1. Who am I?
I grew up in Livingston, NJ with two working parents and two older siblings. I was often left alone to do my own thing, and from what I remember, that was awesome. As I got into hockey, I began to realize how much it would cost to play the game. My parents were super supportive, but I knew that it was expensive, and I wanted to make sure I could at least buy my own equipment. My mom took me to Woolworth’s on Route 10 and bought me a pair of Rollerblades - $79. These were the cheapest at the time, yet still expensive; I made the most of it. I skated everyday - everywhere. I almost died a handful of times; the town cops hated me and tried to enforce helmet laws - uh, I never wore one.
2. The Game.
When I was learning to play the game, I tried to watch as much of it as possible, but we did not have cable until my brother came back from playing Army. I did not have access to the Rangers, Islanders, or Devils games on TV; I would watch as much hockey as I could at my friend’s house - I actually started out as a goalie! I loved Brodeur and Belfour. Some might say I was obsessed with the game; I really just wanted to get better. My friends put up with me and often times ended up playing, too, but I know they wanted days off.
3. Chi-steps.
The ice rink was not accessible to me everyday (no way to get there), so I had to make the most of what I had available to me. I shot pucks in the street; my driveway; at the rink (we weren’t supposed to). To this day, one of the best birthday gifts I ever received was a shoebox full of hockey pucks.
I skated up the hills on my street; I coasted down the hills to understand my balance. I never had a skating coach - I just used to watch and listen to skating coaches at the local rink while I was working. My first job was at South Mountain Area (Cody Arena) and I made it my priority to get on the ice every chance I could. My skating was so unique, people used to say, “look at him go with his Chi-steps.” I had no idea what they were talking about; they were digs, but I did not care. I learned how to adjust my stride to make it more efficient and effective. No coaching.
4. Coaching.
I started coaching as a youth hockey volunteer in Cambridge, MA, my first year out of college. Hindsight: I was so bad, but I thought I was doing it right. I never understood it, until recently, but Eddie the skate sharpening guy would always make fun of me. He knew what I know now: I was doing it all wrong.
I learned a lot more when I started working with Fred Carpenito and Dwayne Turmelle for the ACHA Men’s D2 team at Northeastern. They really let me do my own thing, but it was the first time I had people to talk to about coaching. We had a really good program and a really good pool of players to choose from. Those teams were so fun to be a part of. However, I can confidently tell everyone, I was not a good coach.
5. Grassroots.
I want to talk about growing the game of hockey here. There are so many people doing that across the globe, but I feel like it is not talked about or recognized enough across all the platforms. You’ll see a story every now and then, but there should be a community of practice where we can all share our stories and support each other. I want to bring that to the table. It’s not just DEI work, let’s get more people involved in the game on all levels! Statisticians, marketing, coaching, hockey ops…the list goes on.
6. Subscribe!
Just click on the link below to subscribe to the newsletter! My aim is to touch on topics about coaching, playing, growing the game, and other aspects of the game. Let’s connect!
