A sample are shared to demonstrate the kind of amazing volunteers that our Hockey Association benefits from!
Volunteer: Cathy Burghardt-Jesson
Submitted by: Anonymous
When I think of an outstanding LMH volunteer, I immediately think of Cathy Burghardt-Jesson. Cathy has been involved in many aspects of LMH for many years. Her insight and wisdom have led to many positive initiatives being implemented within our association. She has served many years on the executive as our President and currently Past-President. Cathy was instrumental in bringing the 2008 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge to the Lucan Arena. Recently, she spent countless hours making the Logan Couture All Star game a huge success for LMH. The definition of a volunteer is one who actively takes on a task, responsibility or project on his/her own accord. When Cathy takes on that task, she does so with her whole heart. Her commitment to LMH has been, and continues to be, outstanding! Cathy is a LMH volunteer that deserves our recognition and thanks!
Volunteer: Mark Hewitt
Submitted by: Anonymous
Mark Hewitt has made such a difference for the novice team for two years now. Last year he helped the boys by being their winger coach and this year he made the big jump to head coach. And through it all he has remained a quiet yet encouraging coach. His quiet nature with the boys makes them feel comfortable, and Mark makes sure that every player feels that they are an important member of the team. Mark has also found unique ways to challenge and encourage the boys. Through everything he is also very positive.
Volunteer: Kathy Noyes
Submitted by: Natalie Lingier
I would like to thank a great individual Kathy Noyes. If we didn't have her I don't know where we would be! Kathy had always dedicated her time with our teams by organizing hotels, celebrations, gatherings, recognitions, apparel, etc i can go on and on! Every game she has the game sheet ready for the girls and bench staff to sign even if she wasn't the manager. She would just dedicate herself to the team and help out in every which way. Thank you Kathy you rock!!
Volunteer: Brian Noyes
Submitted by: Jodi Gordon
Brian is an individual who truly cares about both the kids he interacts with and the sport of hockey itself. Our first interaction with him was when our son was just starting out in hockey. Brian was running a Power Skating program and I firmly believe that a large part of our sons love of power skating and strong skating abilities are a direct result of this first introduction to both Brian and skating! A few years later we were then fortunate enough to have Brian coach our son for the 2 years of Atom - as a Non Parent volunteer Brian was clearly coaching solely for his love of the game and to develop the kids. Again, Brian's knowledge of the game and patience came into play - but more importantly his sense of building not just hockey players but responsible individuals who understood what was expected of them (both ON and OFF the ice) and were encouraged to deliver.
Brian is no longer a coach with Lucan Minor Hockey but he is still a presence at the arena, coming to watch the kids he coached play, cheering them on and providing continued words of encouragement (and when necessary a dose of reality as well!). Brian is an advocate for strong work ethics, trying hard and taking responsibility.
He is no longer a coach as he and his wife wanted to take the opportunity to watch their own son play hockey in Rochester, New York and they faithfully go almost every weekend. This year, more than a year since he was "coach", Brian invited 2 of his players (my son and another team mate) to travel to Rochester, New York to watch a hockey game and go on a tour of the team's dressing room. To me this is goes above and beyond expectations of a coach and truly shows the spirit of an outstanding volunteer (and mentor).
Thank you Brian, for everything!!
Volunteer: Shayne Pfaff
Submitted by: Anonymous
A great coach fosters a love of the game, it becomes about learning, improving, working as a team & most importantly about having fun.
Last season the Novice White team may not have posted many victories, but the kids loved every practice & game. They celebrated the end of each game the same- be it a win loss or tie.
Coach Shane makes every kid on the team feel good about how they played & finds positives at the end of each game as he talks to each one. His positive energy & enthusiasm make the kids want to try their hardest at every game & practice. You know he's a great coach when the little brother says he hopes that Coach Shane will be his coach someday. This year, even though he is not the coach, he is on the bench & on the ice encouraging the kids. We are extremely thankful to have had him as our son's coach!
Volunteer: Tyler Beattie
Submitted by: Wade Noble
For the last three years Tyler has come out to help my son learn the fine art of goal tending I'm not sure where he finds the time as he plays rep hockey, as well as coaching handicapped kids play basketball. If that was not enough he also works the door at our local arena and still finds time for school sports and academics. Just these efforts alone make him worthy of my families praise and admiration but there is still more. I have witnessed Tyler on the ice every week helping nearly every young goalie in Lucan on a regular basis. Over the summer Tyler injured his leg while playing competitive soccer requiring surgery and a lengthy rehab. Not one to sit idle and let the world pass him by, he has volunteered to coach a girls sports team at MTS where he attends school.
Where would the world be without great young volunteers like Tyler Beattie?
His parents have much to be proud of raising such a role model for our kids to learn from.
Volunteer: Lori Hickson
Submitted by: Anonymous
Lori Hickson has been an outstanding volunteer for LMH. She is the trainer for the Atom Rep Girls team, but has gone way above her expectations. Lori is the first in the dressing room before every practice and game and is also the last to leave. She is always busy making sure that all the girls’ needs are looked after – whether it be equipment concerns, conflicts, rides to and from games & practices and the list goes on. As well, Lori gets the girls together once a week for dryland training. She does a superb job! She is a very calming influence on the entire team. All the girls thoroughly appreciate everything that she brings to the team. Thanks so much to you Lori!! We really appreciate it.
Volunteer: Rick Heywood
Submitted by: Anonymous
Rick has been one of the coaches for our youngest son for the past two years. Rick's gentle demeanor and excitement for the game makes him an outstanding coach. He is incredibly patient with the kids he coaches, and since he has coached both mite and tyke he has to be. Rick's enthusiasm rubs off on the kids. My son would do anything for Rick, and looks up to him like a genuine hero. My favourite story about Rick is the day our son got his first goal. Later that night Rick showed up at our door step with a puck. The puck was labeled with my son's name and the date of his first goal. It sits proudly on a shelf in our home and will for years to come. I am confident Rick made this effort for each of the kids on his team, going above and beyond to make sure they felt special. I hope that Rick continues to coach in the future as he exemplifies the positive attributes required to be a role model for children. He is always smiling, always encouraging and has a special bond with each of his young players. Thanks Coach.
Volunteer: Brian Noyes
Submitted by: Anonymous
Brian taught my son many valuable lessons about hockey that hopefully will shape him for life. Little lessons about being prepared- whether its having your hockey bag packed properly or showing up at the rink ready to work hard. He reinforced the importance of consistent practice and always looking for ways to improve. He helped him realize the value of working as a team, and that everyone's contribution counted. The most important lesson however, was to not take yourself too seriously and that you get out of sport what you are willing to put in.
Volunteer: Dave Landers
Submitted by: Anonymous
He's OUTSTANDING for sure...he must have ice running through his blood...imagine scheduling games and practices for the whole league...then the head coach of two teams, ...wait there's more... coming out for practices and managing and picking kids for tryouts...not to mention a lot not even for his own kids!! OUTSTANDING...ABSOLUTELY!!! "A GOOD CANADIAN KID" as Don Cherry might say!
O - ORGANIZED to be able to conduct this flawlessly throughout the year...and still stay OPTIMISTIC...a real OVERACHIEVER
U - UNDAUNTED by the complaint department...a true UPSTANDER
T - THICK-SKINNED to put up with the numberless changes to the schedule and TRIUMPHANT in his coaching abilities...quite TALENTED
S - SELFLESS and STEADFAST in his time spent volunteering
T - THOROUGH his greatest trait...TIME OFF something he never takes himself no to be mistaken with a time out getting him team focused in a game
A - AMBITIOUS to the cause..and an AWESOME ATHLETE himself
N - NOBLE and NIFTY in the eyes of his team...he's the king of coaching and must be NOCTURNAL to get all he gets done
D - DIE-HARD and DEDICATED to be able to do this job for so many years
I - IMPECCABLE and sometimes INCOGNITO unless he's on the bench...you can't miss him... his energy and INITIATIVE
N - NOTEWORTHY and a real NATURAL to be able to delve deep without any fear into all he does
G - GIFTED and GUNG HO never faltering from his task at hand Not only for Lucan Minor Hockey has he made a difference but the influence and impact he has made as a VOLUNTEER for the eyes of not only the kids to aspire to but the adults as well...
THANK YOU for all you have done...our helmets are off to you!
Volunteer: Scott Amos
Submitted by: Anonymous
Scott Amos has been actively involved in Lucan Minor Hockey since his oldest child began playing. Now he has three children playing rep hockey and although this should keep him busy enough, he has still managed to volunteer his role on the executive and coach the Peewee A/E team. How he is able to divide his time amongst all the youth in his life is beyond me, yet he continues to do so with a smile on his face. Never will you meet Scott and find him negative, he always has something good to say and shows an undeniable dedication to the sport, to the lives of youth and to the greater community. As a member of the executive in a small town Scott has had to face numerous difficult situations. He has had to manage a variety of difficult situations that involved coaches and parents and he always did this effectively. He maintained his composure throughout difficult situations and was an effective listener to all parties involved. Scott has always tried to manage these situations with fairness and integrity, and although I am certain he has faced considerable negativity in his role I am confident that he is always looking out for the best interest of the youth of Lucan Minor Hockey. We have had the benefit of having Scott as a coach twice in the last five years. Scott is a fair coach, he understands the game and recognizes the importance of developing relationships with his players, and uses his positive rapport with them to challenge them to meet new goals. Scott is actively involved in the lives of so many youth in this community and he exemplifies not just a good coach but also what a good and active citizen should look like. I am convinced that Scott cares about youth, not just their success in hockey, but their total well being. He understands the importance of being kind, of having compassion and being firm, fair and consistent with youth. Thank you,Scott, for making a difference in my son's life for showing him and many others what it means to be a good, honest and hard working person and for making the game so much fun for them.
Volunteer: Brad Weber
Submitted by: Anonymous
Brad has done a wonderful job coaching and interacting with his team over the past year+. He makes the game fun for his players. Win or lose, the kids have fun and they understand what hockey means; skating, working together, and giving it their best. Outside of the arena, Brad has also hosted various hockey events. He has opened his home for his players and their families. All in all, I feel Brad's contributions and volunteer hours make him a great coach and person. Thank you Brad for everything you do for our kids!
Volunteer: Shane Pfaff
Submitted by: Anonymous
I am not really sure how to put into words how much Shane Pfaff has done for my son. My son is a quiet kid who had gone unnoticed by his coaches until Shane came along. Shane respected how quiet my son was but still let my son know he had expectations he wanted him to meet and that he was going to help him meet those goals. His encouraging words every time he entered the dressing room or finished a shift help my son feel comfortable enough to come out of his “shell”. Due to Shane my son looks forward to going to hockey and has really tried hard to become a better player. Shane was the type of coach and now manager who gets just as excited as the parent of a particular child when that child has done something or demonstrated a skill that they have been working on. Just this week he was on the bench when a child on the team scored his first goal of the season and he jumped and yelled so hard you think it was his own child. It’s people like Shane Pfaff that I can honestly say have made a world of difference in my little boys life. I can’t begin to thank him enough for the impact he has had on my son!
Volunteer: Dave Landers
Submitted by: Anonymous
Dave Landers is an outstanding coach, I have known many good coaches well being involved in minor hockey, and I have had many good coaches growing up but never meet one as organized and as good as Dave, his practices are all super organized and focus on things that make the girls very good skaters and handling the puck. Not only that the girls including my daughter love Dave as a coach as he goes out of his way to work which each player, he also goes out of his way to give rides to anyone who may need one to games and practices. His hard work and high skilled practices has made the Lucan Novice girls an amazing strong team with an outstanding record this year. I don't think any one else could of done a better job with the girls. Dave is also back up with an excellent bench staff as well, good work by all, your all doing an excellent job.
Volunteer: Jason Pfaff and Chris Fisher
Submitted by: Anonymous
I have nominated Jason and Chris together because they were both the coaches of my daughter's tyke hockey team last year. These guys were an excellent team, they put a lot of time and effort into the team and went out of their way to make sure the kids were having a good time. I was also witness to them managing a difficult parent situation and was appreciative of how diplomatic they were when dealing with the situation.
What is most special about these guys is the amount of time they put into my daughter. Part way through the year my daughter began to experience anxiety about playing hockey. She wanted to play but when she got to the arena her anxiety would take hold of her and she would break down. Jason and Chris were always respectful of her and continued to encourage her to try to go out and skate. They did everything they could to alleviate her anxiety and help her to enjoy the game. Jason even came to our home to talk to our daughter and to encourage her. At no point did they make her feel bad for how she was feeling and they always kept her dignity intact. One time they even let her just sit on the bench, with her helmet on, so she could be part of the team without going on the ice.
In the end our daughter had to stop playing hockey because the anxiety became a much bigger problem than just hockey. Despite leaving hockey, our daughter still felt like she was part of the team. She never felt like she had done anything wrong and both coaches went out of their way to tell her if she ever wanted to she could come back and play for them. I am so thankful that these two coaches worked so hard to keep it positive for our daughter. Many other coaches could have turned their back or ignored her, but these two took her under their wing as if she were their own child. Our daughter has finally been able to manage her anxiety and is now talking about power skating and maybe trying to play hockey again next year. I am confident that the efforts given by Chris and Jason to make her feel special helped her know that she would always be welcome back on the ice.
Volunteer: Elly Cocquyt
Submitted by: Anonymous
Elly has been on my daughters bench in some capacity for the past decade. She has mentored the girls in every way possible, from patching up the bumps and bruises to being their biggest cheerleader. Elly knows the game inside and out and shares her wisdom generously with the girls as well as the coaches and trainers that make up the staff.