ESPN The Magazine - March 7, 2011

WHEN YOU PLAY FOR 10 MINOR LEAGUE AND NHL TEMAS IN 11 SEASONS, YOU THINK A LOT ABOUT GETTING FROM HERE TO THERE. GRAEME TOWNSHEND HAS MAD A SECOND CAREER OF THAT IN TORONTO, WHERE HE IS NOWONE 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 effeciently.
Most temas 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, especialy 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's 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 You Tube, I can see a Russian kid's amazing mover and have my guys practice it that day."

Photograph by KC Armstrong

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