ESPN The Magazine – March 7, 2011

WHEN YOU PLAY FOR 10 MINOR LEAGUE AND NHL TEAMS IN 11 SEASONS, YOU THINK A LOT ABOUT GETTING FROM HERE TO THERE. GRAEME TOWNSHEND HAS MADE A SECOND CAREER OF THAT IN TORONTO, WHERE HE IS NOW ONE OF JUST THREE NHL MENTORS WHOSE PRIMARY FOCUS IS SKATEWORK.

1.I WORK WITH WHAT I AM GIVEN.
” I help guys tweak their stride and technique to skate more efficiently. Most teams have a skating consultant who comes in during camp, but if you’re not with the guys every day, you don’t notice things. I study video and see how the game evolves. When people ask why pros need a skating coach at all, I say, “Tom Brady has a QB coach, and he knows how to throw a football. “There are always things you can improve.”

2.I RELY ON ROLE MODELS.
“My goal is to develop guys into dominant players before their contracts expire. What better way to do that than to use the dominant guys in the league as examples? Nicklas Lidstrom moves well laterally, which helps him in front of defenders. And Dion Phaneuf is great at positioning himself to get leverage for big hits. I teach the tactics those guys use.”

3. THE BLUE LINE IS WHERE MY ACTION IS.
“Most of my work is with defensemen, because their positioning is so important. At this level, forwards exploit tiny weaknesses, especially now that defenders can’t clutch and grab anymore. But my role is pretty far-reaching. One day I’ll work with a wing on tip-ins; the next, I’ll focus on somebody’s footwork while shooting.”

4.HABITS ARE MY WORST ENEMY
“Guys often ask me to fix the poor form they’ve had since they were kids. A common beginner’s technique is the V start you click your heels together and rise on your toes to push forward. But it is useless in the pros because
you almost never start from a dead stop. You’ll be gliding and need to accelerate. So we work on the neutral takeoff: You put pressure on the balls of your feet instead of the toes, stay low, then push out instead of up.”

5.INSPIRATION IS EVERYWHERE
“Innovations spread faster than ever. Americans look to Canada for ideas and vice versa, but we’re all influenced by Europeans. On YouTube, I can see a Russian kid’s an amazing mover and have my guys practice it that day.”