One of the things I really enjoyed about working in the NHL was talking to coaches about various aspects of hockey and why they make the decisions they make. Understanding what drives their decisions and what they're focused on makes for better analytics, because you can take some of their insights and apply them or dig into them and see what you make of them.
I happened to be in San Jose recently and had the opportunity to sit down with Sharks coach Pete DeBoer after his team's first game of the year. DeBoer has had a great career as a coach, with Eastern and Western Conference championships in the NHL, a Memorial Cup win in Kitchener, another appearance in the Memorial Cup final and experiences with Team Canada at various levels.