Shero on Dave Schultz (in photo): "There are three things that make a hockey player: speed, skill and strength. Schultz doesn't have speed or skill but realizes what he's here for: to beat up the other guy."Shero on strategy: "Get to the puck by the shortest route and arrive in ill-humor."
Shero on Orr: "We're a hitting team, but we've always made the mistake of treating Orr as an untouchable. As a result, he's killed us. Orr is not God, and we have to stop treating him like he is."
Shero on success: "Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must first set yourself on fire."
Shero on hockey: "We know that hockey is where we live, where we can best meet and overcome pain and wrong and death. Life is just a place where we spend time between
games."Shero during the 1974 finals: "Win today and we walk together forever."
Shero on his coaching style: "I'm like a duck: calm above the water, and paddling like hell underneath."
After hiring an assistant coach (Mike Nykoluk) to become the first fulltime NHL second-in-command coach: "Most coaches don't want to admit they need help. They're afraid for their jobs."
More Shero:
"When you have bacon and eggs for breakfast, the chicken makes a contribution, but the pig makes a commitment."
"Sharing both triumphs and setbacks indicates an effort not merely to succeed, but to excel."
"Having 18 lovable guys on a team is fine, but if you finish last they aren't so lovable."
Fred Shero (in photo with Cincinnati Mohawks of the AHL, about 1950) died of stomach cancer at age 65 on November 24, 1990.
Best quotes I've read in too long of a time.
ReplyDeleteThank you Shero, and LT for bringing to light such words of wisdom to us young'n's.
uni: Shero was a fascinating hockey man. He would set up scenario's and ask players what they'd do (there's a famous one where he was picking on Joe Watson and Watson said "ah hell Fred ask MacLeish" which drew laughter because MacLeish couldn't check his hat) and he had some rules that made sense then and make sense now.
ReplyDeleteHis cup teams were familiar with isokinetics (Shero had the entire team go through the same exercise program as astronauts like Wally Schirra and no I'm not kidding).
Hockey needs more guys like him.
Have you ever read Roy MacGregor's book, I think it's called The Last Season? It's a pretty weird book, all things told, but Shero plays a bit role.
ReplyDeleteBeen trying to read up on Fred Shero, and I've found a few short articles and some quotes (Lowetide's is 8th on the Google search list by the way); but does anyone know of any good books I could get a hold of?
ReplyDeleteYou need to buy a book called "Shero: the man behind the system" most of all. It's from mid-70s.
ReplyDeleteAlso, BERNIE BERNIE BERNIE (a Bernie Parent book) has some excellent insight, plus pretty much any Hockey News from April-August of 1974 and 1975 has something on Shero in it. He was kind of a superstar for a time there, and his every word was quoted.
The thing about Shero's tactics (he had several rules) weren't really that they were new (his short shifts and 4 lines were new, and having 6 defensemen who were basically the same guy was unusual) but that he was so determined to make his players do these things every shift.
Shero won 2 Cups in a row, and the third was lost due to massive injuries (Parent's neck, MacLeish, etc).
His time in NYC was also interesting.
Shero on his coaching style: "I'm like a duck: calm above the water, and paddling like hell underneath."
ReplyDeleteHe stole that from CONVOY (the Peckinpah film).
Shero on his coaching style: "I'm like a duck: calm above the water, and paddling like hell underneath."
ReplyDeleteHe stole that from CONVOY (the Peckinpah film).