Mike Valley: 10 lessons from career of former Stars goalie coach

Q & A Session

When we wrapped up the 10 lessons from the career former Dallas Stars goaltending coach Mike Valley, we almost forgot about sharing one of the best parts of his presentation.

After spending more than an hour sharing those 10 lessons – and you can still check each one out in the links below – Valley stuck around for another half hour taking questions from those in attendance at the Hockey Canada Goaltending Symposium presented by InGoal Magazine.

That question-and-answer session was loaded with more insights and stories from his diverse and fascinating career path on the ice as a player and coach, and off it in a variety of capacities as a self-described serial entrepreneur. Some of those answers built on the lessons he’d already shared in the first hour, while other answers and anecdotes were fresh and new.

The stories ranged from the first time he worked with Marty Turco, not realizing management was watching, how to handle a goalie who doesn’t appear to take your teaching to heart, or when coaches and players are properly using pre-scouts, or thinks they can be “too much information,” including a screaming session with then-Stars coach Marc Crawford from one that his goalie ignored. Valley talks about how to hold goalies accountable, right up to the NHL, and the need to respect the need for rest without always letting them have their way, or you risk not getting the most out of them, setting the tone on values early in a relationship, and how to gain trust from both sides of the coach-goalie relationship. He shares more lessons from his Navy SEALS friends, including the value of verbal efficiency and not over complicating lessons, his favorite books, the joys of Limoncello-flavored LaCroix, and the one the one key to good goaltending that hasn’t changed throughout his career as a player, coach and advisor.

Each is worth a listen, so we’re sharing the entire 30 minutes to put a bow on this series: