I did the following interview when I published The Hockey Coach's Bulletin (HCB) back in 1991. I understand its an oldie but offers a different perspective on coaching than most of us are used too. SHAWN WALSH INTERVIEW NCAA DIVISION 1 COACH of U. of MAINE BLACK BEARS I contacted Shawn Walsh in late August, 1991. Shawn gave me a very informative 20 minute phone interview. I'm sure his influence will rub off on you as it did to me. I met Shawn at a coaching symposium. His lecture, video work and on-ice demonstrations was interesting and informative.If you ever get a chance to attend a symposium or function with Shawn Walsh as a speaker, attend it!
HCB: What has made you a successful coach? WALSH: You must enjoy what you are doing. I enjoy it to the extent that when I arrive at the office, it's not work, its fun. It's a day to day challenge helping kids grow and making them better. HCB: How do you prepare yourself and the team for each game? WALSH: We usually have four days to prepare for a weekend series. We practice Monday through Thursday and play on Friday and Saturday. Monday and Tuesday,we work on skill development, team play, and individual skill drills. Two days before the game we zero in on the upcoming opponent. HCB: When you work on skill development drills, how do you keep it interesting for the kids? WALSH: You must put parameters in there that force them to be challenged. Make it competitive with chasers or time. You have to have fun with them too. The same things that make a coach tick,make players tick. HCB: What type of relationship do you have with the players? WALSH: I like to be firm with them, but at the same time, talk to them one on one. Have them open up with their problems. What we do during road trips is meet with each player on the bus. I don't want to know what they like, I want to know what they don't like. A coach has to have a handle on the thermometer of the team. The only way you get that is by one on one meetings. HCB: I understand you are a good promoter for your team. What are some of your promoting ideas? WALSH: We are in a environment that allows good promotions. It's a market where we are a dominating force. With state wide, and regional television, the exposure is high. The local paper covers us daily. I saw the area as a place you could really do something with promotions. The best way to promote your team is to get them involved in the community,meet people, help little kids. We run events like a "Skate with the Bears" and "Run with the Bears" which is a five mile road race. Anytime the people can meet the players with their helmets off is a good promotional technique. HCB: Is this enforced upon the players? WALSH: Oh yeah! They get used to it. Part of coming to a college for them is growing up away from hockey. It's important that we have players meet the public and learn to speak in public. I have the freshmen get up and introduce themselves, explain where they have been, their highlights, things they like,as many times as possible. Another function we have is a "Super Supper", where the players weight on our fans. It gives the people a chance to meet the team. HCB: Is there a large turn out for such a event? WALSH: Yes. It's a great fund raiser and we also have alot of fun. We run it right on the floor of the arena before the ice is laid. People get a feeling being inside the arena right on the blueline. They could never be there otherwise. HCB: Your teams always have a strong chemistry of players. What is your recruiting process? WALSH: There is so many players that want to play for division 1 schools. The key is the selection process itself. I'm fortunate enough to have one of the best recruiters in the game in terms of eye for talent. My assistant coach, Grant Stambrooke is in charge of recruiting.Grant handles the initial looking and a lot of the decision making. He was Bob Johnson's assistant at Wisconsin for twelve years. HCB: What geographic area do you cover? WALSH: New England, the east, Quebec, we go all over now. With the success of our program, we've become a national team in a sense. Kids know we have a successful program. The key to recruiting is not the recruiting itself. It's to follow through on your promises you made when your players get there. Your current players are your real recruiters. If you take care of your players, they will tell the next class to play here because of how they were treated. They are the most important recruiters. HCB: How do you conduct your tryouts? WALSH: I want to see them skate with the puck and without, and skate with some agility. It's important to allow enough space so you can watch players individually. Even if it means to slow it down a bit. Secondly, I like to put them through simple team play situations to see how they interact with others. 3 on 3's and 2 on 2's on full ice are great. Give them a chance to show what they can do. HCB: Who runs these drills? WALSH: I have assistants run the tryout part of it. I observe the returning players and the recruited freshmen on scholarship. HCB: How do you keep track of all these players on the ice at one time? WALSH: We give them a penny with a number on it to identify them. Most of the players are pre-selected. Rarely will we have a kid from off the street. HCB: Do you accept letters of recommendation from coaches? WALSH: I accept them but there are so many out there. I'm more interested in the player's track record and level of play he is coming out of. Remember,there are sleepers out there like Jim Dowd! HCB: OK Shawn. I think I used up enough of your time. I appreciate the interview. WALSH: No problem Dan. If you need anything else, feel free to call.