FROM THE ARCHIVES: HUMBER COACH JOINS CHERRY’S DOG POUND
September 13, 2001
By: John-Paul McNally
Humber Hawks hockey coach Joe Washkurak has left the nest this season and joined the ranks of the Mississauga Ice Dogs.
“Joe brings a lot of life to the bench, and he knows what’s going on,” said Cherry. “I’m very fortunate to have him.”
Now that the season has begun, the coaching staff is preparing to lead the team into a year where they can be competitive and satisfy Ice Dogs fans, Cherry said.
“I have experience with kids and have coached juniors. I think that’s why Don brought me on,” Washkurak said.
Washkurak can devote himself to the team both on and off the ice. He’s a counsellor outside of the hockey world and knows how to work with people. It was also his ability to understand and relate to the players that made him such a good choice for the position according to Steve Cherry, Ice Dogs assistant coach and Son Cherry.
“He has a very good rapport with the kids. The kids go to him first, and talk to him first,” said Cherry.
Washkurak spent two years coaching the Hawks with a 10-5-0 record last season and captured a silver medal at the Ontario Colleges Athletics Association championships. While with the Hawks, Washkurak undertook the task of recruiting and training as many players as he could to improve the hockey program at Humber.
“Basically this is Joe’s team,” said Jim Bialek, Humber’s assistant athletics director. “He would like to see the guys he brought on be successful.”
Having played two seasons with the Hawks, and winning championships in 1989 and 1990, Washkurak leaves a team he both coached and played for.
“I loved coaching at Humber, and I really liked the guy,” Washkurak said. “I’ll miss it. I have a lot of good friends there.”
Washlurak brings a skilled coaching background to the Ice Dogs, a background he shared with the Hawks. Over his years as a coach he’s worked for such as the Oakville minor hockey and Guelph Fire club.
“Joe was a Humber person through and through,” Bialek said. “From being a coach, he was accepted by everyone in the department.”
For the past two years, Washkurak has been a scout for the Ice Dogs and played a large part in both the team’s selection and development. Asking him to sign on as the new assistant was the first priority, according to Steve.
“I knew what we needed, and Don gave me the green light to get someone to work with,” Steve said. “Joe was my first choice.”
Both Steve and Washkurak have been working closely to ready the team for the upcoming season. Cherry will miss a minimum of 10 games this season due to Hockey Night in Canada, and the team needs a stable assistant coaching staff to keep things running, Steve said.
“Joe’s a tremendous help. He’s used to running practices, and he’s a natural leader,” Steve said.
Wayne Crawford will replace Washkurak as the Hawks head coach. Crawford brings a wealth of coaching experience having been behind the bench of several teams in the British National Ice Hockey League since 1988 and hopes to improve upon the framework Washkurak has left.
