Thirty-five ago, the U.S. Olympic hockey team was creating what came to be known as the Miracle on Ice. Under the stern leadership of coach Herb Brooks, the Americans upset the then-Soviet Union and capped a sports story for the ages with a victory over Finland. Brooks, whose tough style involved insults and at least […]
“Honesty is the best policy,” George Washington once wrote. Too bad he can’t be in the gym when it’s time to make cuts. Sometimes coaches must be brutally honest with those whom they lead, and no one I know likes this part of the business. Whether you have to cut players, send them to the […]
One day Hall of Fame baseball player Ted Williams watched a teammate return to the dugout after striking out. “Tell me,” Williams said. “When you swung and missed that ball, did your bat go over the ball or under it?” “What difference does it make,” the teammate wanted to know. “Either way, I struck out.” […]
On Wayne Gretzky’s birthday — he turns 51 today — I always think of practice and of Gretzky’s father, Walter. One day, when Wayne Gretzky was already the greatest hockey player in the world, he was practicing with his team, the Edmonton Oilers. Walter watched from the stands. Afterwards, the two drove home together. “You […]
Last night’s U.S. men’s Olympic hockey victory over Team Canada came nearly 30 years to the day after the “Miracle on Ice,” in which the Americans stunned the Soviet Union. If anything, the victory over Canada underlines exactly how unbelievable the “Miracle on Ice” was. At least this year’s American team is made up of […]