Kevin Hartzell-2014

I have seen a number of high school games lately … more than I have seen in many years. I have seen varsity girls and varsity boys. I have also seen three boys’ JV games. For me, these have been eye-openers.

The holiday season brings many of us back home to share in the love and joy of family. It is a great time of year. I cannot think of anything more important.

This holiday season I want to talk about one of the finest hockey people I have ever known. He is also one of the finest people I have ever known. Kevin Ziegler played college football at Iowa State. He studied and trained to serve others in the service of personal well-being physically. 

Every so often a kind soul would pass my way and say something like, “You’re doing a nice job with your team, Hartz.” It’s not that I didn’t appreciate the kind words, but I was always left to asking myself, “Nice compared to what, compared to who?”

I haven’t been around much the past number of years, so there is lots I have to catch up on. I had some time last Friday afternoon, so I decided to visit a hockey superstore. I looked about the store at just about everything. 

Most teams keep statistics. Many of these stats give us information we can use. It is common for teams to record and know face-offs won, hits, shots on goal, and of course, the ultimate stat – the score.

I was asked the other day how a coach goes about creating a team identity. The coach of any team has the responsibility to establish many of the values by which his/her team will play. If in college or pros, the way the team recruits or drafts are part of this process as well.

I had the great fortune to be invited to spend this past weekend with the St. John’s University hockey team. As much as I hope to give and share my knowledge with others, like the Johnnies hockey program, it is the gifts these young men bestow upon me that reawaken my own understandings of things.

Being out at the Elite League a weekend ago, I again heard a lot of discussion about the status of high school hockey in our state. This discussion has been raging for many years now. 

It was really fun to get out to the Elite League games on Saturday and see many familiar hockey faces. I haven’t had the opportunity to do so for a couple of years.  I have a number of thoughts to share.

Stu Bickel is returning home. After spending parts of two seasons with the New York Rangers and playing in over 175 games in the AHL, Stu has signed with the Minnesota Wild. Stu is a native of Chanhassen and played his high school hockey at Eden Prairie. 

Let me start out by saying the following can be seen as a bit self-serving as I have begun a service of introducing the concepts of great teams and great leadership to a variety of organizations. 

One cannot improve upon things that one doesn’t first measure. I heard those words in church not long ago. It was fitting because I was thinking about this same theme/topic as we all enter a new hockey season.

Fourth of July night I was out with my friend, John Zweber. John is an attorney by trade. This night, however, he was performing his second job. Well, it’s not so much a job as it is a hobby. 

I suspect the very reason many of us have chosen for and believe in team sports for our youth is that our youngsters we love and care about will learn the many important concepts involved in “team.” 

The hockey season is reaching its annual climax. The Minnesota High School Hockey tournament is now over. College hockey is in the heart of its playoff run to the crowning of a new national champion. It is a fun time of year with the NHL just weeks away from the greatest team tournament in sport: the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Olympic hockey venue in Sochi again brought out the best the world has to offer on ice. Like many hockey enthusiasts, I was glued to the TV to watch the drama play out. Following are a few of my thoughts.

As of Feb. 7, we here in Norway and the Get Ligaen are on Olympic break. We do not play another league game until Feb. 23, a break of more than two weeks. Once we get back in action, the remainder of the regular season is just five games.

As we come into Super Bowl week, there has been much said about Seattle Seahawks star cornerback Richard Sherman. There have been a variety of reactions and stories written regarding his post-NFC Championship Game comments to sideline reporter Erin Andrews. 

Hockey in America has come a long ways in the past 30 years. Really, hockey everywhere is making great strides. Skill levels are as good as I have ever seen. 

A year ago, I was happy to sit out a season of hockey. My wife, Marybeth, and I were able to travel, see friends and watch our sons compete in hockey and golf. Then as last summer approached, a number of coaching jobs came up.