Ryan Huska made a promise to his father early in his playing career. If he were still in the minors at 25, he would step away from the game and chart a new course. After five years in the American Hockey League (AHL) and just a single game with the Chicago Blackhawks, he kept his word.
Huska earned a business degree in finance and was preparing to become an investment advisor when an offer from the Kelowna Rockets changed his trajectory. He took on the role of Assistant Coach and was part of the team’s 2004 Memorial Cup-winning team before being promoted to Head Coach a few years later. From there, he steadily rose through the coaching ranks before taking over the Calgary Flames in 2023.
At a recent BMO Private Wealth event in Calgary, Huska sat down with Flames TV Host Brendan Parker to reflect on the leadership lessons that have shaped a career he never expected to have. “I wake up every day and it doesn’t feel like I’m going to work,” he says. “There’s only 32 of these jobs in the world and I have one of them.”
The meeting after the meeting
Huska has always been an avid reader, devouring biographies on prominent figures who have led diverse groups of individuals through high-pressure situations. He’s noticed that the most successful leaders have a few traits in common: They communicate clearly, outwork the room and arrive more prepared than anyone else. “They have the ability to make sure that everybody has a really good understanding of what’s expected of them,” he says.
In an NHL dressing room, a muddled message from the Head Coach can derail the day before anyone hits the ice. If there’s any confusion, players will often hold what Huska calls the “meeting after the meeting.” He listens for what comes out of that second conversation. If players are frustrated or second-guessing things, he knows the message didn’t get through. If the group is aligned and clear on what’s expected, then it has. “The meeting after the meeting should be, ‘Yep, we’re in. Let’s go,’” he says.
The devil is in the details
One of Huska’s first moves as Head Coach in Calgary was posting a list of non-negotiables on the dressing room board. At the top was a simple expectation: Be the most prepared, most detailed team in the NHL. He added an asterisk beside the coaching staff, because he believes the standard only works if the people setting it are also meeting it. Results do not change his expectations. “As long as you have standards and you have non-negotiables, you should get the same effort from your players all the time, win or lose,” he says. “If those things aren’t present, we’re going to make sure we get back to them.”
When Huska wants to show his younger players what that standard actually looks like, he points to the veterans on the team who stick to the same road routine year after year, including when they wake in the morning, what they eat and when they nap. “That’s the kind of guy you want your younger players to follow," Huska says. "It’s not about being cool, it’s about doing things the right way.”
Huska believes that the same level of attention should extend beyond the rink. It’s a sentiment that shows up in small but meaningful ways. On Saturday mornings, the players’ kids are welcome to run through the gym while the team practises. When a player is traded to Calgary, his wife is immediately welcomed to the family with flowers and a Flames jersey. “It’s the little things you don’t always think about that make a world of difference,” he says.
Adapting to a different kind of player
The relationship between player and coach is dramatically different from what it used to be. Earlier in his career, Huska could give a directive and expect it to be followed without question. Today, he finds that younger players need to understand his reasoning and how his feedback will benefit both them and the team. “That doesn’t mean they don’t want to be held accountable, there’s just a difference in the way that you have to go about it.”
To manage the team on and off the ice, Huska emphasizes the importance of trust. He needs his players to trust him and – perhaps more importantly – each other. Once that happens, accountability automatically follows. “It’s much more powerful if their peers are challenging them,” he says. “You don’t want to play with someone. You want to play for someone.”
