HEY EVERYONE, JUST A SLIGHT INTRODUCTION. I’M COACH STEVE MCFARLANE AND I HAVE BEEN WITH GARNER/S GOALIE ACADEMY JUST OVER A COUPLE YEARS NOW. IT IS A PLEASURE TO SHARE AND LEARN ALONGSIDE COACH TY AND COACH JOSH. OUR SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES ARE VERY COMPARABLE. I HAVE INSTRUCTED AT THE ORIGINAL KENESKY GOALIE SCHOOL AND GRAINGER GOALTENDING. I HAVE WORKED OUT OF MOST FACILITIES SUCH AS ON ICE, CROWS NEST, CENTER ICE, AND SUCH. I PERSONALLY HAVE ATTENDED SCHOOLS SUCH AS KENESKY’S, RICK HEINZ, AND JIM PARK.
GROWING UP I ORIGINALLY FELT CONFIDENT AS A SKATER BUT EVERY KID WANTS TO TRY GOALTENDING AT SOME POINT. HALF WAY THROUGH NOVICE SEASON I CONVINCED MY PARENTS AFTER HAVING MADE UP MY MIND THAT I WANTED TO BE A GOALIE. MY FIRST SET OF BROWN COOPERS WERE PURCHASED. TRYING OUT AND MAKING 9AAA THE NEXT YEAR, MY DAD WAS CONVINCED THAT I WAS SERIOUS. CHRISTMAS THAT YEAR BROUGHT ME MY FIRST SET OF WHITE D&R’S. I WAS EXCITED,GRATEFUL AND TRIED MY HARDEST.
WAS LUCKY AND PLAYED 9AAA – 15AAA FOR THE HAMILTON HUSKIES/REPS. I CONTINUED MY HOCKEY EXPERIENCE IN MY HOMETOWN WITH THE HAMILTON KILTY B’S TIER 2 JR. A HOCKEY CLUB IN 1996. I PLAYED IN THE CONFERENCE ROOKIE ALLSTAR GAME, WAS DRAFTED BY THE OTTAWA 67’S. THROUGH VALIANT EFFORTS, NOTHING HAD COME MY WAY. I HAD GREAT EXPERIENCES WITH THE ALLIANCE UNDER 17 PROGRAM. AS TIME WENT ON, I HAD TO THINK FUTURE. I ATTENDED COLLEGE IN SARNIA IN 1999 AND PLAYED ANOTHER YEAR WITH THE PETROLIA JETS JR. B HOCKEY CLUB. AFTER YEARS OF PLAYING ROLLER HOCKEY AS WELL, I ALSO PLAYED FOR THE HAMILTON FIREWHEELS JR. A ROLLER HOCKEY CLUB. IN 2000, I FINISHED PLAYING ORGANIZED HOCKEY.
WHILE PLAYING SOME COMPETITIVE MEN’S HOCKEY FOR THE NEXT DECADE AFTER COLLEGE, I DECIDED TO FOCUS ON COACHING. I HELPED AS AN ASSISTANT COACH WITH A COUPLE FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES IN THE HAMILTON REPS AND BULLDOGS ORGANIZATIONS.I HELPED AT THE PEEWEE, BANTAM AND MIDGET LEVELS. I WAS LATER THE HEAD COACH FOR A HAMILTON MINOR MIDGET MD TEAM. I THEN BEGAN TO FOCUS STRICTLY ON GOALTENDERS. I WORKED WITH GRAINGER GOALTENDING FOR SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE TAKING A FEW YEARS OFF AS MY CHILDREN WERE BORN. I NEXT WAS OFFERED TO WORK WITH COACH TY AND I COULDN’T PASS UP THE OPPORTUNITY. IN 2017 I WAS ABLE TO PRACTICE AND PLAY A FEW GAMES WITH THE DUNDAS REAL MCCOYS SR.A HOCKEY TEAM. I NOW FIND MYSELF TODAY INSTRUCTING WITH GARNER’S GOALIE ACADEMY AND COACHING WITH THE LMHA.
AFTER MANY YEARS OF GROWTH, IT IS A PLEASURE TO BE WHERE I AM, AND IF I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH YOUR CHILD, I LOOK FORWARD TO IT.
COACH STEVE