Saying thank you to a long-time coach who definitely deserves it

I was privileged to cover the ceremony honouring long-time hockey coach and skating instructor Dan Pettypiece last Saturday morning at the Libro Centre.

It was nice to hear Dan be complimented and praised. In my opinion, and obviously the opinion of many others, this was well deserved acknowledgement.

If I may be so bold, I would like to add my own praise of Dan Pettypiece.

I know Dan a bit differently than others. I have never been coached by Dan nor has he taught me how to skate (I probably should seek out some pointers on how to skate properly, but that’s another story for another day.)

My interaction with Dan is usually after hockey games where I interview him on his team’s play that day. He has been the coach of the General Amherst and North Star high school hockey teams and that is normally the games I cover where he is the coach. He has coached many other teams, but it is generally the high school games where I catch up with him.

Dan is one of the coaches I look forward to talking with as, win or lose, he always has time for me. Some days are likely harder than others to talk to me depending on the game result, but he’s always there.

We have been fortunate to have a lot of great coaches at the high school level and in town in general, and Dan is definitely one of them.

You can tell the passion he has for the sport and the players he coaches. “Good job today, kiddo” is one of the phrases I’ve heard him say to players as they exit the dressing room. He always has time to explain what happened, to speak highly of what they did correctly or what they need to improve on.

Dan has even taken the time to speak highly of me in front of his players for covering their games, something he definitely does not have to do. Those gestures are appreciated more than I can describe.

So when organizations come together to praise a person like Dan Pettypiece, it is something I want to be a part of in my own small way. I was glad to see so many people honour this gentleman on 49 years (and counting) of coaching and mentoring young athletes. He deserves the accolades he receives, as do the many other coaches and mentors who give back to our community.

Let me add my name to the long list of people who are saying “thank you, Dan.”

Saying thank you to a long-time coach who definitely deserves it