Page 21 of Not My Coach

I can’t resist stopping at the bar to grab a frozen piña colada before I walk back to our section.

As I descend the stairs to our seats, I realize we are smack dab behind the Nighthawks bench and just a few rows up. Thankfully though, we are a few rows up from the divider between players and fans, so we’ll at least be able to see over their big heads.

The lights dim, and I shovel popcorn into my mouth as the announcer welcomes us to the Nighthawks arena.

The Boston Thunder showed up hungry for a win tonight. They are playing hard, fast, and intensely. They are a fairly forward-heavy team, attacking on offense and breakaways, trying to catch our defense off guard. And unfortunately, during the first period tonight, it’s working. Although we aren’t exactly helping ourselves. Our players, across all lines, are making dumb mistakes. If they keep doing this, we are going to lose tonight. We would deserve to lose if we don’t get our shit together out there.

We are heading to the locker room, losing zero to one.

“Do you think we should reverse the line change? Perhaps that was a mistake.” Assistant Coach Monroe asks condescendingly.

A pulse of anger beats in my heart at the doubt in his voice.

I handle my emotions, keeping them checked at all times. I am methodical, controlled, and calculated. I strive to always be one step ahead of everyone else, and to do that, you have to be very observant and have strong, reliable instincts.

“Absolutely not. The changes are staying.” My tone is final as I step into the center of the locker room, addressing our players.

They quiet down as I drop the clipboard on the floor; it clatters like a bomb going off in the silence. “Are you happy with how you are playing out there?”

“No, Coach,” Kostelecky responds immediately, answering for his team.

“Well, at least you guys aren’t complete idiots tonight.” I laugh with no humor. “What the fuck is happening out there? I’ve never seen you guys play so goddamn sloppy and outright lazy. What are you guys going to change for the second period? Any suggestions?”

Silence echoes around me.

“Seriously, I want to hear solutions. Now,” I order the room.

“We get our act together and play like how we know we can,” Costello pipes up.

“How are you going to do that?” I ask, prodding his answer further.

Kostelecky answers for him. “It’s obvious that this team is banking on getting breakaways and one-on-ones with Macky. Or outmanned zone breaks in general. Our defenders should continue to play offensively, but they should keep closer to the very edge of the zone so that they can stop any stragglers. Our passes need to be cleaned up a lot. That will also stop a lot of the bouncing pucks that have been leading to our turnovers.”

Alec Kostelecky has always had a very high hockey IQ. He sees the game in a similar way that I do—predicting moves before they happen. He’s smart.

I could sit here and yell at this team. I could tell them every single thing that they fucked up on in the first period. But that’s not going to make them play better during the next forty minutes on the ice. It’s not going to empower them to look at their own play and find the flaws. It would just piss them off.

Don’t get me wrong. There are times and places to use that tactic to rile your team up. But this isn’t one of them.

My boys might be professional hockey players, but they’re young, and they have a lot to learn—about themselves, about their team, and about their opponents. I am trying to grow not only their physical skills, but their mental skills too. If they can’t find solutions by themselves, then they are fucked because I can’t be with them on the ice every second of the game.

“Good. Defense?” I lock eyes with Larinski, then Donnelley, our top defenseman.

Larinski shakes his head in frustration. “I agree with Kos. My play has been loose, and I need to tighten that up.”

“Now, we’re getting somewhere. That reflection applies to a lot of you. Now, I’ll give you some tools on exactly how to do that,” I say and pick my clipboard up.

During the next few minutes, I tell them all of the Thunder’s weaknesses that I’ve seen thus far. They are playing great on offense. But they are also leaving their defense full of huge holes. Their goalie is completely new, fresh out of college and debuted at his first NHL game just a few nights ago. But that isn’t a weakness of his; it’s a strength that he is leaning into. His passion and drive are outmatched. He’s a hard worker, and it’s paying off both for him and his team.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he works, he still has a few flaws. He favors his glove side, as most goalies do. This leaves his blocker side more open for shots, and the bottom left corner of the net, between his arm and leg, is exactly where we need to be shooting.

Their top scorer is running their team tonight, and we need to be better about having more than one of our guys near him to ensure he barely gets any shots.

If they can pick up their pace, focus on playing smart, and implement the new knowledge I gave them, they can win.

Sometimes, it’s hard, not being the one lacing up and taking the ice. I can’t be the one to bring the team back up out there; that crown weighs on Kostelecky’s head.

I had my time as captain for many years, playing for the Washington Wild. I had a good career. Some say I retired too early, but I think the timing was just right. After my third ACL tear, I knew that my body couldn’t take much more. I made the decision to retire at the end of my last contract, and I’ve never regretted it.

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