The enduring legacy of Travis Roy: Passion and purpose
Travis Roy's passing on Oct. 29, at the age of 45, hit me in a deep and profound way. I was, in a word, gutted.…
Goalie Guru
Goalie Guru: Kids know best if they're made for the crease
Where did the last 10 years go? As I head into my second decade of “The Goalie Guru,” it's only natural to think about how…Read More
O’Connor: Abusive coaching antics have no place in our game
I'm not the type to suffer in silence. My family, and my friends, know this all too well. Believe it or not, though, I have…
O’Connor: Hey, goalies, let’s hear you talk out there
February is usually playoff month for many hockey programs (high school in particular). At the very least, the month is a sign of the final…
O’Connor: Bullying is never acceptable, especially from coaches
Throughout my coaching career, I’ve had to listen to parents and players who claim that a certain head coach has it out for them for…
O’Connor: Never mind the helicopter parent, beware the ‘bulldozer’ parent
I was a hockey coach before I became a parent. I was a coach while I raised my two daughters, both athletes (including one hockey…
For goalies, practices are about quality, not quantity
“The magic bullet is that there is no magic bullet.” — Old running proverb With the start of the high school season, I wanted to…
Team-oriented Marc-Andre Fleury a role model for youth goalies
During Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, I was multi-tasking, trying to get some work done while watching the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden…
Goalie Guru: If you want someone’s attention, whisper
At the risk of dating myself (yet again), I was recently thinking back to my heyday of the 1970s and ‘80s, when there was a…
Toughness is a trademark that can be developed
I absolutely love playoff hockey, especially postseason college hockey. No knock on the National Hockey League playoffs, which are great, but the college game, both…
Practice what you don’t do well
As an unabashed fan of hockey in general, and women’s hockey specifically, I always look forward to the Winter Olympics. Sure, the tournament is a…
Parents, school officials must respect boundaries
Sigh! Seems like every time I want to focus on a basic goaltending topic — from techniques to game preparation — something happens that pulls…
Sports without sportsmanship is a hollow activity
February represents the stretch run for most high school hockey seasons. In other words, this is the time of the season when coaches tend to…
