Bantam coach of year unsure of future

An 11 point improvement in the standings and jumping to third place this year from last place (fifth) the year previous in the Northern Ontario Bantam ‘AAA’ Hockey League, all signs are pointing at good fortunes for North Bay’s Hilltop Variety Blades going into next season. Over the past two seasons North Bay native Mark Kosturik has been the Blades bench boss and despite having a losing record both years in the tough five-team league, his clubs 11 point improvement this campaign earned him enough recognition from his peers to win him coach of the year honors.

“I think it’s a sign of what we’ve done and the progress we’ve made over the two years. It’s a very difficult league and I think it’s a sign that my coaching staff and myself did a good job turning the program into a positive,” Kosturik said. The coach of the year also praised the performance of his players, pointing out they had a big hand in him winning the award.

Kosturik blames a large portion of the success from last year to this year on getting off to a fast start. Pointing out the importance of getting the team ready early, because North Bay doesn’t have Pee-wee ‘AAA’ like the other cities do in the league, so their playing level is a little behind.

“I think the big key to the continuous success is the early start, some early tournaments and getting the kids ready to win some games early in the season,” Kosturik said. “The Toronto Early Bird tournament is a very good one to go to. I believe that’s a good one to get you up to the speed of the ‘AAA’ because we’re behind the program because we play ‘AA’ hockey up to Bantam,” he explained.

Having an extensive background in hockey that began at the age of 4, when he laced up his first pair of skates, Kosturik has over 40 years experience. Playing 17 years in the top Germany pro league called the DEL or Deutschland Eishockey League for 7 or 8 teams and now having 5 years of minor coaching under his belt, Kosturik believes it’s his job to pass down his knowledge of hockey to his players.

“The key is what I got out of hockey I hope I can contribute back in certain aspects and give back to the game what I’ve learned from coaches in pro. I’ve had some great coaches over the years…some Canadian National team coaches, Swedish National team coaches, all kinds of guys that are world champions and playing for them I think I learned quite a bit from them and hopefully I can give it back to the kids here,” Kosturik explained.

Since Kosturik retired from pro hockey in 2002 staying close to the game by coaching has helped him get through not playing anymore and he says he’s happy just being around the game of hockey.
“Being brought up with it and playing it so long it’s in my blood, obviously we think it’s the best game in the world otherwise I wouldn’t still be doing it,” he said

“I can’t play it anymore so the next best thing is coaching. It’s a lot of fun to coach a team and see kids develop…being on the ice for practice, it just makes you forget about all the other things going on in life, so you kind of hide away and spend time at the rink with the kids. It’s a great team atmosphere and a fun sport,” Kosturik said of his love for the game.

Kosturik’s passion and love for the game plays a big role in his coaching, as he expects the same kind of attitude from his players whether they’re in practice or playing a game. But he says the most important thing is that they’re having fun.

“We want to see the kids work their hardest in practice and games, be an honest player, improve and have fun doing that,” Kosturik stated. “Having fun is part of it but also the work ethic has to be there,” he added.

Kosturik thrives off seeing the success of the kids he’s coached and say’s he checks up on them periodically to see how they’re doing when they move on to another league.

“It’s always nice to see the kids we coach where they go. I watched a lot of Midget this year, a lot of high school to see the kids that I coached last year…save a special connection with these guys and you hope they do well wherever they go,” he explained.

Two years into Kosturik’s coaching tenure and everything seems to be going in the right direction for North Bay’s Hilltop Variety Blades ‘AAA’ squad. The team has improved in the standings, playing competitively, even against a power house Sudbury and Soo team. However, it is unclear who will be at the helm guiding the club from the bench next year. While Kosturik wouldn’t say for sure whether he’d be back next season with the Bantam AAA’s, he indicated that he was exploring his options, and it doesn’t sound like a return is in store for the well liked coach.

“I’m not necessarily stepping down, I’m not sure what I’m doing at the moment, everything is still open and I had to get this year finished, I’d been there for two years so we’ll let things slide and see what happens,” Kosturik said. “I’ve put two years into that program and I hope we got it off to a good start for the new name and hopefully that continues, but it’s time to move on and do other things and see what else is out there,” he added, while also stating that applications have been handed out for the Bantam ‘AAA’ coaching job.

The future is uncertain for the coach and his former team, but the one thing that is for certain is he will be behind the bench somewhere in North Bay next year.

“I’m not going far, I’ll be around the city and hopefully hockey will be a part of my life again next year. I’m not sure where, but I’m sure I’ll be involved with one team or another for sure."