At the beginning of August, Vancouver Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra and his coaching staff came together at Rogers Arena to discuss the standards they want to set for the season ahead.
The weekend was an opportunity to go through systems and structure and was the first chance for his coaching staff to spend extended time together in the same room, get to know one another, and begin shaping how they want the Canucks to play and how they want the team to feel.
The group had Zoom meetings and phone calls prior to their first coaches’ meeting, but the energy and excitement of finally being together gave the weekend “first day of school” vibes.
“This is something that I’ve been looking forward to for a while. Just the opportunity to get everybody into the room together and start talking hockey,” Malhotra said.
“You just have those emotions of wanting everything to go right, wanting to balance meeting everybody, and getting to know everybody while getting the work that we needed done.”
Malhotra has been part of coaching meetings for a decade, including two seasons as the head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks. As his inaugural season at the helm of Vancouver approaches, he said his preparation for the first in-person meeting was different than in years past.
“Making sure you have a checklist of everything that you want to accomplish over the course of that weekend. That’s probably the biggest one,” Malhotra said. “Making sure you have everything covered, all the video and what you want guys to cover is delegated, and then just having an organized itinerary for those couple days.”
Although they had a checklist to get through, Malhotra is as much a relationship builder with his staff as he is with his players, and it’s important to him to have a group that’s close. Collaboration is at the centre of that. Assistant coaches Ryan Mougenel, Jordan Smith, Jason Krog, and goalie coach Marko Torenius each have their own responsibilities, but Malhotra wants the group to operate as a collective.
He welcomes debate, challenging ideas, and presenting options or different ways of looking at something.
“I invite the confrontation, and I invite the discussion in the room and the arguments; that’s all good for me,” Malhotra said. “I like when there’s back and forth in the room. I think that’s very important for even individual growth, that you’ll be able to better explain what you’re teaching and why you’re teaching it.”
Mougenel will focus on offence and the power play; Smith will work with the defence and penalty kill; Krog will work with Mougenel on offensive principles and attacking off the rush, while also serving as a jack of all trades, looking at different pieces of their structure and system and working individually with players through skill and video. Torenius will continue working with the goaltenders.
Each coach brings a different area of expertise; Malhotra says one thing they have in common is that they’re all effective communicators.
His philosophy is built around the belief that relationships are essential to teaching because everyone learns differently. The key is figuring out how players learn and tailor the message so they can understand it best. Some players are visual learners. Others need to hear an explanation, see a video clip, or have a concept drawn out for them. Before a coach can teach effectively, Malhotra believes they need to understand the person standing in front of them.
“One of the biggest strengths that our staff possess is their ability to relate to people and talk to people, and that’s such a big part of teaching,” Malhotra said.
“The guys that we have on our staff are really good communicators. Not just explaining systems, but even their relatability, getting to know guys, and being able to build relationships. This staff is able to talk to players, not just on a hockey level, but to relate to them as people, and once you get into that level of conversation with guys, once you get into that level of relationship, then it’s much easier to teach and get your point across.”
That ability to connect to the players is one part of the culture Malhotra is trying to create. The other is the energy the coaching staff brings to the room every day.
He wants his staff to lead by example in the energy, joy, and passion they bring to the rink. Joy is a big part of the equation for him, as he believes it’s a privilege to be in the NHL, and that being part of the league is a special experience that should be embraced.
The energy, passion, joy, and accountability are all connected in Malhotra’s philosophy. The hard work that players put in, their competitive nature, and their desire to get better are all part of creating an environment where they can enjoy the game while still being held to a high standard.
The systems may evolve through in-game adjustments, but the foundation won’t change from one night to the next. Players will need to understand the standard, know their systems, and understand their individual responsibilities within them.
“We want them to play with passion. Be passionate about what you do, love the grind, and want to get better on a daily basis,” said Malhotra.
"When it comes down to it, when you’re playing with joy and a passion and just a love for the game, that’s when you bring out the best in what you do individually and collectively.”
The foundation has already started to take shape, and the details will come with practices, video sessions, and games. Malhotra and his coaching staff will soon see their ideas move from the coaches’ room to the rink and get their first real look at what they’re building together.
