Coach of the Month - August 2008

What team do you coach? Central Connecticut PeeWee A, Central Connecticut Mite B, and Central Connecticut Learn To Skate.

When did you first start playing hockey? 3 years old

Who was the first team you played for? Cheshire Youth Hockey in Cheshire CT.

What position did you play? Defense.

Who was your favorite hockey player when you were growing up? Ray Bourque.

When and why did you start coaching? I starting coaching as a way of giving back to a sport that I love. When I was learning the game of hockey there were many people that gave of their time to help me improve and I wanted to do the same for others.

Is hockey a sport that has been passed down in your family? My father got me and my brother involved in hockey at a very young age. Although he was not a hockey player himself, friends of our family were. My parents were always very supportive of my hockey and gave up a lot for me to play.

What is your favorite drill to use with your players? I prefer "flow drills". Any drill that keeps multiple players moving at the same time at high speed for short intervals. These drills mimic the intensity and speed of an actual game shift.

What is your favorite age group of players to coach? I enjoy coaching two very different levels. First, I love coaching the Learn to Skate group. The kids that show up on Saturday and Sunday mornings with a smile on their face and are eager to learn are a joy to work with. With kids of that level you see improvement from week to week and that is very rewarding as a coach. Second, I love coaching at the PeeWee level. At the Mite and Squirt levels, we are teaching more of the basics, but as you get to the PeeWee level, you get to teach more of the little nuances of the game and challenge the kids with more complicated drills and techniques.

What is the oldest piece of hockey equipment you still use? I have a Bauer undershirt that I wear under my equipment that I have had since my freshman year of college (1993). I have washed it a couple of times.

What do you do when you aren't spending time at the rink? I enjoy spending time with my family and my son, Cameron.

If you could coach any professional hockey team, what team would you coach and why? Boston Bruins. Ever since I was very young, I have been a big fan of the Bruins.

How do you stay warm on the bench during games? Layers of clothes and a lot of pacing!!!!!!

What have you learned from your players? I have learned a lot from my players, especially to not take winning and losing too seriously. By the time the kids get out of the locker room they have forgotten who won or lost and are more concerned with whose house they are going over to play or where they are going to eat.

How do you think hockey can help kids develop as people? All team sports teach discipline, respect and help kids to function as a group. As a business owner, when I am hiring new people I always ask if they ever played a team sport. It tells a lot about a person who could work well with others and have a competitive drive.

How do you encourage your team when they are not playing to their full potential in a game? Encourage is the key word. I believe in positive reinforcement. Most kids at the youth hockey level react much better to encouragement than a coach that just yells at them.

Is there a coach from when you played youth hockey who has remarkably influenced your own coaching style? There are many coaches. One of my first coaches in Cheshire, Guy Lachance, taught me a lot about discipline and helped me develop my skills at a very young age. As I got older and played junior hockey, Gary Dineen was an amazing coach who got the most out of his players and was a tremendous teacher of the game. One of my college coaches at UMASS, Bob Deraney, taught me how important positive reinforcement is to a player. Beyond all these coaches, my father who was an assistant coach on a few of my youth teams influenced me the most by always being supportive and working with me at home and at the rink to always improve.

What do you like most about being a coach? I like the relationships that I bond with my players the most. It is such a rewarding feeling when a player says "thanks coach" after a practice.