Coaching 101 with Greenie

Greenie has been coaching hockey for over 35 years – from the Burbank Hockey Association Bantams in Los Angeles, to UW-Whitewater where the team made five appearances at the National Collegiate Club Tournament in his seven years there, to Madison Memorial, West Madison Polar Caps Hockey, numerous camps, clinics and the Wisconsin Badger women’s hockey program.

At Wisconsin, Greenie has worked with Olympic goalies Jessie Vetter, Alex Rigsby and Ann-Renee Desbiens. All three were in the top-10 in NCAA history in several goaltending categories. In this winter Olympics, he’ll have one goalie playing for Team USA and two for Team Canada. He’s had a goalie on the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Olympic teams for Team USA.

“It’s really gratifying to see these women go out and do what they do,” shared Greenie. “It’s a great feeling. You go about your business, but I realized some people really appreciate you doing what you do.”

Below, Greenie answers some questions about his coaching philosophy, what being part of the nation’s top women’s hockey program means to him, what women do for sports and more.

What is your coaching philosophy?

I’m going to take a page out of Bob Johnson’s playbook. When Bob Johnson died, the Janesville Gazette called me and asked for a quote. I shared that he was a great man and coach and that he was the fairest guy I ever met, and yet he treated everyone different. When I was with the Badgers, there was a wide-range of personalities, and the amazing part is, he could coach them all without creating a double standard. I thought that coaching might get stale by now, but it hasn’t. I attribute that to the people. Every person is different. There are things that you want to get across that are necessary, but it’s how you convey it to them that matters.

I also always come with a plan with about three things I want to work on each practice. I let my players know this and ask them what they want to work on too, so they can take ownership in the process. You get a much better response by doing this, they’re more invested in it.

The importance of being not only physically healthy, but mentally healthy.

I’ve learned that over time, a person has to be happy in their mind to have their best performance. I can’t do it for them, but I can do everything to facilitate them getting there. I’ll help guide them, but they have to find their direction. And this applies to all different ages. I put just as high a premium on the temperament or mental disposition as I do the physical capabilities.

Is there an event that has stuck with you that has played a role in how you coach and lead today?

Yes, it goes back to my first day trying out with the Badgers. I was a nervous wreck. I took my equipment up to the locker I was assigned in Camp Randall, which was by the cross country team. I couldn’t get my lock combination right and these two men next to me go, ‘Are you a freshmen?’ One was Dan McClimon, who was the head cross country coach, and the other was Al Dockery, his assistant.

I shared that I was just walking on and trying out for hockey to which they told me, everything was going to be okay, to just relax and that I was going to be just fine. Those gentlemen were classy enough to take the time to calm me down and tell me I was going to be okay. I will never forget that and it has played a role in how I lead today. To simply take the time and show genuine interest in someone means a lot.

What have you observed being a women’s hockey coach vs. a men’s hockey coach?

I had a friend ask me that in my second or third year with the Badgers. He had some girls that were young and he was a hockey guy. I told him to think about it and said, ‘You and I have more in common with the women than the guys. They’re all willing to learn.’ If I’m coaching a bantam, he already knows everything. He doesn’t want to listen to me. These women are world-class athletes and they are willing to listen, learn and get better, even though they are on a world stage.

The women keep it in perspective. They don’t have an NHL carrot at the end. They have to get their schoolwork done and be good at what they do to lead the right kind of life and build their reputations. I think they realize that. We’re all young and foolish at times, but they manage to keep it in perspective. It’s a full-time job and they are committed. They are working out year-round at a scientific level. Their ability to manage time is unbelievable.

Talk about how having that perspective, it’s helped put women at the forefront of a sports program, organization or their sport?

You’re seeing more and more of this every day, season, year, etc. Here’s an example from our Badgers program. In 2019, my wife and I went to the NHL All Star Weekend in Saint Louis through Pierre McGuire. We hosted his son for a bit, so we got to know Pierre and he offered us tickets to all the events that weekend.

That year was the first year they had two 10-minute period game of three on three – Canada vs. the U.S. Well, my former goalies were in each net – Alex Rigsby for the U.S. and Ann-Renee Desbiens for Canada. The caliber of play was so high. Their speed, skillset, it was off the charts. Old school hockey people were all at the event and at the weekend’s conclusion, everyone there agreed unanimously it was the most exciting event of the whole weekend.

They gained respect and accolades because of the performance they had that weekend. They did that for women in sports, the sport of hockey and women everywhere.

What’s it like being part of a program that has put Wisconsin hockey and women’s hockey on the map?

Clearly, our players on the team are good players, but I can say without a moment of hesitation, they are good people. If you’re not a good person, you’re probably not going to be part of Mark Johnson’s program. That’s the standard he holds people to. To be part of program like that with that vision just makes me feel very blessed.

How would you describe a Wisconsin hockey player? Not necessarily a Badger hockey player, but a hockey player from Wisconsin?

Hockey is a humbling sport. Even if you’re good and successful at it, if you’re from here, you just don’t have a fat head. There is humility involved. You also have a strong work ethic, but you realize you need that to do anything well.

It’s a demanding endeavor, but one that you have to have the ability to laugh at yourself for you. That’s a common demeanor I’ve met in people here. Even the best players, they are good people that know that it makes sense to laugh with people along the way. I just had the luxury of playing in a Bob Suter Memorial Classic game and what a mix of players that were there. All were former and current NHL players – Gary Suter, Ryan Suter, Joe Pavelski…all those traits I just described? Pavelski has all of them. He’s one of the only guys I see as he ages, he just keeps getting better.

It’s one thing we are all fortunate to be part of – we are part of a tight group of people that will forever have a strong bond. I always advise the kids I coached in high school to take their goalie equipment with them wherever they go, even if it’s outside the state. You’ll be surprised at the amount of business circles you will run into on the rink.

What is one rule you tell hockey players, especially young hockey players that are just getting started in the sport?

You can’t be a good hockey player if you’re not a good person.

I honestly feel they need that advice as modern-day kids today either don’t care about others [the team] or they didn’t know the importance of it. Often times it’s not their fault, just a product of their surroundings. Working numerous camps for decades has also allowed me to coach youth of all ages while working with a wide variety of coaches. You can always learn something, from the kids and the other coaches. I have been very fortunate. I still find coaching gratifying in so many ways and still enjoy the sport.

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