Danny VanGronigen knew what kind of hockey coach he wanted to be. He played for him at the College of St. Scholastica in Minnesota.
His name: Mark Wick.
“I saw from the moment (Wick) stepped in that locker room how he commanded the respect,” said VanGronigen, the first-year Nazareth hockey coach. “That’s what I had to do.”
Wick was hired the offseason before VanGronigen’s freshman year at St. Scholastica, so VanGronigen was able to see how the coach introduced himself and adapted to a new environment.
Nazareth, which lost 11-2 to Libertyville on Friday, Feb. 26 in the first round of the Illinois High School Varsity Combined tournament, is a co-op team with players from Guerin, Riverside Brookfield and IC Catholic in addition to Nazareth.
“Because we’re four schools, it’s not like they’ll finish the game and know they’ll see each other at school the next day,” VanGronigen said. “It’s hard to keep that team bond together for the few days a week we do see each other.”
To address that challenge, VanGronigen scheduled workouts and other activities away from the ice to bring the team together.
“It allows us to get team chemistry a lot faster going into a practice or a game earlier in the season,” said forward Trevor Brown, a senior at Nazareth.
During a dry-land workout early in the season that involved a lot of running, VanGronigen said he noticed one player had fallen behind. He was quickly joined by some of his faster teammates, who slowed down to run with him.
To help get his players comfortable with him at the season’s start, VanGronigen told them he “would do whatever for them.”
Brown accepted VanGronigen’s offer.
“I grew up in alcoholic household, and I was able to talk about the problems going on with that,” Brown said. “I was able to talk to him about almost anything. He came off as a great guy.”
VanGronigen is in a position where he can’t please everyone, though. With 26 players and only 18 allowed to play, VanGronigen had to institute a dress list.
“It bothers some players that they don’t get to play,” Brown said.
Freshman goaltender and Nazareth student Nick Fliger saw some benefits to the large roster.
“It made other players want to try harder,” Fliger said, “and get better at hockey to be on the dress list.”
There’s no telling whether VanGronigen will have a similar-sized roster next season and have to use a dress list, but he’s excited for what Nazareth can become.
“I ultimately want to grow this program,” VanGronigen said, “and grow the team and have them succeed but also grow them into young men.”
Mike Nelson is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
