New coach uses European and Canadian style
Richard Saad--Standard Reporter
Hopes are high for the Strathmore Rockies of the Western Women’s Hockey League. This year will see them with a new coach, and with that comes a new, aggressive style of play. Tom Molloy, a successful national and international hockey coach, an author and a hockey aficionado, will be behind the bench this season, and if his record is any indication, the Rockies should improve on their six wins and 17 losses from a year ago. Molloy, 61, has been coaching the women’s team from Mount Royal College for the past five years. Last year, a team from Salzburg, Austria gave him a call to coach. He helped coach over four teams there and was the head coach of the under 17 men’s team, which,coincidentally, won a recent tournament over the weekend. Because Molloy was in Europe for an extended period of time without his wife,he felt it was unfair to continue. As a result, he came back to Calgary looking to coach a team closer to home. About five weeks ago, while Molloy was watching the Swedish women’s team practice, he was approached by Samantha Holmes, the president and player of the Strathmore Rockies, and offered the coaching position. He didn’t hesitate and took the position with a sense of excitement and anticipation. Holmes was familiar with Molloy’s coaching style and knew it to be an effective method and one that would benefit the Rockies’ new direction. “When he accepted the job, we were really happy because we knew he’s got a special talent for coaching this game,”said Holmes. “To have someone with his experience behind our bench is really exciting.” Molloy is a big proponent of a strongand aggressive attack that is punctuated by a persistent forecheck, which is common to the European game. This new style of strong defensive play and a quick-strike offense will bring much-needed intensity to the Rockies this season. Of course, that is dependent on the players learning the system and becoming more familiar with its complexities, explained Molloy. “The style of play is kind of like a hybrid of the European style of play called the torpedo,” said Molloy, who employs this style as a way of combining the aggressive aspect of the North American game with the strong forechecking system of the European game. In this system of play, he explained, the Rockies would be better poised to take advantage of opposition turnovers. “I had that style at Mount Royal and it was kind of like a soccer thing, where you have four players on the attack all the time as opposed to two players on the point all the time,” said Molloy. He said that former National Hockey League coach Scotty Bowman employed asimilar strategy that helped his Detroit Red Wings to two back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1997 and 1998. As for the goals Molloy has for this season, he explained that getting every player on the same page is crucial in allowing the players to play in a style that is consistent. “It’s important to get to know the players so that I can better explain to them how I want them to play,” said Molloy. “The biggest goal of a coach is to ensure that everybody is on board with the style of play.” Making sure the players understand their role is just one way of helping them play up to their potential, explained Molloy. He added that another important aspect is ensuring that the players practice the system consistently so that it becomes second nature to them on the ice during a real game. With the expected talent on the Rockies this year, Molloy is optimistic of the team’s chances. “With the players that we have and the new ones that are expected, I know that there’s going to be talent on the team, so it’s a matter of putting it all together,” said Molloy, who lives in Calgary and still plays hockey for fun three times a week. Hockey has been in Molloy’s blood since he first played Peewee hockey at 11 years of age. The intense competition of hockey has always attracted him and it’s what keeps him in the sport to this day. “I’ve always been an active person and I think hockey really suits my personality,” said Molloy, who describes his personality as split between the time he is a coach during practice and a coach during game time. During practice, Molloy is more restrained and relaxed, while during a regular season game he is focused and intense. It is extremely important, he explained, that there be two distinctions so as not to overwhelm the players through the course of the season. As for the other sports, though, he admits it’s tough to find something that builds on his strengths. “I don’t like golf, though, because it doesn’t really suit my personality,” said Molloy. He is perfectly in his element when behind the bench of a hockey team. Molloy maintains and operates a hockey website called Hockey Coaching ABC’s, which has tips and tricks, as well as videos showing hockey drills in action. His website is www.hockeycoachingabcs.com