The Hockey Masterclass – Details, episodes & analysis

On this episode we are joined by Mathieu Darche, former NHLer and current Director of Hockey Operations for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Darche, a proud hockey dad and former minor and High School hockey coach, shares his experiences and insight along with sage advice to young athletes, coaches and parents.

Darche proudly took the "road less travelled" to the pros and details his experience playing hockey at Choate Rosemary Hall and what led him to McGill University, where in his last year, he was named the CIS Outstanding student-athlete and was awarded the Dr. Randy Gregg Award. McGill University served as the unlikely launchpad for a pro career and stints with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens.

On this episode we are joined by Maxim Noreau, former QMJHL standout, two-time Olympian and member of the ZSC Lions in the Swiss National League.

Tune in for a thought provoking conversation from a "late bloomer" about why it's important to fall in love with the game and his thoughts on player development. Part owner of Centre XPN, Noreau dives in to the keys to taking care of ones body and how he's maintained an edge.

Professionally, Noreau has played in the NHL, AHL, ECHL and Swiss National "League A" and has had the privilege of representing Canada on numerous occasions and is a two time Olympian (2018 Bronze Medal & Olympic All-Star Team Selection) and 4 time Spengler Cup Gold Medalist. 

On this episode we are joined by Jeremy Rupke a.k.a. Coach Jeremy of How to Hockey.  Jeremy has a passion for the game and develops content to entertain, educate and motivate hockey players so that anyone, anywhere can enjoy the best game in the world. His instructional videos are highly useful for players of all ages and skill levels.

Jeremy coaches with dreams of every player falling in love with the game, learning about self improvement, confidence, respect, team work, adversity, dedication and having a blast doing it.

Coach Jeremy has developed a multitude of phenomenal resources on all of his platforms. Here's where to find him:

• Website
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Instagram

On this episode we are joined by Dr. Adam Naylor, High Performance Expert and Player Development Consultant, who has spent over 25 years serving competitive hockey players, coaches, and organizations. His clients have competed on 20 different teams in the National Hockey League and include champions at all levels of the game.

This episode is a must listen for coaches and parents who want some insight in to, among other things, Dr. Naylor's research and key learnings around balancing "Playing to Win" and "Player Development".

Dr. Naylor currently leads two consulting practices, one focused on the development of athletes and sport organizations Telos SPC  (www.telos-spc.com) and Primary Leadership Development (www.primaryld.com) focused on supporting and coaching leaders across a variety of business and elite performance domains.

On this episode we are joined by former NHLer PJ Stock, who played 235 career games with the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, and Boston Bruins amassing 26 points and 523 penalty minutes.

Stock took an unlikely path to the NHL via the Pembroke Lumber Kings, Victoriaville Tigres and St. Francis Xavier University. Although the journey was unique, the hard work and determination that got him there is shared by many.

Stock, who lives in Montreal, has transitioned to a successful career off the ice and is the father of 4 children.

On this episode we are joined by Tim Turk, renowned skills coach who works with NHL players and with many organizations, minor hockey teams, coaches and players of all ages and levels.

Turk specializes in Shooting, Passing and Puck Preparation and Control, while also teaching the technical aspects and strategies of puck protection. He goes in depth to talk about how to teach shooting and his approach to individual development.

Some of Turk's NHL clients include Brendan Gallagher (Montreal Canadiens), Mitch Marner (Toronto Maple Leafs), Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning, Mika Zibanejad (New York Rangers), P.K. Subban (New Jersey Devils) and many more. Turk has also worked with 4 NHL organizations (Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, and Arizona Coyotes), and many National Programs overseas.

For more information and some incredible resources check out timturkhockey.com

On this episode we are joined by Pierre McGuire, hockey analyst for NBC and former NHL Coach and Scout. 

The two-time Stanley Cup winner talks about his perspective on player development and shares valuable insight regarding his role as a "hockey dad" to son Ryan, a Colgate University commit. McGuire also speaks to his experience as a parent to an athlete in a sport that he was less familiar with - rowing - as daughter (Justine) is an elite level rower at Dartmouth College.

McGuire's take on being a hockey parent and player development is a must-listen for anybody involved in minor hockey.

On this episode we are joined by Kevin Weekes, former NHL goaltender, current NHL Network and NHL.com Broadcaster Analyst, and member of the NHL Player Inclusion Committee.

Weekes talks about all facets of the game including goaltender development, diversity in hockey, along with his long term aspirations to continue to give back to the game he loves in a management role with an NHL club.

Weekes took a few moments to address some heartfelt questions from Vimal Sukumaran (Providence College) and Kerfalla Touré (Carleton Place Canadians) as they shared their experiences growing up in the game.

On this episode we are joined by Gordie Dwyer and Mark Carlson, two experienced coaches who have developed talent and successfully found balance between winning and development, helping players get to the next level.

Gordie Dwyer played five seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens. He has spent time coaching in both the QMJHL, most recently with the Shawinigan Cataractes, and the KHL, where he was last the head coach of HC Dinamo Minsk.

Mark Carlson is the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders President, Head Coach and General Manager. He joined the team in 1999 as the Head Coach and General Manager.  In 2016, he became the second United States Hockey League (USHL) coach to reach 1,000 games. Over 500 players who have skated for Carlson have received Division I scholarships, 38 have been selected in the National Hockey League Draft, 41 have signed NHL contracts, over 100 are developing in the minor leagues, and 22 have made their NHL debuts.

On this episode we are joined by Hockey Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman, who holds the record for most wins in league history, with 1,248 wins in the regular season and 223 in the Stanley Cup playoffs and ranks 2nd all time (behind Jean Béliveau's seventeen) for most Stanley Cup victories by a player, coach or executive with fourteen.

Bowman coached the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Detroit Red Wings. He is currently the Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations for the Chicago Blackhawks (his son, Stan, is the team's general manager).

Bowman never stops learning and evolving. In fact, analytics, in particular, are a source of fascination for you. As senior advisor, he gets the Blackhawks’ proprietary analytics sent to him after every game. And he shares what he learns — and what he’s learned over the past six decades — with anyone who’ll listen. He joined The Hockey Masterclass to share years of experience and wisdom.