Coach John brings over 45 years of successful coaching and playing hockey, along with additional multi-sports events, including the Triathlon world championships, multiple Ironman and marathons. He comes from a very fulfilling sports and fitness lifestyle; his extensive sport knowledge will help any team grow to become more successful.
He has extensive experience coaching minor hockey. He has coached both House League and Rep. Hockey in the Durham Minor Hockey Association at the Atom and Pee Wee Levels in Boys hockey. As well, he has a number of years coaching experience in AAA Boys hockey at the Atom and Pee Wee levels. He was a coach in the West Grey Minor Hockey Association with the Pee Wee Girls Rep. Hockey team in the 2012-2013 season.
Between 2014 and 2018, he focused on his own performances in endurance sports. In addition, he stepped away from hockey coaching as way to help his youngest daughter, Cassidy realized her hockey dream of playing NCAA D1 hockey. A goal, that in 2019 she would successfully achieve.
In 2018, Cassidy's final year of U18, Coach John not only stepped back on the bench with a new team coached by Matt Weir called the King Royals; he along with coach Weir, and the next year when Jamie Graham joined our staff, spent the next six years building the King Royal. During that time, he along with Coach Matt and Coach Jamie successfully coached and developed numerous players who rose to the NCAA, achieving scholarships, and girl's Junior teams.
In 2024, the King Royals joined the New Tecumseth Girls Hockey Association. Coach John and Coach Jamie went with the Royals who would become the IceCats. Coach John's first assignment in the new association was, along Coach Jamie, to create and develop NTGHA's first U15AA team.
This season, he, along with his coaching partner Coach Jamie, is helping the NTGHA as a consulting coach with one of their U18A teams. Coach John has completed his HP1 Certification.
He has coached both adults and children for over 40 years - as both a volunteer and paid-professional coach - in various sports. He has experience in preparing athletes for both international competition and non-competitive events. The scope of his coaching experience spans all levels of ability and desired results. As well, as a competing international athlete, he worked with his own coaches gaining more knowledge. He brings a vast pool of experience and coaching resources to the table. He would make an excellent choice as the coach of the 2026-2027 New Tecumseth U18AA IceCats.
PHILOSOPHY
"While I'm applying for the Head Coaching position, I don't need to be the Head Coach. As coaching goes, no one coach has all the answers. I believe, as coach, you are only as good as the coaches you surround yourself with. Coaching is as much a team, as the team that is being coached. I want to be part of that team. I believe I have much to share. I would like to lead the team but I'm happy to be just a part of the team as well. If I'm given the Head Coaching job, I will be reaching out to a number of others I respect, and who are willing to work with me. While hockey is a team game, and that part of the game is important, individual players have very specific challenges. The more capable people helping with individual challenges - the more success the team has.'
"My coaching philosophy is simple: It's not about winning and losing. It's about learning and realizing. Once you learn; you realize your potential. When you know your potential, then you can expect to achieve your goals and have the confidence to make the best possible effort with your opportunities when they present themselves. When that happens, you win all the time. Losing happens when you put more importance on the score or result then on the game or performance."
"Hockey is a game. A game should always be fun first at any level. Fun means something different to each individual player on any team. The only ways you can find out what fun means to a player is to listen to each player. From that, you can build some fun for any team. You never know what that is until you have your team. What I do know right now is that it is never fun for any team to get beat 10 to 0 every game. I also know that same team getting beat 10 to 0 every game will get better as a team and as individual players if they enjoy playing the game regardless of the outcome on the scoreboard. Fun is hard work, and is not just predicated by effort and sweat alone. Fairness is the ingredient that makes fun better. Being fair, not equal, by clear communication, focus and respect, helps build better teams and allows players to grow and succeed. It teaches leadership and encourages mutual respect and a positive learning environment. It creates team success and promotes individual growth.'
"The determination to overcome failure and obstacles, combined with a desire to work, and the courage to risk against all odds, is a more accurate indicator of success than any scoreboard, time clock or expert could ever suggest. This is learned behaviour; it can be taught to any child or adult willing to learn. Therefore, the skill in success is not necessarily inherent or genetic as in a select few of us; the skill is in all of us who choose to use our ability to listen and the size of our hearts. Success belongs to those of us who really want it and accept their best possible effort as winning."