Steve Highfield was walking between rinks at the Mold-Masters SportsPlex when he ran into Dennis Norton and John Murphy.
Highfield had been helping the two men as an instructor in the Georgetown Minor Hockey Association’s initiation program, where players were taught the basic skills of the game.
“We want to talk to you, Steve,” they said.
“My first thought was, ‘What have I done?” Highfield said.
Highfield hadn’t done anything wrong. Quite the opposite, actually.
The two program leads were going to get more involved with the Ontario Minor Hockey Association. They needed someone to take over the program and both felt Highfield was the right person to lead it.
Highfield enjoyed introducing kids to the game.
“The IP was fun,” he said. “Working with the smaller kids you see quick results. They come to you crawling on the ice and within two years they’re doing cross cuts and stopping on two skates.”
Highfield would make positive changes in the program, including introducing teenage instructors.
“We had a neighbour up the street, Jesse Simonsen. He needed his high school (volunteer) hours, so I suggested taking the OMHA’s coaching initiation program,” Highfield said. “Everything at the OMHA told us how focused he was. Once he had that, he became an IP instructor.”
Simonsen became the first of many teenage instructors over the years. Highfield said many of the kids related better and were less intimidated by the teenage instructors. And the instructors did more than just fulfill their volunteer commitments.
“It gave the kids a taste of coaching,” Highfield said. “But they wouldn’t just get the 20 or 40 hours they needed. A lot of them would come back year after year, and put in 120, 180 hours.”
Highfield also set up a program that would provide players with their first stick. He would also arrange for Santa and his elves to visit the arena at the last session before Christmas and his wife Wendy would make loot bags for the kids.
“You want to make their first experience a positive one,” he said. “If you do that they’re more likely to keep playing.”
The program was such a success that it was chosen by the OMHA to run a program for underprivileged kids.
Highfield eventually returned to the minor hockey executive as the director of junior house league. He had coached and been the novice house league convenor prior to taking over the IP. He would later become the vice-president of rep hockey.
During this time he saw teams scheduling early-morning practices in Inglewood and Hillsburgh because there was no ice available in town. That often led to players being late for school.
Knowing the extent of the problem, Highfield left minor hockey to become co-chair of the Halton Hills Arena User Groups.
There, he helped build a case for the twinning of Mold-Masters SportsPlex and the Acton Arena ice surfaces. And with a council that was still divided about the idea, Highfield rallied support for the project. Prior to a town meeting on the subject, Highfield organized a march of arena users that stretched for a kilometre from Mold-Masters Sports to Christ the King Catholic Secondary School.
“We had kids and parents from house league, rep hockey, Hurricanes, Twisters, lacrosse, ball hockey,” he said. “It was nice to have that support."
Council ended up approving the project that saw two more rinks built in Georgetown and one in Acton.
Over his more than two decades involved in hockey, Highfield lists dozens of people, fellow coaches, executive members, IP instructors, parents and players that have helped him along the way. He’s still thrilled when former players, now adults, stop him to say hello. He also loves that coaching allowed him to spend more time with his three kids.
But there has been one constant through all of that time: his wife Wendy, who has managed teams, made loot bags for the kids and done whatever she could to show her support.
“We’d be doing IP at Memorial Arena when it was -30C outside and -40C inside,” Highfield said. “Wendy would bring a coffee maker, plug it in and make coffee for the instructors.”
Now, being recognized by the Hockey Heritage Council, Highfield is thrilled to join a group he holds in high regard.
“It’s a huge honour,” he said. “It’s overwhelming to have your picture on the wall with the likes of Dennis Norton, Ron Lefevbre, Bob Hooper, Finn (Poulstrup), (Dave) Kentner. It’s very special.”
Highfield will be honoured at the Hockey Heritage Dinner Sept. 18 at Norval United Church. Sportsnet’s Ken Reid will be the master of ceremonies. Tickets cost $90 each and are available by emailing [email protected].
