The Architects

An insider’s journey into the minds of hockey’s great coaches

From juniors to the NHL, college rinks to Olympic ice, hockey championships aren’t won by chance―they’re built. Behind every Stanley Cup win and gold medal victory is a mind that designed it.

In The Architects, veteran broadcaster Dale Arnold sits down with the most influential coaches in the sport’s history―from Scotty Bowman and Tom McVie to Jon Cooper, Bruce Cassidy, Mike Sullivan, and more―for candid conversations on the art, science, and soul of coaching.

How much of what a coach does is between the ears instead of on the ice? How do great coaches use psychology to get their teams to perform when it matters most? Can a transcendent player win with a bad coach―and can a great coach win with only average players?

Arnold speaks to coaches from every level of the game: the winningest coach in NHL history; two of the most successful coaches in college hockey; the former NHL head coach and general manager who moved to the WHL and mentored Connor Bedard, the sport’s next ascendant talent. Unable to speak with the late Herb Brooks, Arnold turns to the players whose lives he changed forever: the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team that shocked the world to win Olympic gold.

More than a book about hockey, The Architects is a study in leadership, character, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.