We continue with Tom and discuss the 1994 hockey season and the playoff series with the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

He felt that they had the Rangers backs to the wall and Mark Messier guaranteed a win in game six and then the Devils took the Rangers to overtime in game seven and lost in overtime. 

Tom said after the loss and the delay of the next season the Devils felt there was unfinished business with the team. They had really "gelled" in the playoffs against the Rangers. They struggled in the shorten regular season but in the playoffs is where they stepped up their game and really went on a mission to win. 

We breakout the trap system they played and discuss how it was all about positioning and reading the play of the other team. How to force turnovers in the center ice area and capitalize on the mistakes of the other team. They also rolled four lines and everyone knew their job and responsibilities. 

When they got to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1995 no one took them as much of a threat and the Red Wings were thinking they were going to win. When they headed back to New Jersey after games one and two with a two game to none lead in the series. Marty Brodeur told Tom that they were going to win the Cup. He saw that is was going to happen. Was the highlight of his career. 

The next season he was waved to be picked up by the Ottawa Senators. Felt he still had work to do in New Jersey but was time to move on. On the last day of the regular season in 1996, he faced the Devils and scored two goals and knocked the Devils out of the playoffs. 

We finish the episode talking about his retirement and Herb Brooks. He tells the story of when his dad died, Herb came to the funeral to play his respects to his dad. Meant the world to him that Herb would come to pay his respects to his dad. 

We continue in segment three with Tom Chorske and getting traded to the New Jersey Devils.  He was having a tough time playing for Pat Burns in Montreal and a fresh start is what he felt would help him. 

He arrived in New Jersey when the fortunes of the team were changing. Scott Stevens came to the team and the building process was started for the Devils. Tommy McVie was his coach and told him "we are going to teach you how to play the game at the NHL level". 

He noticed how Lou Lamoriello who was the President and GM of the Devils operated and he learned the system and style that was presented. The culture and environment of the team grew and the team got close. Once that happened success started to gel for the Devils. 

Tom learned his role with the Devils on being a Penalty Killer and learning about how to battle for the puck along the boards. He was on the top group for penalty killing and played against Lemieux, Messier, Sakic. Learning the system was vital to success. Also, learning where you fit in on the team. He was on the top group 

We also discuss Patrick Roy and Marty Brodeur. Tom had the pleasure of playing with both of them in his NHL career.  One thing that always stuck out to him was they never let pucks stay in their nets during drills in practice. Felt it would show they gave up goals and they wanted a clean net. 

Here is part three of five with Tom Chorske....

We continue with Tom Chorske here on "Inside the Game" brought you by flexxCOACH and flexxCOACH VR. 

Tom faced his biggest set back in his career in 1988. He had played two years of hockey at the University of Minnesota and was asked to play for the United States Olympic Team. Was a dream of his to play on the Olympic Team after what happened in 1980 and being from Herb Brooks home state of Minnesota. Things were going well on the pre Olympic tour but just before the games he was last player cut from the team. Was a huge set back and being a first round draft choice his confidence took a hit. Had to figure out what was wrong with his game and how to get back on track. 

He went back to the University of Minnesota and had a great season before getting injured but worked through the difficulties and at the end of the season signed with the Montreal Canadians who had drafted him two years earlier. 

He made the team out of training camp and then got sent down to Sherbrooke in the AHL. Had to learn how to adjust to being a professional player in the NHL and how the little things you do add up to big things. There is a huge learning curve in NHL and it takes time to understand. 

We talk about wearing the Montreal Canadians sweater and scoring his first NHL in the legendary Montreal Forum. 

Enjoy segment two of five with Tom Chorske.

With five schools in Minnesota making into the NCAA tournament for ice hockey (UMD, University of Minnesota, St. Cloud State, Minnesota State, Bemidji State) it is truly "The State of Hockey". Herb Brooks envisioned this to happen one day. All five division one schools making the NCAA tournament for ice hockey. With that we head to Minnesota to interview the first winner of the Mr. Hockey Award from 1985, Tom Chorske here on "inside the Game" brought to you by flexxCOACH. 

In the first of five episodes we discuss with Tom his beginnings in the game of hockey from the local outdoor rink and how it was fun. Very basic hockey development. He also played football and baseball growing up and helped in sports development. 

Tom discusses unstructured play for hockey and how him and friends just played and have fun. He only played about 20 games a season with about 30 practices. It was just enough to build a passion for hockey. 

As he moved along in hockey we discuss the adjustment to high school hockey and the step from Bantam hockey, was another step up in the play for him. He has a great senior season in high school makes the decision to stay home and attend the University of Minnesota, he wanted to play for the Gophers. 

We breakdown getting drafted in 1985 by the Montreal Canadians, 16th overall in the first round and winning the first "Mr. Hockey" in Minnesota High School Hockey history.

Here is segment one of five with Tom Chorske.

In segment six Lou continues the discussion about the Devils and Dr. McMullen and Yogi Berra. Great stories. Lou said was impressed with all the people he met in New Jersey with the Devils. He was also very impressed with  Max McNab who was the GM of the Devils. 

We move the conversation to youth sports and how it has gotten to be a job and less about playing a sport for kids. Lou feels it needs to go back to being fun for kids and should not be so pressure filled. Feels that kids just need to play. Stop with all the specialization and extra coaching. You get better by playing with your friends. Too much coaching clogs the mind. Need to be able to think when you play. 

In Lou's opinion there are three things he looks for in a hockey player:

1. Heart and compete level, has to be 24/7 to be successful.
2. Hockey sense, how you react in practice and games.
3. Hands, how you handle the puck on your stick. Speed, quickness, speed of hands, mind, legs.

These basic things are need to be successful in hockey. 


We end segment six with Lou Vairo,  with his great moments in the game of hockey.

In segment  five Lou talks about his getting the head coaching job for the 1984 Olympic Hockey Team. The one thing he breaks down is how 1980 hurt 1984 because it opened the gates for American hockey players to play in the NHL. He discusses about the players who should have been on the team but went to the NHL. He had players on the team who could have played in the World Juniors but played in the Olympics and were only 17 years of age. The team did not do well and felt he let USA Hockey down with the showing at the games.

After the Olympics Lou took the assistant coaching position with the New Jersey Devils for two years. Was a great experience and he said it was great to take his knowledge and see what NHL level players could do with it.

In segment four Lou, talks about Herb Brooks and how they became friends. He also talks about being an advance scout for the 1980 team in Lake Placid and how Herb thought the game of  hockey with that team. Said Herb was way ahead of his time when it came to learning and using methods with his team. In Lou's opinion the 1980 Olympic team was the best he had ever seen in hockey. Every player had role and knew it. They were so smart and had great hockey sense. Herb had picked the right players. The greatest moment for hockey. 

In 2002 Herb brought him back for the Salt Lake Games with the United States team and it was amazing to watch NHL level players at the games. 

One funny note, he said that Herb could have been President of the United States.

Segment three, Lou returns from the Soviet Union  to coach and teach everything he learned  to the youth teams he was coaching in New York. Lou was tough on the players and pushed them but they bought into the system and worked hard. They only had one hour of ice a week and the rest of week he did dry land training with the team.  At that time no one  was even thinking of conditioning and working away from the ice in the United States. 

After five years in the New York Metropolitan League. Lou had an offer to coach in Austin Minnesota and his life would change when he met Herb Brooks who at the time was the head coach of Men's Ice Hockey Team at the University of Minnesota. Herb was impressed the way Lou's team practiced and played games. Herb offered Lou tickets to University Minnesota games and he wanted Lou's team to play the JV team. They became friends and Lou always loved to talk hockey with Herb. 

In this segment Lou discussed his time with Antoly Tarasov and learning from him about the game of hockey from the Soviet style of working with players. He tells wonderful stories about taking what he learned overseas and from Emile Francis from the New York Rangers and how he would use the knowledge to coach kids back in New York. 

Antoly said to him after meeting him in Russia, "You have come steal my coaching methods" with a smile. Lou said yes I'm here to steal your methods to coach kids. He had a different way of looking at how to coach and trust your players.

Lou's passion for hockey began on streets of Brooklyn, NY. He began playing on roller skates because there were no ice rinks in the borough of Brooklyn. Was fun to just play with his friends. Very little coaching. More about just playing. 

As Lou continued in hockey he goes into how  Emile Francis influence in hockey in New York when he was the GM/Coach of the Rangers. He was the one who felt they needed to start leagues around the city to help with the development of the game. 

We go into the first coaching job Lou had coaching. He knew nothing about coaching, so he got a book on coaching from Lloyd Percival. One thing he stressed when he coached every kids plays and you play for teammates. Emile Francis allowed Lou to watch the New York Rangers practice so he could have a better understanding of the game of hockey. He felt that helped him better prepare his practices and in games. 

In 1969 he was at Sunday dinner and he asked if he could go watch TV for awhile and he tuned into ABC Sports "Wide World of Sports". The Soviet Union was playing Sweden in the World Championships. He became fascinated with the style of play. It was so much different from the NHL. The speed, the passing, skating, everything was interesting. So he decided to contact Anatoly Tarazov the Head Coach of the Soviets. He knew nothing of how to contact him and he just wrote a letter to him and got a response which lead to a life long friendship with the coach and many trips to the Soviet Union to learn about hockey and coaching.