MILWAUKEE — Keeping his kids on the ice through a pandemic would have been enough. But for one Milwaukee Jr. Admirals coach, it's not what's been accomplished this year, but for many years that earned him the SportsEngine TrueSport Coach Excellence Award.
"He has always been a great influence on us and a great coach to work with," says Brock Gooral.
"He's super funny and makes me laugh," added Caiven Walos.
"He takes me everywhere. He's like a second day to me," notes Easton Walos.
"I love that he always pushes us to keep going," according to TJ Bloom.
With 5-star reviews, it's fair to say that hockey and coaching have always been in Greg Krahn's blood.
"I played hockey my whole life, played through college. As soon as college was done I got involved with coaching and I've coached ever since. Various high schools, and then as my boys came up I took their AAA teams, and here we are," says Coach Greg.
As you can imagine, shaping the next generation on ice doesn't always come easy.
"I like the kids who are a little questionable on the ice, and kids that challenge me. Like Trey Schumacker, he was one of the very first kids coached, could hardly stand on the ice, and is now one of the top kids on the team," says Greg.
Teaching Trey and others how to skate isn't all Greg has done. There are lessons off the ice as well.
"Other teams have used racial slurs against me and he's talked to the other teams about it and resolved the issue there. He's gone above that and now there are rules for some tournaments where if you use a racial slur you can be suspended for it," says Trey Schumacker, a former player of Coach Greg still in the Jr. Ads organization.
Sticking it up for his players, Greg may think he's just doing what a coach should.
"Trying to give that back to the kids, trying to give them a good experience, learning experience, and these kids are going to be friends for life, that's how hockey works," says Greg.
But his efforts impact these kids far beyond the average.
"I just want to thank him for the time and energy because I know he could just let someone else do it," says Blaine Krahn.
"I appreciate everything he does for the world and all of us," says Fox Spaeth.
"Pushing our team to the max limit, that we can play at so that we're winning several games," says Brody Krahn.
"Thank you so much for always being there for me, not just hockey wise but social wise too. Always being a role model for me and always being there," says Trey.
