June 05, 2020

6. Lee Skille: Like father, like son

1 hour 3 minutes

On Episode 6, Jack and Martin are joined by Lee Skille. Not only did Lee raise his son Jack to become a successful hockey player (and person), he was also a collegiate hockey player himself, and has decades of experience coaching youth and high school hockey. On this episode he discusses his own experiences in parenting and coaching.

The Jack Skille Show is produced by HMMR Media, a leader in helping athletes and coaches learn how to get better. Become a member to get access to a wealth of articles, videos, podcasts and more training resources. The show focuses on exploring the process behind sport with professional hockey player Jack Skille and key people he has met throughout his career. Season 1 focuses on development and what is the difference maker from those that make it to the top, and those that don’t.

Highlights from this episode:

0:00 - Introducing Lee.

3.45 - Lee's own athletic background.

8:00 - Playing for Bob Johnson and experiences at the University of Wisconsin.

12:30 - Learning by playing: "If you have two hours on the ice each week, don't waste time sitting on a knee drawing up a complex drill. If you spend more than a couple of minutes explaining a drill, you are wasting valuable time." "Kids need to play hockey, just drop a puck out there and let them figure it out for themselves."

23:00 - Ice time and learning to love the game: "You have to learn how to be creative on the ice. That has been lost, partially because we don't have the ice time any more. But you can create the ice time."

32:00 - Working hard.

34:00 - Relinquishing control to let children fall in love with the game on their own.

37:30 - Learning how to compete.

41:00 - Being honest with parents: "Parents really want to do the best for their kids, but this is their first time doing it. If you can be honest. But there are systems that just want to make money and they tell people what they want to hear instead."

50:00 - Looking for opportunities for your kid.

54:00 - Helping children overcome obstacles and struggles: "If something bad happens, something positive happens."

1:01:00 - What is your kid doing to develop.

...more