VERMONT – NORTH SHORE (Podcast) Gary Wright grew up playing hockey in New Hampshire. He would later play college hockey at the University of Vermont and from there he began his coaching career. Wright’s latest book, “Striding Rough Ice“, spans his playing and coaching career that recently ended following his 32-years run as head coach at American Internation College (AIC). The book details his love for college hockey but it vividly informs readers of the challenges Wright overcame to become a division one college player for UVM. Wright’s AIC team won the 1990 ECAC Title and in the school’s first year in division one he was named the MAAC Coach of the Year. Wright brought a passion for the game and instilled integrity to his programs, wherever he coached. In the book and podcast, Wright shares details of his work ethic along with the disappointments that he eventually overcame to become a member of the Vermont Catamounts hockey program. The book celebrates college hockey through the eyes of a determined hockey player and coach.
Links to order book: Striding Rough Ice (Directly from publisher) or on Amazon
Editor’s Note from (Bill Newell) Gary and I both graduated from UVM in 1976. As I read his book many of the north shore names, he noted in the book I too knew many of the same people from my connections as a broadcaster and educator. Unfortunately, our paths only crossed a few times since graduation. We share a mutual friend, Christopher Wallace a UVM classmate and my hockey broadcast partner on the student radio station and he is one of Gary’s longtime friends. Wallace is now an attorney in Utica, NY and was a fraternity brother with Gary at UVM. The WRUV broadcast team (Wallace & Newell) much appreciated getting a mention in his book. I am thrilled to be able to share Gary’s story with our north shore audience.
Gary Wright recently retired from a thirty-two-year head coaching career at American International College (AIC) in Springfield, Massachusetts. His 1990 team won the ECAC East championship, and he was named MAAC Coach of the Year following AIC’s first season in NCAA Division 1. He previously served as an assistant at the University of Maine, and as head coach at Rice Memorial HS in Burlington, Vermont. A graduate of the University of Vermont, Wright was a member of the Catamounts hockey team.
Wright has directed a YMCA Summer Camp and a National Youth Sports Program for inner-city youth, sponsored by the NCAA. He also ran his own hockey school, “Kids on Ice,” and authored a book titled, Pass The Biscuit: Spirited Practices for Youth Hockey Coaches and Players. He lives in Vermont and his interests include golfing, music and hiking with his dog Hobey.
