Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1161317
T he success of the American Development Model owes a great deal to the pioneers who worked tirelessly t o p r o m ot e t h e p r i n c i p l e s o f l o n g - t e r m a t h l et e development and age appropriate training. The first wave of ADM regional managers sat down with USA Hockey Magazine to discuss their early expectations, successes and challenges along the way and their visions for the future. So, what were your expectations when you first took the job? Guy Gosselin // When I read the overview I was really excited and thought to myself, 'wow, we're finally understanding what it's going to take to give our players a better experience and better development.' Bob Mancini // I didn't have any expectations, and looking back I think that was a good thing because the first three years we had time to explore a lot of avenues. Nothing was off limits. Jim Hunt // Anytime you start a new job you're filled with opti- mism and have visions of grandeur well beyond what you could ever accomplish. Every NHL guy takes a job dreaming about win the Stanley Cup, even if he's taking over the last place team. Scott Paluch // For 20 years I lived in the college hockey world where it was basically an outcome-based model and now we were about to enter the world of development-based model. That was really exciting. Roger Grillo // My son was going through Bantam hockey at the time and I saw some of the positives but I also saw some of the dysfunctionality in it. I looked at this as an opportunity to help change the culture of youth hockey in not only my region but in the United States. Joe Doyle // Looking at the other [original ADM managers] and what they've accomplished in the game, I felt a little bit like the outlier in that group. Sure, I had coached college hockey, but I hadn't done it at the level of those guys. I knew that I better get smart in a hurry and listen to these guys. How was the ADM received in your area? Gosselin // A few areas were a little bit guarded because they thought we going to come in and tell them what to do. But once they understood that there really wasn't an outside agenda and that the only thing we want is to give our players a better expe- rience and a better development, that's when they embraced it. Hunt // I use the analogy that kids would eat ice cream for dinner every night, but as adults we have to make sure that they get the broccoli and their vegetables to balance their diet. And that's kind of the same thing I felt about dealing with 8U hockey and the ADM. We were trying to deal with the customers and trying to deal with the membership, but also trying to give them the right diet when they were young, and sometimes they were reluctant. Grillo // In a traditional hockey market there are some deep-seeded routines, thought patterns and philosophies, so to get people to think a little outside the box and accept something different was challenging. For lack of a better term, the horse had been out of the barn for quite a while so trying to put it back in or even put part of it back in was a difficult task. Paluch // In the Mid-Am and Southeast Districts, there was an acceptance that there was a plan to be better and yet there was a little bit of the apprehension because we were changing how a hockey game looks at the younger levels. But I have to say that the leadership took control and moved the process along fairly quickly. Doyle // I'm blown away when I go into rinks and see what's being done and how beneficial it is for the young players. But there was definitely a message that needed to be delivered, which was new and there was an implementation piece that also was new. And I really believe when all of that came together is when this took off. Mancini // Fortunately for Michigan, the leaders have done a great job in pushing the American Development Model tenants forward, but it wasn't easy, let's just say that. Was there a particular 'aha moment' when you knew the ADM was going to catch on? Hunt // I've been fortunate to be a part of the launch of two big USA Hockey initiatives, the National Team Development Program and the ADM. It was a rocky start at the beginning of the NTDP. I didn't feel that same resistance with the ADM. I felt it was a little more welcomed. Doyle // Coaching at the Air Force Academy, we don't get first and second round NHL Draft picks like the Denvers, North Dakotas and Minnesotas of the world. But thanks in part to the ADM we do get very good players and we can compete with those schools because the player pool has never been as deep as it is at the high-end level. Gosselin // It's not 100 percent right now so we have to contin- ue to work at this and educate people. I can say that if people honestly take the time to read what it's all about, it's hard to go against the things that we're trying to do. Grillo // There were a bunch of 'aha' moments and there were some 'uh oh' moments. I think the one that really surprised me and made me think that there were a lot more people out here that really get this was when we changed the body checking rule and moved it up to the next age group. Everybody painted it like the world was going to come to an end. Not only did the world not come to an end, but we've looked at as geniuses for doing it. That opened up my eyes that there were a lot more people out there who were willing to look at things a little differently and were interested in development and not just maintaining the status quo. It's not rocket science, it's age-appropriate training. –GUY GOSSELIN PHOTOS FROM USA Hockey Magazine Archive 25 SEPTEMBER 2019 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM