Sunday, October 19, 2008

Championship teams make championship decisions

Former Detroit Red Wings assistant Todd McLellan took over as head coach of the San Jose Sharks back in June.  

Coach McLellan, who won a minor league championship in 2003 as coach of the Houston Aeros, spent the last three seasons on Detroit's staff.

When asked how a championship team like Detroit differs from other teams, Coach McLellan said:

"[They] carry themselves like champions.  They make championship decisions. They practice like champions and they train after practice like champions. I want our players to understand that it has to be a daily process. You can't pick and choose when you want to train like a champion. You have to do it now, later and after that."

Coach McLellan also provided some interesting insight into how pro players respond to a new coach:

"Coaches who have coached before in the league come in with a reputation and players on his new team often try to play to his reputation.  In this situation, players didn't know who I was or what type of coach and thus far they have played their games and we have tried to fit their games into our system."