Winnipeg coach named Cisco Canada's hidden hockey hero
Scott Coates tragically lost his parents at 16, a year later he lost his ability to play hockey
Winnipeg AAA-hockey coach Scott Coates has been crowned Canada's "hidden hero" for his work with the Warriors Hockey Club.
The contest, hosted by Cisco Canada, saw applications from across the country nominating people that go above and beyond for the love of hockey and awarded the Winnipeg hockey club a grand prize of $20,000.
Coates has a master's degree in counselling and spends his days working with people with disabilities to help them (re-)enter the workforce.
"It's definitely something that became a passion of mine and something I wanted to do in order to help people," Coates said.
A change of course
Coates himself walks with a cane and faces certain mobility issues after a diving accident as a teenager. When the doctors told him he had broken two vertebrae, he was given the prognosis that he would never walk again.
"My first comment was 'I'm never going to play hockey again,'" he told CBC's Radio Noon host Janet Stewart.
"As a 17-year-old kid it was pretty devastating. It was something I had grown up my whole life wanting to do and then all the sudden, that was taken away."
Having lost both of his parents a year earlier, Coates said he is most thankful to his sister for getting him through the tough time.
"Unfortunately, a bad decision as a teenager kind of changed my lifestyle."
Unsung hero
"When our manager called us at the end of March and told us we won, I kind of maybe yelled out a little bit. In the cubicles, the next few people had to stand up and look and see what was going on. It was surprising for sure," said Coates.
Coates was aware he had been nominated for the $20,000 award but he said it was humbling to win in a pool of such self-sacrificing people.
"You look at all the stories that were included and you can definitely see why hockey is Canada's national sport," Coates said. "Just all the commitment that the individuals have to not only the game, but their communities, and what they're willing to do to support anyone in the game of hockey."
Cisco Canada said that Coates "captures the essence of dedication to Canada's favourite sport."
Hockey 'in his blood'
Coates grew up in a small town, skating on the local outdoor rink, and he recalls that all he ever did was dream of the NHL.
"Even after the injury, it was still something, it was always in my blood and I just wanted to continue — and I have for some 20 odd years now."
Coates recognizes now that he is lucky to have walked away from his accident with his life and now uses his story to teach the 15 and 16-year-old teens he coaches. Every year he tells them his story and talks about the impact of the choices they make can have on the rest of their lives.
"Sometimes as a young person you don't think about the consequences of things and that's just what I try to give back to those individuals to help them move along in their lives," said Coates.
"Once hockey is in your blood, I think you never get rid of it. It's probably not going to make you a million dollars coaching minor hockey but it provides you with the opportunity to be out of the house, be on the rink, working with the kids."