Midget Rep - Midget A1

Head Coach Profile

Derek Chichak

What is your coaching experience?

I have been a life long coach in Hockey, Football and Baseball.  I have had the great fortune of coaching Hockey in Richmond since 1994, where I began my hockey coaching as an Introduction to Hockey Coach at Seafair Minor Hockey with my middle son.  I have coached at every level of hockey from Intro to Junior B hockey since 1994, including 4 seasons as Bantam A-1 coach with Seafair, 6 seasons as Midget A-1 coach with Seafair & Richmond along with 4 years as Juvenile A-1 coach with Seafair and South Delta and 2 seasons with Delta Ice Hawks in the PIJHL.

Previous to my hockey coaching, I played and coached with the Richmond Raiders Football Club in the Canadian Junior Football League for 10 years and spent 3 years as Co-Head Coach of the football program at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario.  I have also coached for several years in the West Richmond Minor Baseball Association.

What is your hockey background?

I began playing ice hockey in Richmond as a Bantam aged goaltender and continued to play through Midget at Richmond Minor Hockey.  Following minor hockey, I went on to play men’s hockey during my time as a Junior football player / coach and have continued to play Division 1, 2 and 3 men’s hockey in Richmond and Delta since that time.  I still play hockey twice a week today.

How long have you been involved with Richmond Hockey (RMHA, Seafair) minor hockey? 

I began my ice hockey career with Richmond Minor Hockey in 1974 and began coaching in 1994 and have continued to coach at Seafair and Richmond Minor Hockey until 2016, with 2 seasons as Head Coach of Delta Ice Hawks Junior B team.

How do people describe you?

I would expect that most people would describe me as a "player’s coach" who expects the best from his players each and every day.  A no nonsense coach who wants to see a dedicated commitment from all involved in the program.  A coach who will raise the bar high and set aggressive goals for his team and players, always endeavouring to assist the limitations of his personnel through individual and systems training and development.  Someone who is extremely passionate about his team and cares about the health of the entire group; both players and coaches alike. Always promoting a "We’re all in this together" family environment.

What are you most passionate about in hockey?

Hockey is one of the ultimate team games.  It teaches perseverance, dedication and how important team play is.  It truly highlights the importance of individual skills in a team environment.  In hockey (and in business alike) it is about "getting better every day" and the advancement of individuals to ultimately benefit the overall team.  It is very rewarding to see the results of a strategic development plan come together for everyone involved.  I truly enjoy having the opportunity to mentor players to be better people so as to advance their own personal careers and personal lives overall.

What brings you to the rink day in and day out?

Having the opportunity to enjoy the camaraderie of a team environment is the true driver for me.  It’s awesome to be able to come to the rink to have some fun with players and coaches while still working hard to achieve our goals.  It is very rewarding.

What is your approach to coaching?
My approach to coaching is four-fold.   First and foremost is to be organized.  Layout a strategy for the year and present those expectations to the coaches and players, both individually and globally. 

The second is feedback.  Give ongoing feedback to players, coaches and the overall team.  There is nothing worse than not knowing "how you’re doing" as a player or a coach.  You must give them the good news but also the bad, while providing them details on how to improve.  The feedback must be timely as well, so I will ensure communication is direct and ongoing in practices and games alike.   Statistics are a great tool to provide players feedback on their success.  I will keep detailed stats on a variety of categories of a player's development over the season.  

Thirdly my approach is to implement and repeatedly practice skills and systems that are critical to the success of the individual player and the team.  This is achieved through repetition, which is key to the growth of the subconscious development of a skill.  5 on 5 system play, Powerplay and Penalty Kill represent the 3 cornerstones of the game and it’s critical to give the players the tools to be successful in all three.

My fourth critical component to coaching is to have fun.  After all, it is just a sport.  Keep it loose for everyone involved and enjoy the moment.  Work hard to achieve your goals and have fun to enjoy your success.

Anything else you’d like to tell people about yourself?

Well, I have an awesome family including my beautiful wife and three great sons.  I’ve been a resident of Richmond my entire life (except for 3 ½ years in Ontario) and still love how much it has to offer.  As most of my family and friends know, I love sports.  From hockey to football to baseball to golf, I enjoy the intricacies of every game and the thrill of the challenge.  I’ve been a goaltender my entire hockey career and continue to do so.  Who knows why, but I love the challenge.  I’m a diehard Boston Bruin, Pittsburgh Steeler and Boston Red Sox Fan and love to study history, especially military.

Anyone joining you as an assistant?

I’m very proud to have my good friend and long-time co-coach Bob Walker joining me once again this season.  Bob and I have coached together for over 20 years and are joined by our two sons, Cameron Walker and Sam Chichak.  Cameron was an associate coach with the Seafair Midget A team last season and Sam previously coached the Richmond Midget A-1 team with Bob and I in 2015-16 after captaining the Richmond Sockeyes to the Cyclone Taylor Cup and Western Canadian Keystone Cup Championship in 2012-13