USA Hockey Magazine

JUNE 2022 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 21 2 0 2 2 A N N U A L C O N G R E S S in the now defunct Western Professional Hockey League. He helped re-sta r t the La nd of Encha ntment A mateur Hockey A ssociation in 1986 a nd has been involved w ith the New Mex ico Hockey Referee Confederation, including both as treasurer since 1996 and scheduler since 2009. Newall, who has played goaltender throughout his 50-plus-year play ing ca reer, spent t wo yea rs a s the Rock y Mounta in Distr ict Referee-In-Chief and for the last 10 years has served as the database coordinator for the District. Additionally, the decorated Air Force veteran earned his Level 5 coaching certification in 1995 and for 30 years (1988-2017) served on the player development camp staff for the Rocky Mountain District. WALTER YACIUK AWARD Pat Westrum A f t e r t a k i n g u p h o c k e y a s a c h i l d i n M i n n e a p o l i s, Pa t Westrum has been a key con- tributor to the sport through- out his life. He has coached at every level in the state of Minnesota over his 30-plus- y e a r c a r e e r, i n c l u d i n g a s a member of the coaching staff f o r t h e A p p l e Va l l e y H i g h School boys' team that won the Minnesota State Tournament in 1996. Currently the district coach-in-chief for Minnesota District 6, Westrum has served the USA Hockey Coaching Education Program since 1995. Additionally, he has been involved as a coach and evaluator with Minnesota Hockey and USA Hockey player development camps for over 25 years. As a player, Westrum attended the University of Minnesota on a foot- ball and hockey scholarship and served as the captain of the Gophers' 1970 Western Collegiate Hockey Association championship team. He went on to play in the World Hockey Association, and was also a member of the 1978 U.S. Men's National Team. BOB ALLEN WOMEN'S PLAYER OF THE YEAR Hilary Knight Hilary Knight etched her name in the record books at the 2022 O l y m p i c W i n t e r G a m e s i n Beijing, with her 22 Olympic games played the most ever by a U.S. women's player. The four- time Olympian led Team USA in both points (10) and goals (6) as the U.S. brought home the silver medal. Her performance in Beijing was one of the most prolific by a U.S. player in history with her 10 points second all-time in a single Olympics by a women's player. With 27 career Olympic points (12G, 15A), Knight ranks second all-time in U.S. history in points, goals and assists and first among active players. Knight has been a mainstay on the U.S. Women's National Team since 2006, highlighted by four Olympic medals, with gold in 2018 and silver in 2010, 2014 and 2022. She has also been a part of eight gold-medal teams at the IIHF Women's World Championships and three silver-medal squads. WM. THAYER TUTT AWARD John M. Osidach J o h n O s i d a c h w a s b o r n i n France to parents who fled the former Soviet Union, and even- tually moved to Canada in 1951. He fell in love with hockey and played for more than a decade in the Metro Toronto League prior to playing hockey for St. Mary's University. Osidach moved to Washington D.C. in 1973 when his four-decades long journey of growing the game in the Capital Beltway began. Osidach first started volun- teering with USA Hockey in 1976 by coaching the Chevy Chase Club. In 1979, he alongside Robert Siblo, founded the Washington Metros, which later became the Washington Little Caps. He spent his early years on the ice coaching, but also volunteered as an administrator, including many years as the club president. In the late 1990s, Osidach helped Kush Sidoo form the Washington Junior Nationals, the first Tier I girls' hockey program in the D.C. area. He continued to coach throughout his battle with cancer, and was on the ice coaching the day prior to his passing in 2016. DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Maria Dennis M a r i a D e n n i s h a s b e e n involved in hockey her entire life and today serves as the director of Player Health and Safety & Associate Counsel for the National Hockey League Players' Association. She started playing hockey at the age of 6 in her hometown of South Windsor, Conn., and went on to a collegiate career at Yale University, accumulat- ing numerous scoring awards including one totaling 96 goals, the most of any player—male or female—in Yale hockey history. While attending Georgetown Law, Dennis was selected to the U.S. Women's National Team and helped Team USA earn the silver medal in the inaugural Women's World Championship in 1990. Following her national team playing career, Dennis volunteered with USA Hockey as a member of the board of directors for nearly a decade and also served as a member of the board of directors of the United States Olympic Committee. Dennis joined the NHLPA in 2011 where she advocates on behalf of the Players' interests with respect to a wide array of health and safety matters. She also chairs the NHL/NHLPA Female Hockey Advisory Committee, a joint initiative that began in 2018 to accelerate the growth of girls' and women's hockey in North America. P

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