Category Archives: Columns
AHU Coach’s Corner – Guest Column: Is it feasible to keep spending cash on team building?
December 5th, 2019This is Part of 2 of this guest column series from Carlos Valdes-Dapena. We discussed last issue how most corporate team building is a waste of time and money and how collaboration was perceived as messy and diluted accountability and offered few tangible rewards. READ OUR LATEST ISSUE Based on that insight, we developed a…
Mission Statement: Why more 16U A teams would be a major benefit to all
November 12th, 2019It’s ironic that I am writing this story on the road with my 16U A team in Pittsburgh. This level has all but disappeared in our town and I am doing all I can to keep it alive, as I truly feel it is an important step for so many kids. Look at the numbers…
Shop Talk: Reflecting back on Behind The Mask Girls Hockey Weekend
November 11th, 2019Behind The Mask was proud to host the first-ever BTM Girls Hockey Weekend at the BTM Scottsdale location just a few weeks ago on Oct. 5. In partnership with the Arizona Coyotes, Arizona Kachinas, Arizona State University women’s hockey and Grand Canyon University women’s hockey, this event was held to showcase the growth of girls…
AHU Coach’s Corner – Guest Column: Should we keep spending money on team building?
November 7th, 2019This is Part 1 of this guest column series from Carlos Valdes-Dapena. Most corporate team building is a waste of time and money. I say this based on my 25-plus years of research and practice in the field of team effectiveness. Seventeen of those years were with Mars Inc., a family-owned $35 billion global business…
Taking Liberties With… Johnny Walker
November 5th, 2019JOHNNY WALKER Position: Forward, Arizona State University (NCAA D-I) Hometown: Phoenix Arizona Youth Teams: DYHA Firebirds, Arizona Hockey Union/Polar Bears, Jr. Coyotes Junior Teams: Minot Minotauros (NAHL), Topeka Roadrunners (NAHL), Chicago Steel (USHL) Age: 23 READ OUR LATEST ISSUE Arizona Rubber: What’s your favorite hockey memory growing up? Johnny Walker: Mini hockey tournaments in the…
Shop Talk: Looking at recent changes in the retail hockey market
October 15th, 2019The ever-changing dynamics of retail is very evident in the hockey market. Consolidation of companies and brands has left the industry with two huge vendors in Bauer and CCM and a handful of smaller vendors, such as True and Warrior, a couple specialty goalie brands Brian’s and Vaughn, as well as some vendors that specialize…
HockeyShot: Jack Hughes’ training earns him top pick in NHL Draft
September 19th, 2019Chances are you have already heard of Jack Hughes – younger brother to Quinn Hughes, chosen No. 7 by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2018 NHL Draft, and older brother to Luke, a prospect for a first-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft. Like HockeyShot, this family legacy has come through lots of hard work…
AHU Coach’s Corner: The top five mistakes that drive me crazy as a coach
September 12th, 2019Let’s look at a handful of things that hockey players do that get me shaking my head. READ OUR LATEST ISSUE 1. Making mistakes at half-speed: I don’t mind if players make mistakes – in fact, I expect them to. Hockey is a game of mistakes after all. Plays rarely work out perfectly, and more…
Shop Talk: Latest Behind the Mask Goalie School another success
September 10th, 2019The goalies arrived early on Monday, July 1, to check in for the 33rd Annual Behind the Mask Goalie School. They got an official school jersey, raffle ticket and lots of free swag including, a backpack, BTM hat and custom water bottle. Zoey won a set of CCM Beats headphones from the raffle to start…
HockeyShot Tip of the Month: Mohawk Dangles
July 18th, 2019If you really want to up the challenge in your off-ice training, use drills like Mohawk Dangles! We worked on the footwork and technique in our last article (“The Crosby Move”), but now let’s take it up a level by adding stickhandling drills. For this drill, just like the last, you will need a pair…