In the U.S., coaches could be the father next door. They had no formal training. They're like old hockey players. They don't go to school and study.

If you're a skilled player, you want to use your skill, not just hit the puck.

In the U.S., coaches could be the father next door. They had no formal training. They're like old hockey players. They don't go to school and study.

Growing up, I didn't know very much about my heritage and the Soviet Union and things of that nature. But when I saw the Soviet Union play hockey for the first time, to me, it was profound.

Anatoli Tarasov, the guy that created the Soviet style of play, was a visionary. He was a creative thinker. He studied ballet and chess and art and read a lot.

There (in the Soviet Union) it was a science. In order to be a coach, you had to study in school.

I guess the prime example is in North America there's a thing where if there's no opportunity to move forward with the puck, then a [hockey] player is told to dump the puck into the other zone. Just give up the puck and dump it in. Give it to the other team. And to the Soviet mentality in coaching, it just doesn't make any sense. If you're a skilled player, why are you going to give the puck away to the other team? Just give it away, right?