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Greg Poss (USA), Coach of the Year 2003
former head coach of the "Adler Mannheim"(DEL), winner of the German ice-hockey Championship 2007, former head coach of the German National ice-hockey team (Deutsche Nationalmannschaft) and former head coach of the "Nürnberg Ice Tigers" and of the "Iserlohn Roosters" (German Premier League Ice-Hockey, DEL).
"Chris Hamilton has been an integral part of my development as an ice hockey coach. But more important than my development as a coach, Hammer has assisted my personal development. He has made me a stronger, clearer person. He has opened my eyes to another side of coaching which makes the coaching experience much more rewarding and enjoyable. In addition, Hammer has helped many of my players and teams to realize their full potential. They have attained new heights in their performance. He attains these result by being very in tune with team dynamics. The players can not help but be fully aware. The whole process makes for a great deal of success and fun!"
Jim Boni (CAN)
Head coach of EHC Liwest Blackwings Linz, ex head coach of the Austrian ice-hockey national team and the "Vienna Capitals", Austrian champions 2005, fromer assistant coach to Team Canada and head-coach and sports manager of the "Ingolstadt Panther" (German Premier League ice-hockey, DEL)
"Chris has really helped me develop as a coach, he has made me much more aware and mindful of the essential things that are needed to be done for a team to be successful. He understands not only team problems and how to resolve them but also on the personal side and how to handle the delicate and often overseen situations. He works with compassion, what truly amazed me from our first meeting, is that after our talk I felt so at peace with myself and all the problems that me and my team had at the time. I would highly recommend Chris for any team sport but also for any type of managerial coaching or consulting."
Gunnar Leidborgh (SWE)
Former top swedish goalkeeper, head-coach of several German Premier League (DEL) ice-hockey teams such as the "Kassel Huskies", "Augsburg Panther"," Hannover Scorpions" and many more.
"In the beginning I was a bit sceptical when I heard about Chris Hamilton but when I met him I knew immediately that it's not only what he says makes him great but who he is. His personality. As a player and later as a coach I met a lot of mental trainers. The only one that really understood how to work with the team through the coach was Chris. He strengthens the team and he creates a process where difficulties become challenges that create plenty of new possibilities."
Sean Simpson (CAN)
Head coach for the "EV Zug" (Swiss Premier League ice-hockey) and assistant coach to the Belarus National Ice hockey team, formerly head coach of several German Premier League (DEL) ice-hockey teams such as the "München Barons" and the "Hamburg Freezers",
"When I met Chris Hamilton I just took over a Hockey Team in Switzerland that was in a bit of a crises. Chris came onto the scene working not only the players but also intensivly with the coaches. He gathered feedback from the players while observing from within how the team functions, also giving his feedback to the coaches on how to handle different situations more efficiently. "The Hammer" as he is called, is not a coach. He assets of communication and people skills, together with his positive personality he is very beneficial to the enviroment of a team. Chris offers ways to help the team to develop itself to be the best it can possibly be. He played a definate role in the success of our team. It became a real team and won many games because of its mental toughness and team spirit, which the "Hammer" helped to create. I would highly recommend him to any team/coach who wants and strives to be the best it can be!"
Marco Stichnoth (GER)
General manager of the Hannover Scorpions Eishockey Betriebs GmbH (DEL)
"Wenn man die Leistungsdichte im Sport sieht, dann sucht man nach Möglichkeiten sich abzusetzen. Wir haben zweimal vor dem Abgrund gestanden und haben nach Lösungen gesucht. Durch Niederlagen verliert jeder Mensch an Glauben und Selbstvertrauen. Es werden die einfachsten Dinge nicht mehr so gelöst, dass sie zum Erfolg führen können. Vor jedem Spiel nimmt man sich vor, das Spiel nicht zu verlieren. Es ist wie bei einer Krankheit. Du versuchst stark zu sein, aber ein Stoß lässt dich umfallen.
Chris Hamilton "Hammer" hat in zwei DEL-Saisons mit uns gearbeitet und hat dem Team gute Wege aufgezeigt. Er hat die seltene Gabe im Gespräch Details klar zu machen, die Du verändern musst, um für das Team erfolgreich zu sein.
Seine Energie schafft es, dass die Teammitglieder wieder an sich glauben und auch lernen, Rückschläge zu verarbeiten.
Wir standen zweimal quasi mit dem Rücken zur Wand und "Hammer" hat es geschafft allen den Weg zu zeigen, um erfolgreich zu sein."
Tom Pokel (USA)
Head coach of the VEU Feldkirch
Winning a Championship together with the VEU and Chris Hamilton
In 2006 after finishing in first place in the regular season, we lost in the semi-finals in the 5th game of the best of 5 series in a penalty shoot-out. This season we were once again one of the best teams in the league. However, this time we were picked as heavy favourites by everyone to win the Championship.
After a somewhat nervous but nevertheless convincing quarterfinal series win, I could see that the only thing in our way to win the Championship was our own anxieties. Having mostly younger players and very few on the team that have ever won a Championship before, I could see that there was an intangible element missing. All of the ice hockey ingredients were developed and present for us to win a championship. Still, I felt that a certain amount of additional work was needed to help the players conquer their hurdles of fears and expectations and help them find/choose the right way to success.
Before the semi-finals began, I spoke with Chris Hamilton, (who I once worked with shortly as the Asst. Coach for ERC Ingolstadt) about our situation in Feldkirch. As fate would have it, our Semi-final opponent would be a rematch of the previous season. I was excited about the rematch and the chance for revenge. However, to the team this brought back vivid negative memories of last season's dramatic loss and the talk in the locker room had a feeling of “hopefully we won't lose to these guys again!” Measures were needed to steer the team into a positive and winning framework.
Working with Chris through the semi finals and Championship series, and the relationship that we had formed with each other, played a pivotal role in our teams' success this season. Chris enabled me to create a positive environment for the players which allowed the team to embrace the challenges of winning a Chamionship with open arms and tackle adversity straight on instead of avoiding it. His work enhanced the team's ability to choose the “right” or “wrong” path for themselves throughout the rest of the playoffs. Chris's unique ability to recognize our situation helped me provide a message to the team using my own individual style and words that helped inspire the team to address and overcome their fears and willingly choose the path of success.
Game after game, one could see the Team coming together and confidently taking control of their own destiny as opposed to allowing destiny controlling them. Each time a challenge appeared the team encountered it with confidence and the will and desire to overcome it. You could sense that the team was so cohesive and enjoying the playoff experience so much that they didn't want it to end. Maybe that's why we won the Championship in Game 5 of the best of 5 series. Chris's input helped me show the team how special, meaningful, intense, challenging, and yet how fun the playoffs can be. I look forward to working with him again in the future. |
