National Hockey League coach uses All Blacks mantra to build team culture

Florida Panthers Head Coach Bob Boughner. Photo / Getty Images

An NHL ice hockey coach is using the All Blacks as inspiration to improve his team's culture and performance.

Six months ago, Florida Panthers coach Bob Boughner read Legacy, a book which explains the guiding principles behind the success of the All Blacks.

The publication resonated with Boughner, who decided to introduce many of the same mantras to his team.

"It just sort of knocked my socks off — it hit a special place for me, it hit home," Boughner told Newstalk ZB. "I wanted to bring in some kind of identity to the team, this was the perfect fit for me."

Boughner said the mentality of putting the team first was working well for them.
He said his relatively young Panthers squad had adopted the team-first ethos and individual egos weren't getting in the way.

"The guys have really taken this to heart," he said, admitting it took some time to work.

TJ Perenara leads the All Blacks in a haka. Photo / Getty Images

The midtable team have a 25 win-23 loss record but have won six of their last seven games to move to the fringes of playoff contention.

Boughner, who took over as Florida coach in June, made his players watch footage and read about the All Blacks to learn for themselves about world rugby's No 1 side.

The All Blacks' emphasis on leaving the jersey in a better place struck a chord with Boughner and his team.

He has also taken ideas directly from the All Blacks changing room and put them in his own.

Michael Matheson winds up to clear the puck against the Buffalo Sabres. Photo / Getty Images

Slogans emphasising humility and teamwork that the All Blacks hang on their walls have found their way into the Florida club's changing room.

"In our dressing room, we put some of those slogans around the wall ... those are right in our face from when we walk into the room.

"When we win a game of hockey, we put on the same song that the All Blacks had in their dressing room and we have an All Blacks jersey and a rugby ball.

"[They are] presented to the player of the game and they have to pass it on every game to a different player."

Defenceman Michael Matheson said he had been in locker rooms where motivational messages served more as decoration than inspiration, but that the Panthers wanted to change that culture.

"They're almost corny sometimes, but you can tell that there is a reason for every single word that's up in our locker room," he told the Sun Sentinel.

"Their outlook is, you don't always want to be positive. They're looking for guys when stuff goes wrong, how do they handle it? Do they crumble or stay calm and work through it?"

Boughner hoped the team culture would rub off on their fans as well as their players.

In the wake of this week's mass shooting at a Florida school, Boughner said the team was already thinking of ways they could help their community.

Asked if he would like to meet the All Blacks, Boughner said he would jump at the opportunity.

"I would love to do that, I want to take it further. It's part of us now, it's a religion," he said.

Based in Miami, the Florida Panthers entered the NHL in 1993-94 and lost the Stanley Cup final in their third season but have generally struggled.

They have made the playoffs just four times in the past 20 seasons, falling at the first hurdle each time.

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