Joey Payeur
Wayne Strachan’s coaching batteries have received a much-needed recharge this summer.
The head coach and general manager of the Fort Frances Lakers concluded the second of two trips to Calgary over the past couple of months after being chosen to take part in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence (POE) National under-17 Team Experience.
Getting the opportunity to work with some of the best coaches and up-and-coming players in the country was an infusion of inspiration for the man whose five SIJHL coach-of-the-year awards is the most in league history.
Perhaps most importantly, it helped put what was a difficult and at times frustrating end to the Lakers’ run of three-straight SIJHL titles behind him.
“It’s what I needed at this time,” he noted. “It was a great experience to learn more about the game in which you want in itself.
“I will admit last season was tough on me compared to previous years, and not just because we struggled to put wins together,” he added before becoming even more candid.
“Looking back, we had a lack of respect for the game by many team members, which turned into cancers on our team and it affected our season all year.
“Whether it was off-the-ice workouts, not buying into your role for the team, disrespect for team rules, and more, all these minor details affect our overall performance and the way the team functions.
“With knowing [assistant GM and coach Grant Perreault] was not well, and then his passing, affected me a lot in life and my general duties,” admitted Strachan about his colleague and close friend, who died of cancer April 1 in the afternoon before the Lakers’ Game 3 clash with the Dryden GM Ice Dogs that evening in the SIJHL semi-finals.
“I did not realize how much I leaned on him for help until it isn’t there anymore,” he noted.
“After the season ended, I was working and recruiting but was lost, so to speak, without him.”
Strachan said to have the opportunity and experience, as well as to see POE Team Black head coach Dave Struch’s passion and excitement for the game, pumped him up for the upcoming SIJHL season.
“He would talk or present something to the staff and/or players, and I left that presentation excited to get the next task done,” Strachan recalled.
“It’s what I needed to witness and take out of this great opportunity.”
The first part of the program saw Strachan attend the 2017 POE Coaches Seminar in June at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park, the home of Hockey Canada.
“It was good to see that our philosophies [with the Lakers] were on the right lines as some of the higher leagues and even the NHL,” he noted.
“One of the biggest lessons I will bring back is the mental side of coaching and how big it is at the higher levels, and what techniques they use to have the players focused, prepared, rested, and ready to play every day.
“I did not realize that so many mental performance representatives were used at the higher levels to keep their athletes focused and mentally prepared for competition,” Strachan said.
“You read or hear about motivational speakers talking with teams here and there, but an actual coach just to understand how the players are doing, where they are at mentally, was new to me and very interesting to learn about from my perspective,” he remarked.
“The other things would be the little on-ice systems that we can add without complicating it too much for our level of play.”
Strachan had a gold mine of coaching experience to draw ideas from at the seminar.
“I have had coaches’ clinics where the experience of the presenters was great from the CHL, Canadian and U.S. universities, and minor pro,” he noted.
“But to be able to work with the coaches . . . and learn from them was something I have never encountered in my coaching career,” Strachan admitted.
“To see some of the passion they bring, the intellectual side of the game, and to hear how they speak and teach the players was good to see.”
The second part of the program came late last month when Strachan helped out at the National under-17 Development Camp.
He was an assistant coach for Team Blue at the camp, and he and another guest coach worked with one of Hockey Canada Team Black’s assistant coaches, who was head coach of Team Blue.
“We were with the players most of the time, making sure they were on time for presentations and events throughout the week,” noted Strachan.
“We helped in practice situations, sat in on debriefings daily with all Team Black staff members on what the day brought, players’ attitude evaluations, and what we thought in general about the day’s happenings.
“In games, I was in charge of the defence of Team Blue.”
Strachan almost had to pinch himself at times when he looked at what was happening around him to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
“You know Canada has good hockey players at every age group, but to have the top 111 in one centre at one time to see firsthand is somewhat surreal,” he said.
“The work ethic, the respect, the compete level was top-notch,” he stressed. “To see how these young men want to learn, take advice, and to soak it all in was great to see itself.
“Even if the advice was something little, these players listened and went and tried it,” Strachan noted.
“In my cluster, they were ultimately competing to be one of the 22 players on Hockey Canada Team Black and many players’ level of play was a great experience to witness.”
