Canning Mudhogs Roller Hockey : Representing Canning & Area since 1995

Duke Rupert

Duke is one of our 2 coaches with the longest tenure in the Mudhogs organization, having been involved with the Canning Mudhogs since their inception in 1995. In 2009, Duke worked with the Under 6 team, and helped out with the Under 10 team at the NARCh Qualifier when Robb and Kevin were unavailable. He brings to the Mudhogs a coaching history which includes high school sports, minor hockey, and OHA Jr. D hockey. While playing with the Mudhogs, Duke generally plays a forward position, modeling himself after Dave Andreychuk, who may be slow but is very effective in front of the net. He enjoys coaching the young kids because they are just learning and are a clean slate to teach, with generally no bad habits being brought in (and because his son Brennan began playing in the league this year). There are two accomplishments in coaching which he remembers fondly - coaching the St. George Dukes Jr. D squad to their first ever playoff round win, and coaching the Cubs at NARCh 2009 to a win in their first ever game, and a third place finish overall.

Duke's coaching philosophy is to encourage the players to learn new skills; to build slowly, at a pace comfortable for each player; to teach the fundamentals and let the players experiment from there; and to strongly encourage fair play principles and fun in play. It is important that the players all get a chance to play, and even though winning is important, even to kids 5 and 6 years old, ensuring that each player gets to play is just as important. Players are allowed to take advantage of their individual skills and to fluorish, however it is important to have defined structure, so that players can learn plays and systems which will help them as they continue to grow and advance into higher levels of hockey.

Duke can be contacted at duke@4ss.ca

 

Darryl Dempsey

Darryl began playing roller hockey in 2006. Being a goaltender made him very valuable to the CRHL, and to the Canning Mudhogs organization, as finding someone who wants to strap on the pads, take shots in the head and arms for an hour, and sweat buckets, then do it again for the next hour for another group, is not so easy to do.

Darryl began coaching roller hockey by helping out with the Under 6 Cubs team in 2009, which his son Shawn was a part of. Darryl could be counted on however, to help out with any team where someone was required, much to the chagrin of his wife. Growing up in Acton helped prepare Darryl for the small town life of a place like Paris, where has resided for the past 14 years.

Darryl lists his biggest accomplishment as a coach being helping out both the Under 6 and Under 10 teams in the summer of 2009, with the teams winning Bronze and Gold medals respectively at the NARCh Finals. His favourite part about coaching is seeing the kids skills grow and having them realize they can learn and enjoy the game. He coaches for the love of the game, and to help grow the sport in the Paris area and the County of Brant. Darryl's goals are to help the players learn and have fun playing the game.

 

Kevin Lee

Kevin began playing roller hockey, filling the position of defence, in 2005. Residing in Paris with his family, Kevin has been coaching youth sports since 1995. Currently he coaches the 10 and Under Mudhogs, along with his brother Robb. Kevin's favourite part about coaching is teaching an aspect of the game to the kids, and watching them use what they have learned in the game. This was evident in what Kevin lists as his biggest accomplishment as a coach - leading the helm as the Under 10 Mudhogs won gold at the NARCh Finals in 2009.

He coaches for a number of reasons. Along with enjoying watching the kids learn and improve, Kevin wants to help the sport grow in the Paris and County of Brant area. He also enjoys the extra floor time!! Kevin feels that as a coach, you learn just as much as you teach, and that, as there are many life lessons to be learned through playing sport, coaching lets him pass some of those lessons on to others. As a coach, he wants to show others how much fun can be had from playing the game. His philosophy is to make playing the game about having fun, and playing to the best of your ability. He feels that we can learn a lot from sports in both winning and losing, and he tries to pass on those lessons as much as possible. It is important in a team sport that "we always win or lose as a team, and it is never about the individual, but what the individual can contribute to make the team successful. The way that someone carries them on the field of play speaks volumes about their character, and Kevin tries to demonstrate that through his coaching.

Kevin and his wife Courtney have been married two years, and have a one year old son and a newborn daughter. Kevin works at RMA Technologies in Cambridge, ON.

 

Robb Lee

Robb started playing roller hockey about four years ago, along with his brother, Kevin. Prior to that he has a number of years experience in coaching minor sports in his hometown of Paris, ON. Robb coaches the 10 and Under team with his brother, and does so because he finds it to be a very rewarding experience. He is also a player in the CRHL, acting as a utility player and being used wherever his team needs him to play.

.His goals include being positive and fair to his players, and to always remember to have fun first. This philosophy can be evidenced by the fact that he took a group of kids who, at the beginning of the summer did not know each other, and had little or no experience in roller hockey, and finished the summer with a gold medal at NARCh as friends.

Brock Murray

Brock is a founding member of the Canning Mudhogs organization, as well as the CRHL (now 4SSRH) and Four Season Sports. Brock is the driving force behind the team and their entries to all the various events which the Canning Mudhogs have participated in over the past 15 years.

Brock began playing roller hockey back in 1993. With minimal ice hockey experience, Brock was still able to thrive in the inline environment. Playing defence, he is able to quarterback the play and act in the role of player/coach for most tournaments, helping to lead and direct the team before, during, and after play. Brock began his coaching with the inception of the Men's Rec Team in 1999. Hailing from the hamlet of Canning, it was his vision, along with his perserverence that was able to get the Canning Mudhogs organization off the ground and move it forward to where it is today. Currently Brock resides in Paris, ON, with his wife Sara and daughter Brielle, where he acts as the owner and Director of Operations of MCS (Murray Cleaning Services), a division of Hospitality Dynamics Inc.).

Brock's favourite accomplishment as a coach was in being part of the inaugural Ladies Mudhogs team at the 2009 NARCh Finals in Mississauga. Not one game was one, nor was one goal scored by the team, but to watch those ladies play and interact during and after the games, "you would have thought we had won the Championship". He coaches because of a love for the sport of roller hockey. Brock has a passion for roller hockey which he has "never felt for another sport like he does this game". He lists his favourite part about coaching as being able to share that passion with others.

Brocks philosophy on coaching is no different than that of life." Have a plan but never set an ultimate goal. What often happens when setting goals is that you have tunnel vision. To allow yourself to take the blinders off opens up a world to so much more. And what may be deemed as failure by some because it did not turn out exactly how you once described it, is in fact the next step towards something much greater."

From Brock:

"On Creativity:

The man who follows the crowd, will usually get no farther than the crowd. The man who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been before.
Creativity in living is not without its attendant difficulties, for peculiarity breeds contempt. And the unfortunate thing about being ahead of your time is that when people finally realize you were right, they'll say it was obvious all along.
You have two choices in life: you can dissolve into the mainstream, or you can be distinct. To be distinct you must be different. To be different, you must strive to be what no one else but you can be. Author Unknown"

 

Sara Murray

Bio coming soon.