Making Coaches Better

The quotation on the whiteboard to the left is a generally-accepted adage in the world of sports despite very few coaches ever saying it aloud to players. Coaches will tell hockey players that they need to shoot more or "be more selfish" when those coaches believe players are looking to pass on scoring chances, but coaches are supposed to keep players in check when it comes to ice time, reaching their potentials, and remaining disciplined. Considering the number of issues seen with bad behaviour in coaches over the last decade, was anyone keeping them in check? As of Thursday, it appears that the IIHF is working to make that happen in order to make the game better.

Announced last week, the IIHF is requiring all coaches to take an online exam that "will be mandatory for all coaches participating in official IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships". The purpose of this online exam is to ensure "the safety and well-being of all participants" taking part in any of the IIHF World Championships, and it focuses on abuse and harassment towards players and officials by coaches. In short, the IIHF is making any coach who wants to be part of the IIHF-back championships to take a "respect in sport" course!

A large number of governing bodies in hockey already require coaches to prove they have taken the local "respect in sport including Hockey Manitoba, the Ontario Minor Hockey Association, and Hockey Alberta, and Hockey Canada claims that there are more than 230,000 coaches in Canada who have completed the course offered by Respect Group Inc. This effort has helped coaches "recognize, understand, and respond to issues of bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination" in the sport, but there's still more work that can be done.

While there haven't been many examples of coaches overstepping their boundaries at IIHF events that I can recall, having the IIHF reinforce the idea of coaches having respect for players and officials is a good thing in this writer's view. The 90-minute course can be completed when convenient with the option to save progress and return later, and it will be mandatory for anyone who holds a "coach" title such as assistant coaches, video coaches, and skills coaches that attends a IIHF-sanctioned world championship.

I'm not pointing fingers at anyone, but this effort may be intended more for the lower world championship divisions when it comes to those developing hockey countries. Occasionally, we'll see coaches who take issue with a call or a play and voice some unhappiness, and the hope is that this behaviour can be curbed with a course like the one the IIHF is offering.

Coaches do have to register for the course, but the certification is good for two years once completed with an 80% final mark on the quiz. It will be mandatory starting this season moving forward, and coaches will be required to have completed of the course prior to any IIHF World Championship participation in which they may be involved.

Frankly, anything that promotes safety and respect in the game will be celebrated by me, and my hope is that we won't see any incidents at any level of the IIHF World Championships in the future. We see too many players and officials walk away from the game after incidents with coaches and fans, and it seems that the IIHF is looking to have one of those groups better behaved moving forward.

A tip of the cap to you, IIHF. This is a good initiative to start.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!