Saul Miller believes the Kelowna Rockets have what it takes to win. Not just in the short term, like claiming the 2009 Memorial Cup today, but in the long term as well.
A renowned sports psychologist with ties to the Western Hockey League, Dr. Miller has just released his seventh book, Why Teams Win: 9 keys to success in business, sports and beyond. On store shelves now, the book takes an in-depth look at key points to success.
Dr. Miller has spent the last dozen years working with teams in the WHL, specifically the Medicine Hat Tigers, Vancouver Giants, Kamloops Blazers and Tri-City Americans. In looking at the Rockets from the outside, he says Kelowna has all the necessary ingredients for success, starting with the drive to succeed.
“One of the keys to success is commitment,” said Miller, whose book is not only aimed at sports teams, but business teams as well. “Talent is important, and you have to have talent, but it‘s not the most important. Commitment is huge. You need the willingness to do what‘s necessary to get the job done and the willingness to pay the price.
“Within the team context, another key is the willingness to surrender the ego of me for the group of we. Steve Yzerman said he always tries to do what‘s best for the team, and, certainly, we see some of that with the Rockets. They have a good team game, their chemistry seems good, guys are supporting each other and I‘m impressed with their leadership.
“Leadership sets the tone. Leadership has a vision, and, in some cases, it affects talent, develops talent, builds chemistry and confidence and so on.”
Commitment and putting the team first are two of the nine keys which Miller writes about. He said Why Teams Win took him, on and off, three years to write, and that it‘s just not about team sports; the nine keys also can be applied to business models. But with the Rockets on the national stage, sports talk in Western Canada is revolving around Kelowna and the WHL.
The Rockets will play for the Memorial Cup this afternoon after having a five-day layoff. Their last game was Tuesday night, a 2-1 loss to the Windsor Spitfires, who they will face in the championship contest.
“It‘s interesting the little layoff they‘ve had,” said Miller. “When you lose a game going into a layoff, from the psychological view, there‘s a little more of an edge that we cannot take things too easily.
“If you go into the final having beaten everybody, there‘s a sense of confidence that comes from success. But sometimes that confidence creates an easing that can be disadvantageous. I‘m sure they‘ve had upbeat, high-tempo practices, but it wasn‘t so bad that they got themselves qualified; they‘re well rested and, having lost that last game going in, I think it gives them a little bit of an edge.”
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