Hockey Chat: You may not remember Ned Harkness when you think of hockey’s greatest, but he truly was.  His name is not inscribed on the Stanley Cup but it is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.  He didn’t run up the scoreboard with goals but filled the hearts and minds of the players with knowledge and passion.

Ned Harkness was the coach of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy Michigan for 13 years leading to numerous championships.  From there he moved to Cornell University where he coached those players just as before to become a great force in college hockey.  They went from a mediocre team to an undefeated team winning 2 NCAA titles.  Ned did not win a Stanley Cup although he coached Ken Dryden there who went on to win it six times.

During his coaching days, Ned told those players the truth about what greatness they could achieve.  He taught them about hockey and winning.  He said what they needed to hear to rise above and become great.

But all his years of coaching would have been useless if it weren’t for those players.  Not just for their ability to score goals but mainly for their willingness to open their ears and minds and take in what Ned was teaching.  They let go of bad habits and how they played before and now were eager to learn the truth of how to win.  Their faith in the coach’s message led them to victory.