MYHA COACHES OF THE YEAR!
MYHA selects coaches for this award based on quantitative and qualitative aspects of nominations that you, the members, submit at the end of the season. We are fortunate to have so many deserving coaches who dedicate countless hours to the development of our children as hockey players. In fact, MYHA boasts over 200 head and assistant volunteer coaches in our House and Travel programs combined. We are also fortunate to have many teams that achieved success on the scoreboard, competing at the highest levels in their divisions. However, this award is ultimately about recognizing the coaches that, based on your input, exemplify MYHA’s philosophy and its commitment to positive coaching and fostering a lifetime love of hockey.
While the award often correlates with team performance, team performance is not a criterion considered by the Coach of the Year Committee.
Because of their work and that of all our volunteer coaches, our program continues to be one of great value to our member families. This year's winners' names will be added to the Cleveland Howard Coach of the Year Award plaque that can be found in the Rockville Ice Arena’s lobby outside of Rink 1.
John Cleary
Lots of individuals can be good coaches, but not everyone can be an exceptional one. It is evident from the responses submitted that we had a special coach heading up our 12U Team 4 house team. Coach John Cleary always showed up with a positive attitude that the players and parents found infectious. He made sure to instill the importance of team work and what it means to be a good teammate into every one of his players. Regardless of skill level, he ensured every player walked away from the end of the season a better player than how they stepped on the ice at the start of it. He always created an environment that was fun and players loved being on the ice and bench with Coach John.
Please join us in giving Coach John a warm congratulations on receiving this award and on a fantastic job leading 12U Team 4.
Emily Summers
Congratulations to Coach Emily Summers, the 2023-2024 COTY winner for Girls Travel. It is of no surprise to see that Emily is the recipient of this accoladed. She is a dedicated coach who is consistently putting in the time and effort to better not only our players on and off ice ice, but our girls program as a whole. The overwhelming glowing comments received about Coach Emily highlights just how special of an individual she is and how incredibly fortunate we are to have her with us.
Please join us in congratulating Coach Emily and thanking her for her continued dedication to help develope the best girls in the DMV.
Pierre Gosselin
Teamwork, leadership, passion, a culture of respect, and family. Just some of the words that come to mind when speaking of Coach Pierre Gosselin. Coach Pierre is a coach who isn't showy or one who expects all the credit for the work that he puts in with his players on and off the ice. He has the right amount of toughness these young hockey players need while still being able to command the respect that a coach like him deserves. Players and parents who are members of his team quickly bond and become family. These tight bonds under Coach Pierre's leadership are a driving force that helped his teams this year and previously to year after year make it to the USA Hockey Nationals, with this year receiving the title of USAH National Finalists. Coach Pierre embodies all that MYHA stands for and our program is better thanks to him.
On behalf of MYHA and its community, a huge congratulations to Coach Pierre on a job well done and to all the future success we know his future teams will have under his guidance.
Eric Vogel
When a head coach is able to focus their time fully on their players, you know that the team has a fantastic team manager. Exceptional organizational skills, team spirit, the willingness to go above and beyond for the coaches, players, and parents, and always sacrificing their personal time to ensure the success of their team is what Team Manager Eric Vogel was all about. Eric's keen eye for details and positivity allowed for his head coach, Coach Pierre, to put his attention purely on the players, allowing the team to achieve incredible success in their season. Eric was the master mind behind the scenes, and no one could have asked for a better cruise director for the season.
Big congratulations goes out to Eric on winning the first ever Team Manager of the Year award and leading the team in such a fantastic way.
