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Today’s podcast is split into two parts. The first is a discussion I recorded with University of Vermont men’s hockey coach Todd Woodcroft about the job he has undertaken to rebuild a once-proud hockey program. It was a very engaging, educational conversation that covered so many elements of coaching, player development, philosophies and various things Woodcroft has learned from his experiences and mentors.
Woodcroft’s career has been a remarkable for someone who has not yet hit 50 years old. He’s worked as a video coach and assistant coach in the NHL, and was also a scout for a number of years. On top of that, Woodcroft has been a coach at the international level, working at multiple world championships with Canada, Belarus, Switzerland and, most recently, Sweden. He will be an assistant coach for Sweden’s men’s hockey team at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing as well.
There is so much ground covered and I learned so much in the 40 minutes we spoke that I didn’t want to wait to share that with you.
The second part of the podcast deals with the situation regarding the Chicago Blackhawks.
Content Warning: Today’s podcast covers sexual assault and may be uncomfortable for some listeners. Discretion is advised.
It’s been a very strange, unsettling 24 hours in the hockey world, given the revelations brought forward by the independent investigation into how the Chicago Blackhawks handled allegations by a former player that he was sexually assaulted by video coach Brad Aldrich during the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
I will share my own thoughts and disappointments with how things were handled and also discuss a path forward and what the hockey community can hopefully learn from this ordeal.
Since Stan Bowman has resigned his post with both the Blackhawks and USA Hockey as Team USA’s Olympic GM, I also took a look at USA Hockey’s next steps for choosing a new GM, who the options might be and why Bill Guerin is unlikely to succeed Bowman at this time.
These aren’t fun conversations to have, but they are necessary. Hockey has to confront these issues across the sport, from the grassroots to the NHL, in order for this game to grow and remain healthy. We can’t ignore these problems and hope they’ll go away. As we just saw, they only fester and explode with many people impacted negatively. Let’s hope the game is about to get better from this truly disappointing and sad ordeal.
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Talking Hockey Sense Episode 25: UVM Head Coach Todd Woodcroft; Blackhawks fallout