You
would usually see Pete at the arena with a smile on his face, coffee in his
hand and saying one of his witty one liner’s.
He
was a wonderful husband and excellent father. Pete was married to Katie for
almost 19 years. He had two sons, James and Michael. Not only was he there on
the ice for his boys but he was helping coach lacrosse, volunteering in the
classroom and class trips as well as helping the boys with their homework.
Family was very important to him and he made it his first priority.
Pete made sure that he had time for everyone and was willing to help a friend whenever they needed him.
You could find him spending endless hours at the arena. He mentored and helped develop players and coaches as well. He was an executive for a while and coached for about 12 years. He valued the opinion of his entire coaching staff.
Pete had a genuine love for the game of hockey and tried to instill that when he coached. He believed in teaching them to be disciplined, try their hardest and most importantly to have fun. He would see them as individuals with different strengths and abilities, finding the special quality in each one. He was known for grabbing their full attention in the dressing room without raising his voice and speaking calmly. If he knew a child was struggling, then his mission was to help them in a personal way. He never favoured and was fair to all. He treated everyone on the team like they were one of his own. He was serious but had fun and enjoyed laughing with them.
At a time when choosing girls on a boy’s hockey team was not a popular thing to do, he chose the ones that deserved to be there and helped develop them as players. He had quite a few over the years and they have carried on to play at the university level.
He believed that a child that was coachable was better than any “superstar”. Respect and listening were a very important quality and he tried to instill that in both his children and the ones on his team.
Pete was a straightforward, honest man with a great sense of humour and a big heart. In honour of Pete’s contributions and dedication to hockey in West Lincoln we are honoured to name this tournament in his memory.
The Pete Ross Memorial Tournament