Magic `Bowman`

COVENTRY,U.K-NHL coaching legend Scotty Bowman headed a first class line-up of guest speakers at Paul Thompson’s coaching clinic. The event, held over two days at the Forest of Arden Hotel near Birmingham, was the first of its kind in the UK. Bowman’s 1244 regular season and 224 Stanley Cup wins is a record for any NHL coach. He coached his team to the Stanley Cup nine times and is the only coach to have won the cup with three different teams.  All-in-all he coached Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Redwings, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
I caught up with Paul Thompson who organised the event along with hockey broadcaster Dave Simms and leading agent Gunnar Svensson. I asked him if Scotty lived up to expectations?
“Without a doubt, it was magical to hear him he has a phenomenal mind full of information and an incredible memory,” Thompson said “He could just pluck a game out of the air from 30 years ago, the whole event went even better than expected.”
“The response we’ve had has probably been my highlight of the conference, around a third of the people who came have e-mailed since saying how inspirational the clinic was, that’s a fantastic feeling ,” Thompson said.
Thompson is head coach at Coventry Blaze which is the UK’s most successful club over recent years. They have provided the bench-mark for other clubs in the British Elite League. Thompson is also head coach of the Great Britain National team. Thompson himself delivered six presentations at the clinic. You would think there isn’t much left for him to learn?
“Not at all insists Thompson, a few guys came up to me during the clinic and said ‘Thommo you haven’t stopped taking notes all weekend, Why?, but we can all learn new things,” Thompson said “We had such wonderful speakers you couldn’t avoid learning.”
Bowman was joined by former San Jose Sharks, Penguins and New Jersey Devils coach Kevin Constantine and Henrik Zetterberg’s agent Gunnar Svensson who helped organise the event.
“I first saw Kevin speak four or five years ago and he is a superb speaker, he was a huge hit with everyone then and he continued that tradition at our clinic,” Thompson said  “He spoke for three hours over the two days and coaches have been coming up to me and saying how they view the game in a totally different light after hearing him speak, Gunnar was brilliant as always and brought a relaxed atmosphere which was exactly what we were trying to do.” Thompson continued; “Around 70% of the attendees coach at junior level, so it was vital for us as organisers to translate the key messages to all levels of coaching, we were fortunate to have Torgny Bendelin who’s coached the Sweden under 20’s for four years and his insight was invaluable.” Thompson said
When speaking to Thompson the first thing that hits you is his enthusiasm, not just for his coaching clinic but for the sport of ice hockey, in particular the development of the game in the UK. I was on the other end of a phone line but was pleasantly bombarded with a blast of refreshing optimism. I soon realised that the Paul Thompson Coaching Clinic was part of a much wider vision for the development of the sport in the UK.
“When I first started coaching in the fourth tier of British hockey about 15 years ago, I used to keep things to myself to try and get an edge on everyone else, but that was the wrong attitude and the clinic was designed to instil the opposite mentality in our coaches,” Thompson said 
“It’s crucial for the game’s development in the UK, I want to establish a coaching network where we can share knowledge to benefit everyone, hopefully the Clinic will accelerate the process.”
The clinic was designed to give coaches of all levels in the UK the chance to interact with both guest speakers and each other. Brent Pope, Head of the Cardiff Devils Community Foundation felt the clinic delivered on exactly what Thompson had set out to achieve.
“It was great to get inside the minds of people who have reached the top in their chosen field, It was fantastic to have this opportunity and I think all 80 coaches who attended got a great deal out of the experience. Paul, Dave and Gunnar have done an excellent job.” Pope said
Pope continued; “I was lucky enough to speak to Scotty Bowman in between some seminars and I asked him what he feels is his most important personal quality that has contributed to his success as a coach. He said it was simply his passion for the game.”
The importance Bowman places on a passion for the game should come as great news for anybody with an interest in British ice hockey, because it’s a feature that key figures in UK hockey have in abundance. Thompson is no exception. He bleeds hockey and combines it with the positivity needed to take on a challenge, but also the expertise needed to achieve it.
“I only see a bright future for British hockey, we can really take it forward, we’re not up there as a pool A nation just yet but are only improving at all levels,” Thompson said “The old days weren’t all that great and there’s no reason to be negative at the moment.” Our national team, which now only has one non British trained player is very much a product of the Elite League (founded in 2003). Nearly 40% of players in the Elite League qualify for GB and we have great opportunities for British kids with only four imports in the EPL,” (English Premier League) enthuses Thompson.
Thompson is part of a group of people at the head of the game in the UK who understand the importance of working together to ensure British ice hockey goes from strength to strength. I saw a similar passion and way of thinking when I interviewed Cardiff Devils Director of Hockey Shannon Hope and Thompson was clear about the value of the clinics’ co-organiser, Dave Simms.
“Dave’s comments come in for some stick with some fans occasionally, but he cares about the game here as much as anybody, I’ve never seen him as focused as he was at the clinic,” Thompson said.
With next year’s clinic already scheduled and a number of former NHL coaches already requesting to speak at the event, its success is clear to see. The ability to attract the likes of Scotty Bowman demonstrates the strides being made in British hockey as well as its growing reputation.
Paul Thompson is determined to make further strides and even when speaking to him via cell phone it is difficult not to get swept up in his positivity and determination. It’s easy to see how he has inspired his team to seven major championships since the Elite League was established. He now hopes people involved in British hockey can inspire each other. With Thompson’s record, who would bet against him?
For more information on Paul Thompson’s coaching clinic go to www. paulthompsonscoachingclinic. co.uk  
Contact the author at Aled.lloyd@prohockeynews.com Contact the photographer at Mark.tredgold@prohockeynews.com