Article published April 12, 2009
IN THEIR WORDS: MIKE HAYES
Best times were always on ice for Titans coach
St. John's hockey coach played baseball for Toledo
 

In Their Words is a weekly feature appearing Sundays in The Blade's sports section. Blade sports writer Zach Silka talked with St. John's Jesuit hockey coach Mike Hayes, who led the Titans to a state title in 2007 and a state runner-up finish this year.

Despite a bona fide career in baseball in his younger days, Mike Hayes has always stayed true to the game of hockey.

Growing up in Toledo, baseball kept Hayes busy during the summer months as a way to pass the time until the weather grew colder and it was time to hit the ice again.

But that time playing baseball proved to be very rewarding for Hayes, who became a two-year varsity starter for Whitmer and earned All-Ohio honors his senior year.

Hayes then went on to play at the University of Toledo, where he earned a bachelor's degree in communications.

Yet hockey was always his passion, even while having success on the diamond.

Hayes played three years of varsity hockey and was captain of Whitmer's 1983-84 state runner-up team that finished 29-2-1.

After college, Hayes began his coaching career at the youth level, instructing middle school and junior high players before taking the St. John's post in 2003.

In six seasons, Hayes has a 138-57-15 record with the Titans, leading them to the first state championship for a metro Toledo team in 2007, a state runner-up finish (2009), and a pair of Northwest Hockey Conference Red Division titles (2007, 2009).

"GROWING UP, I had no interest in playing high school hockey. I thought it was kind of silly. At that time, I thought I was going to the NHL - and I mean that half sarcastically - like most kids that play travel hockey at that age.

"The first time I had any interest in playing high school hockey was my freshman year. I was playing [travel hockey], and our coach was Jim Cooper, who was also coaching Northview at the time. Our state playoffs, which was in North Olmsted, got done Saturday morning, and our whole team went to his game with Northview, which was playing in the state tournament in Brooklyn. Just the atmosphere at that game was unbelievable. It was the first time I really watched a high school hockey game and realized how competitive and how intense the game was. It was really good hockey, and I thought I'd love to do that and be able to play in a game like that.

"The next year I ended up joining the team at Whitmer as opposed to playing travel. All my friends ended up deciding to play high school as well, and there was a
period of about three or four years where Whitmer had a top-level program. Probably the most fun I've ever had playing hockey was playing for Whitmer.

"BASEBALL TO ME growing up was always something that I loved doing when I did it, but it wasn't something I thought about all the time. I usually thought about hockey but played baseball during the summer.

"I came back my junior year and ended up starting on varsity from Day 1. I went from almost being cut [as a sophomore] and never playing baseball at all to having a really good year my junior year. Then I came in my senior year and had a dream season, I guess you could say. I just had a really good year hitting and set some records - the season and career batting average at the time, which was broken the next year by Jim Durham.

"All of a sudden I went from wanting to play hockey after high school to having some colleges expressing interest in me going to their school to play baseball. At the end of the year, I had to make a decision. I was thinking of going to Canada and trying to play juniors, but it would have been a gamble for me because I would have had to take a year off from going to college to do it. And there was no guarantee of making a team, so I ended up playing baseball at Toledo. In hindsight, I wish I would have at least tried [playing junior hockey].

"At UT, I found out I didn't have the same passion for baseball that I did for hockey. It became a year-round sport, and I didn't really enjoy the year-round aspect of it. I ended up quitting after my junior year when I went from being a starter to not playing very much. I just didn't have that much interest in playing anymore, to be honest with you.

"ONE OF MY best friends, Greg Hauenstein, talked me into coaching on his son Cam's team. I did it very reluctantly because I didn't think I'd have any interest in coaching at all. I thought I'd do it for a year or two, but I got hooked.

"When the St. John's job came open, Mike Mankowski, who was the coach there for a long time and grew up around the corner from me, recommended me, along with the St. John's soccer coach, Mark DelVerne, who played hockey at St. John's.

"I'll always be appreciative of coach Ed Heintschel, who was the athletic director at the time when I applied. I know he went out on a limb for me, and I'll always appreciate him for giving me a chance. I'll always be indebted to him for that.

"I could never express my appreciation enough to the kids over the last six years, what they have done for me. It's been way beyond any expectations I could have had. The kids there have been just outstanding."