Preseason: Foundation For Success

It is that time of year again. Hockey communities at all levels are preparing for another year. The memories of last season remain but a mere learning tool. The glories, and the follies, of the past mean nothing. A fresh beginning.

At the division 1 collegiate level, preseason is the most exciting and crucial factor in developing a work ethic that will lead to a winning season. A fresh aroma permeates through the executive offices down the stairs into the hallways, where constant motion from the entire organization's members help diffuse the smell of a new year into the locker room, the gym, the video room, the equipment room, the training room, and finally into the entire arena.  The vibrant colors of freshly painted logos are almost jumping out from underneath the untainted ice-surface.

BU Head Coach Jack Parker 

Returning players shuffle through the hallways, ready to get back into the swing of things. New players arrive, anxious to be accepted into their new team; their new family. Equipment managers work hastily to accommodate the team with everything they need in order to get the season underway. Video Coordinators work tirelessly on retrieving old film on upcoming opponents and making motivational, pump-up videos that will help set the tone for the new season. Media relations   personnel are busy at work planning new ways to promote and advertise the new season.

No matter where you look throughout the entire organization, from the coaches and players, to the staff, to the front offices, and even down to the rink managers, the work being done all stems from one source: the head coach.The role of the head coach is one of the most fascinating features of a college hockey program. He, or she, is not only the head of the twenty-something players on the roster, but rather the head of the entire organization. For the head coach, preseason is a time where his, or her, strategy for the new season is sent through the ranks and instilled in everyone's minds. That is why communication is a major factor in the development of a winning program. If a coach can properly communicate his goals through the organization in a way that will get everyone on the same page, especially his staff and players, then there will be no confusion about the approach to what lies ahead. A general going into battle cannot afford to have his army running aimlessly through the battlefield, using whatever weapon he chose. That is a recipe for disaster. Rather, a smart and victorious general sends his strategy through the ranks so that his entire army is united under one goal.

Many contemporary hockey fans watch the game and think that it is the talent of the players on the team, or a few individuals that make for a winning club. What they fail to recognize is that these players are simply players, performing according to the plan communicated from above. Communication is key to a winning season and it all starts in preseason.