Tappara Head Coach Rikard Grönborg: Always choosing the challenge, encouraging decision making and failure over cowardice

In episode #292, we welcome Tappara Head Coach Rikard Grönborg. Last time we spoke with Grönborg, he and the Swedish National team were coming off back-to-back Gold medals at the World Championships, while he was also preparing to speak at TCS Live in 2019. His presentation on the evolution of coaching and player development in Sweden is a must watch. You can check it out at The Coaches Site. Grönborg was then hired by the Zurich Lions heading into the 2019-2020 season, his first opportunity to coach a club team in professional hockey. He would lead the Lions to first place in the NLA standings prior to his first season being cut short due to the COVID pandemic. From Zurich, he would head north to Finland, joining Tappara, and in the process, become the first non-Finnish coach to coach in the Liga. In his first season, he would lead Tappara to a league Championship. Now in his second season, he's managing a younger roster, but also an organizational shift focused on sports science and homegrown talent. Listen as he shares why he's always accepted the challenge of trying something different, how to get players out of their comfort zone, and how to encourage your players to make decisions.