Breakaway, The Minor Hockey Podcast · Ontario Minor Hockey Association

Episode 165 | Leadership Lessons from Team Canada's Captain (Tyler McGregor)

·1 hr 1 min·3 clips

Breakaway opens with Aaron Wilbert and Ian Taylor back in hockey season mode. They are coming off the Coaches site coaching day at St. Andrews College, and both clearly feel good about how the room came together. Aaron notes that the event brought in coaches from across Ontario, along with people from other provinces and the States. Ian says the best part was not just the presentations, but the side conversations and reconnecting with people he had not seen since before COVID. That opening sets up a talk that keeps circling back to the value of getting people with a shared mindset in the same place. Tyler McGregor then joins with a measured view of what it takes to grow hockey. He describes the work like a long-term project and points to grassroots investment, more accessible facilities, and better pathways for kids, families, and communities to get involved. Tyler also connects growth to visibility, saying young players need something to look toward if the sport is going to keep pulling them in. The group spends time on inclusion as a real working issue rather than a slogan. They talk about making sport available to kids, adults, and people with physical disabilities, and about the different ways access matters depending on who is being left out. Tyler’s own story gives that discussion extra weight. He explains how he played hockey through his teens before cancer led to the loss of his leg. From there the talk turns to how sport changed his life and, in his words, saved it. He speaks about what participation can mean for young people who may not otherwise get the chance. The conversation also returns to elite sport and what it can do for the wider game. Tyler says the level of competition has grown significantly, which means the sport has to keep building new pathways through coaching, teams, and programs. Later, the tone shifts toward a few different teams, with Tyler acknowledging that those battles have been memorable over the years. Aaron closes by recalling a recent Toronto coaching clinic and the impact Tyler’s OMHA AGM talk had on the room. The episode ends with appreciation for Tyler’s leadership and a sense that his message will stay with coaches and volunteers heading into the season.

As heard by us

A grounded look at growing hockey through access, coaching, and inclusion.

This episode frames hockey leadership as a practical question: how the game grows, stays accessible, and still pushes for a higher standard. Tyler McGregor adds a grounded perspective, and Aaron and Ian keep the discussion tied to rink-level realities such as access, development…

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Why you'd press play

For when you want leadership talk tied to grassroots hockey.

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