Olympics
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Olympic Results Take Time – A Recap of Team USA’s Hockey Success
Watching the men’s hockey tournament at the 2010 Olympics has been thrilling. I know it’s easy to say in hindsight that I had a good feeling about that team, but really, I did. I promise. We are actually pretty fortunate in that we have been able to evaluate many of the players on Team USA at some point or another through our work with NHL teams or with the player directly when his agent or coach purchased our services. Given our experience working with athletes at this level, we’ve done a lot of research into what it takes to achieve that kind of success. So, watching Team USA play in action was another opportunity to see these gifted players in action.
I think if there is one thing that can be taken away from the success of this team is that it simply wasn’t good luck or good genes. It was hard work by those players for a very long time. Their hard work started well before they were selected last year to be on the team. I have a few thoughts about this and how it applies to competitive hockey players today.
In EXACT’s work with the National Hockey League player development staff, USA Hockey coaches, or various youth hockey association directors, we hear these two main points about player development all the time:
First, player development and hockey training is a long journey and requires a well-rounded approach to training starting early on. I don’t think many young athletes these days realize that success happens over the period of a decade, not the period of a few days, months, or even a few years. They often look for shortcuts or one simple solution—a magic pill, maybe?—that will make them better without the hard work. But every single one of those athletes on Team USA had a long history of a strong work ethic and well-rounded approach to skill development. They didn’t just start working hard in the last year or two. They didn’t begin preparing for the Olympics only a few weeks in advance. They were working hard back when they were youth hockey players. They were listening to their youth coaches, practicing what they learned, and applying it during games. They were expanding their repertoire of skills, trying new positions, and studying the game as a whole.
In EXACT’s analysis, successful players don’t rely on one magic type of shot, stick handling trick, or mental technique that made them extra tough during the tournament. Instead, it is their well-rounded set of skills honed over the course of development. In fact, at their earliest ages, they often play multiple sports other than hockey which help them refine their motor skills and overall sports skills.
Second, athletes are responsible for their own development. I know I just gave accolades to the youth coaching staff who work with players day-in and day-out on the ice, but at the end of the day, each player’s success is dependent on the player him or herself, not the coach. The American Development Model’s premise that the athlete is the center of development is spot on. Remember, Team USA didn’t become successful overnight just because a coach, friend, or cheerleader whispered into their ears, “Be tough! Be confident!”. No, they were ready for Olympic success because of the decade of hard work they had put into their own development before those Olympic games were even set to take place in Vancouver.
The reality for each of these players is that through the course of their development they’ve had numerous different coaches, teammates, and opponents. The athlete himself is the constant during his journey. Why does this matter? When EXACT Sports looks at the characteristics of successful athletes, we see that they generally display a high acceptance of responsibility. This is the ability for a player to accept responsibility for their own actions (or inactions), learn from them, and grow. No one single coach has all the answers for you, nor will he or she be responsible for your failings or mistakes. Your success will ultimately have to come from inside of you and you alone.
Rogge May End Women’s Olympic Hockey?
I was a little unhappy the other day to see ESPN report that Jacques Rogge had threatened to remove Women’s hockey from the Olympics in 8 years if the talent gap between North America and the rest of the world didn’t close. For those who followed the tournament, they would see that there were several blowouts in the hockey tournament. Canada defeating Slovakia by a score of 18-0, for instance. Being that we here at EXACT Sports love to do math, that translates to a goal every 3 minutes and 20 seconds. That poor Slovakian goalie (Zuzana Tomcikova) faced a total of 67 shots… or, get this, 1 shot every 54 seconds. And she stayed in the whole game (I could see EXACT simulating that goaltending experience at one of our hockey camps!). By contrast, the Canadian goaltender (Kim St-Pierre) faced, on average, only 1 shot every 6 minutes and 40 seconds—the equivalent of 3 shots per period.
The tournament basically was a 2-team tournament between Team USA and Canada (Canada eventually winning the gold). While I don’t blame Rogge or others for their frustrations, I’m not sure this is the right move.
Here are some thoughts:
• Women’s Hockey is growing in the United States in Canada. Since EXACT Sports has begun working with competitive girl’s hockey clubs and camps several years ago, we’ve seen firsthand the commitment and interest from players, their parents, and coaches. We think that hockey, including Women’s hockey, is a positively infectious sport and will do well outside of North America.
• It just takes time to promote and grow a sport. China has only 67 women in its entire country of 1 billion+ that play hockey (in the tournament, Team USA defeated China 12-1). In the traditional hockey power countries like Finland (which won the bronze) and Sweden (which upset Team USA back in Turin), the gap is beginning to close.
• EXACT Sports has been intimately involved with long-term player development for quite some time, and what it’s going to take to keep growing hockey in these countries is a commitment from the top (Olympic hockey) and then follow-through from the bottom. These countries will need to continue promoting the sport with more girls camps, clinics, and girls hockey tournaments. Where that may be difficult due to a lack of critical mass, such as in China, the national hockey associations must provide hockey training and coaching to their players in a meaningful way. We’ve seen China show this kind of commitment before (did anyone see the Chinese snowboarders?), so I am certain they’ll be successful.
Just like in the Men’s game, where we’re starting to see parity, development of the game takes time, especially for a complicated skill sport like hockey. Hockey player development is a long journey. It might be longer than 8 years before teams like China can compete, but I am certain that by competing in the first place their development will be expedited.
I want to leave this post on a note about how merely having the Olympic competition will inspire and improve the state of the game internationally. I was reading the American Development Model (ADM) blog (http://usahadm.com/wordpress/?p=84) about how Coach Mark Johnson had Team USA practice cross-ice hockey (small games) during a practice session before the tournament began. As Team USA was playing their small games, the Chinese team was watching on the other side of the glass.
I can only hope that they were picking up a few tips, tricks and techniques—and maybe even a little bit of excitement—to bring back with them to help keep growing women’s hockey in China.
