Defending champions ZSC Lions have been the measure of all things so far this season. That has a lot to do with coach Marc Crawford, who has gone through a difficult process.
31.10.2024, 05:00
31.10.2024, 06:54
SDA
It's a story from his childhood that Marc Crawford tells again and again. The family goes on a picnic in mid-July. But they don't just sit and eat together. Instead, his father uses salt and pepper shakers for ice hockey lessons. Floyd Crawford, who has since passed away, became world champion with Canada in 1959 and was a coach into old age after his career.
This shows the role that ice hockey plays in the extended family with nine children. Not only Marc Crawford made it to the NHL as a player, but also his brothers Bob and Lou. Another brother, Eric, worked as a staff member in the NHL.
After his career as a player, Marc Crawford also worked as a head coach in the best ice hockey league in the world. In 1996, he led the Colorado Avalanche to the Stanley Cup triumph. The season before, he received the NHL Coach of the Year award. In 2012, he went to the ZSC Lions for the first time, with whom he won the championship title in 2014. He returned to North America in 2016 before returning to ZSC at the end of December 2022. The Lions became champions for the tenth time in the spring.
"It keeps me young"
Crawford is now 63 years old. Nevertheless, he has lost none of his passion for ice hockey. "I enjoy being around young people. It keeps me young," he says in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency. "You get to dress the way they do. I listen to their music. It gives me a feel for what's going on in the next generation. I'm always amazed to see the similarities between my generation and the one in front of me."
When asked in which area he has developed the most as a coach, Crawford replies: "Hopefully in patience and communication. Instincts have developed. Experience also teaches you to trust. I'm still developing though."
Putting people on the spot
Crawford used to find it difficult to manage his emotions. This led to "me resorting to unacceptable words and actions in hopes of motivating the players," he wrote in a statement in mid-December 2019, having previously been suspended by the Chicago Blackhawks, where he was an assistant coach. "It was a painful process for me for a while because I embarrassed a lot of people I care about," Crawford admits. "Now a life goal is to become a better person every day. I continue to be very self-reflective." However, he no longer wants to talk much about that time.
The fact that his daughter Katie is a sports psychologist and has researched topics such as leadership and teamwork is extremely helpful, he says. "Every time we learn something about ourselves, we learn how the mind works," says Crawford, for whom mental health is a big issue. His son Dylan is also a great help to him. He works for the Vancouver Canucks as a video coach. He is therefore familiar with statistical matters. Marc Crawford really appreciates getting an outside perspective. However, he attributes most of his success to his wife. "She understands me better than I understand myself."
Players make the difference
ZSC's commanding lead at the top of the table after 16 games with 14 wins comes as little surprise to him, and not just because of the excellent squad. "After winning a title, it's easier for a team to play well - especially at the start of a season," says Crawford. "The players put in place all the habits they need to be successful. These are now constantly available to the team if attention is paid to these details. We make the players aware of that. We encourage them to think about how they play. They either get better or worse. Nobody ever stays the same."
For Crawford, it is not primarily the coaches who make the decisions, but the players. They decide which direction to take. After a win, it is perhaps more difficult to find something that can be improved. "But that usually always happens."
Enjoyment just as important
Can the Lions only beat themselves? "We know our capabilities. But it would be presumptuous of us to think so. There's never been such breadth in the league. Different teams are capable of winning. You have to accept the challenge of someone trying to be better than you. That's the nature of the world."
Back to the family picnic. Crawford didn't just learn something about ice hockey at this one. He now also knows that it's important to enjoy the picnic. "You need times to rest and pay attention to each other. It's difficult to sleep when you're always thinking about backchecking or a missed opportunity," says movie lover Crawford. There is little reason for him to brood at the moment.
