Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia talks to side judge Dave Meslow (118) against the Chicago ... [+] Bears during an NFL football game in Detroit, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019. (AP Images/Rick Osentoski)

December NFL football is upon us as we hit the final four weeks of the regular season.

This has been a season marred by several lackluster teams. There are early several teams officially eliminated from the playoff picture. In less than a month from now, several coaches will pay for their teams failure.

The leagues infamous Black Monday is just four weeks from now. Several head coaches and their staffs are feeling the heat in early December. Here is a look at several coaches who are in danger of the getting fired in the next month. Of course, there is already an opening in Washington as coach Jay Gruden was fired earlier this season. Bill Callahan is finishing the season as the interim head coach. The coaches on the hot seat are presented in alphabetical order:

Jason Garrett: No ones seat is hotter at the moment. The Cowboys, who had Super Bowl aspirations with a deep roster (check out Cowboys daily fantasy options here), have lost three of the last four games. Dallas owner Jerry Jones has publicly criticized Garrett and his staff in recent weeks. The strong sense is that Garrett will be fired even if the Cowboys win a weak NFC East, especially if they dont make any noise in the playoffs. Jones want the big prize and after 10 seasons and two playoff wins, Garretts time is probably used. Jones, who will be going big-game hunting, will likely offer one of the best financial packages in the NFL to his new hire.

Freddie Kitchens: The Cleveland Browns coach may not be in major trouble, but there is no sure thing he wont go one-and-done with the Browns. Expectations were huge in Cleveland and the Browns are just 5-7 and underachieving on offense. Cleveland would still be a desirable job, so Kitchens may not get a second year if he doesnt finish strong.

Anthony Lynn: There are always a surprise or two every year of the firing cycle. So, a guy like Lynn or Chicagos Matt Nagy could be on the list. Neither should get fired, but the Chargers have lost eight games of seven points or less. That might fall on the coach, especially with the team needing to create excitement as it moves into its new Los Angeles digs as the second fiddle to the Rams. A splash coaching hire could be something ownership ponders. If so, Lynn would have a new job before lunch the day he gets fired.

Doug Marrone: Marrone may not be so far off Garrett when to comes to hot seats. It looks like heads are going to roll in Jacksonville and it would be a surprise, at this point, if Marrone isnt part of the changes.

Matt Patricia: The former New England defensive coordinators hot seat is warming in Detroit. The Lions are 3-8-1 this season and 9-18-1 overall under Patricia. A couple of things may be in Patricias favor, though. The Lions have led in every game, so they compete. Also, standout quarterback Matthew Stafford is injured. The Lions brass will likely think hard about this decision, but perhaps Patricia, who was considered a a strong hire in 2018, might get another year to prove he can win in the Motor City.

Dan Quinn: Quinn is another coach who seems to be sitting on an extremely warm seat. Many people around the league expected Falcons ownership to fire Quinn at the bye, but it never happened. The Falcons showed a little life, but they are 3-9. The Falcons havent been the same since blowing the Super Bowl almost three years ago to New England. Quinn is likely in his final days in Atlanta.

Ron Rivera: Rivera is another Super Bowl loser from the NFC South who is likely in trouble. The Panthers are sagging and new ownership may look to make a splash. Many coaches will have interest because of the presence of shiny toy, running back Christian McCaffrey.

Pat Shurmur: Shurmur has won just seven of 28 games in New York. There isnt a lot of growth happening. The Giants are young, but it wouldnt be a shock if a new coach gets a chance to rebuild the team.

Link:
8 NFL Coaches Who Are On The Hot Seat - Forbes

As all Tennessee fans know, the 2017 coaching search was a dumpster fire of epic proportions. Two years later, I thought it would be fun to look back at the key coaching names from that search to see where they stand now.

Remember, those that dont learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.

The white whale of all Tennessee coaching searches. Heck its possible that Gruden was a candidate at Tennessee when Bill Battle got the job in 1970 (and you dont know for sure that he wasnt!). Gruden was contacted by Tennessee in 2017, but it never went anywhere because Gruden didnt want a college job. He wanted to return to the NFL and did so when he was re-hired by the Oakland Raiders the following January. After a brutal 4-12 season in 2018, Grudens Raiders are in the AFC playoff hunt at 6-6.

The Mississippi State head coach was John Curries top choice. Many Tennessee fans liked the idea, too. But Currie dragged his feet on an official interview. In that time, Florida was turned down by UCFs Scott Frost and former Oregon coach Chip Kelly. The Gators then turned to their former assistant coach, and Mullen jumped at the chance to return to Gainesville. Had Currie been more decisive and secured Mullens services shortly after firing Butch Jones, Mullen might be Tennessees head coach today. Over the past 2 years Florida has gone 21-5 with a top 10 finish in 2018 and what is likely another top 10 finish this season.

This is that name will always be remembered the most in that 2017 coaching search. Currie had him (mostly) signed, sealed and delivered, until a massive Vols fan protest caused the university to back away. A year later Schiano resigned as Ohio States defensive coordinator to take a similar job on Bill Belichicks staff at New England, but quit less than 2 months later. Last week, he accepted an offer to return to Rutgers as its head coach.

The well respected former Tennessee assistant nearly became the Vols head coach after Lane Kiffin resigned in 2010, but a deal couldnt be reached with athletics director Mike Hamilton. In 2017, Currie contacted Cutcliffe to see if he might be interested in returning to Knoxville and was turned down. Cutcliffe has been the head coach at Duke since 2009 and has done a terrific job at a school where its really difficult to win. Since 2012, the Blue Devils have gone 51-39 with a division title and 3 bowl victories. They have taken a step back the past 2 years, finishing a combined 13-12.

It seems like every Tennessee coaching search involves Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. He used Tennessee to get a raise in 2012 and the same exact thing happened in 2017. Gundy and Currie met in Dallas, and Gundy was reportedly offered a contract worth $7 million per year. But Gundy, who is an Oklahoma State alum and has spent most of his adult life in Stillwater, was never leaving that job. Gundy picked up a $675,000 salary bump. In 2018, Gundys Cowboys went 7-6 and they are 8-4 this year and heading to another bowl.

The Purdue head coach popped up on a lot of wish lists during that coaching cycle. Brohm was contacted by Tennessee after the Schiano fiasco, and there were media reports that Brohm accepted the job. However, that was not the case. Brohm chose to stay at Purdue. Since then the bloom has fallen. Purdue is 10-15 the past 2 seasons.

While it doesnt appear that the Iowa State head coach was ever a serious contender for the Tennessee job, his was a hot name at the end of the 2017 season. The Cyclones upset 2 top 5 opponents that year (Oklahoma, TCU). But he had a buyout of $9 million. UTs athletics department wasnt in position to pay that for a coach like Campbell. Iowa State is still good under Campbell. The Cyclones have gone a combined 15-10 the past 2 seasons.

The NC State head coach was offered the Tennessee job, and Vols fans protested that move as well. Doerens Wolfpack had gone 34-30 the previous 5 seasons, with a woeful 15-25 mark in the ACC. Currie flew to Raleigh, interviewed Doeren and expected him to take the job. Doeren might have gotten spooked by the Vols fan backlash, which wasnt at Schiano levels but was still loud. Or he might have just been using Tennessee to get a raise. If so, it worked. He got a contract extension worth $15 million over 5 years. The Wolfpack went 9-4 in 2018 but limped to a 4-8 finish this season, punctuated by a blowout loss at home to rival UNC.

With the coaching search now in complete free fall, Currie called a Hail Mary, and flew from Raleigh to California to interview the Washington State coach. Leach gave Currie every indication he was taking the Tennessee job. This was seen as a win by most Tennessee fans. Leachs eccentric nature, along with his up-tempo offensive style would have been very popular in Knoxville. But when Currie returned to Tennessee the morning after interviewing Leach, he was fired by UT chancellor Beverly Davenport, and the Leach pursuit ended immediately. Leachs Cougars won a school-record 11 games in 2018, and ended it ranked 10th in the nation. They werent as good this season, finishing 6-6, but theyre still heading to a bowl for the 5th consecutive year.

After Curries firing, Phillip Fulmer took over as AD and ran the coaching search, interviewing the Auburn defensive coordinator. Steele had Tennessee ties as a former player and assistant coach. However, his head coaching rsum was a mess, going 9-36 at Baylor from 1999-2002, including a 1-31 in Big 12 play. Those numbers would have made it tough for Fulmer to justify the hire. Steele is still the DC at Auburn and had 3 of his players taken in the 2019 NFL Draft with more to follow this April.

Fulmer also interviewed the Georgia defensive coordinator during this coaching search. Tucker, who helped turn Georgia into a championship-level defense, was going to get a head coaching job eventually and was the runner-up for the Tennessee job. In 2019 he became Colorados head coach. His Buffaloes went 5-7 this season.

The 2017 coaching search finally ended with Fulmers hiring of Pruitt, the Alabama defensive coordinator. This was his first head coaching job. Pruitts Vols upset nationally ranked Auburn and Kentucky in 2018, but they ran out of steam after that and finished 5-7. This season the team got off to a dreadful 1-4 start, including an embarrassing loss to Georgia State. But the Vols appear to be heading in the right direction, winning 6 of their past 7 to end the 2019 season, and earning their 1st bowl game berth since 2016.

Originally posted here:
The updated 2017 Tennessee coaching search report card - Saturday Down South

December 2, 2019

A great hitter is successful three out of ten times they attempt, says Rachel Martin, head coach of Corban Universitys softball program.

Failure is built into the game of softball in a way that differs from other sports. In softball, not only is failure highly likely, but its also highly personal. When youre hitting, Its just you against the pitcher, Rachel explains. For a moment, the spotlight is on you alone. And what you do impacts your entire team.

Rachels love of softball began as she grew up watching her father coach high school. She started playing when she was 10 years old, and began accompanying her dad to coaching clinics at the age of 14. Even after playing on Corbans team in college and later assistant coaching, Rachel couldnt have imagined shed one day step into the role of head coach.

When she was hired as the new head coach at Corban this past summer, Rachel immediately embraced her task of building on the teams tradition of excellence (which brought them all the way to the final game of the NAIA Softball World Series in 2017).

One of Rachels highest priorities in her new role is to develop her team into a group of excellent women who trust each other completely, both on and off the field.

No matter how skilled an individual player is, If an individual on a team doesnt trust wholeheartedly the person standing next to them or behind themif a team member doesnt believe in the teams goals and is more self-motivated than team-motivatedthen a teams not going to be successful. But, Rachel says, When a team believes in a common goal and has a common thread running through them, and when a team trusts one another and loves each other unconditionally, theyre unstoppable.

We are not just another teamwe are a family of young ladies who absolutely love the Lord and His plan for us. We are all here for a reason, here because we were called to this team. Sarah Probasco, senior, pitcher.

This past semester, Rachel has focused on helping her athletes build lifelong bonds both on and off the field as they develop trust, dependability, and integrity.

For example, Rachel says, We dont do anything softball on Fridays in the fall. We give up that day of practice to work on getting to know each other on a deeper level. From silly activities like lip-synching competitions to team outings to the pumpkin patch or even an intensive day at the Salem Ropes Course, each activity is designed to help team members bond, get to know each other, and learn to trust one another.

In addition to fun activities, the women spend time serving together. One weekend each year, they travel to Washington Family Ranch in Central Oregon, where they work at a middle school Young Life camp. From serving meals to cleaning up to enjoying a family-style dinner with campers, the athletes get an opportunity to unplug from technology and share the love of Christ through simple acts of service.

Students here dont just learn about Jesus and sit in our dorm rooms; we go out into the world and represent Jesus through our interactions and relationships with one another, says Kaycee Arase, sophomore, utility.

The team also bonds through spiritual growth, as they choose one chapel to attend together each week and participate in team Bible studies and devotions through a Bible app. This last one was a 31-day Bible study about being all-in, says Rachel. She particularly loves reading the womens responses to each days prompts, seeing them make connections between Scripture and their own lives.

The young women also have the opportunity to serve together through fundraising initiatives. We ask people who work hard for their money to donate toward our program, says Rachel, so in response, were going to work toward our goals as well. This year, the women raised nearly 50% of their fundraising goal themselves as they worked safety management for football games at Oregon State University.

Weve done alcohol monitoring, field managementmaking sure only people with the right credentials are on the field, explains Rachel. One of the highlights of the season was hearing compliments from the staff. The event staff told Rachel, Your girls are so amazing. They go above and beyond. Theyre attentive to detail. They added that her athletes had the best conduct theyd seen from a guest safety management team in four years. These kinds of compliments point to more than just the work ethic of the athletes themselves. They point to the values Rachel is fostering in her team as she helps them function as members of the Body of Christ.

Never has this unity been more apparent than when one of the team members learned her mother had cancer and would have to undergo surgery. She asked her teammates to pray for her, sharing that she couldnt afford to fly home because of the expensive medical bills.

Almost immediately, Rachel began receiving calls from the other women on the team, asking if they could contribute money to her flight. They got the word out to their families and friends, and In less than four hours, we were able to come together and pay for her flight and her transportation to and from the airport and her home, says Rachel. The women who couldnt afford to contribute financially were fierce prayer warriors throughout the process. It was really cool to see the team understand that softball isnt everything, that the relationships were building are what were going to carry for life.

Corban softball is a family, says Taylor Beasley, sophomore, infield. Not only is every girl on the team a sister, but when anything happens in your life, you know you have 20+ girls who will drop everything to be there. We are a fellowship of girls who use our God-given talents to glorify Christ in all aspects on and off the field.

When asked how the team is playing so far this year, Rachel says, Theyre on fire. She describes how, even during pre-season, they won all five games against local junior colleges. When matched up with Oregon State University in a pre-season game, they stayed ahead for the first five out of ten innings. It takes a measure of humility and class to compete against the same school the women serve as part of their fundraising initiative, but the women stepped up to the plate without hesitation and held their own against the D1 school.

Their ability to put themselves on the back burner and put the team first is huge, says Rachel. We hold a larger roster, so not every girl gets to be the person making the throw or having the hit. But they understand there are so many more roles than just the nine on the field that lead to the victory.

She gives the example of an athlete putting in the extra work during practice and challenging another teammate to join her. Perhaps only one of the two women will start in the next game, but the success belongs to both of them, because they challenged one another to improve.

Our team is a family, says Kaylee Buhrkuhl, senior, infield/outfield. We hold each other accountable, push each other to our full potential, strive for excellence, and strive to show Christs love and truth every day.

Its amazing to see the women buying into a different culture, Rachel says, because thats not typical. The typical culture would elevate personal success and glory, with each athlete striving to become the face of the program. But this isnt the case on Corbans softball team. Rather than striving to be the face of the program, Our athletes are the heart of the program, says Rachel. Thats what matters.

Its been an honor and a pleasure to wear the uniform these last three years, and I look forward to one last season. Go Warriors! Kasie Kloempken, senior, third base

This article is part of a series of stories featuring Gods wonderful work happening at Corban University, as well as an opportunity to give to student scholarships. Thank you for prayerfully considering a gift to make a difference in a students life, as well as the world!

More here:
The Heart of the Program: Rachel Martin Shapes Corban Softball Team for Success, On and Off the Field - Corban University

The Toronto Maple Leafs fired head coach Mike Babcock recently.

As we start the holiday season, here are the always festive Monday morning musings and meditations on the world of sports:

Mike Brown had no illusions about his place in the NHL.

He was, at best, a marginal player whose principal value was in his size 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and his ability to fight. Those, er, attributes got him selected in the first round of the 1997 draft by Florida. But Brown would play just 34 NHL games over seven pro seasons, including 16 with the Canucks who acquired him in the Pavel Bure trade with the Panthers during the 1998-99 season.

I feel fortunate to have played, says Brown, a Vancouver kid whos now a sales manager for a car dealership. Quite frankly, I wouldnt change much about any of it.

So keep that in mind as the following story is related. In 2002, Brown was claimed on waivers by Anaheim where Mike Babcock was the head coach. This is how Brown describes his first meeting with Babcock: I dont want you on our team. We dont need you. The only reason youre here is Bryan Murray (then the Ducks general manager) drafted you in Florida.

Subsequent events have since suggested that wasnt exactly out-of-character for Babcock.

In the last week or so, a heated debate has erupted in the hockey world over what constitutes acceptable behaviour for a head coach.

Bill Peters aside, its a tricky one. Incidents that occurred 20, 30, 40 years ago are being viewed through the lens of 2019, and attitudes have changed. For most of the games history, the coach was an all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful despot who was free to utilize any method short of common assault to motivate his team.

Come to think of it, that one was used as well. Lets just say all that is now under review.

Coaching, in the pro ranks at least, requires an edge that makes some uncomfortable. The coach has to be demanding. He or she has to be critical. He or she has to use a variety of techniques to reach their players.

But theres also a line that cant be crossed. Coaches can poke and prod in an effort to bring out the best in their players or team but once they belittle, once they demean, once they dehumanize, theyve crossed that line.

Maybe that line didnt exist all those years ago and we dont have the time or space to recount all the stories I heard covering the WHL through the 1980s. But it exists now. Sports doesnt always evolve in lockstep with the times. In some ways, they can be ahead of societal norms. In others, they can lag behind.

But this is one of those cases where hockey needed to take a long, hard look at itself. The change had started long before this week, but it appears recent events have accelerated that process.

At least you hope thats the case. Coaching should be an honourable profession practised by honourable men and women. It comes with great power, but with that power comes a greater responsibility. All coaches would do well to remember that.

Zack Kassian of the Edmonton Oilers battles against Jordie Benn of the Canucks in October. Codie McLachlan / Getty Images

If you watched Zack Kassian during his 171 games as a Canuck, you knew there was a player there somewhere. It just didnt seem the hockey world would ever see that player. Bent on self-destruction, Kassian was on a ruinous path that could have taken him a hundred different places, none of them good, when he turned his life around.

Now, five years after he was dumped by the Canucks, Kassian is the player he always thought he could be. More importantly, at 28, hes become the man he had hoped to be.

I was in a place where I didnt know if Id ever play again, Kassian says of his well-publicized battle with substance abuse. When you think youre never going to play in the NHL, you make a conscious decision to turn your life around. You dont take anything for granted after something is close to being taken away from you.

Saturday night in Edmonton Kassian scored his ninth goal of the season. He missed Sundays rematch in Vancouver with a back injury, but, playing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, hes on pace to score 30 this season. Nice story that.

Not sure if Ive ever seen Bo Horvat play a more complete game than he did Saturday in Edmonton.

Rashaad Penny of the Seahawks runs the ball for touchdown in the fourth quarter in a win against the Eagles. Elsa / Getty Images

Couple of things to consider as the Seahawks prepare for their critical Monday matchup with the Vikings. In the Pete Carroll era, theyre 9-2 on Monday nights and 28-5-1 in prime time, including a ridiculous 18-2 at home. Since 2012, Russell Wilsons first year as the starting quarterback, theyre also 23-9 in December.

After the Monday-nighter, the Seahawks have four games left on their schedule: at Los Angeles, at Carolina, then home to Arizona and San Francisco. If they get past the Vikings, they take control of the NFC West, and the top seed in the conference and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs isnt out of the question.

At that point, the Seahawks become a legitimate Super Bowl team.

Canucks tough guys Kevin Bieksa (left) and Gino Odjick exchange greetings before a game against the Edmonton Oilers on April, 11, 2015 at Rogers Arena. Rich Lam / Getty Images

Finally, after spending 10 years interviewing Kevin Bieksa, its not really surprising hes taken to his TV gig in a big way. Smart, funny, irreverent and always confident, he could easily become the most popular commentator in the game if he commits to the tube full-time. As it is, listening to him tell the story about fighting Kassian in an elevator, or the reasons he punted Shane OBrien as a roommate, are TV gold.

Hope he stays with it. Plus, I want to live in a world where Bieksa is part of the media.

Visit link:
Willes's Musings: Coaching comes with great power, but with that power comes greater responsibility - Vancouver Sun

CALGARY There was a stretch, Rocky Thompson remembers, somewhere between 2003 and 05 when he was feeling it.

Skating well, racking up his usual pile of penalties in the American Hockey League playing for the Edmonton Oilers farm team, life was cruising along.

Or so he thought.

Geoff Ward, providing some tough love to a tough guy, respectfully, disagreed.

I remember him bringing me into his office and I thought I was playing good, Thompson said, chuckling as he recalled the conversation. He went over a segment that we would do at the time and he said: We need you to be better than this.

I was kind of like: I thought I was playing good. And it wasnt like he was mean to me, or anything. He thought I could do more. He told me what I needed to do. And it was good.

I had a great relationship with him I played hard for him. After that, I had even more respect for him because I was seeing things differently. He was just honest, and he did it in a different way.

As a former school teacher in Ontario, Ward honed his communication and listening skills and fine-tuned his ability to create caring, purposeful, empowering relationships between himself and his students. As a proud father of four Cody, Sawyer, Kylie, and Hannah the 57-year-old from Waterloo, Ont., is patient and kind. That much is obvious.

As a hockey coach for the past 30 years, Wards impact has been significant at every stop along the way. It also helps paint a picture of a man deeply passionate about his craft, who has unintentionally been thrust into the spotlight behind the Calgary Flames bench as the interim head coach.

I loved playing for Wardy, continued Thompson, who is now the head coach of the AHLs Chicago Wolves. I thought we were motivated. We played hard, but it wasnt an old-school type of coaching. He was, really, what people are looking at nowadays with up-and-coming coaches. He was maybe a little bit ahead of his time, at that time, about 15 years ago now I think the world of him.

Wards story is colourful, not unlike others with unique outposts having shaped his experience. Moving. Times of uncertainty. Being hired. Fired. Winning. Losing.

Starting with the University of Waterloo of the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union, Ward transitioned to running the bench for the Waterloo Siskins junior B outfit, then made the jump to the Ontario Hockey League with the Niagara Falls Thunder, Kitchener Rangers, and Guelph Storm.

There was a brief foray into the ECHL, two stints in Germany sandwiched around seven years as an assistant with the Boston Bruins which included a Stanley Cup in 2011 several years in the American Hockey League and assistant/associate coaching gigs in New Jersey and, of course, Calgary.

Now, another unique situation presents itself. Ward has dutifully assumed the controls of a Flames organization facing turmoil in the wake of the racial allegations towards former head coach Bill Peters, and desperately needing guidance.

Flames general manager Brad Treliving called it turbulence.

Thats putting it mildly.

I can never say Ive been in this circumstance taking over a team, Ward had said on Friday when the news became official. But the reasoning doesnt matter. Whats important is what you do once the moment happens and you need to step in.

A half hour after Treliving nearly broke down in tears, explaining how difficult the situation has been on this group, Ward stepped in and switched gears.

And turned up the tunes.

At Fridays practice, Rasmus Anderssons music selection of Elton Johns Tiny Dancer, Queens Radio Ga Ga, and Run DMCs Its Tricky had everyone smiling.

Ward explained the importance of normalcy and simplicity for his players, along with the need to insulate themselves from the outside noise.

He referred to the dressing room as their place. He emphasized the words team, family, and grow.

Ward can read a room, body language, and a situation.

During a 15-minute post-practice press conference after being officially dubbed the Flames interim head coach, he was empathetic and insightful. Calm, but energetic and light. Funny, but serious and purposeful.

Hes been through it all as an assistant coach, said winger Milan Lucic, who was with Ward during the 2011 Stanley Cup. And he has gotten to work with some really good teams and really good coaching staffs.

Im excited to be here with him to see what he can do with this opportunity.

An opportunity presented itself during the 2002-03 season with the Hamilton Bulldogs when then-head coach Claude Julien was promoted to the NHL. Ward took the team to the Calder Cup final and was named the AHLs coach of the year.

That was the stop Sean McAslan remembers the most.

I was a Black Ace, just bag skating for a couple of months and the next year, I went to camp and I didnt have a very good camp, said the former Calgary Hitmen forward (1996-2001) who now works in the oil and gas industry in Calgary. They could have easily just sent me down, but (Ward) stuck with me because of the work Id done.

I had a couple of good exhibition games and on a per diem envelope, when he was handing them out, he wrote on mine: Great game, Sean. Keep it up. He didnt have to do anything like that, especially in the American league. You dont have coaches holding your hands you either make it, or you dont. McAslan, like Thompson, followed Ward to Toronto and to Edmonton with the AHL Road Runners. In those days, albeit not that long ago, it was common to walk on egg shells around the main boss.

Not Ward.

The head coach was the tough one, said McAslan, who played 127 games for Ward from 2002-05. And the assistant coaches were the ones you could relate to, especially coming up through junior and the early days of pros. Thats kind of the way it was. You could relate a little more to the assistant coach.

You could be a little more buddy-buddy with them. Geoff was a really relatable guy. Fernando Pisani was coached by Ward through the early 2000s before becoming a full-time NHLer for six years with the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks.

Now, a development coach for the Western Hockey Leagues Edmonton Oil Kings, Wards imprint was significant.

I think guys feel comfortable approaching him and saying whats on their mind, Pisani said. Right, wrong, or indifferent, hell give you the answer. And if you like it or you dont, hell tell it to you to help you become a better player. Pisani says the why is key in educating todays generation of players and Ward has always been skilled at that.

Gaining trust, Thompson adds, has also been one of Wards strengths.

When you need to coach and teach, you do those things, Thompson said. But if you see a person, you can go up and talk to him. Then, they know: Gosh, hes not just the coach coming at me to tell me what Im doing wrong again. Theres a time and a place for that. But theres also a time and a place to be a real person. A guys guy. I always thought Wardy was a guys guy.

Dressed in a royal blue suit and matching tie during Saturdays game at the Scotiabank Saddledome against the Senators, Ward shook hands with assistant coach Ryan Huska and equipment manager Mark DePasquale when the horn sounded and strode off the bench.

The Flames bench, it seemed, was looser than it had been in a long time. In his post-game press conference, he talked about the players being solution-oriented.

I want to treat the guys like men, because they are, Ward said. I want them to be an important part of the process, because its their program, not mine.

Many of his peers in the business believe that Ward has been ready for a head coaching position for some time. He was short-listed in Calgary in 2016, up against the eventual successful candidate, Glen Gulutzan.

The Flames have two victories with Ward at the helm. A 3-2 overtime win at Buffalo on Wednesday and Saturdays business-like 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators.

According to Treliving, theres no immediate timetable of how long Ward will stay in this role. One would expect if there is quick evidence of buy-in and success, there would be a strong sense of permanency to the position. Ward, after all, was previously considered for the job and was poached by Treliving from the Devils ahead of the 2018-19 season to improve their power-play.

I loved Wardo as a coach, Devils forward Kyle Palmieri said. He was a great guy. He was a great communicator I think hes going to do a great job. Hes a guy who is well-respected and knows how to motivate. I think thats a team thats going through a bit of a rough patch and you add this (the Peters drama) on top of it Wardos a great coach and hes been around the league forever. I think hes more than qualified.

On Saturday night, Ward used common sense to give the Flames two consecutive days off, Sunday and Monday, to regroup. Sunday was originally slated to be a practice day.

Theyve been through a lot.

So has he.

This is difficult, Ward had said of what he made of the entire Peters situation, and how it has impacted him given the two were peers one week ago. Im still reeling from it, myself. Your thoughts and your emotions are all over the place. Its an unfortunate, unfortunate situation. Its not the way he drew it up, his ascent to the NHL. There are only 31 jobs in this unforgiving business. Ward called it a dream realized. From lesson planning to coaching at hockeys highest level, its the very definition of a dream realized. But as far as hes concerned, the job is based on communication and relationships. Just like a teachers. I think its important you know them as people, Ward said of building the players trust. You know what they do for hobbies. What their families are like. All of those things. So, it gives me an opportunity to talk to them about other things than hockey when they get to the rink. I think its important that all of those things are in play. For me, then, its much easier to send messages to them that need to be sent. Its easier for them to feel comfortable to come in to talk to me about things. Really, thats what Im all about.

Im all about communicating with people, trusting people, believing in people, and empowering people to come together as a group and become the best that we can be.

WARDS COACHING LOG

1989-92 University of Waterloo, CIAU, assistant coach 1992-93 Niagara Falls Thunder, OHL, assistant coach 1993-94 Waterloo Siskins, MWJHL, head coach 1994-98 Kitchener Rangers, OHL, head coach 1998-99 Guelph Storm, OHL, head coach 99-2000 Arkansas RiverBlades, ECHL, head coach 2000-01 EC Bad Nauheim, Germany2, head coach 2001-02 Hamilton Bulldogs, AHL, assistant coach 2002-03 Hamilton Bulldogs, AHL, asst. coach, head coach (Named AHL coach of the year) 2003-04 Toronto Roadrunners, AHL, head coach 2004-05 Edmonton Road Runners, AHL, head coach 2005-06 Edmonton Oilers, NHL, development coach 2006-07 Iserlohn Roosters, DEL, head coach 2007-14 Boston Bruins, NHL, assistant coach 2014-15 Adler Mannheim, DEL, head coach (Named DEL coach of the year) 2015-18 Germanys world championship team, asst. coach 2015-18 New Jersey Devils, NHL, assistant coach 2018-19 Calgary Flames, NHL, associate coach 2019-20 Calgary Flames, NHL, associate coach, Interim head coach

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GEOFF WARD: New coach the kind of 'guy's guy' the Flames need right now - Calgary Sun

Three months after this photo was taken, Dad, 78, had a cardiac arrest out of the blue in our farmyard. Mum saw him collapse, called 999, and the operator talked her through CPR to keep him alive in the 20 minutes it took the ambulance to arrive. He was rushed to hospital in Carlisle, where his heart was restarted with a defibrillator. Because Dad was so fit, he stabilised. But the damage to his oxygen-starved brain was too much and he never regained consciousness. Just over a week later we had to make the terrible decision to turn off the machines.

Dads death changed me in many ways. Obviously, I miss him tremendously its heartbreaking to go back to the local churchyard and see his grave. There is a huge hole in our family: my mother is still struggling to deal with his loss, as are my kids.

My attitude to life has changed 100 per cent since my father died. I was always a bit carpe diem and felt life was for living, but Im even more so now. Losing him has made me think how short our lives are and how we must make the most of them. I know that I have to savour every moment and to create more memories.

As a rugby player as well as a coach, Id had years of experience with sports medicine and physios, but never this kind of life-and-death illness. Now I am very engaged. Shortly after Dad died, I picked up a book called Critical: Science and Stories from the Brink of Human Life by Dr Matthew Morgan, an intensive-care consultant. There were chapters on the heart and brain that gave me some understanding of what had happened to my father. I emailed Matt to thank him for his book, and explain to him how it is from the other side of the process, as a relative, waiting in intensive care, listening to different consultants.

Dad had already suffered a heart attack (followed by a bypass) back in 2007, which I believe was related to the stress he went through during the foot-and-mouth disease crisis six years earlier. I wasnt aware this increased his risk of a cardiac arrest. If wed have known that, we would have made sure he had more ECGs, maybe even had a defibrillator on the farm. Fewer than 10 per cent of cardiac arrest patients survive, but if their hearts are swiftly restarted, the odds increase dramatically.

My father has left big shoes to fill. His passing has made me realise the importance of family. And if increased awareness of heart health leads to one more life saved, then thats a legacy of which Dad would be very proud.

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Former England rugby coach Stuart Lancaster: 'Losing Dad has made me realise the importance of family' - The Telegraph

This comes a day after the CBSE cancelled the affiliation granted to Delhi Public School in the city for allowing the ashram to function illegally within its premises.

The district authorities in rural Ahmedabad on Monday made the devotees vacate rape accused self-styled godman Nithyanandas ashram as part of the crackdown against the controversial religious preacher. Nithyananda is wanted by Gujarat Police for child abuse and other criminal charges like abduction and kidnap.

Visuals from the scene showed all of them leaving the ashram as police and district administration officials took over the property and seized laptop, mobiles and other electronic devices.

This comes a day after the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) cancelled the affiliation granted to the Delhi Public School in greater Ahmedabad. The affiliation was cancelled after it was established that the Delhi Public School in rural Ahmedabad (eastern outskirts) allowed Nithyanandas ashram to function within its premises through a forged NOC (No Objection Certificate).

PTI quoted the CBSE note as saying, The provisional /general affiliation upto senior secondary level granted to the Delhi Public School, Hirapur, Taluka Daskroi, Ahmedabad, stands withdrawn with immediate effect."

The Board, however, allowed students of classes 10 and 12 to appear for the Board's examination in the year 2020, and shifting of students of classes 9 and 11 to nearby CBSE-affiliated schools.

The state Education Department was also earlier asked to conduct the inquiry expeditiously and convey the outcome of the report and status of the NOC issued by the state department to the school for seeking CBSE affiliation.

Read:CBSE seeks probe into DPS school premises leased out to Nithyananda ashram

According to sources, police have secured video footage from the seized devices which show the physical assault and harassment meted out to the minor children living there.

Mondays incidents come as part of a crackdown by Gujarat Police against Nithyananda and his ashram, after a Bengaluru man approached the Gujarat State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) in November and also the Gujarat High Court.

The complainant Janardhana Sharma, is a former disciple of Nithyananda, who was once closely associated with him and had alleged that his children were brainwashed and tortured at the ashram. While his two younger daughters returned to him following police action, his two elder daughters refused to leave Nithyanandas organisation.

However, the Gujarat High Court on November 26, had ordered the police to track the two women who were seemingly in Trinidad and were voluntarily part of his organisation. The HC also advised the police to consult the Interpol, Ministry of External Affairs, and other relevant authorities to trace the two elder daughters.

Gujarat Police since then, had booked Nithyananda and arrested two of his aides under Sections 365 (abduction), Section 344 (wrongful confinement), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code along with sections of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act. The suspects, Pranapriya and Tatavapriya, continue to remain in jail as a local court denied bail to them on Monday.

More recently, the Karnataka CID and Gujarat Police had carried out a joint raid at his ashram in Bidadi near Bengaluru.

Speaking to a TV channel, Janardhana Sharma said, They are all running away because of all the evidence which was seized by the police, and this is only the beginning. The police have seized from the ashram several mobiles, laptops and tablets in which many photos and videos can be found of all the beating and harassment done to the kids there. All this evidence must be investigated and further action should be taken against such persons. It was being run neither as a school nor as an ashram.

Meanwhile, Nithyananda remains absconding as he has been avoiding trial in the rape case against him.Ahmedabad (Rural) Superintendent of Police (SP), RV Asari, had earlier told reporters that he has left the country.

According to whistleblowers, he is currently in Ecuador after he made his way out of the country through Nepal, which allows Indians to travel there without passports.

A copy of Nithyanandas passport accessed by TNM shows it was due to expire in September 2018 and was not renewed due to the rape charges. However, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that it is not aware where Nithyananda currently is.

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Nithyanandas ashram in Ahmedabad vacated by cops, district officials seize property - The News Minute

More News 03 Dec 2019 | 3:52 AM

Jabalpur, MP, Dec 2 (UNI) A woman was crushed by a train in the vicinity of the local Teenpuliya bridge on Monday, law-enforcement authorities said.

Sagar, MP, Dec 2 (UNI) Three persons died and a 15-year-old was injured on Monday as a consequence of their motorcycle being involved in a collision with a car on a National Highway, law-enforcement authorities said.

Indore, MP, Dec 2 (UNI) A local court on Monday remanded a businessman and a hotel manager in police custody until Friday.

Lucknow, Dec 2 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) on Monday said that though cyber crime has emerged as toughest challenge in current scenario but UP police have always dealt with these situations efficiently.

Bilaspur, Dec 2 (UNI) The Chhattisgarh Government on Monday admitted in High Court its mistake in issuing notification for reservation in promotion.

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Badrika Ashram to give scholarship to brilliant students, monthly pension to women - United News of India

Rajni Ohri, Founder, Ohria Ayurveda

Rajni Ohri was 12 years old when she first developed an Ayurvedic cream for herself at home. An ardent follower of research on Ayurveda since her schooldays, she created the hand cream by blending bee wax, ghee, and essential oils.

In an interaction with SMBStory, the 45-year-old entrepreneur says,

Rajni identifies as being a nature-lover and therefore a keen observer of natural remedies. Seeing the body of research on Ayurveda in the country where it originated, she decided to revive its history and bring home the immense benefits of the science of Ayurveda. This was the impetus behind her beauty and wellness brand, Ohria, founded in 2018 in New Delhi with a capital of Rs 1 crore from her personal savings.

Edited excerpts from the interview

SMBStory: What is Ohria? Tell us more about the beginnings of your business.

Rajni Ohri: Ohria Ayurveda is an organic and natural skin and beauty brand which has an extensive range of natural Ayurvedic products made from traditional formulations. The offerings involve sourcing the most potent and sacred herbs and plants as ingredients from the Himalayas and other reliable sources, using the secret formulations that I have inherited from my teacher, and nurturing and developing each and every product with love and passion.

Under the guidance of my acharya in Kailash ashram in Rishikesh, I learned the preparation of hair oils, butter, salves, pishti, bhasms etc, and have acquired holistic knowledge of Ayurveda from him. Interestingly, I was just 12 years old when I experimented with making my own cream. I loved the fact that it was 100 percent natural. My passion led me to create the products for years from home, until I was coaxed to create more for everyones benefits. I even learnt aroma therapy from Penny Price in London.

Ohria's hair and facial cleanser

The brand Ohria was started in 2018 after two years of intensive research. The name Ohria denotes the five basic elements (panchamahabhutas) that all the objects in the universe are composed of, according to Ayurveda. A balance of these five elements can be achieved through Ayurveda to attain perfect health and beauty.

SMBS: What are your primary offerings? And, whats their USP?

RO: Ohria products are free of polyethylene glycol, silicones, heavy metals, preservatives, and pesticides, and are completely organic. They are aimed at benefiting everyone with good health and beauty.

The product portfolio ranges from bathing bars, mists, moisturisers, serums, and facial cleansers to body lotions, hydrating gels, shower wash, shower oils, body butter, and much more.

Our manufacturing unit is in Kirti Nagar, New Delhi.We even have a small farm in Gurugram, where we have planted hibiscus, tulsi, raatrani, neem, and many more herbs and plants which we need on a day-to-day basis. We are thus also saving on costs.

Ohria is right now listed on major online portals including Amazon and Flipkart. It has an offline presence in Taj Hotel in New Delhi.

SMBS: What was the strategy behind the company diversifying into so many categories?

RO: Ohria is not just another Ayurveda beauty brand selling its products. We also offer rituals that can be easily incorporated into ones life.

We surveyed and observed the concerns that have been bothering people through generations related to the hair and skin. We have therefore curated a range of formulations based on the modern-day needs.

The brand also specialises in beauty products and the old, lost wellness accessories used by our Indian kings and queens, like the kansa vataki, neem comb, copper tongue-cleaner, eyewash cup, etc.

Basically, there are six dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, and social. Ohria believes in educating everybody about them through its workshops which the brand organises often. We help people make lifestyle changes and maintain a sound, substantial body by following simple Ayurveda practices. We offer a wide variety of products, each addressing a particular health need or targeted at a specific part of the body. For example, we recommend using cold-pressed sesame oil for hand and nail moisturising, as it supplies nutrients like calcium and iron. It is anti-inflammatory, rich in antioxidants, and strengthens bones and nails, with regular usage.

Similarly, Ohria cleansers, such as the papaya, yoghurt, and Amrit Ras cleanser, topically remove dirt and dust. Our clients have noticed a remarkable reduction in whiteheads and blackheads, as the soya extract and yoghurt deeply cleanse pores and remove deep-seated impurities; the lactic acid in yoghurt also dissolves dead cells.

SMBS: What are your challenges in sustaining the business?

RO: The beauty industry is huge and very competitive. In the Ayurveda industry, the right knowledge is key to success. Clean beauty is the way to live, and this is what the brand religiously follows. Educating people on Ayurveda and its benefits is the challenge in a world of chemical/ artificial beauty-driven products that offer instant but short-lived results.

Ohria skincare range

At Ohria, we believe in being genuine and true to our roots and ethics. We are spreading the message of Ayurveda being a holistic science of life. Ayurveda somehow lost its glory because of the growing beauty industry offering instant results. However, we strongly believe that knowledge of using traditional products can change the user perspective with long-term results, and this is what makes Ohria different from its competition.

SMBS: What are your future prospects?

RO: We want to grow and expand Ohria to reach everyone who is looking for genuine, pure, and close-to-nature beauty and wellness products. Going beyond the products, we also aim to make more and more people aware of Ayurveda and its holy and true essence. We are also planning to hit more retail spaces soon.

(Edited by Athirupa Geetha Manichandar)

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Starting from home at the age of 12, this Delhi-based entrepreneur has created a luxury Ayurvedic brand - YourStory

SEDGEFIELD, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Filtronic, the designer and manufacturer of antennas, filters and mmWave products for the wireless telecoms and critical communications markets, today announced that it has invested over US $1.3 million in new equipment for its manufacturing facility in Sedgefield, UK. The expansion will enable Filtronic to significantly increase capacity to meet a growing demand for both its highly-integrated E-band transceiver modules for mobile telecoms backhaul infrastructure and its precision hybrid microelectronics assembly and test services, including mmWave device packaging and sub-assembly manufacturing.

The new equipment includes automated pick-and-place and wire-bonding machines to augment Filtronics existing assembly and production lines, which already have a reputation for product quality and reliability.

5G backhaul network deployments are now driving a significant increase in demand for our E-band transceiver modules and a growing demand for microelectronics assembly services, in particular at microwave and mmWave frequencies, said Reg Gott, Executive Chairman of Filtronic. In addition to being able to produce high volumes of our own mmWave transceiver modules and filter products, the quality of our microelectronics assembly line and test capability is attracting an increasing level of business for our custom design and manufacturing services. As a result, we are also increasing our workforce to cope with this demand.

Filtronics hybrid microelectronics assembly and test offering includes: low-void die attach and precision component placement; fully-automated wire bonding with deep-access multi-level capability; hermetic sealing; and automated test to 90GHz and above. Proprietary air cavity packages can include mixed GaAs, GaN and Si die within a single package, and are capable of performing at frequencies higher than 90GHz.

The precision hybrid microelectronics assembly facility has received significant positive feedback from its customers, including a major European defence manufacturer who singled out Filtronics manufacturing expertise for a special commendation. The award cites Filtronics effort and commitment in successfully delivering a large production run of transmit/receive modules as providing an outstanding contribution to its state-of-the-art radar system.

Click here for a high resolution image, and here for a Web-quality image.

Web: http://www.filtronic.com

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Filtronic Expands Hybrid Microelectronics Manufacturing Facility With $1.3 Million Equipment Investment - Business Wire