Grassroots: The Minor Hockey Show
A provocative, in-depth podcast that examines the world of minor hockey, from coaching to program development to the myriad of issues faced by everyone in the game.
Episodes
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:
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 Pow...
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.
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 tit...
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 ...
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 "...
HEO coach and coach developer Brian Gillam returns to share what he'd planned to provide coaches in the coaching seminar he and Richard were going to run for a minor organization. The seminar didn't happen, but the content would have been interesting. He explains in detail what he feels coaches needed to know first about the CLA/ED approach.
richard@grassrootsminorhockey.com
This is the final episode from the May 30-June 2 Hockey Research Conference at Laval University in Quebec City as well as the final episode for this season of Grassroots.
Please be advised that, because the discussions were held in public spaces, the sound quality and background noise are inconsistent. Also, all five episodes are with individuals whose first language is not English.
Here is the link to the conference's proceedings:
...This is the fourth of five episodes of content from the May 30-June 2 Hockey Research Conference at Laval University in Quebec City.
Please be advised that, because the discussions were held in public spaces, the sound quality and background noise are inconsistent. Also, all five episodes are with individuals whose first language is not English.
Here is the link to the conference's proceedings (Gergely's abstract is on page 32):
This is the third of five episodes of content from the May 30-June 2 Hockey Research Conference at Laval University in Quebec City.
Please be advised that, because the discussions were held in public spaces, the sound quality and background noise are inconsistent. Also, all five episodes are with individuals whose first language is not English.
Here is the link to the conference's proceedings:
This is the second of five episodes of content from the May 30-June 2 Hockey Research Conference at Laval University in Quebec City.
Please be advised that, because the discussions were held in public spaces, the sound quality and background noise are inconsistent. Also, all five episodes are with individuals whose first language is not English.
Here is the link to the conference's proceedings:
This is the first of five episodes of content from the May 30-June 2 Hockey Research Conference at Laval University in Quebec City.
Please be advised that, because the discussions were held in public spaces, the sound quality and background noise are inconsistent. Also, all five episodes are with individuals whose first language is not English.
Here is the link to the conference's proceedings:
Jim Haverstrom is USA Hockey's Coach-in-chief for Florida. Over 25 years as a coach and now coach developer, he's become an ardent advocate for the Constraints Led and an Ecological Dynamics approaches which he's successfully applied in his own coaching.
The soccer study he refers to in the podcast is:
“Train as you play”: Improving effectiveness of training in youth soccer playersContact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com X (...
As minor hockey associations prepare for their AGMs, one key position needs consideration: someone to take charge of coach development. Richard and Dean discuss why this role is crucial, what this person should or should not be responsible for and where to find them.
Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com X (Twitter): Richard - @berky544 Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
Some years ago, Brian Gillam began to adopt an ecological approach to coaching and teaching the game. Today he is immersed in it as a coach but especially as a "skills instructor." In this episode, he discusses what he does in special sessions, how he does it and why. Brian is the coaching development director for Hockey Eastern Ontario.
His website: briangillamhockey.com
Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com X (Twitter): ...
Access to rinks, ice time , and cost may be impediments to growing a program in a small hockey market. But not to Chris Benson who helps direct the fortunes of the Bristol youth program in England. Speaking from Riga, Latvia, where his son is attending a hockey camp, Chris passionately describes the challenges and the steps being taken to programming, one of which includes the "management" of parents.
Contact: richard(at)grassroot...
"We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience."
Host Richard Bercuson spends this episode providing an overview of his season coaching 10 year olds in a unique house league-type environment. Dean Holden poses some pointed questions that has Richard using the "wayback machine" to reflect on the approaches he's used and why.
--------------------------------------------
In the introduction, Richard refers to...
How to get out of the "tick box" practice scenario. Richard and Dean discuss why coaches need to learn that players have to experience skill and tactical content in ways that are closer to competitive situations. This means moving away from the age-old and time worn approaches we've long accepted.
Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com X (Twitter): Richard - @berky544 Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com
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