HighSchoolHockeyForums.com

How can you downgrade Oliver because he surrounds himself with good people and then call Ikola the greatest of all-time when he made an art of surrounding himself with good people (who contributed more than most people know to the success of Edina hockey)? Part of being a great head coach is having the confidence to allow others to help out that may have more knowlege than you in a specific area.

I was never trying to downgrade Oliver. The guy is a genius for surrounding himself with great coaches, and local at that. I totally agree with you. I just made the point of not puting his name in with the likes of what the thread is all about... The best coaches in the state of hockey. Granted a blind man could have taken the '07 rams team to a State title, he is still a great coach.

obviously not among the best of all time, but Jim O'Neill of CDH is an elite coach. he has very few top players every year to choose from but every year he fields a good team. most kids play two or three sports (especially football and baseball) and yet he manages to make a good team with kids with whom hockey is their second sport.

i would have to say austins coach Mike Wolfe... he just recently bought them new black breezers and black RBK helmets just because thats what they wanted..

how about coach pauly back at benilde curt giles edina john hamre at blake jeff lindquist at jefferson these guys know how to get the best out of what they have

on the oliver thing. i went through the program. the only thing hes good at is speaking and motivating the players. his assistants did EVERYTHING else. set up the systems, skated the team, u name it they did it he jsut sat and watched. and the seniors would lead the team by putting their nose to the grindstone day in and day out to puch the rest of the team.

ill bet you anything thats how a lot of college and nhl teams run theyre programs. the head coaches normally tell the assistants. thats what my impression is with lucia. ive seen a gopher practice adn thats how they do it. but you would obviously know more than anyone else

Jay Moser. Park (Cottage Grove) The guy has never lost a game. Good luck to Jay and to the Park program getting a much needed coaching change.

So it sounds like Oliver delegates authority, demands leadership from his seniors, and steps in personally when he needs to. I know nothing about the program he runs outside of the state title, but that's a fantastic way to run a program/school/team/business. I'm not sure if he's getting ripped here or what. If you look at great coaches in other sports, especially football, they put everything together, make their coaches coach, and the players play and be leaders. Everybody is held accountable. Joe Paterno makes sure his coaches are doing the right thing, and he's one of the best of all time. A plan is made, and everybody must stick with it. If a player messes up he hears from his assistants. If a player does something stupid he hears from his assistants and Jo Pa. If a coach does something wrong, you see Jo Pa hollering at him too! It's all part of operating in a system, and I think that's the way it should be.

That being said, great hockey coaches out there:
Jerry Hayes at AV - not always a ton of talent, but always in the game.

The new Burnsville guy, who's name I don't want to butcher seems like a great young coach who gets it.

Bill Ross at Mpls East (or West)... great role model, loves the game, teaches it well, and continues to do great things in Minneapolis, even without a lot of players or talent.

John Hamre at Blake expects his players to be great, and they work hard trying to live up to his expectations. Blake was probably the 4th or 5th best team in their section, but Hamre seems to have them set up to not lose those big games. Two years ago they had all of the talent, this past year they had the attitude.

Brendan Flaherty at Duluth Marshall has re-built that program, been through lean years, and now has one of the best in the state.

Bill Lechner at Hill Murray... one word, DEMANDING!
Same thing for Sarsland at Elk River


Lots of great guys out there... sometimes we forget the life lessons are way more important than the championships.

Mikey wrote:Bill Lechner at Hill Murray... one word, DEMANDING!

That's not the word I would have chosen.

my coach.. he just bought use breezers and helmets with his own money.. idk why but i think that is pretty nice.. and i also think its only for taxes

merritt29 wrote:my coach.. he just bought use breezers and helmets with his own money.. idk why but i think that is pretty nice.. and i also think its only for taxes

Good for your coach, it was a very generous thing to do. When you start filing taxes and (hopefully) deduct charitable contributions, you'll see that you don't give "for the deduction".

blucru11 wrote: the only thing he's (Oliver) good at is speaking and motivating the players.

Top Row (L-R): HS Football State Championship, Jr. College Hockey National Championship, HS Hockey State Championship
Bottom Row (L-R): give him time

What is it that people don't understand about coaching?

Let me guess, someone is going to say that he's been in the right place at the right time in two different sports at two different levels.

Decenzo from Hibbing, Gernander and Guyer from Greenway, Olson when he was in Roseau, Eades from Warroad, Morrinville from Moorhead

The best- not sure. But the Virginia coach is the worst for not caring about all of the players. He has his favorites.

if we are allowed to include past i would say Cary Eades was definately a great. Scott Oliver has led the rams to some nice seasons recently too

puckstop wrote:The best- not sure. But the Virginia coach is the worst for not caring about all of the players. He has his favorites.

Although I will admit I am not a fan of Keith Hendrickson, this doesn't surprise me that he has favorites. Same would probably hold true for 95% of the rest of the coaches/coaching staff's in MN but more then likely not as blatant as this particular coach.

One can't deny Mike Guzzo in Silver Bay has had some pretty good teams so he must be doing something right over there.

ndirishfighting wrote:Decenzo from Hibbing, Gernander and Guyer from Greenway, Olson when he was in Roseau, Eades from Warroad, Morrinville from Moorhead

Bruce Olson? From Roseau? Maybe he was a good coach, but i've heard the exact opposite from players who played for him. I could've coached that 99' team to a title, and from what i've heard after posting in this forum, i'm a complete retard. 1 chromosome short of the requirement for being "normal".

how has anyone not said Bolin from woodbury. State high school coach of the year last year, and well deserved. He's turned the woodbury program around from being one of the worst programs to having potential to compete year after year. Took his kids to section finals 2 years ago before losing to the soon to be state champs in cretin and last year they upsetted cretin to go to state and then beat hill to go to the semis. And that was only his 3rd year coaching in the state. Who doesn't love that, beating the two private schools that steal woodburys talent for their own. but he's definately in my top 5 in the state.

mnhshockey36 wrote:how has anyone not said Bolin from woodbury. State high school coach of the year last year, and well deserved. He's turned the woodbury program around from being one of the worst programs to having potential to compete year after year. Took his kids to section finals 2 years ago before losing to the soon to be state champs in cretin and last year they upsetted cretin to go to state and then beat hill to go to the semis. And that was only his 3rd year coaching in the state. Who doesn't love that, beating the two private schools that steal woodburys talent for their own. but he's definately in my top 5 in the state.

Have to agree with you on that one!!

Mikey wrote:Brendan Flaherty at Duluth Marshall has re-built that program, been through lean years, and now has one of the best in the state.

I don't think I'd go as far as to put him as one of the best. Seen how the Marshall thing works, especially from some of the better players from Two Harbors and Silver Bay head that way, with I'm sure, a drop in their tuition fee.

I'd have to say Larry Ross, but I'm biased.

Hockey i'd go with Ike, if were talkin all around guy, Jim O'neil has my vote hands down!!

BERG RENOLZ wrote:

ndirishfighting wrote:Decenzo from Hibbing, Gernander and Guyer from Greenway, Olson when he was in Roseau, Eades from Warroad, Morrinville from Moorhead

Bruce Olson? From Roseau? Maybe he was a good coach, but i've heard the exact opposite from players who played for him. I could've coached that 99' team to a title, and from what i've heard after posting in this forum, i'm a complete retard. 1 chromosome short of the requirement for being "normal".

decent coach, had some great teams to work with in the 90s, only problem is with motivation, he couldn't get his boys to beat the warriors in the sections, so they moved up to AA and pounded on Bemidji and St.Cloud for a couple years

Current coach at St.Paul Johnson - Moose is coaching both high school and the Bantam A team. NOW there is a coach. How many of these other guys coach two teams at the same time?

heres a lil shout out for So. minnesota hockey...

Albert Lea, Cant remember his name at the moment, but AL's youth programs are average at best most years, and this man is able to coach the hell out of those kids and turn them into some of the best hockey players in the state.

1 vote again Bolin, cant argue with record, but he did get a good group of talent there also.