12/26/2023 0 Comments Tyke kimbleMy son moved to football and I helped with his in the fall and spring, by no means in coaching, to be there as a supportive hitting bag for kids to run into and bounce off of.” “I coached both the girls and boys in Ennismore and as they migrated up, I stayed involved as a head coach or assistant coach in Peterborough girls hockey. Once Roche retired from playing, he returned to the Kawarthas and re-entered the rinks he grew up in coaching his daughter Madison and son Joe in minor hockey at the tyke level in Ennismore. His work ethic, his commitment to the team, it’s something I take with me everywhere I go.” “Geordie Kinnear is hands down one of the best captains of all time for the Peterborough Petes. Roche’s strong understanding of team unity, and mentorship from one particularly special Petes captain, set the foundation for his coaching career. All of the teams I won on through minor hockey, with the Petes, with Pittsburgh coming close, winning and losing the Calder Cup, the closeness of the team even with gaps in talent, made us more successful than we were.” “I’ve been fortunate to play with very strong championship teams, it didn’t always mean we were the most talented teams. He earned a Calder Cup in 2001 with the Saint John Flames and felt just short of a second with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Roche spent two seasons in the Steel City, one with the Calgary Flames and nine seasons in the American Hockey League. “I was fortunate to get on a team with the likes of Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis and Ken Wregget, and have the experience of being on a high profile team, while living on my own for the first time.” He capped his junior career with the Windsor Spitfires and was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. “Guys I grew up playing with,” said Roche. Roche joined the Petes in 1991 and donned the maroon and white for three seasons winning an OHL championship in 1993 on a team with several local players. We actually had a 14-year-old on that team by the name of Murray Hogg.” What their goal was that year was to get local kids drafted. The average age on that team was 16.5 years old. “I ended up skipping my minor hockey draft year and played Jr. The former left wing’s exposure to strong coaching continued as he moved up playing under Bud Stefanski in Jr. “Having coaches like Doug Gibson and Rollie Kimble and Billy Plager was great,” said Roche. Roche, originally from Little Britain, had his first taste of Peterborough minor hockey at 10 when his parents moved him and younger brother Scott into the city to provide a higher level of competition. Like many Petes alumni, Dave Roche’s compulsion to help and his pride in his hometown has made him a staple in Peterborough’s minor hockey community.
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