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JANUARY 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 31 JANUARY 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 31 "We had helmets that by today's standards were hats, no shoulder pads, full checking and no supervision," Silverstein recalled. "We played on concrete. It's a miracle we came out of it alive." Not only did Silverstein survive, he has enjoyed a lifetime of involvement in the game. A pediatrician by day, Silverstein also has experience as a standup comic, once getting f e a t u r e d o n t h e n a t i o n a l n e w s, a n d h a s written several books, including one titled "Laughing Your Way to Passing the Pediatric Boards." It's considered required reading among pediatric residents preparing for their certification exam. "The book isn't as funny as it is liked. It is written in a personal way," said Silverstein, who stepped away f rom t he br ig ht l ig ht s because "medicine pays more than comedy." It wasn't until 15 years ago that Silverstein made the tra nsition to the ice, a nd he has been involved in the game in some capacity ever since. A father of two, his younger son Ariel took to the sport after initially wanting nothing to do with it. As Ariel's passion grew, Silverstein was spurred to become a registered USA Hockey coach, working with his son's house league team in Stamford, Conn. "He was very passionate about the game and practiced and played constantly," said Silverstein, who still finds time to play on a local men's team. "We shared that passion, and that's how I got into USA Hockey. I got involved as a coach through a friend of mine on the men's league. I loved it. It's great. It's a labor of love." As a coach, Silverstein said parents take comfort knowing someone of his stature is behind the bench. "It seemed like they played bet ter when I wa s on t he bench, but I made su re t hey st ayed hyd rated. That helped. My doctor h at w a s on ," he s a id . "A nd i f a nyone got h u r t , t h e p a r e n t s w e r e h a p p y a d o c t o r was there." O f c o u r s e , t h e r e w a s t h a t t i m e w h e n c h e c k i n g o n a n i n j u r e d p l a y e r w o r k e d against him. Not a fan of walking on ice, duty called and he had to put his fears aside for the sake of one of his players. "I hate walking on ice, especially fresh ice, but we had a kid get hurt and I had to go on the ice to check on him," Silverstein recalled. "They had a ref walk me out to him, and people took pictures and made fun of me about it. They held that over me and would ask if I needed help walking today." S i l v e r s t e i n t a k e s t h e j o k i n g i n s t r i d e b e c a u s e o f h i s b a c k g r o u n d . T h o u g h h e temporarily stepped away from coaching to focus on his practice, he said when he was behind the bench he would find a way to inject his humor into the game. He tries to be careful with what he says to players in a joking manner but has often used various lines that turn a potential tough moment into a lighthearted one. He'll sometimes ask a player if he meant to hit the boards on purpose or why he didn't offer the other player something to drink after he gave the puck away. It's all in good nature in the end, and even his son tends to throw the funny lines right back at his dad. "He has my sense of humor," Silverstein said. He would also love to return to coaching, and his son's former coach has expressed interest in bringing Silverstein on board as an assistant again. Silverstein said he'd love to be involved in USA Hockey in some capacity. "If given the opportunity, I would love to be involved with USA Hockey at the advisory level, be it with coaching modules, injury prevention and how and when to introduce body contact." T h a t d e e p e r i n t e r e st g o e s b a c k t o h i s passion for the game and his willingness to share it with others. "I've been able to help turn a lot of kids on to hockey and love helping to grow the game," he said. "I have a passion for the game and it's great to see kids get excited about playing it." P Brian Lester is a freelance writer based in Pensacola, Fla. "It seemed like they played better when I was on the bench... My doctor hat was on, and if anyone got hurt, the parents were happy a doctor was there." – STUART SILVERSTEIN, author of Laughing Your Way to Passing the Pediatric Boards