Tensions in mentoring: a qualitative analysis of the experiences of the coach mentoring program instituted by Hockey Manitoba

Abstract

The success of our Canadian national hockey teams in the international arena offers a platform on which to evaluate our current athlete development initiatives in hockey. Following the Molson Open Ice Summit in 1999, Hockey Canada embarked on several initiatives exploring ways to enhance player development. One of these initiatives was the National Coach Mentorship Program, which emphasizes cooperation between coaches, within a highly competitive environment. The purpose of this study was to analyze the implementation of the NCMP in Manitoba to further understand tensions between emphasis on competitive performance outcome principles in Canadian hockey and collaborative approaches to coach education. Using a community of practice model with semi-structured interviews, complemented by participant observation, this study was completed to provide a greater understanding of tensions in mentoring by analyzing the program’s formal parameters and design and its’ current manifestation in concrete mentoring relationships in the Manitoba hockey coaching community.