Thanks to their gold medals, Head Coach Brett Gibson, Jack Duff, and Nolan Hutcheson returned from Italy with a little extra weight in their suitcases.
From Jan. 13 to 23, the top student-athletes across Canadian universities were selected to represent Team Canada in Torino, Italy, at the 2025 FISU World University Games. Among those student-athletes were Queen’s Men’s Hockey players Jack Duff and Nolan Hutcheson, both ArtSci ’25. Men’s Hockey Head Coach Brett Gibson was also selected to represent Canada as part of the coaching staff.
The Canadian Team finished first overall, defeating the Slovakian team 3-1 on Jan. 22 to win their second consecutive gold in the FISU World University Games.
Upon his return to Kingston, The Journal sat down with Gibson to discuss what he learned from coaching the top talent across U SPORTS.
and details. When you bring the best players from across the country, the habits and details these players have are at a level higher than I’m used to. And coming back last weekend, I preached that with my own team, it’s just you think you’re working hard, but you’re not. You could always push yourself more,” Gibson said in an interview with The Journal.
With top players from rival teams across Canada coming together as one, Coach Gibson highlighted the challenges that arise when players must set aside their egos—especially on the national stage.
“The biggest challenge is to have guys check their ego at the door. When you’re bringing in the best players, they’re playing 20 minutes a night, they’re playing powerplay, penalty kill, and you’re asking guys not to do that. You’re asking guys to play different scenarios to help us win a gold medal,” Gibson said.
Of course, the other side of this issue is ensuring players remain confident, even though their new roles might put them on the fourth line.
“I ran the defense in the tournament—the seventh defenseman arguably scored the biggest goal of the tournament. I just told him he had to buy this time. These are best on best, and it’s tough on coaches. But it’s not an all-star game, you represent your country. For a lot of these guys, it’ll be their first and last time representing their country. That’s not a bad thing, they’re doing it more than anyone else has had the opportunity.”
Relationship building is a crucial aspect of being an effective coach, and Coach Gibson has preached this his entire career behind the helm of Queen’s Men’s Hockey.
While there might have been room for conflict between players from rival teams, like Queen’s and McGill, Coach Gibson said the beauty of the sport lies in its ability to push players to see past their histories and come together to accomplish a common goal.
“Hockey’s the greatest sport in the world because you can go in and dislike your opponent, I’ll use McGill as an example, but at the end of the day, when you come together, you put on the same jersey,” Gibson said.
“Dave Urquhart [coach of McGill Redbirds] and I are sharing secrets, which would never have happened. And then you know [William] Rouleau and Duff were talking, and that would never happen. It’s about the passion for the game and coming together.”
While Duff, Hutcheson, and Coach Gibson were representing the country, Queen’s lost to the Redbirds on Jan. 18, 1-5. Coach Gibson joked about the atmosphere the following morning, the tension palpable despite being across the world.
“I hated it. We lost. It was […] miserable. I’ll be honest with you, I saw red. When you see McGill walk down at breakfast with smiles on their faces, I think everyone knows me, I’m a passionate guy that hates to lose. It drove me crazy. But it also motivated me to come back as well. And in a bittersweet moment I was able to shake Dave [Urquhart]’s hand after the game on Saturday.”
On Jan. 25, after the three Gaels had returned from Italy, the Gaels defeated the Redbirds in a rematch 3-1. Coach Gibson marked the impact Captain Duff makes despite not making an impact on the scoresheet.
“Us coaches look way beyond points, it’s really the last thing I look at. I look at compete, I look at passion, and I look at hockey IQ, and Jack checks the boxes higher than anyone else in the country, and that’s why he’s the leader of Queen’s, and that’s why he’s the captain of Team Canada. It was unanimous.”
Few coaches in sports connect with their players the way Coach Gibson has, and so it’s no surprise he’s able to create strong relationships with his players.
“The relationship I have with Jack, he feels like a kid of mine, and when I see him with that captain on, it means a lot.”
The Gaels have five games remaining in the regular season and are currently in second place in the OUA, just three points behind the leading Concordia Stingers.
Their next game is Feb. 1 against the Guelph Gryphons at the Memorial Centre, then, on Feb. 6, you can catch the historic Carr-Harris Cup at Slush Puppie Place.
Tags
brett gibson, FISU Games, Jack Duff, Men's hockey, Nolan Hutcheson
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