Former Red Wings head coach Scotty Bowman revealed how to build a successful team and locker room culture. Bowman emphasized the importance of a strong core group of players and a leader who leads by example.
Bowman is widely considered one of the greatest coaches in NHL history. He always got the best of his players and did not shy away from experimenting with his lineup.
One of Bowman’s most famous lineup changes saw Sergei Fedorov move from center to defense. While that move may have seemed odd, Fedorov thrived whenever he was asked to play the position.
Bowman shared insights from his Hall of Fame coaching career, which could hopefully serve current coaches well.
Ex-Red Wings Head Coach Scotty Bowman Reveals How to Build a Successful Team
Former Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman revealed that building a strong team identity requires multiple elements.
According to Bowman, the head coach must be confident in the players’ ability to run the team and not solely depend on his guidance.
“The coach has to have the confidence to let the players pretty well run team. Not your young players that are coming in. But this is the hardest thing to get now, because there’s 32 teams,” Bowman told Ice Hockey Systems.
“You have to get a core of players that are high end, that work together, and are gonna be able to help players below them. And the best teams are the ones where the core could be as many as five or six if you were lucky. You could have three or four experienced players that could really keep the ship the right way, and you can’t force a person to do it,” Bowman said.
Bowman Says Building a Strong Team Culture Takes Time
While Bowman has been successful with his team building over the years, he made it clear that it takes time.
The former Red Wings coach acknowledged the lack of patience that comes with professional sports as a whole. He noted that the team chemistry evolves over time and can only be achieved when players are together for a long period of time.
Bowman’s legendary Stanley Cup-winning Red Wings rosters are a perfect example. They had the leadership of Steve Yzerman, the chemistry of the famous ‘Russian Five’ line, and plenty of depth. As a result, Detroit was able to attract several veteran players nearing the end of their respective careers. Those players included the likes of Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, and Dominik Hasek.
“It evolves in time. That’s the biggest problem, you know? You can’t parachute players in from another team because they were successful and say, ‘Well, you’re going to run this team.’ Doesn’t work that way. The way it is, they sort of have to grow as a group together,” Bowman told Ice Hockey Systems.
Ex-Red Wings Head Coach Scotty Bowman Reveals How to Build a Successful Team