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OCTOBER 2021 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 45 to this book are really very simple and can be applied universally to sport, to hockey and to life. "I read the book after years and years of coaching, and the enjoyment I got out of it was 'Wow, this fits exactly with what we do and what I do as a head coach.'" Nashville Predators head coach, John Hynes, spoke to the attendees about creating a good culture on their teams and organiza- tions. One of the big factors in the success of his teams is the presence of grit. So it is fitting that the book that he brought up on stage was called "Grit" by Angela Duckworth. "I had gone through the different levels of hockey and really tried to come up with what is a really succinct culture and what would be the values through experiences as a coach that you would like to see in your players and within your team. Grit was a b i g c o m p o n e n t ," s a i d H y n e s , w h o w a s r e s e a r c h i n g g r i t w h e n h e c a m e a c r o s s Duckworth's book. "What I found really interesting was it real- ly kind of defines what grit is. A lot of people get grit and competitiveness confused. Grit is a passion and a work ethic for long periods of time versus just working hard. I think it really resonates with players and the culture when you think about developing players. It is a long process and there are a lot of positives and negatives that happen in their career." After an extensive playing career, Laura Bellamy is entering her seventh season as a coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth. A question was asked about how to help moti- vate players, and she immediately pointed to one book: "Primed to Perform: How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation" by Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor "It has really shaped the way I view motiva- tion and, as a result, the way I coach," she said. "The main principle of the book is: why people do something affects how well they do it. "As coaches, we can influence the three direct motives of play, purpose and potential to improve performance. The book has a ton of data to back up their theory on 'total moti- vation,' which I found to be extremely logical and well-supported." Natalie Darwitz has enjoyed a storied career as both a player and a coach. The three-time Olympic medalist was recently named an assistant coach of the University of Minnesota women's squad after a success- ful stint leading Hamline University. One book that has helped shape her coaching philosophy is "It Takes What it Takes" by Trevor Moad. "He kind of has this frame of neutral think- ing in high-level athletes," said the 2018 inductee into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. "Sometimes if you say something negative, it has 10 times the effect that a positive has, so why say it? Why not think neutral? He also points out that sometimes we over com- plicate things. He has a phrase that just says 'Do Simple Better.' "That book has struck a chord with me because I think at times we, as coaches, try to do too much and it over complicates things. Again, can you build relationships? Can you be a good person? And can that carry over to the ice?" While there was no shortage of knowledge dispensed during four days of presenta- tions and breakout sessions, one of the cen- tral themes of the symposium is how much information and inspiration is available at a coach's fingertips. All they have to do is crack open a book. P Kyle Huson is the coordinator of digital content at USA Hockey. The premise of that book is trying to answer the question of what is the playmaker's genius? What separates the top players from all of the others."