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10 // MARCH 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM O F F T HE D R AW M a r c K a p s a l i s l i k e s t o j o k e t h a t he volunteered to join the Army before a judge gave him the choice between military service and a jail sentence. In all actuality, he was a good student and an even better citizen growing up in Elmhurst, Ill. On top of that he was terrific hockey player who grew up playing with Brett Hull and Tony Granato on a local YMCA team, and he later went on to win a USA Hockey National Championship in 1980. When legendary coach Jack Riley came calling and invited Kapsalis to play hockey at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., he jumped at the chance. "You want to go where you're wanted and I had the opportunity to go to a great school and still play hockey," said Kapsalis, who is still second among Army defensemen in scoring. "It was an amazing opportunity to serve with so many talented and hard-charging people who were dedicated and wanted to serve our country. " E v e r y b o d y i s s t r i v i n g f o r excellence and you can't help but be inspired and inspire others with that same principle." Many of the lessons he learned at West Point and during his years of military service have helped shape his life, and now he is looking to share those same lessons with the next generation of hockey players. T h a t 's w hy Ka p sa l i s c r e a t e d a n A r my Ranger training program for members of the York varsity hockey team. Every August, the former infantry officer and his players spend two days sleeping in tents, eating MREs and participating in strenuous activities similar to the ones he learned during his days as an Army Ranger. Kapsalis said the bonds that usually take months to build were developed over the course of one grueling weekend. "When you go through adversity together you can't help but get tighter," he said. "Once the team is picked, the b o n d i n g d o e s n 't h a p p e n ove r months, it happens over a few days, because they get through the mud, the wet, the dark and all the challenges...together." A f t e r s e r v i n g i n t h e A r m y, Kapsalis took a coaching job with a Div. III team at Bethel University. He took a break for several years but is back behind the bench at his alma mater where he feels right at home. "I love the game and love teaching," he said. "I wanted to find a way to develop young men and teach them how to be part of something bigger than themselves." He continues to pass along the lessons he learned from competing as an Army athlete and as a commissioned officer. "Hockey helps in life. You get knocked down and get back up and keep competing and fighting," Kapsalis said. "You learn how to be part of the team and your success helps the whole team." P STICK TAP FOR SERVICE West Point Grad Happy To Share Army Training With High School Team A Warrior's Way By Harry Thompson k A proud moment for the Kapsalis fam- ily as Marc Kapsalis' father and stepfather pin his second lieu- tenant bars on his uni- form after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., in 1985. PHOTOS COURTESY OF Marc Kapsalis The Elmhurst YMCA team, from 1971, featuring Marc Kapsalis, Brett Hull and Tony Granato.