I think your role in hockey is really kind of a high-end business. Actually, most clubs run everything. They will run the learn to programs all the way up to trying to get to the international level.
To me, the key is to create a place where even the not necessarily gifted ones feel a part of something special. Building different levels within a team and within a hockey program…. You do have the house league. I'm not sure of all the models in hockey yet, but I could tell you that within many of the club sports, a lot of kids don't necessarily make it to the top but they have a great experience because the club itself is awesome. There's a spot for them; there's a place for them to progress at their level. To a certain point, it's to be the best that you could be, not necessarily an Olympian. There are not a lot of top spots in that program.
To a certain point, coaching education needs to be done. We need to keep improving coaching education, but in the end, you have great school teachers and you have some bad ones. If we're lucky enough in a community, we have some great coaches who are able to build. That's why mentorship is crucial—like Koivu or Sutter; if they could take a young coach with them, because they know they're not going to be there very long—it's crucial within the growth of the quality of our coaches. I think it's possible to have an Olympic program and a great team together.
It all comes down to, first of all, the investment of the parents within the board of directors. I think one of the biggest challenges in clubs is that they don’t have a clear mission and vision. People come into the club and don't really know what the club is about: is it just to participate, or is it to be one of the best in the world?
I could also tell you that kids want to be very good, regardless of the level they're at. I don't necessarily agree in terms of fun. Fun is being part of something special. If the experience is good, it could still be really fun even if you don’t win today, and if the experience is not good, it could be no fun even if you do win.