From NHL to Business Owner: Sean Skahan on Building a Career the Right Way

On this episode, I sit down with Sean Skahan, one of the most respected strength and conditioning coaches in hockey. Sean has spent more than two decades training hockey players at the highest levels of the game. He was the strength and conditioning coach for the Anaheim Ducks for 13 seasons, including their 2007 Stanley Cup championship, before serving as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Minnesota Wild from 2016 to 2022. Before reaching the NHL, he built his foundation in college hockey at the University of Minnesota, the University of North Dakota, and Boston College, and later returned to the college game at Boston University. Along the way, he worked with and learned from some of the best coaches in the field, including Mike Boyle. Sean is also the author of Total Hockey Training, and today he owns and runs Skahan Sports Conditioning, where he trains the next generation of hockey players. What stands out most about Sean’s career is how he built it. We talk about how relationships opened doors at every stage, why doing the right thing and being a good person carried him further than any credential, and what it took to make the jump from working for a team to running his own business. Whether you’re a young coach trying to break into the field, a strength coach working toward the pro level, or someone thinking about starting your own business, there’s a lot to take from this conversation. Connect with Sean Skahan: Instagram: sskahan Website: https://skahansports.com Total Hockey Training Community (Skool): https://www.skool.com/total-hockey-tr... Total Hockey Training Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Book, Total Hockey Training: https://us.humankinetics.com/products...