Vintage Minnesota Hockey - History

Keith grew up on Minnesota’s iron range at a time when perhaps the IRC was it its pinnacle for producing numbers of talented hockey players. Playing for his father Dave in Virginia, Keith had a very successful high school hockey career, and was highly recruited by many of the top college programs in the country.

“I had the opportunity as a kid to play the game every day on a neighborhood rink simply for the fun of it. This enjoyment for the game fostered the love of the game that I’ve always had. I was fortunate growing up in the time when I did. Kids played hockey because they wanted to; it was fun. Through pee-wees, bantams and high school, I had the opportunity to play with and against many great local players who were all playing the game for the same reasons I was. Players like Pavelich, Delich, Micheletti, Rothstien, Baker, Harrington and Joelson are just a few who played at this time. It was a wonderful time to play hockey.”

Keith chose UMD and had s successful hockey career there winning personal awards and helping the UMD program become a recognized college hockey power. Keith was drafted by the Montreal Canadians and played in their farm system for a short period of time. After Keith decided to end his playing days in 1981, Keith immediately started coaching high school hockey at the age of 24. Keith had been the head boys’ high school hockey coach in Virginia starting in 1985. “Coaching in a small program like Virginia has had its trials and tribulations. Without a lot of numbers, every season is different. I learned early on that because of this, I had to be creative as coach and be willing to change philosophy and systems to fit the type of team I had. This has made me a much better teacher and coach. I am a firm believer in the concept of – “winning is not the only thing but trying to win is”. Coaching high school hockey has given me the opportunity to have a positive effect on many young men’s lives and to help them not only become better hockey players but better young adults as well.”

Keith is very active in the local youth hockey program overseeing nearly all facets of it. It is commonplace to see Keith on the practice rink with squints on talking to bantam team between periods of big game. In Virginia, Keith was one of the key individuals who spent more than a decade fighting for second indoor ice sheet which was finally built 1999. The youth hockey program controls this rink and part of the ice time is allotted for “open-hockey” every day after school and during most of the weekend time. Kids of all ages can simply show up and play “shinney hockey.”

Keith’s main focus of amateur hockey is player and skill development. “A program and/or team can not get better if the individual players do not continually improve their skills. No system in the world can take the place of skilled players. My main job as a coach in Virginia is to teach he players as weIl as to help teach the teachers/coaches.”

Keith has coached in many hockey schools over the years. He has been involved with USA Hockey and Minnesota Hockey in many capacities including setting up the first STP program in 1996, various Select camp,. Chicago Showcase, Maroon-Gold Selection Committee, U-13 Development and teaching various USA Hockey coaching clinics.

Married to Julie, Keith is the father of Samantha and Garrett. Keith owns and runs his own financial services business in Virginia.