be on it and I need to bring better
35:51energy to each of my sessions and when I
35:54mean energy like it's not like I'm
35:56mailing it in it's that that like
35:59putting pressure on myself to
36:02be perfectly dialed and making sure that
36:07I'm on it and I'm H bringing like my
36:10best and I'm operating at my best he was
36:14bringing that out of me why do I need
36:16someone to bring that out of me I should
36:17be bringing that on my own and Nathan
36:19taught me that and I'll never I I'll be
36:23forever indebted to him for for doing
36:26that for me um the next guy is uh is
36:31Sydney Crosby now the first time I met
36:35Crosby I flew to New York to skate with
36:38him and I remember being so excited in
36:42the days leading up to when I was going
36:44to fly out I'm like yes I'm you know I'm
36:47G to going to go like he's the best
36:49player in the world uh and I'm going to
36:51have this opportunity to skate with him
36:53and this is this is a privilege and I'm
36:56so excited and and to some to some
36:58degree I thought that this like I had
37:01earned the right to to get to this to
37:03get to this level like hey you're this
37:05is your shot you're going to have a
37:06chance to work with the best player in
37:08the world like this is what a privilege
37:10and this is validates all the work and
37:13frankly the you had to put up with
37:15to get to this spot and all the things
37:17you had to overcome like this is how I
37:19was justifying it when I get there so I
37:21get to the airport and I go on the
37:24plane and I remember thinking on the
37:26plane the complete opposite you don't
37:29deserve to be here what the hell are you
37:31even doing like you don't belong on the
37:33ice with this guy this guy's the best
37:35player in the world what are you doing
37:37like this is crazy like you this guy is
37:40he is so far ahead of anything you've
37:43ever known like I was totally talking
37:46myself out of the whole thing like I
37:48remember landing and being like this is
37:51a big mistake like I don't know if I can
37:54do it so next so I go there I get there
38:00skating so the first time I'm going to
38:03meet him we're on the
38:06ice so I get on the ice and I'm thinking
38:09to myself okay like how am I going to
38:11how am I going to do this like what what
38:13what am I going to do here I'm going to
38:15pass the puck you know there's kind of
38:17like sometimes with players like it's
38:20like a a universal like Hi how are you
38:23when you just get on the ice and you
38:25pass them the puck like it can be like a
38:28bit of an ice breaker right and I knew
38:30that cuz I had done that a few times
38:32with other players and so I thought okay
38:35that's what I'm going to do I I don't
38:36know what to say to him like I'm
38:38petrified what to say I'm I don't I'm so
38:43nervous and I'm having so much impostor
38:47syndrome right now like I don't even
38:48know if I'm going to make it so I get I
38:50get dressed early and I get on the ice
38:53and I'm just skating around waiting for
38:55him to come out which was like the worst
38:56thing I could have done cuz I'm like
38:59dying so I get out there and uh finally
39:02he comes on and and when I say finally I
39:05mean he comes on at the appropriate time
39:07like I'm out there early and if I was
39:09out there 10 minutes early it felt like
39:112 hours like I was dying he finally
39:15comes out there um where I see him and
39:18uh I'm like okay so he goes and you know
39:20they all bring out multiple sticks and
39:22they go over and they have all their
39:24like routines and then they get out and
39:26they get started he grabs a puck or
39:28whatever and goes down shoots the puck
39:30and I'm ready with my Puck I'm like I'm
39:32standing there I'm like okay I got it so
39:34now he comes and he kind of like gives
39:36me like a glance like gives me a glance
39:38and kind of like it wasn't really like a
39:40hello but it was like a glance like I
39:42got to remember I've never met him never
39:44worked with him never ever so I'm the
39:46first time I'm meeting him is on the ice
39:51puck and it hits him in the skates like
39:54I mean like nowhere near him hits him in
39:57the SK skates I'm like seriously the
40:00first Puck you're going to hit him in
40:01the skates now it's a 100 times worse
40:05like now I'm like totally dying so it
40:08was in that moment where you're like
40:11it's literally fight ORF flight like I'm
40:14like okay you got to stop trying to like
40:19you got to stop thinking you don't
40:20belong you're here now so whether you
40:23belong or you don't belong you're here
40:26make the best of it that's I can
40:27remember making that mental shift so
40:30instead of pass him another Puck I just
40:33skated over and I introduced myself and
40:36then I'm like uh let's go are you ready
40:38to go he's like yeah give me a second
40:40and he did his finished off his routine
40:43and then we got started and the lesson
40:46there for me which has happened many
40:50was you don't need to step out of your
40:54comfort zone and do things like I'm not
40:57an NHL player I have no business passing
41:00pucks to guys like yeah in once the
41:02relationship is built and we start
41:04passing around they realize I always
41:06make the joke hey like you're not going
41:08to get a perfect pass in the NHL it's so
41:10fast and so good thing you're skating
41:13with me because I'll never give you a
41:15perfect pass so it's perfect right and
41:17so that's my joke like that's how I
41:19explain away how bad my passes are and
41:22you know I think what I had to do is in
41:26the lesson that I learned learned at
41:27that time and I remember it being very
41:29powerful for me was don't try to be
41:32anybody you're not you're here whether
41:36you're whether you deserve to be here or
41:38whether you should be here or not you
41:40are so let's go and I remember that
41:44shift and you know with with Sydney he
41:48obviously he has a very tight Circle and
41:52um once you find your way in the circle
41:55um you you got to earn your way he's not
41:56going to give it to you for not thenon
41:58he's not unlike many other players that
42:00I've met and they have to have that for
42:02a reason and so it just became like in
42:06order to earn a player's trust I got to
42:08know what I'm doing I have to be
42:10authentic no straight to the
42:13point and really honor and be respectful
42:17of who they are and what they do and
42:21match that match that intensity by
42:23bringing your best that's really what I
42:26what I what I did so I just remember
42:28going right into the
42:31conversation asking him questions
42:34getting into the movements and then off
42:36we go and I had video back then which we
42:40um which was incredibly valuable to be
42:42able to share back and forth my
42:44perspective it gave me opportunity to
42:46talk to him and share what I was
42:48thinking and then it gave him an idea to
42:50see like is this guy full of or is
42:54he like is he is he legit and and I just
42:57remember when I got off the ice thinking
43:00if this is the only time I'm going to
43:01skate with him like that's the only
43:03session I'm ever going to have I I feel
43:06like I did my best and I remember the
43:09next day and then we went to breakfast
43:11the next day and I remember talking to
43:13him and he was like furthering the
43:15discussion and that became my
43:18confirmation that just be prepared be
43:22ready to go put your best foot forward
43:24be honest and direct and uh uh let the
43:27chips fall and it worked with him but oh
43:30my God I remember I remember just
43:33thinking like you do not belong here and
43:37I'd never really felt like that before
43:39and but that you know you never you're
43:41only going to get that one time that's
43:43one first impression and mine was a
43:46burger right into the skates so if you
43:49can overcome that I guess you can
43:50overcome anything so thankfully that
43:52worked out um the last one that I wanted
43:57well I got two more we can do
44:01um Austin Matthews obviously I've had a
44:04long long relationship with him and
44:07there's been millions of moments in his
44:09shooting that we could talk about for
44:12days the one thing that really stands
44:15out though is the work we did with his
44:19takeaways and it kind of was like
44:22initially I was using the takeaways as
44:26like when we talk about the cane and
44:29those pre pre movements I was at a level
44:32then when I was using a lot of that
44:36know I was hiding the most important
44:39skill in the middle and I'd have a way
44:41to get into it and a way to get out and
44:43I remember we did a whole section on
44:46takeaways all all different types of
44:50puck and all of a sudden that became a
44:52discussion and it became an
44:54obsession and I began and using it more
44:58and more and more uh once I saw how Keen
45:00he was on it he knew that that was an
45:02area that he wanted to get better at so
45:04we were talking about it and I was like
45:06you know what I'm just going to bake it
45:08into what we're doing and I'm going to
45:10have it at the beginning I'm going to
45:11have it at the end I'm going to have it
45:13at different spots in the in the
45:15development process and it became like
45:18this theme where we were we would have
45:20practices where there was a takeaway
45:22some way somehow which would get us uh
45:25that would happen during this during
45:27during the Reps and it was like
45:28literally every rep so it's like two 300
45:30reps he's doing one of these all the
45:33time and you know the result of it is
45:37that he has become one of the best
45:40offense one of the best uh takeaway
45:42players in the National Hockey League
45:44he's unbelievable at takeaways and I
45:48think that what it was was it was one
45:51discussion that he wanted to work on it
45:54and then it became like this thing that
45:57we would do and all of a sudden the Reps
46:01started to P pile up and he was using it
46:03more and more and more and I remember
46:04him going through that summer with him
46:07and then the next year him going back to
46:10Toronto and it was like every game
46:14takeway takeway couple more in the
46:16offensive zone scoring chances created
46:19and it was an affirmation for me that
46:22this stacking was so critical but it was
46:25Austin's ability during that time to
46:29really put that put that together and I
46:32just remember that being such a major
46:36development um and so yeah that's I
46:39think that's a good place to start uh a
46:42good place to finish for this season is
46:45uh it was a great season to talk about
46:47different aspects of Player Development
46:49and uh the real teaching aspects of it
46:52so I was really uh really happy that you
46:54came along with me for as long as you
46:56did and we're excited to get season 4
46:59going uh sometime in the