Max Gardiner believes in putting people first.
This is the coaching philosophy he brings to every practice and game, whether he’s working with a player during a Jets Hockey Development (JHD) session or coaching the Oak Park varsity boy’s hockey team.
“There needs to be a relationship between the coach and the player that is more than just superficial and only about hockey,” said Gardiner. “There needs to be an understanding of where they come from and what their background’s like, so you can be more in tune with players once they get on the ice.” 
Since he started coaching full time with JHD two and a half years ago, Gardiner approaches each training session trying to balance challenging his players while making sure they don’t feel discouraged.
“Whenever I think about a practice or different skills that we teach, the first thing I generally think about is, is this helping a player, does this apply to a game scenario, and is this something that they’re going to be able to accomplish,” said Gardiner.
His favourite skill to teach is handling the puck along the boards – it’s a skill he knows a lot about having studied and presented on it at a Hockey Canada’s skills seminar.
“With the way the game is now, it’s a lot faster and there’s a lot less time to make plays. We have to find a way to get the puck to another teammate without going directly to them, so its something that applies to every player at every level.”
Gardiner played hockey for Charleswood from the age of 8, moving on to Oak Park High School and the Charleswood Hawks in the MMJHL. He now coaches Oak Park’s varsity boy’s team, who won the provincial championships last year as the lowest seed going into the tournament.
“We got on a bit of a roll and won all our games, so it was exciting since we weren’t a favourite by any means,” said Gardiner, who looks back on the championship as one of his proudest coaching moments. Motivating his players to reach their potential, whether that’s mastering a new skill or becoming provincial champions, is something that Gardiner takes pride in as a coach at Oak Park and JHD.
His goal is always for his players to achieve growth on the ice. In coaching the JHD summer programs, players’ year over year growth is evident and he finds it rewarding to see players return having achieved the goals they set out the year before.
“There tends to be a massive jump by the time they come next summer, whether that be making the team they wanted to, producing more, or having more points, which is super rewarding to see as a coach,” said Gardiner.
Off-season training provides an opportunity for players to focus on improving their skills, and Gardiner particularly enjoys impacting players’ personal improvement.
“During the season with your team, more time is spent on team systems and concepts, but summer is a time where you can focus on your personal game and things you struggle with,” said Gardiner. “I think its important that kids, especially younger kids, are playing multiple sports or taking a break from sports, but summer can also be a time to develop individually.”
JHD has a wide variety of summer camps for everyone from U7 to professional players to work on their skills. Gardiner and the other JHD coaches develop a curriculum for each program and rotate coaching the camps, working with players off all levels. The diversity of coaching skill sets is something Gardiner believes makes the JHD team stand out.
“All the coaches know how to work with 5- and 6-year-olds, right up to players who have been playing for 20 years. You learn different ways to explain things and how to simplify things for younger players or be more detailed with the older players.”
JHD coaches are also there to support players if they have any concerns about their game. As part of his coaching approach, Gardiner makes an intentional effort to connect with his players off the ice to check in and see how they’re feeling.
“Having someone to talk to, especially if they are going through rough patches in their season, which is going to happen to everyone, is important,” said Gardiner. “Players can reach out to any of the JHD coaches if they have questions or want a different perspective.”
Gardiner has advice for players who are interested in training over the summer.
“You can develop as a player on your own, regardless of the skill level on the ice. If you are diligent and focusing on what you should be doing and what we’re teaching, you’ll develop as a player.”
For more information on Jets Hockey Development 2025 summer programs, visit hockeyforallcentre.com.
