RED DEER – Hockey Alberta’s Coach of the Month for January, sponsored by Players Bench Team Apparel, is Candace Patten of Battle River.
Candace is the currently the head coach of the Battle River Knights U11 Female team, and has been coaching hockey for three years now.
With her eye on growing the female game, Candace thought it would be great for the young girls in her community to have more female mentors on the ice and in the dressing room, which is why she started coaching.
"Coach Candace has taken every kid and made them into hockey players. She gets a huge variety of skills on the team from basically learn to skate to very skilled players, and some how she gets the girls to gel and bond as a team," said the parent who nominated Candace. "She see the potential in every player and encourages them to be their best and to work hard. Candace is the type of coach our little girls need - she doesn’t get upset, she doesn’t raise her voice, and she see the game from their perspective, as she also played growing up."
While she doesn’t have a specific favourite coaching moment that stands out to her, often times when she runs into girls she’s coached out in public or at the rink, the bond is still strong. It makes her feel like she has had a positive impact on their early years in hockey.
"The best year of hockey I ever played was at a college level for a female coach who made the biggest difference in my gameplay by instilling confidence in myself," said Candace. "Sometimes when I start to get caught up in some of the competitiveness or chaos that can arise when coaching, I try to take a step back and remember at the end of the day the highest importance should be placed on maintaining or building my players’ confidence."
The Coach of the Month award is presented every month during the Minor Hockey season, based on nominations submitted to Hockey Alberta.
Minor hockey coaches will be selected throughout the hockey season and will receive a coaching package from Players Bench Team Apparel valued at over $500, which includes a helmet, gloves, track suit, coach bag, puck bag, rink board, and coaching resources.
