Which Teams Are The Best Coached?

[MNHockeyFan]

Just curious to see what peoples' thoughts are on some of the better coached teams out there, as evidenced by great team play, positioning, creativity, ability to make adjustments during the games, and just getting the most out of their players' abilities through hard work and motivation.

Please keep this totally positive - no bashing or complaining about individual coaches!

[hockeygod]

Stillwater is the best coached team I have seen, the guy there started with very little and I have watched the whole program grow, I love the way his teams always seem prepared to play and are agressive no matter what. you can outskate, outshoot, out play a stillwater team but you won't outwork them. That said I would rather see my daughter play for jeff whisler than anyone, he knows and can teach as much hockey as a kid wants to learn but he's also a father and knows that girls need to enjoy the sport more than anything

[ghshockeyfan]

Edina has to be up there, as does Holy Angels. They face off tonight as well. Should be great!

[hockeyrube7]

Cloquet Hands down!! They have been great for the past 5 years, surviving on great goal tending and a prayer, they make it to state every year, and finish in the top 4.

[keepitreal]

Cloquet Hands down!! They have been great for the past 5 years, surviving on great goal tending and a prayer, they make it to state every year, and finish in the top 4.

Agree!

[jacksfan]

Cloquet has had benefit of some very dedicated youth coaches over past years and it is especially evident with the current team. Bart has been there all along helping with the feeder programs. It is crucial for any coach to be as involved as possible in nurturing the future talent.

Although biased, I would also like to think that our young people up here have an incredible work ethic that goes well beyond whatever is on the scoreboard, that they have a true dedication to TEAM, and a genuine love of this amazing game of hockey.

[Stinkin Rootbeer]

The Alexandria staff has to be mentioned....not much going on there before they walked in

[gopher25]

While the Stillwater coach is a great coach. I think the credit of building the program would have to go to three or four of the dad's that really got the youth program going about 5 years ago. They went into schools and recruited kids to play. They also worked extremely hard on making sure the girls program was run seperate from the boys and at the same time they made sure girls program also received enough ice time. An issue in many communities.
Coach Scheid's squad's will be loaded with talent for the next 5-6 years because of the work of a few people and parents paying for their kids to play. He is doing a good job of letting them grow and develop in his system.

[benattherink]

As I recall, the Stillwater dads not only recruited at Stillwater schools. Seems to me that there was a North St. Paul goalie that came their way......

[Roman Legion]

Seems to me that the last 2 starting goalies for NSP were not from NSP. Please correct me if I am wrong. But I am sure that Anoka and Woodbury could have used those goalies.

[hockeyrube7]

What does ANY of that have to do with "Best Coached Teams"?

[benattherink]

You are right.....this discussion has nothing to do with "Best Coached Teams". My response was simply an observation relative to the great "recruiting" done by the Stillwater dads.

I believe that coaches can only do so much....the talent base is a huge factor. Enough said.[/u]

[hockeywild7]

Just shows your lack of knowledge about the program to say they were recruited.

[MNHockeyFan]

You are right.....this discussion has nothing to do with "Best Coached Teams". My response was simply an observation relative to the great "recruiting" done by the Stillwater dads.

I believe that coaches can only do so much....the talent base is a huge factor. Enough said.[/u]

For this reason the best coached teams are not necessarily the teams that win the most - certainly talent or the lack of talent is the big differentiator in terms of season wins vs. losses. But it's those teams who improve the most as the season goes along that obviously are benefiting from good coaching.

[hockeyrube7]

You are right.....this discussion has nothing to do with "Best Coached Teams". My response was simply an observation relative to the great "recruiting" done by the Stillwater dads.

I believe that coaches can only do so much....the talent base is a huge factor. Enough said.[/u]

Absolutely, yet look at what you have for tallent and is the coach getting the best out of them? Every school has stories, and every kid has some good youth coaches behind them. Yet I have seen many teams with much tallent do poorly, and I have seen many teams with poor tallent do very well also. My bet is still on Cloquet, you can see my comments why in previous post on the thread.

[Roman Legion]

One of the best coaches around is Evan Ziegler at Minnehaha. He is a high quality coach and person. He teaches the kids more than just hockey and is a great example.

[xwildfan]

Roman, are you saying there is more to life than hockey? I thought it was all about being on top teams; getting" noticed"; obtaining the all-important D1 scholarship, etc.

[Roman Legion]

Yes. That is what I am saying. It is always nice to know some people with perspective are out there. Thanks.

With all of the Bobby Knight stuff going on in the last few weeks I just saw something interesting from him. He was talking about what he hopes his athletes have learned from him before they leave his program. He basically said three things:
1. Act with integrity
2. Be able to compete in their profession
3. And do so honestly.

Interesting that he said nothing about preparing people for professional basketball. This type of perspective all of us need.

[allhoc11]

RL, good post, and I would assume that most great coaches have similiar hopes. There goal is to prepare their kids for life, and the sport is just a good avenue to get their attention.

[ghshockeyfan]

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincitie ... 462062.htm

Now at full strength I expect Sibley to have a solid end to the season as well.

Another level of competition
A former NHL all-star finds satisfaction coaching high school girls.
BY BRIAN MURPHY
Pioneer Press
With four Stanley Cup rings, Dave Langevin has unrivaled credibility for coaching girls high school hockey despite diamonds that can outrival him for players' attention.

The Sibley High first-year coach wore one of his New York Islanders championship rings behind the bench during a game this season and vowed never again.

'I was drawing a play on the chalkboard, and they noticed it on my hand, and it was, 'Oh, my God, is that your Stanley Cup ring?' I'm telling them to look at the board, but they all wanted to see it and wear it,' Langevin recalled with a chuckle.

Observing Warriors practice last week, though, it was clear Langevin commands the utmost respect and attention to detail from a group of players eager to learn the fundamentals and principles of the sport from an NHL all-star defenseman.

"I thought I knew a lot about hockey until he came here," said junior center and leading scorer Calli Brennan. "If he says something, I don't question whether it's right or wrong because I know he's right."

The desire to teach and build a championship program at his daughter Anna's school inspired Langevin to pursue the job after helping former Sibley coach Jerry Ball run some practices last season. The venture has been fulfilling yet challenging for the St. Paul native.

The Warriors (7-11-1) have been decimated by injuries to key players. Without a junior varsity team to provide reinforcements, their razor-thin depth has been exposed.

Sniper Katie Anderson and top defensemen Meghan Lange and Meghan Parker have missed a significant number of games, helping to mire the Warriors in seventh place in the eight-team Classic Suburban Conference after they went 18-7 in 2005-06.

However, victories over heralded teams from Hastings and Farmington swept Sibley to the Schmitz Holiday Classic tournament championship Dec. 29. Langevin expects to have all three injured players back when the playoffs start next month and hopes the tough losses steel his team's resolve to pull off more upsets.

"They're not used to losing three or four games in a row to teams they used to beat, but I think it's the best thing that could have happened to these girls," he said. "Going through adversity helps you find out what kind of team you are. They're getting tougher mentally."

Langevin ought to know. Champions rarely sail through the two-month grinder known as the Stanley Cup playoffs without overcoming hardship.

After playing three seasons for the Edmonton Oilers in the defunct World Hockey Association, Langevin joined the New York Islanders in 1979-80 and became part of an NHL dynasty. New York won four consecutive Stanley Cups, culminating with Langevin's all-star 1982-83 season. No team has won more than two consecutive titles since.

A physical, stay-at-home defender nicknamed "Bammer," Langevin returned home to play for the North Stars in 1985-86, then signed with the Los Angeles Kings the following season, when a knee injury ended his career at age 32.

Before turning pro, he spent four seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth after leading Hill-Murray High School to independent state championships in 1970 and '72.

Langevin played for renowned tactician and legendary Islanders bench boss Al Arbour but says his greatest influence was his Hill-Murray coach, Andre Beaulieu, who built the private school into a dominant hockey power.

"He brought me to a different level through hard work, teamwork and accountability as a player, which is the foundation of playing well," Langevin said.

After retiring from the NHL, Langevin went to work appraising real estate, which he still does out of his house in Mendota Heights. His only head-coaching experience came in 1997-98, when he led the Idaho Steelheads of the low-minor West Coast Hockey League to a 27-30-7 record.

But the long-distance commuting between Idaho and Minnesota was too taxing, and Langevin spent several seasons helping coach boys youth hockey clinics in Woodbury before the Sibley job opened.

Warriors athletics director Brian Ihrke knew Langevin's hockey experience was unmatched among the five candidates, but he emerged from the interview more impressed with his knowledge about teaching kids.

"Everybody knew about his résumé, but you have to be careful when you're talking about working with kids and parents," Ihrke said. "I was confident he would do a good job with that, and I haven't heard any negatives."

It is demanding enough being a teen-age girl trying to impress a former NHL player. Imagine being that former player's daughter and skating at his position.

Sophomore Anna Langevin is only in her third season playing organized hockey, although she figure-skated for seven years, helping her to skate backward as a defenseman.

Anna also endures a disproportionate share of the coach's wrath. She insists it's nothing over the top, but Anna also understands her father's need for credibility in the dressing room.

"I know he can't seem like he's showing me any favors, so he's a little harder on me," she said.

Dave Langevin thirsts to swig champagne out of the Stanley Cup again as a head coach yet acknowledges winning a state championship with Sibley could taste equally sweet. Either way, he is enjoying himself too much to latch onto any grand plan.

"This has been one of the most satisfying jobs I've had in hockey. I'm having so much fun," Langevin said. "The response I'm getting from the girls, to see them learn and grow, I really appreciate spending time with them."

Brian Murphy can be reached at brianmurphy@pioneerpress.com.

[MNHockeyFan]

Great article - thanks for sharing.

[ghshockeyfan]

One of the very best HS Coaches I know posted a career milestone victory on Friday against my squad and I wanted to congratulate him and recognize this accomplishment.

I imagine he has to be at the very top of the all-time list having posted win #300. Congrats to Dave Palmquist!!! A great coach, and also a great advocate of the girls game.

The Pioneer Press had a short blurb:
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincitie ... 558469.htm
=======================================
Posted on Sat, Jan. 27, 2007

From news services

High schools: South St. Paul girls hockey coach Dave Palmquist recorded his 300th career victory when the visiting Packers defeated Simley 5-0 in a Classic Suburban Conference game. Katelyn Crnobrna had a goal and three assists for South St. Paul.

=======================================

[MNHockeyFan]

I imagine he has to be at the very top of the all-time list having posted win #300. Congrats to Dave Palmquist!!! A great coach, and also a great advocate of the girls game.

I was wondering if anyone keeps track of the all time wins for girls high school hockey coaches. With so much upheaval in the girls coaching ranks each year, I would think Dave Palmquist has to be No. 1. Maybe some day when he's all done he'll be remembered as the Willard Ikola of girls hockey.

If the same coach had stayed at Roseville over the years, then maybe that person would be close - not sure but I remember they were dominant for many years (and they're still very, very good). But I believe Roseville has a few coaching changes since the girls started playing at the high school level.

Who would be No. 2 all time?

[mnhockgal]

One of the very best HS Coaches I know posted a career milestone victory on Friday against my squad and I wanted to congratulate him and recognize this accomplishment.

I imagine he has to be at the very top of the all-time list having posted win #300. Congrats to Dave Palmquist!!! A great coach, and also a great advocate of the girls game.

The Pioneer Press had a short blurb:
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincitie ... 558469.htm
=======================================
Posted on Sat, Jan. 27, 2007

From news services

High schools: South St. Paul girls hockey coach Dave Palmquist recorded his 300th career victory when the visiting Packers defeated Simley 5-0 in a Classic Suburban Conference game. Katelyn Crnobrna had a goal and three assists for South St. Paul.

=======================================

Pretty good for a NON HOME-GROWN team anyway! Palmquist has done a nice job with the talent he had had and his teams are always better at the end than the start. This year may be one of his best coaching jobs as SSP really only has about 4 f's and 2 d who would play at most schools and despite that they are at least an above avg A team.

[boblee]

Grand Rapids/Greenway always peaks at the right time. They have the best coach in the state. Pat Rendle.