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Investing in a mentor

February 9, 2009 11:10 AM | Posted by   Marc Crawford  

I have watched many a game this year involving the Los Angeles Kings and one of the players who has stood out for me is their emerging superstar defenceman in Drew Doughty.

While he is a gifted puck handler and an extremely quick skater, what I enjoy most about watching his games is the interaction he has with his partner on defence, veteran Sean O’Donnell.

With his 15-plus years of experience, O’Donnell is the perfect foil for Doughty.

O’Donnell continually talks to his young partner on the ice and on the bench, sharing with him his knowledge of the game. I'm sure that Sean lets him know what to expect from players that Drew may not know quite so well yet. I’m also very sure he answers questions about how to play situations, like reading the rush or coverage on behind the net plays. Most of all, if you watch the interaction between rookie and vet you will see the calming influence, and the tremendous respect each has for the other.

Smoothing the transition into the pros

The Kings have invested a great deal into Doughty, but probably the smartest investment they’ve made is bringing O’Donnell over from Anaheim to help smooth Doughty’s transition into the NHL.

I remember a conversation I had with Pat Quinn back in 1987, his first year in Vancouver. He was trying to convince me that I should become a player/assistant coach for the Canuck farm club in Fredericton of the AHL.

He told me that he believed that players always learn best, not from the coach, but rather, from the interaction with quality veteran players. He said that for generations, players have been influenced by those who the play with - a goaltending tandem, a defensive partner or a linemate. The simplicity of that logic has been at the core of successful teams throughout the history of our game. Quinn’s words have always stayed with me as I have continued through the coaching ranks.

I started to think about how it was when I broke into the league. Sure, there was the usual rookie acceptance that all players go through where veterans size you up and see what kind of person you are.

We had a great group of vets in Vancouver lead by Harold Snepsts, Colin Campbell and Tiger Williams. They knew the league, understood the game and head coach Harry Neale allowed them to control the locker-room. We may not have been the most talented group, but we did all the little things that make teams successful and, at the very least, we were very tough to play against.

Those veteran players prepared for games the right way both physically and mentally. They trained hard off the ice, always doing a little extra on the bike or in the weight room. They were largely responsible for our energy level at practice as they trained at a pace that would be beneficial to us during the game. Most of all, they were students of the game. They were always feeding information about what the opposition did, where to position yourself and showing us little tricks of the trade that made the game much easier to play.

The Yzerman effect

Today, Detroit is the model for this type of environment. We can see how Steve Yzerman’s influence on Zetterberg and Datsyuk is paying dividends. Now those guys are influencing Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula, while Nick Lidstrom has done the same with Niklas Kronwall.

The Red Wings are not alone, either. All teams realize that their young prospects not only need good coaching, but also they need to be shown the way to eat, sleep, breathe and live in the NHL.

This is the job of the veteran player, the one who has been through the hockey playoff wars. He has credibility because he has been there, and it is always this type of example that is the most impressionable for rookies. If they come into the league and are told by the coach to practice in a certain way, the rookie will most likely listen, but only to a certain extent. Rookies are always looking for acceptance and this can only truly come from the veteran players.

Players can fool the media, they can fool the fans, they can fool the coaches, but inside the sanctity of the dressing room, they can never fool their teammates. The word is accountability, and winning teams have it in abundance. And for a young player, it is the most necessary intangible they must learn.

Mentors are an important part any successful organization as Pat Quinn told me back in 1987. His words hold just as true today as they did back then. L.A.’s Drew Doughty and Sean O’Donnell are living proof.

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