“On every team, there is a core group that sets the tone for everyone else. If the tone is positive, you have half the battle won. If it is negative, you are beaten before you ever walk on the field.”

Truer words have never been spoken. This quote is attributed to Chuck Noll, the legendary head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers for 23 seasons, the first of which was a dismal 1-13 campaign that set the barometer for the team’s meteoric rise.

Yes, winning one game in his first season was the catalyst for the Steelers’ success. I’m a big believer in the basic Stoic philosophy that the obstacle is the way. The Steelers were seen as the NFL’s lovable losers when Noll took over, a moniker he sought to obliterate quickly. The team developed a foundation of culture, determination, and passion in the face of that reputation. He also famously said that if he needed to motivate you, he would then fire you.

True story.

I spend my summers reading about coaches in other sports because it motivates me. So I’m glad Noll isn’t my boss. I believe that assigning personal responsibility is a form of motivation in itself, so, sorry Chuck, but however the message is communicated, the key is that it is being communicated.

Once the assignment is delivered, it’s the responsibility of the player to act. Life is less about what happens to you and more about how you react.

And life has happened to the Edmonton Oilers. From the imagery being shared online of Connor McDavid relaxing with his family, it would seem that the captain is doing all he can to be the best version of himself come September. I feel weird.

Anyway, let’s start there. Whoever coaches the Oilers will need the best version of their players come September. If I were conducting exit meetings with the Oilers’ core players, this is what I’d tell them. This will be the first of a multi-part series, starting with the players expected to carry the offensive mail.

Remember that you’re still a young man playing what is, in the end, a kid’s game. Edmonton is a difficult place to play, let alone lead, because a lot of people think everyone aside from the Whyte Ave Pushup Man is a failure. Scoring a goal in the NHL must be the best feeling in the world. Let us feel an iota of that joy with you.

You’ll forget about the result and enjoy the process more. Which means you’ll play better, which means the result is more likely to be positive.

McDavid is the best player to ever do it. His exit meeting will trickle down to everyone else, so his is purely cultural and process-oriented.

Play faster. Use your immense skill while moving a little more. You’re unique in a league where no one feels like they have any time and space, in that you seem to have all the time in the world. Your brain is huge, but you’re clearly bored at this point. Keep your feet moving, then keep trying to make the coolest, hardest play possible.

New options will open up and the game will become more interesting for you. And maybe even fun!

Work on handling the puck in tight spaces this summer. Too often this past season, you were waiting for the puck to come to you via one of your talented linemates. You go to the hard areas consistently, which is your most valuable skill. And it ain’t easy. If it were, everyone would do it, but you’re skilled as well. You can carry the puck.

You’ll notch a couple more assists and balance the attack of whatever line you’re on.

We need you to increase your shot volume as well as your shot quality. That doesn’t necessarily mean shooting it harder. You need to get back into the middle of the ice as you did during the 100-point season. We’ve been hearing about your wicked wrister ad nauseam for years, but we need you to get it off in traffic.

You’ll score more. And more importantly, you’ll be able to drive a line by yourself, preferably in the middle and preferably flanked by two other defensively conscious yet ferocious forecheckers. That’s right: improve your shot metrics, and it will fill a massive hole on the third line, a line Taylor Hall is currently occupying for the Eastern Conference finalist Carolina Hurricanes.

Oh boy. Remember last October? Okay, never mind. Your puck skills have never been a question, although sometimes you’ve come to camp a little, how should we say, too confident in those skills. So switch your mentality to this: you need to work on getting the puck back first. Check as hard as you can to retrieve the puck, then watch that intensity spill over into the attack.

Fewer mistakes with the puck. Mistakes are fine, that’s how we learn. And we is very learning at this point.

This one is easy. You’ve tried to be everything to everyone on this team for a long time. Your leadership and professionalism are inspirational. Want to know how to re-engage with a fanbase that wants nothing more than for you to succeed? Confrontations at the blue line. Denying opponents entry into the zone.

Jason Smith is a hero in this town because he made the defensive zone a miserable place to play. You are a beautiful skater, so trust your edges, trust your gap in the neutral zone, and own the defensive blue line on the left side of the ice. If they dump the puck in, then you’ve done your job and your partner can retrieve it and get it moving north.

You’ll be happier. You’ll re-engage with the physical player of your youth while endearing yourself to the fanbase. Oh, you want something tangible because you still want to put up points? Well, if you step up at the blue line and your partner is going back for the puck, that means you can stay up in the play and join the rush more often, which you’re really good at.

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