I am one of the fortunate ones who HAS been in the locker room when Shawn Walsh speaks to the Maine hockey team. In fact, thanks to Scott Pellerin I once was on the bench for an entire game and heard Walsh's comments pre-game, during the intermissions, and post-game. Prior to the game I was chatting with a Maine player when Walsh called for quiet in the locker room. The player I was with whispered to me "This is the best part." He was clearly impressed with his coach's ability to communicate and motivate. In reviewing a videotape with the team, he was very analytical, getting into technical detail that I (as a non-player) simply could not follow. Pointing out defensive lapses or casual offense, he also used very "non-technical" language that I, and everyone else, understood quite clearly. One thing Shawn understands better than most coaches is that he is not coaching adult NHL players. Rather, many of his players are still 18 or 19 year old adolescents and need a father's discipline instead of a coach's persuasion. Maine has played teams with enormous individual talent but poor team discipline, and the fault for this lies squarely in the opposing coach's lap. I graduated from West Point, have heard pep talks from drill sergeants and from four-star generals, and know for certain that Coach Walsh can teach anyone something about leadership, motivation, and what college coaching is all about.