Our Top-5 NHL Guest Episodes & What They’ve Taught Us About Youth Hockey Development

Lee MJ Elias [0:00 - 2:16]: hello hockey friends and families around the world and welcome to a very special edition of our Kids Play Hockey. We're hitting a huge milestone with this episode. This is our 400th episode of the podcast. That's unbelievable number to say. That's 400 conversations, 400 lessons, 400 laughs and 400 stories all dedicated to growing the game that we love together. So to mark this occasion, the team and I got together, tried to figure out what are we going to do. We're going to roll out a best of series of somewhat micro episodes. But each episode in the series will feature a hand picked moment from some of our most meaningful conversations from over the years. They're going to highlight guest stories and insights that stuck with us long after we hit stop on the recording. So we're going to jump in and out of the episodes with quick reflections, then share a few of the most powerful clips from those conversations. And of course we hope you'll go back and listen to these episodes again if it strikes a chord. We have a lot of people email us that they've listened to episodes two or three times, if you can believe it. So this is our gift to you just to make your life a little easier. Some of the top fives along the way. So sit back, enjoy the ride and above all, thank you all for helping us reach 400 episodes of our Kids Play hockey. We are nowhere near done with the show. We have so much more to talk about and so many new surprises coming up for you as well. But let's jump into our first episode to celebrate 400. Today's topic is the top five episodes with NHL guests. And to lead it off, have one of the greatest of all time. He's one of the top 100 NHL players of all time. He's a Hall of Famer. He's one, I believe, seven Stanley Cups. And his name is Brian Trachea. And we're starting actually with his ride to the rink episode. Although you should listen to his full episode. The hall of Famer reflects on his journey from a small Saskatchewan town to NHL greatness ensures how his his roots as a First Nation person keep him committed to the indigenous communities in Canada and around the world. Right. And a strong sense of mentorship and how it helped to shape his life and legacy on both sides of the ice. So here's Brian on how players from all walks of life can unite around one goal by by grabbing the same rope. What do I mean by that? Listen to this. 

Bryan Trottier [2:16 - 3:05]: You gotta grab a hold of this rope and we all Gotta grab a hold of this culture. Even though we come from different backgrounds, we got players coming from all over the world. Everybody comes from a different culture, but we all have something to bring to the table. We all have a skill. We all have a desire. Maybe it's the same desires. Maybe it's a little bit different skills. Maybe it's something that. But it's chemistry. And the biggest goal is the Stanley Cup. We all want to win. So if everybody has that, that sense of winning is more important than just scoring a goal. Yeah, we want score goals to help our team win. Let's all score. Let's all be working hard. Let's all try to defend at the same time. So when we don't have the buck, we're defending. And all those things have to gel so that you have success. 

Lee MJ Elias [3:06 - 4:14]: Man, I love Brian Trache. We've done several episodes with him. You should definitely check them out. Why you should go back and listen to this ride of the rink. It really is a master class in human humility. I've had some of it there, but me trying to say that word. It's a master class in humility, identity and legacy from one of the sport's most respected voices. I mean, you don't get much better than Brian Trache. There's a few names, right? One of those names, from a coaching standpoint is Mike Keenan. Iron Mike is our next episode. So this episode was called Mike Keenan the Art and Science of Coaching. Man, it was really cool to have Iron Mike Keenan on the show. I'm getting fanboying a little bit just talking about it now. He joined us with his book, Iron Mike coming out. And in this episode, he offered an inside look and what it takes to make a winning coach. This guy's won Stanley Cups. He's won a Gagarin cup in Russia. He knows what it takes to win. And blending structure, empathy and discipline, he shares stories from his NHL Championship and personal moments, which really shocked us a little bit. That reshaped his approach to leadership for those. You know, Mike Keenan, not the most open guy during his career, but he did for us. So listen to Coach Keenan explain why compassion can be a coach's greatest strength, especially in the toughest moments. Check it out. 

Mike Keenan [4:15 - 5:32]: It's like parenting. Sometimes you have to be firm, Sometimes you have to be encouraging and coddling. And it's a skill that involves many aspects of developing human behavior and reading the situation and knowing what is needed in a particular individual and or for a team setting at a particular time. And I think that, yes, I was very firm. I set the bar very high, yet I understood human behavior and could impact that process as a group and as individuals. When that. Whenever a situation surfaced, for example, and people may, particularly from Philadelphia, the. The death of Pelly Lindbergh, you know, I was a real demanding coach, but when that happened, I think that they saw a very empathetic individual that brought an element of compassion to the group that was very important. 

Lee MJ Elias [5:32 - 5:36]: All right, I'm sold. Although I was there, right. Why you should go back to listen to this. 

Mike Keenan [5:36 - 5:37]: It. 

Lee MJ Elias [5:37 - 6:27]: It really reveals the full emotional depth of a coach that often who's seen as tough and why understanding your players matter more than any drill. Right. It was just a really great, important episode. And. And again, another. Another amazing player. All right, the next one was a great one. Chris Taryon, former NHL defenseman. This episode was titled Chris Terry and what's Wrong with Youth Hockey. Right. Sounds like that could be 400 episodes long. But in this episode, Chris, or Bundy, as he's called by his friends, breaks down the biggest issues facing youth hockey today, including over communic commercialization, misplaced pressure, and a loss of purpose. Things he's experienced. Right. And he challenges parents in this episode and coaches to rethink what really matters. So here's Chris with a powerful reminder of why kids should really play hockey and that it's not about the trophies. Check it out. 

Chris Therien [6:28 - 6:57]: Reason that they should be playing is because it's fun. That's number one. Right. Number two is they should be playing because there is. You get. Learn life lessons. So along with the fun, couple that with competitiveness and, and, and. And grinding it out. Right? Like, life is sometimes hard. Sometimes you. You hit some roadblocks and stuff, and you have to be able to. In a depth to be able to deal with that. That's the second thing which is good for. And the third thing is camaraderie and. And hanging around your friend. 

Lee MJ Elias [6:58 - 8:06]: Yeah, this episode was really great. You should go back and listen to it. It's raw. All right? It's an honest perspective the parents and coaches need to hear, especially if they want hockey to be more than a scoreboard. Okay. And when I say Chris really went into it, man, he really went into it. I remember before this episode, he even said, you want me to talk about youth hockey? I remember him saying that. Right. So definitely check that one out. If you haven't. Okay, next one. Another NHL player. That's the whole point of the show. Steve Valkette, goalie and development, mental toughness. Steve Alkett, who famously played for the the New York Rangers, dropped a lot of knowledge on this episode and, and really looks at goalie and analytics and how he breaks them down into what today's goalies need to succeed. Strong fundamentals, mental reps and practices that most importantly simulate real game pressure. It's a mistake a lot of coaches make is they're not having their goalies simulate the game. And he really shared how data is reshaping the position and the mindset behind it, right when whether you're a goalie or not. This is a tremendous episode. And here in this clip, Steve's going to talk about why goalies need more than drills. They need pressure, need purpose. And the mental reps that we alluded to, check it out. 

Steve Valiquette [8:07 - 8:44]: Now train the mental part of the game. We always talk about how important it is to be mentally tough. The game's 99% mental. Oh, yeah. Who's working on it? I can tell you how you work on it, though. You have to put players in a position that they are competing in with posture, engagement, following rebounds, chasing down pucks. The goaltender knows the next shot is imminent. Everything feels like a game, and you know what happens? Everybody turns on. They get into the zone, they get into flow state, and now we're competing. And on that competition, there has to be an outcome. You have to have something at stake or nobody gets engaged. 

Lee MJ Elias [8:45 - 9:38]: Again, you should listen to this episode because it's just going to arm parents and coaches with real strategies to elevate a netminer's performance and their confidence. And again, if your kid is not a a goalie and you're a parent, you should still listen to this because the perspective is incredible, right? It's only going to make your player better if they understand how the goalie works. Okay, next one. We love this episode. Danny Brier, hockey dad. His name is episode Danny Brier, who's the GM of the Philadelphia Flyers, joined us. And look, this former standout, still a standout as gm, gets really personal about raising his kids, right? Not so much his time in the NHL, which was amazing. But he shares how he balances his pro level knowledge, which is important, with the humility of just being a dad and why watching quietly from the stands is his favorite role. So here's Danny reflecting on the simple joy of being a quiet, proud hockey dad. What's about Danny Briere, hockey dad. 

Daniel Briere [9:41 - 10:09]: Yeah, that's interesting. You know, I tried. I mean, I got involved in coaching here and there. My favorite was definitely watching, watching from afar and to be honest with you, I liked watching kind of by myself, making my own opinion. I would say I'm probably on the quieter side when I would watch the boys, but certainly enjoyed watching them playing. 

Lee MJ Elias [10:10 - 11:24]: Playing minor hockey again. If you need some more inspiration to go back and listen, this. This whole episode is a reminder that sometimes the best support we can give our kids is our calm presence and the belief in their journey that they need to own. They need to own their jersey. That was great from Danny. All right, that's gonna do it for the first edition of this 400 series that we're doing. We hope you enjoy this list. We'll have a lot more NHL guests coming in the future, but for the meantime, we've got several more 400th celebration episodes coming. So stay tuned because we've got episodes with the top top five episod for parents, for coaches, for goalies, with non NHL guests and a lot more coming. Maybe some surprises along the way. So listen, whether you've been with us since the very beginning, episode one, or you just found the show recently, we want to say again, a big thank you from all of us. You've made this community what it is, and we really are just getting started. And if you receive value from this or any of the episodes, share them. That's the best part of the community. Share them with your team, share them with your friends, share them with your coaches. Right. Whatever works. Okay, I'm Lee Elias. I'm talking on behalf of Christy Cashier Burns and Mike Benelli as well. We will see you on the next celebratory episode of Our Kids Play Hockey. Remember, as always, my friends, have fun, skate hard, skate on, and enjoy the game of hockey. 

Bryan Trottier [11:24 - 11:24]: We'll see you soon. 

Lee MJ Elias [11:24 - 12:12]: Bye. Bye, Sam.