Apple Valley Hockey Coach's 250-Plus Wins Only Part of His Success

Apple Valley High School boys hockey coach Jerry Hayes says coaching, for him, was inevitable. 

“I always loved watching hockey with my dad and my brothers,” Hayes said. “I was always reading coaching books by the greats. To me, it just seemed like a natural fit.”

While a state title has eluded 14-year veteran coach Hayes and his teams over the years, success hasn’t. Hayes, who is also a history teacher at , reached the 250-win milestone earlier this year.

But more than wins, Hayes said, the memories and bonds he has made with his players are the real rewards.

“We’ve had a lot of great kids come through here,” said Hayes. “Obviously making the state tournament a couple of years ago was a highlight. But it’s hard to pick out any single thing. It’s been a lot of great memories.”

Those players include current National Hockey League players Dan Sexton, a right-winger for the Anaheim Ducks, and Minnesota Wild defenseman Mike Lundin, as well as a number of others who have spent time on NHL ice.

“The varsity coaching staff for sure is really good there,” Lundin was quoted as saying in the current issue of Let’s Play Hockey. “They work with you one-on-one and Jerry Hayes, obviously, is a great head coach.”

“Mike said that?” Hayes said upon hearing of the quote from his former player. “I might have to owe him a dinner.”

Hayes said he tries to keep in contact with his former players, and watches them play when he can. His philosophy on memories seems to drive his passion for teaching high school.

“High school is such a special time,” said Hayes. “You only get to experience it once. We just try to focus on teaching the kids how to enjoy high school and make it fun for them while they’re here so when they look back, they can look back with fond memories.”

The Eagles are 8-6-2 entering the home stretch of the 2011-2012 season, but Hayes is encouraged by the record in the face of some tough competition.

“It’s not always about wins and losses,” said Hayes. “You have to consider who we’ve played as well. I think by and large we’ve played pretty well this season.”

Most of the Eagles’ losses have come against some of the top teams in the state: Minnetonka, Duluth East, Breck, Wayzata. 

It’s also difficult to say how the early departures of Hudson Fasching and A.J. Michaelson impacted this year’s Eagles team. Fasching left to play as a junior and senior in the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, MI.

Michaelson passed up his senior season at Apple Valley to play in the United States Hockey League with the Waterloo Black Hawks.

But Hayes doesn’t deal in ‘what ifs.’

“We have to play with what we have and obviously I wish Hudson and A.J. were still here,” Hayes said. “But they made their decisions on what they felt was right for them. I wish them the best.”

“We’ve been playing well with the kids we have here,” Hayes said. “They’ve worked really hard. … But it comes down to the camaraderie of the players on the roster that really creates team success. I’ve always said, success begins in the locker room.”

And Hayes’ success has proven that he’s always had a positive locker room—one his players can look back on and remember fondly.