In episode #304, we revisit our conversation from 2022 with Dan Muse, the new Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

At the time of this interview, Muse was Head Coach of with the US National Development Program and prior to that, he spent three seasons as an Assistant with the Nashville Predators. He most recently spent two seasons as an Assistant with the New York Rangers.

Muse has rounded all the bases in his career and is a self-described OG member of The Coaches Site. He also presented for us back in 2022 on The Importance of the Second Player in Puck Support.

Listen as he shares his philosphy of TNT, why his playing career has never deterred him from his coaching aspirations, and the important of creating chaos in practice.

In episode #303, we're joined by former NHL Head Coach and upcoming presenter at June's TCS Live coaching conference Greg Cronin.

Cronin was recently let go as the Head Coach of the Anaheim Ducks after spending two seasons with the franchise.

He has enjoyed a remarkable and nearly 40 year run as a hockey coach, which began at Colby College and includes playing a role in getting the US National Development Team Program off the ground.

After eight seasons with the New York Islanders organization, he would return home to Boston as the Head Coach of North Eastern University, the program his father captained.

He returned to the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and would be named Head Coach of the Ducks in 2023 after a successful run with the Colorado Eagles, the Avalanches’ AHL affiliate.

You can catch Cronin at this June's TCS Live as he dissects individual skills on the forecheck.

Listen as he shares the illumination of player development, his guide to creating reliable players and insights into his forechecking philosphy.

In episode #302, we revisit one of our best talks from last year's TCS Live coaching conference from Cody Royle.

Royle is a coach to some of the most accomplished coaches across multiple sports, along with being the author of three books, The Tough Stuff, Where Others Won’t and his latest, Second Set of Eyes. He was a coach himself and has pivoted to providing coaches the sounding board and observations that nudge them towards discovering the best version of themselves.

In his talk, “Coaches are Performers, Too,” Royle provides tremendous insight into the importance of coaches not possessing ego, who are willing to be coached themselves. He also provides a system that supports coaches and helps them in situations in which they are experiencing negative mental health symptoms or early burn out.

Listen as he shares why coaches are the greatest source of competitive advantage, how to improve the three primary skills of leadership and why even the best coaches need coaching.

In episode #301, we welcome upcoming presenter at this year's TCS Live and Executive Director of the New Jersey Devils Youth Foundation, Kate Whitman Annis.

In her current role with the Devils, she is innovating how professional sports teams engage with their local fan base to raise funds and together, serve those in need in their local community.

She has had a wide ranging career including several roles in the political arena, in addition to working with multiple organizations in leading their fundraising efforts. She is also a hockey coach at heart.

In addition to coaching her four boys, Annis was the head girls hockey coach at the Pingry School, the General Manager of the Metropolitan Riveters of the National Women’s Hockey League, and today is behind the bench of the Eastside High School Girls Varsity program.

Listen as she shares the power that sports can have on young athletes, philosophy behind team goal setting, and learning to effectively explain a drill.

In episode #300, we celebrate the milestone with a very special guest: LA Kings Director of Goaltending Bill Ranford.

Not only was Ranford one of the original presenters at our TCS Live coaching conference back in 2012, he'll be returning to the stage in June for this year's edition of hockey's premier coaching conference. And top it off, he is the childhood hero of our host Aaron Wilbur.

Ranford has spent the last 19 seasons with the Kings, 17 as the goaltending coach and the last two as Director.

As a goalie, he led the 1990 Edmonton Oilers to a Stanley Cup with a Con Smythe performance. He also led Canada to the 1991 Canada Cup and helped his country capture its first Gold Medal in over 30 years at the World Hockey Championships 1994.

Listen he shares why detail and work ethic have to be the foundation of every player's game, giving new tools over change, and why goalie's need to have their own unique identity.

In episode #299, we welcome upcoming presenter at this June's TCS Live, Grizzlys Wolfsburg Head Coach Mike Stewart.

At the time of this recording, he is currently preparing for his fifth season leading the Grizzlys.

He has a unique origin story as a player that includes his mother discovering a loophole that would enable him to enroll at Michigan State University, without a high school diploma, and leading to being drafted in the first round by the New York Rangers.

Following his retirement due to injury, he would immediately jump behind the bench as an Assistant Coach with Villacher SV of the Austrian ICE Hockey League. Now 15 seasons later, Mike has spent the bulk of his coaching career in the DEL. He remains a student of the game, and is engaged with the challenge of leading the Grizzlys, a smaller market club in a league with no salary cap, to DEL title.

Listen he shares why the best coaches are the best thieves, why passing is a lost art, and why North America should adopt Olympic-sized rinks

In episode #298, we're joined by Bethany Brausen, Head Coach of the University of St. Thomas Women's program.

Brausen just completed her first season with St. Thomas after taking over as interim Head Coach in November and being name full-time coach just a few months later.

She is also in the process of completing her PhD in Organizational Leadership Policy & Development, and as you’re about to hear, her education in leadership and organizational development is clearly woven into how she’s building the Tomies program.

Following her playing career that included captaining the University of Minnesota, she joined Brad Frost’s staff with the Gophers as an Assistant Coach for 5 seasons, before moving across town to St. Thomas.

Brausen will be joining us as a speaker at the upcoming IIHF Coaching Symposium, hosted in Stockholm during the Men’s World Championship. Stay tuned for that presentation on The Coaches Site!

Listen she shares why players need to create a self-governing culture, what we get wrong about real leadership, and the importance of understanding that every person has their own story.

In episode #297, we welcome former NHL Goalie Coach Mike Valley and Founder of The Goalie Guild Justin Goldman.

The two are good friends who collaborated on the books The Power Within, which includes 3 volumes, and Embracing the Grind. Each book shares personal interviews and stories from the best goaltenders on the planet and provide a guide for aspiring goalies looking to navigate what has generally been an undefined path to the top of the profession.

While the books focus on goaltending, they also provide real world solutions for dealing with the tough stuff that comes with reaching any noteworthy goal or achievement.

Valley played professionally as a goaltender and had the role of Goalie Coach for the Dallas Stars from 2009-2017. He is also a former presenter at TCS Live.

Goldman is a former goaltender, writer for NHL.com and Founder of The Goalie Guild, the world’s only non-profit organization dedicated to developing goalies and goalie coaches of all levels.

Listen as they share how the position of goaltending has evolved, why we need to redefine what "winning" is, and how to find your power within.