Walt Kyle, Waterloo West High SchoolClass of 1974, can best be described as a hockey fanatic. Early in his life he could be found hanging out at the Black Hawks rink with his father or skating in his back yard with his brother and friends. Kyle has taken his childhood passion and turned it into a career, coaching NHL stars Paul Kariya, Brian Leach and Mark Messier and now inspiring young men as the head coach for the Northern Michigan University Wildcats.
Talk about hockey growing
up in Waterloo.
Hockey was much different then in Waterloo. There were no travel teams or organized practices, only rec leagues. There were a ton of outdoor rinks. The winters seemed to be a lot colder then, so we’d all practice a few times a week and put together a game. After a few years, a group of guys formed our own teams that traveled to small communities around the area.
As I grew older, I got to know some of the Black Hawks players—it was the senior hockey league then—Dave Swick, Bill Dobbyn. They were guys who knew the ame and started coaching kids. When I was a senior in high school, Jack Banzee was the manager for the Black Hawks and Dave Swick was coaching. They invited me to play with the Black Hawks that whole season. There was good competition that really helped me learn how to play. I’m very happy to be able to have had the opportunities and experiences growing up in Waterloo.
Why hockey?
My dad and my uncle were both involved with the Black Hawks and good friends with those guys. My brother and I grew up around the rink and hockey players. We had an outdoor rink right behind our house. It was called Hoover Park back then, so we’d be playing a lot.
Where did you go after high school?
After my senior year with the Black Hawks, a new league was formed called the Midwest League. It was a junior league and the forerunner to the modern US League. There were teams in Minnesota, Fargo and Chicago. I went to Austin and played two years. After that, I got a scholarship to Boston College. After my second year, I had to have surgery on my leg which made me sit out ayear. My brother was at Northern Michigan so I transferred and commuted back and forth to Waterloo to play for the Black Hawks. We won the US League championship that year. My last two years at Northern Michigan we were in the NCAA Final Four. I was offered a job as an assistant at Northern Michigan right after graduating. It was an opportunity to stay in the game as a career—and my dad was really encouraging me to do that to make a living! I coached as an assistant for 11 years then got the opportunity to be an assistant at higher levels—Seattle Thunderbirds with the Western Hockey League, San Diego, Baltimore, which was the top farm team for the Anaheim Ducks. I went on to be an assistant with Anaheim for two years and eventually the New York Rangers for two years. I got a call from Northern Michigan for an opportunity to come back and be the head coach and create some stability in the lives of some young men. I hired my brother as an assistant and have been here since.
What lessons have you learned from hockey?
There are a lot of lessons in sport. I got a lot of exposure to different people, guys I played with, people I coached. The biggest lesson is that nothing comes easy, in sports or life. You can’t expect something without hard work.
What do you see for the future of hockey?
Hockey is a growing sport in the U.S. When I grew up, it wasn’t a big deal. Now even casual fans know most of the NHL teams. We need to find a better way to get more kids involved. The costs can be prohibitive, but we need to create more opportunities for more kids.
What are your goals?
Right now we’re settled in here in Michigan. Raising my family is number one of course. I want to grow our program to be able to contend for a national title.
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