Grassroots: The Minor Hockey Show

This episode begins with a short dedication to the late Darrell Campbell, an Ottawa area coach with whom Richard worked for some years. The show then discusses the phenomenon known as The Protégé Effect in which teaching or even preparing to teach a topic actually improves learning, an important aspect for coaching minor hockey. Dean Holden describes a recent coaching clinic he taught where it played a prominent role.

(Podcast music from classicals.de)

A poditorial to begin this new season.

Richard explores a role he believes is much needed in Canada and why.

(Podcast music from classicals.de)

Swedish coach Peter Bolin has spent much of the last quarter century coaching, teaching and mentoring in his native Sweden as well as stints in "underdeveloped" hockey countries like Romania. Here he discusses the cultural challenges and the messages he wants to share about communication and adapting to changes in coaching.

Laval University's Simon Grondin, a professor of psychology, hosted the 2025 International Ice Hockey Research symposium at Laval. In this episode he discusses his early 1980s research into the relative age effect, "laterality" and other topics in hockey research.

Here are a few research docs he refers to: 

Grondin - Relative Age Effect 1984

Shoot left or right

Laterality in NHL

After years as a coach in house league and competitive hockey, Whitby Minor Hockey's development coordinator Rahim Karmali is re-jigging the organization's approach to coach development. His initiatives, and many hours in rinks with coaches, earned him the OMHA Development award. 

Two books Rahim provided Whitby coaches with discussions on them to follow:

The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle

Belfry Hockey by Darryl Belfry with Scott Powers

An investigation of what SSGs/SAGs are, what they're supposed to do and are they being done effectively. Host Richard discusses with guest host Dean Holden and Brian Gillam who explains how he's used these with his own U16 team.

In the podcast, reference is made to Tom Mollloy's website: hockeycoachingabcs.com.

Beginning with a nostalgic opening from the original Ottawa radio podcast, host Richard Bercuson gives his views that help explain Canada's Bronze medal performance at the recent world juniors. He divides his explanation into five topics to describe Canada's standing in the hockey world.

Hockey population by country 

From IQ to Hockey Sense to Hockey IQ, and now to DMIQ: The Decision-Making Intelligent Quotient. Richard and Dean discuss its importance, when we should introduce it and how to go about it. Naturally, it involves using appropriate spaces in order to enhance children's and teens' decision-making skills.

Listeners are encouraged to read this research document related to the topic. It can be found online by copying and pasting the title into a search engine.

"How Small-Sided and Conditioned Games Enhance Acquisition of Movement and Decision-Making Skills" 

TOP ("The Other Path") Sports aims to provide families with alternatives to both traditional sport experiences and the private ones, though this, too, is privately owned. Kevin Shier, executive director and co-founder with two other men, discusses what's so different, especially since its approach to hockey, lacrosse and soccer employs what is widely known as the Constraints Based/Led Approach to teaching, something that is mostly non-existent in Canada's minor hockey landscape. Club Technical Director for soccer Tom Waud further describes the approach as it's presented to their paid coaches and why it is foundational to the club's coaching.

TOP Sports: https://www.toronto.topsports.ca/

Dallas Ansell's recently completed PhD dissertation examined development in the world of non-sanctioned leagues in Alberta which have proliferated in recent years. A lecturer at the University of Alberta and newly minted manager of player development for Hockey Alberta, Ansell discusses what brought him to this subject and what he learned from his research.

His dissertation is available on the grassrootsminorhockey.com site under "Docs and articles from the podcasts."