Sunday 29 November 2009

Jason Cassidy's Blog: Club culture

Jason Cassidy's latest entry at The Hockey News:
Winning teams in the CIS are bound through a strong sense of team and brotherhood. Take the University of Alberta Golden Bears, who’ve won a record 13 national championships. The University of New Brunswick, also an annual powerhouse, has been to the national championship game three consecutive seasons, winning two of them. These teams make the most with the roster they have recruited year after year.
That one was for you UNB fans. Here is another interesting note
In the Atlantic Division (AUS) there has been speculation surrounding the abrupt resignation of University of Prince Edward Island coach Dylan Taylor. Rumour has it the players were fed up with his coaching methods and had lost confidence in his ability to guide the team.

I’d be surprised to see the truth actually surface, but it demonstrates the importance of culture and winning. When teams lose, they look to their leaders and coaching staff for guidance. In this case, it may not have been there. And when that culture isn’t there, a few simple trades can’t solve the problem to get your team out of a hole.

That’s why hockey is the most fascinating game on Earth. The logic goes far beyond what it should, and we love it.

5 comments:

  1. Many important things were learned last evening at the Aitkin Centre,all of them good;A team,the team,Tommies to the corp played the game plan almost to perfection and in the absence of a number of important parts but all will reakize that they have gained so much in twice taking the reigning Champs to O/T and have added many,many confidences that will play hugh dividends in the second half,the headline read "Heartbreak on the Hill" but I would sooner think of it as another level of enlightenment achieved and will prove to be no end of growth as a team,the team.
    I have been a fan of the Tommies since the last century ie the 60's and it has been a long time since I have seen" so much gained by so few" (somebody else said that) and now the mission over the break is to solidly contemplate this last weekends results and make sure that it translates to a strong sence of mission still underway.

    I know a number of you players and know that you all have a different set of skills and responsabilities which are very important to the success up to now and yet to come.

    The break from the game should include very,very hard work on "mental preparation" for the second half as it only gets tougher but is also full of as yet unrealized goals and the satisfaction of achieving those goals.

    BARRY COLLRIN,BA 68

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  2. I will disagree. The culture of winning certainly makes it easier to coach, because you only have to keep most of the team happy, those that get most of or at least some of the playing time. But if you are losing, it is not always in the hands of the coach. Outside of hockey look at pro baseball. How can the small market teams beat the big market teams? Inside hockey, look at UNB female hockey. No money given to the team, yet they were expected to win.Middle of the pack was not good enough for UNB. MTA girls do not even get stick money, yet STU gets to pay European players to come here. UNB men have sponsors that funnel money to hockey players so they can have 4 wheel drive trucks.

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  3. 2nd commentator....and which player drives a 4 wheel drive truck??? Before you spit out BS be specific when you make allegations!! That whole post verifies that you have ZERO idea what is going on at either UNB or STU.

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  4. Stick Budget??? Does anyone besides parents and family members ACTUALLY pay to watch womens AUS hockey???

    Meanwhile the mens hockey programs continue to pay for the bulk of the other non-mainstream sports with their take at the gate.

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  5. and what would you call non-mainstream sports? I think that Parents of the other sports buy all events passes at both universities. Thus a female hockey parent buys an all event pass. Why else would the AUC announce 2500 fans when there are less than 1000 in the building? I realize there are corporate sponsors who support them through season passes, but....

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