Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education is proud of the work that our staff do on and off the ice. In order to spotlight the outstanding effort they put into the organization, we regularly interview a staff member about their time with Snider.
Our latest Staff Spotlight features Bob Hassel, Alumni Coach. Along with being a Tarken SHL coach, Bob coached the 12A American travel team last season and will coach 10A National this upcoming season!
How did you get involved in hockey in the first place?
I started playing hockey when I was young at my local recreation center, but it was strictly foot/ball hockey. The recreation center was only a 5 minute walk from my house, so I would play in leagues during the spring/summer season. I never played ice hockey before Snider, so it was a fun experience to learn to skate and play at the same time.
How did you first get involved with Snider?
I was very active in sports throughout my youth and when I entered middle school, I wanted to get involved in something new. I played many sports as a kid, including baseball, soccer, and basketball from a very young age, but I felt like something was missing. I was a big hockey fan and one of my friends, who I still talk to and work with today, was involved with Snider. I never thought about playing ice hockey; I had never ice skated before, let alone imagined myself skating around in hockey equipment. After talking with my parents and reading about Snider, I decided to join the program in January of 2015 out of Tarken Ice Rink, and now I cannot think about how my life would be without Snider.
What is your favorite memory with Snider?
It’s hard to choose only one memory, but I was luckily given the opportunity to represent both Snider and the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2024 Stadium Series at Metlife Stadium. I was chosen to be a coach that led a small group of Snider students onto the field to play street hockey in the stadium before and during the game. This allowed both myself and the players to be on ground level and experience the game in a very special way. We were also able to watch the Flyers do their off-ice warmup, which gave the kids an even better experience. I was lucky enough to briefly chat with Travis Konency before the warmup started and both he and the other Flyers players interacted with the kids during this time as well. It was truly a surreal experience that I am extremely thankful for.
Were there any coaches that inspired you to coach today?
I had so many great coaches, both in this program and in other sports, and each of them gave me the inspiration to coach. It’s hard to recall every Snider coach that coached me, but there are a few that come to mind that truly inspired me. When I was playing, Coach Nick (Allison), Coach Joe (Dorety), Coach Matt (Hartman), and Coach Sean (McDowell), truly made my experience with Snider enjoyable and made coming to practice/games worth it. I can vividly remember drills on the ice and moments on the bench that helped shape me into the player I am today. Each of them took the time to work with me and guide me to be my best self on and off the ice. I truly am thankful for all that they did for me back then, and I am lucky enough to work with them now. I am still inspired everyday by my colleagues at Tarken and at other rinks to be the best coach I can be for the players. I never thought that I would coach, but after seeing how I was treated and how much they cared about me both as a player and as a person, I wanted to be
that person for the next generation of Snider players so that they can get the same experience that I got.
What would you say is the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is seeing the success and joy of each and every player that comes to the rink. I love getting the chance to talk to each player when they are on the ice about their day, what they like, and what they want to learn. Being able to have those interactions is what made me love the organization and want to continue to play hockey, even when I struggled.
What do you enjoy most about working with your colleagues?
When working together with my peers, it doesn’t necessarily feel like work. It’s an environment where I feel comfortable expressing my thoughts or ideas. I do not need to worry about feeling isolated or unwanted. We all have the same goal at the end of the day: make the players on the ice want to come back, not because they have to, but because they want to and want to learn the game. We want to cultivate a safe environment that makes all players, parents, and staff feel noticed and cared for. This is what Snider did for me as a player and I want to continue this.
What’s one project or achievement that you’re particularly proud of?
One achievement that comes to mind happened this year. I was given the opportunity to be an assistant coach on the 12u A-American DVHL travel team and after a long and well-fought season, we were given the opportunity to play in two tournaments around the Delaware Valley. One tournament, specifically, was the Finland Exchange Tournament, where teams from Finland make a trip to Haverford, PA to play in a weekend of hockey. Going into the games, we did not know how each team would play, but we knew that it was going to be a difficult, but fun experience. We played well enough to end pool play with a 3-0 record and we played the ViikngIt team from Finland in the championship. After being down 1-0, then taking the lead, it was a close game all the way until the end. Months of practices, a 20+ game season, and many long car rides lead us to this moment, and we won the championship 3-2. Seeing the joy and the celebration of our team truly made it special. I never wanted a team I was part of to win as badly as I did at that moment, because myself and the other 2 amazing coaches saw the commitment and growth of each and every player on that team and they truly deserved the success and the recognition as champions.
What is one thing you have learned about yourself on the job?
One thing that I have learned from this job is to not be afraid of failure or difficult times, because that is where the most growth and learning happens. Success and victories are great, but learning and realizing that sometimes things just don’t work out doesn’t mean that you are not good enough. Rather, failure is a moment to grow and understand what is needed to put your best self out there. Learning to work with failure and not fear it will help you become the person you were always meant to be.
