I Wanted Tomention All the Coaches/Teammatesby Name

To all the HD coaches:

Another official WYHD season is completed! (Only things left are Milford Jamboree, HD banquet, Travel Coaches session and travel tryouts.)

I want to thank youall for your dedication and help because of all your early morningtime,love for the kids and the game.

I wanted tomention all the coaches/teammatesby name–

Anne Lagasse– Thank you for all your behind the scenes help, Sound Tiger tickets, banquet, HD Tourney medals, HD could not accomplish any of this without your help.

Cathy Peterson– Thank you for all your hard workand help this year with Sound Tiger tickets and HD Banquet signups throughout the season.

Tom Delage– my hockey tag team partner, another year we are together on the ice, I think we are going on 7 years now. We will do it again next season. One of these years we will retire or they will fire us.

Jim Messer– what a great job with the goalies this year, we will be moving possibly 6-8 goalies up the ranks, that is fantastic. You have the knowledge and experience and the kids love you. I hope you become a lifer with us – we can use you every year, even when Jason moves up to travel next year.

Glenn Bertrand– the rink rat! We appreciate your help even with Devon on the travel team You continue to remember your roots and help with HD and LTS for many years now. Your contributions are much appreciated.

Tim Byrnes– An old friend returns back to his HD roots. It was great to see your smiling face back at HD with your son Danny. Thank Joe for his help this year as well.

Michael Widlar– A first year coach for us. I had a blast with you and your son Andrew. You did a great job picking up the drills and leading the kids in practice and games. Thank you for your time.

Steve Silverman- Thank you for sharing your hockey abilities with our kids. I enjoyed spending my mornings with you and your son Jason. Thanks for all your help at the HD tournament as well.

AndrewDennis– It was great to meet you and have you spend time with our program. Thank you for also sharing your hockey skills with our kids. I enjoyed skating with you and your son Jack.

Sean Chilson– Thanks for spending time with us while balancing your travel and coaching schedule. I always appreciate your suggestions. Thank you for spending a special Saturday with HD this past weekend.

I also want to thankthe young coaches this year, amazing these teenagers will get up that early in the am. We all appreciate it! They were a great help.

These young adults were invaluable in relating to the kids.

I enjoyed working and laughing and playing with all of you!!-

From the Watertown HS team–

Mitch Valente –

Craig Palmer

From WYHA–

Tony Orsini

Kevin Littau

Joe Byrnes

Josh Semeraro

I and the kids have enjoyedplayinganother season with all of you. Please come back and coach next year if your schedules allow.

To all my coaches I appreciate all of your help... from the week to week practice plans to coaching the games, to getting the goalies set, helping with our in-house tournament, for the Wolfpack and Sound Tigers games, Milford Jamboree, for your opinions and suggestions throughout the season, etc, and also your sense of humor which we all need through some of those early mornings.

You all understand, thatthe kids don't care aboutwinning or losing at this age unless the parents or society instill that in them.Our jobas anHD coach, as you have demonstrated this year, is todevelopand guide these kids to enjoying hockey for what it is - a game, an opportunity to laugh, to challenge themselves and to feel successeveryweekend.

It is the opportunity for the kidsto build confidence in themselves, develop skills at their own speedand to build positive relationships with their fellow skatersand also to be able to view the coach (us) as anadultthat is there to have fun with them, and the hockey piece isthe vehicle used to do that.

Of course we want them to improve their hockey skills properly but we want to have a positive influence on them as young hockey people.

One of the greatest compliments to us as coachesis forour"HD" skaters to treat usand view us as one of their friends... when they talk to us, laugh with us, skate with us, and fool around with us, etc. That means that you are reaching them, that they don't view you just as a coach barking out orders, but as someone who enjoys spending time with them at their level.

As you all know not always will a child outwardly tell us how they feelbut they show us in the way they interact / play with us.

This year I know all the kids really enjoyed spending time with all of youand it showed through theirinteractions with you all.

*** To see the fruits of your labor all you have to look to is the kids likeMichael Daltonwhat amazing progress he has made from start to finish this season. How aboutLarry Zapata, decent skater when he came in this year was with us last year, he has made great progress and ready for probably Mite A next season. How about the progress our young ladies showed, Sage Valente, Delaney and Lillian

Someof these kids over the next couple of years will stop playing hockey for a variety of reasons; time, interest, cost, etc. We want them to remember the positive experience they had in "HD" for years to come.

For those that continue on in hockey as we all know they will see plenty of competition, the positiveand the negativeaspects of it. The negative aspect has no place in our "HD".

Please come back next year, Tommy and I will be there!

See you all at the HD Banquet on March 30.

ENJOY your spring and summer!

Sincerely,

Bill Salvatore