Oilers Playoffs: Coaching Under Pressure and Player Confidence

Explicit content warning

04/19/24 • 28 min

This one is for the Oilers fans! Can we just take a second to acknowledge the crazy rollercoaster of coaches that McDavid has had in his career? But this year, it finally feels like we've got the right leader behind the bench. Knoblauch has been killin' it since he took over from Woodcraft, with the best record in the NHL. There are some clear reasons he's been successful this year. Unfortunately, Woodcroft also had a taste of success before his coaching philosophy went down the drain during the 2023 playoff run against Vegas. Pressure can really mess with a coach, you know?

In this episode, we're diving into different leadership styles: transformative and transactional. Think Knoblauch and Ted Lasso versus Tortorella and Urban Meyer. It's all about the relationships, vulnerability, and motivation for the former, and order, structure, and rewards for the latter. We'll break down the coaching history of the Oilers, see how the players are feeling about the playoffs, and throw in a couple jabs at those Leafs while we're at it.

Let's talk about the Oilers' chances of winning the Stanley Cup, their mentality, the coaching styles, and even how coaches under pressure might resort back to their old ways. We'll also cover the hype surrounding the team this season, with McDavid's contract on the horizon. The city is buzzing with anticipation, so let's join in on the excitement!

And hey, have you seen that new documentary on Netflix about David Beckham? The pressure he faced when England was expected to win the World Cup was insane. Fans can be intense, and it can really affect players' performance. We'll discuss how external pressures can impact athletes and how they navigate social media during the season.

Coaching also plays a major role in the success of a team, so let's dive into the impact of coaching styles. We'll explore the difference between transactional and transformational leadership. It's all about short-term goals and specific results versus long-term growth and team collaboration. We'll analyze how coaching styles have affected the Oilers and the challenges that arise under pressure.

We'll also touch on effective leadership styles, including the importance of embracing emotions and being true to oneself. Ted Lasso's transformational leadership style really stood out as he tried to understand his team and faced difficult conversations. Conflict management is a crucial skill for leaders, and finding that balance between individual empowerment and team success can be tricky.

As the Oilers head into the playoffs, we'll be watching Knoblauch's performance closely. How will he handle the pressure? We'll also see how the team comes together and the contributions from all the players. Trust in the coaching staff and equal opportunities for everyone are key to success.

There's a lot of pressure on the Oilers. It can be intense, but we hope the team and fans can come together for some success. Enjoy the games and let's cheer on the Oilers!

TIMESTAMPS:
Oiler's Playoff Prospects: 00:06
Beckham Documentary on Netflix: 02:58
How External Pressure Can Affect Performance: 03:50
Player's Social Media Use During the Season: 04:48
Supportive Fanbase: 05:44
Playoff Expectations and Toronto Fans: 07:19
Overcoming Playoff Pressure: 08:09
Transformational vs Transactional Leadership: 09:58
Impact of Stress on Leadership Behaviour: 16:22
Effective Leadership Styles: 19:15
Celebrating the Contenders for the Cup: 25:51

There's a lot of pressure on the Oilers. It can be intense, but we hope the team and fans can come together for some success. Enjoy the games and let's cheer on the Oilers!

Previous Episode

Final Burnout | Business and Culture Ep 4

Mat and Shawna discuss what employers can do to help their employees prevent and/or manage burnout. From culture to government-sponsored support, there is hope even in the darkest times! If you are a leader, mentor, or have people who rely on you, check this episode out to review what you can do today to help your business and people in the future.

Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9478693/#:~:text=Persistent%20clinical%20burnout%20is%20associated%20with%20a%20reduction%20in%20the,spines%20and%20reduced%20synaptic%20density.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9432722/

https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-employee-and-family-assistance-program

StatsCan - Employee Paid Sick Leave Coverage in Canada, 1995 to 2022

Next Episode

Wait…that’s normal?! | Power Differentials Ep 4

In this episode, we talk about something that often gets overlooked in sports culture: the normalization of negativity. Athletes deal with injuries and intense pressure all the time, but we don't always talk about it openly. We are going to explore how this affects their mental health and performance, and why it's so important to address these issues in the sports community.

We discuss some of the unspoken rules in sports and the relationships between coaches and athletes. We'll talk about what healthy coach-athlete dynamics look like. We dive into the psychological aspects of power and control in sports. We'll examine the narratives surrounding these ideas and how cultural norms and biases impact sports psychologists' work. Next, we'll explore some of the more normalized aspects in sports. We'll discuss how emotions are connected to sports rules and identify some strange but accepted practices in the world of sports.

Then, we take a look at elite amateur sports and how emotions are often disregarded in favor of focusing on performance. We'll explore the five common beliefs about emotion and why they can be detrimental to athletes' mental health. We also talk about how emotions are often misunderstood and how expressing them shouldn't be seen as a weakness. Emotions and sportsmanship go hand in hand, but there are often misconceptions about how they should be expressed.

Next, we emphasize the importance of acknowledging and expressing our emotions in a healthy way, regardless of gender. Speaking of gender, we discuss some of the contradictions in expressing emotions based on gender. Men often feel pressure to hide their emotions to avoid appearing weak, while women face restrictions in expressing anger because it's seen as too masculine. We'll challenge these ideas and highlight how expressing our emotions is actually a positive thing.

There are mixed views on physical punishment in sports. Some coaches believe that yelling and hitting motivate players to perform better. We'll talk about the different forms of punishment that athletes endure, such as running laps or doing suicides. We'll also touch on how this negative association can impact athletes' attitudes towards cardio. Conditioning is a skill required for success, and it shouldn't be turned into a negative experience.

We explore manipulative tactics from coaches, such as scapegoating players, a practice can breed resentment and anger among teammates, and can erode trust and hinder team performance. On the other hand, effective teams foster a competitive spirit among teammates and aim to improve each other's skills. We'll explore the importance of understanding the distinction between healthy competition and unhealthy comparison.

Moving on, we have a discussion about body image and eating in sports. We'll talk about conditioning and training and how they influence body image and eating habits. We specifically discuss the cultural demand for a certain body type in sports, particularly focusing on hockey twenty years ago. Mat, our skinny white ginger, has personally experienced body shaming. We get his take on this and also touch on the extreme measures athletes sometimes take to achieve their desired body image.

Lastly, we'll talk about the mindset of athletes who continue training despite injuries and emotional struggles, as well as not wanting to appear weak.

https://edvance.ca/res/pub/PDFS-Documents/Bootcamp-2022/Sinden-2013-The-Sociology-of-Emotions.pdf

TIMESTAMPS:
Unspoken Rules in Sports (00:13)
Exploring Power and Control in Sports (01:05)
Normalization of Emotion in Sports (02:34)
The Evolution of Emotional Expression in Society (04:17)
Emotion and Sportsmanship (06:13)
Contradictions in Expressing Emotions Based on Gender (08:03)
Emotions, Performance and Flow State (09:08)
Balancing Logic and Emotions (13:36)
Misconceptions of Mental Toughness (15:57)
Conditioning and Punishment in Sports (20:08)
Manipulative Tatics and Team Dynamics (23:25)
Body Image and Eating in Sports (27:25)
Study on Athlete's Training and Emotions (30:33)
Training Despite Injuries (31:31)