BUILDING A BETTER PLAYER
Local hockey coach teaches on- and off-ice skills
TROY, N.Y. >> When local hockey players lace their skates up and step onto Dave Randall’s homemade rink, they’re in for far more than just lessons on skating, shooting and puckhandling.
Randall may be stern, but he does not hesitate to give his students a pat on the back and words of wisdom, both on and off the ice
andall founded his hockey program, North American Hockey Systems, more than 40 years ago amid a family history of skating.
“My mom was a figure skating instructor,” said Randall, who gives private lessons on a small rink his father originally built for his mother to practice on.
The Barrie, Ontario, native discovered his passion for hockey after he moved to Troy as a young boy. He attended a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute hockey game with his father and, after noticing many of the players also hailed from Canada, he became enthralled by the game and decided he wanted to play.
“I told my mother I wanted to play, and she said, ‘If you accomplish a
certain goal before next fall, we’ll sign you up,’” said Randall.
Upon reaching skating milestones with his mother’s help, Randall was able to immerse himself in a youth hockey program while also learning the fundamentals of figure skating.
Randall graduated from high school early, at age 17, and took the plunge into teaching shortly after. He taught skating for a few years at local rinks in New Brunswick, but after realizing that could only provide seasonal employment, Randall moved back to Troy to develop a yearround business. He reopened his father’s athome rink, where it all began, and started giving lessons to local players.
“My goal was to get more than 100 players a week, so I didn’t have to teach figure skating and recreational skating,” said Randall, whose passion was not only for teaching skating skills, but also coaching hockey. “It took me about 12 years to get to a point where the business could take over and I could drop everything else. We’ve always been a skating school, but for the last 25 years, we’ve been a full- blown hockey school, as well.”
The company, which includes two full- time coaches and a handful of part- time and volunteer instructors, provides year-round private lessons and weekly group programs at Randall’s rink on Oakwood Avenue, as well as other local facilities. North American Hockey Systems also offers coaching services for local youth hockey organizations in Troy, Saratoga, Bethlehem, Schenectady and even out- ofstate organizations that are interested.
The program’s coaches, which includes Randall’s son David, teach skating, stick and puck control, passing, shooting and scoring, as well as mindset development.
It is designed to develop fundamental skills for entry- level players and refine the skills of advanced players through a hands- on approach and many teamwork- driven exercises.
Generations of students have pas s ed through the homemade rink, resurfaced with a John Deere zamboni, and players as young as 2 have entered Randall’s program to develop into successful hockey players.
“It’s all about kids developing into great people,” said Randall, who feels the program’s impact on students goes far beyond hockey.
The program teaches players they don’t have to be fighters on the ice to be successful, Randall said. By instilling core principles and family values, Randall said players realize they don’t have to engage in violence. Coaches present their players with statistics of well-known professional hockey players like Wayne Gretzky, demonstrating that skill, rather than violence, is what makes a great hockey player.
“Our players are taught that the fighting is just to sell more beer,” said Randall, who believes the principles he and his staff instill in players make them well-rounded individuals on and off the ice. “We teach that success is about the journey. You have to keep those goals going.”
Values such as persistence, time management, and teamwork are encouraged by the coaches. To provoke thought and participation, Randall said he asks questions such as, “What makes a great hockey player?” during his lessons, instead of telling players what should be done. Staff say this approach is highly effective because it is not abrasive and gives players a chance to make their own decisions.
These techniques, in addition to creating a comfortable setting that encourages goal- setting — in hockey and in school — develops well-rounded players and students. Players may be drivers, analytical or expressive, and Randall said he creates a cooperative, balanced environment while catering to individual learning styles and showing them how to work together.
“We just want players to achieve all their dreams,” said Randall, who has seen a number of his students become successful players and even successful businessmen.
Players who have passed through Randall’s program include Kathleen Kauth, who played for the U. S. Olympic woman’s hockey team, Marc Cavosie, who played in the NHL and an Asian professional league, and Brian Chesky, co-founder of hospitality exchange service Airbnb.
Randall said expects his son to take over the business eventually, as he has involved him in hockey from an early age. Randall said David came home from being a national snowboard competitor after the death of Randall’s mother and runs the skills school and motivates players to achieve excellence within themselves.
“We won’t build the whole wall for them,” said Randall. “We give them the bricks.”