Lifelong Friends, Former Teammates, Now Coaching Colleagues

Brian Hickey was admittedly anxious, nervous and excited stepping on the Winnetka Warriors bench for the first time as a coach, yet was supported by fellow coaches Jon Weiser and Michael Vail who, at the time, had been coaching together for a number of years.

“It was a full-circle moment,” Hickey said.

Same is true for all three – Hickey, Weiser and Vail. All three played for the Warriors and are now coaching for the same club.

“We are grateful for the opportunity the community and parents have afforded us to be able to coach the next wave, and we do not take that responsibility lightly,” Hickey said. “To witness the development from the beginning of the year to the end is truly empowering—it is a cliché, but the growth is substantial. To see the passion; resilience; will to get better; the coachability; and the fun the kids have celebrating each other’s individual and collective successes are what makes coaching so rewarding.”

Hickey, 33, who lives in Chicago, played everything except goalie while growing up. He spent considerable time playing center, left wing and left defense. He never skated for New Trier Green, though his playing career included time playing for CYA and Team Illinois. 

As a midget minor during his sophomore year at New Trier, Hickey won the state championship and the regional title, yet lost in the quarter-finals at nationals. He was a state runner-up as a junior and a state champ again as a senior.

Hickey coached the Winnetka peewee 2 team last year and will move to the squirt minor ranks this season.

“I think I speak on behalf of Mike and Jon … it is a privilege to be afforded the opportunity and responsibility to coach kids at such an impressionable age,” Hickey said. “We take that seriously and aim to give a really fun and rewarding season each and every year. The opportunity to reciprocate the values we learned while repping the Warriors 20-plus years later, is, selfishly, really fun for us. We may get more out of it than the kids do, to be honest.”

Hickey said his coaching run has been influenced by many, starting with his grandfather, Hugh Brower, one of the community advocates and leaders in forming the Winnetka Warrior program, he said. “From fundraising, to building the Winnetka Arena, and coaching—his fingerprints are all over the Warrior club. I take pride in the legacy he left behind, always making time for others, and paying it forward. I can still hear him saying, ‘Keep moving your feet.’ Not sure if that was hockey specific, or a life lesson, but, in any event, it is something that has stuck with me.”

Hickey also praised youth coach Dave McGowan “who, I recall, (made) hockey really fun. I aim to give the kids a similar and rewarding experience. In a similar vein, my Team Illinois coach, Jon Hull, was a strong influence in that he mandated excellence and held us to a high standard. He knew what we were capable of and was adept at motivating the group.”

Weiser, 33, who lives in Chicago, coached peewees last season and is back at that level this season. He attended Colorado College and Elmhurst University, and is now a contract data analyst. He was a Winnetka goalie.

“In college we scheduled a game against our rivals, Colorado School of Mines, at the Pepsi Center (now Ball Arena). Playing on that sheet (of ice) was an experience I’ll never forget,” said Weiser, now in his sixth-year coaching.

“The first thing I noticed off the bat (as a coach) was how much more skilled kids are today. The way some of these young kids can shoot and dangle is light years beyond where I was at their age. Besides the skill level, the commitment and thoughtfulness of the organization has blown me away. As a kid, you don’t really understand the level of detail that is required to develop you, your peers and try to win games.  

“I feel Winnetka has gone above and beyond in creating an atmosphere that encourages development, fun and accountability.”

Weiser’s first game coaching was during the pandemic-impacted 2020-2021 season. “I had been away from the ice for about 8 years after suffering severe head injuries during my sophomore year of college and truly never thought I would be near the ice again,” he said. “I can’t tell you who we played or what the score was, or any particular highlight, but I do remember the joy, exhilaration and passion that reignited in me and reminded me why I love this game so much and why I wanted to play it from a young age.”

Weiser said his fondest coaching memory came, ironically, during a loss during his second-year coaching with Vail. “In our final seeding game, we played a team that had only given up three goals in their nine previous games,” Weiser said. “This team was destined to move up a division or two and hadn’t won a game by less than five goals.  

“One of Coach Vail’s favorite sayings is ‘On any given day, one pewee team can beat any other peewee team’ and he reiterated that in the locker room before warmups. It was evident the other team felt confident, as they got off the first 8-10 shots of the game, but the first period ended (tied), 0-0. They got even more shots in the second, yet at the end of the second the score remained 0-0. Our goalie, who we had coached the year prior as well, was standing on his head and frustrating the opponents to no end. They eventually scored their first goal about two minutes into the third. Our kids scored a minute and a half later, (tying the game), 1-1.  

“The game ultimately ended as a 3-1 or 4-2 loss, but the fight shown by our team and especially our goalie, who saw close to 50 shots, sticks out to me to this day.”

Weiser said Rafe Aybar, a member of the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame, helped him as a player and a coach. “When I started to skate, it did not come easy to me and Coach Rafe kept encouraging me and made it fun to be on the ice,” Weiser said. “His same energy and positivity are what I try to channel every time I am teaching kids how to skate.”

Weiser also credits his lifelong friend, Vail.

“Mikey and I have been friends since we were 4 years-old in Mrs. Jacoby’s Jr. kindergarten class,” Weiser said. “He and I played on that same mite house championship team. We would practice/play in his driveway with all our street hockey gear—him as the skater and me as the goalie—all the way through middle school.  

“(Since) adulting is hard and life circumstances arise, we lost touch during a good portion of our 20s. Then, in November of 2019, he called me out of the blue to invite me to a Northwestern football game, something we did quite often when we were younger. At that game, he said that he was going to get a team of his own the next year and asked me to coach with him. I had been away from the ice for 5-plus years after suffering head injuries in college, and told him I wasn’t sure, but that I would think about it.”

Then the pandemic happened only months after their conversation.

But, in July 2020, Weiser got another call from Vail. “Before I can say anything, I hear ‘Coach, I signed you up. Here are all the things you got to do before we start.’ That was the beginning of this incredible coaching ride we’ve been on together … and it reignited the love I have for this game. I am incredibly grateful to Coach Vail for seeing something in me that I didn’t see at the time.”

Vail is entering his 10th season as a coach with the Winnetka Hockey Club, spending all 10 of those seasons at the peewee level – as an assistant or head coach. Vail grew up playing his youth hockey for the Warriors, followed by a successful high school career where he played three years on New Trier Green. He led the Trevians as captain in both his junior and senior years, helping earn a state and national championship.

“I tell this to parents all the time … the best part of the three of us working together is that we are the epitome of ‘it can happen at different times, so don’t give up,’” Weiser said.

“Brian had it click early; Mike had it click around 12, and for myself, it wasn’t until I was 17 or 18 that I was able to put it all together.  The common denominator between all of us, is that we grew up loving the game and wanting to improve.  Furthermore, because we had different hockey trajectories in our youth, we each bring a little something (different) that we meld into a cohesive development strategy.

“We are former athletes, so we are competitive and want to win. However, due to the fact we have known each other for so long we can find common ground with more ease.  Our mutual goal is to help a group of 13-16 boys and girls reach their goals while building a winning culture in the process. We want them to leave the season with us with the same amount of joy and passion that they brought into it, if not more. Regardless of the wins and losses, we want them to leave better hockey players than when they started.”

Winnetka hockey director Jimmy Warrick said Vail, Weiser and Hickey “bleed Winnetka green and gold.”

“They are the most passionate coaches and will go to the ends of the earth to help their team,” Warrick said. “There is not one player who leaves the ice without a smile on their face after being around these three coaches. They are the best examples of why Winnetka hockey is so special. You not only get better on the ice, but also make friendships that last a lifetime.

“I am blessed as a director to have these three coaching at Winnetka.”