Parkway South hockey coach to retire at the end of the season

The time has come for Parkway South hockey coach Kevin Poe to hang up his whistle.

Poe, in his second year as the Patriots’ coach, is stepping down after the season ends.

“I am 52 years old and have been playing or coaching hockey for most of my life,” Poe said. “My son (Kurt) is a senior at Parkway South, so I thought this would be a good time to retire.”

The Patriots have two regular season games left — at 9:30 p.m. Friday against Lindbergh at Queeny Park and at 9:15 p.m. Saturday against Oakville at South County.

Parkway South is 6-10-2 in the Mid-States Club Hockey Association’s Suburban Southwest Conference and is 6-11-2 overall.

After graduating from Missouri, Poe came back to St. Louis and his brother’s two sons started playing hockey for the Kirkwood Youth Hockey Association, which is where Poe played growing up.

“I helped them learn to skate and get acclimated to the game of hockey,” Poe said. “They both went on to play for Parkway South.  My official coaching career started at Kirkwood, when my son started playing hockey.  I coached him each year at Kirkwood and went on to coach the C, JV and varsity teams at Parkway South.”

It’s all been fun for Poe. Coaching is not work and he likes hockey so it’s been time well spent.

“I really enjoyed giving back to a sport that I truly enjoyed,” Poe said. “I have developed many friendships along the way.  To this day, I have former players spot me at the rink and come over to say hello.  It has been very gratifying to see players that I have coached over the years doing well, not only on the ice, but in school and their every day life as well.”

One of those hockey friendships has been with Kirkwood coach Greg “Cookie” Griffin, a friend since youth. The two old friends’ teams squared off Saturday. Kirkwood won 9-2.

“It is always fun competing against Cookie,” he said about Griffin. “He does a very good job with his team.  They have many players that I have coached over the years.  Their team is strong fundamentally and should do well in the playoffs.

“While the score was 9-2, this was not indicative of how close the game really was.  Cookie and I talked after the game and went over old times together.  We also rehashed the game and agreed how sad it was for such a good game to be marred by so many questionable penalties. This really spoiled what should have been a very good game. ”

Griffin said he will be sad to see his friend leave. However, he understands.

“He has given his time not only at the high school level but also with the Kirkwood Youth program,” Griffin said. “He knows the game and enjoys sharing his knowledge with his teams.

“Kevin and I played together growing up and for Kirkwood High. We also played baseball at Kirkwood . We were roommates and have been friends for over 40 years.”

Poe had high hopes for the Patriots when the season began in November.

“My goal for the season was to end close to .500,” Poe said. “We are not going to reach that goal, but we have improved over the last several years.”

Some of the standout players for Poe this season have been senior captains Danny Jeffries, Scott Sease and Kurt Poe along with junior Ryan Hodges.

“Each of these players has performed special roles for us,” Poe said.

He wants the Patriots to finish strong this weekend and use that as a springboard for the playoffs, which begin next week.

“Lindbergh and Oakville are both in our division,” Poe said. “We should have a very competitive game against Lindbergh.  This is also our Senior Night, which should really motivate our team. “Oakville has a very good squad.  I feel that we will be competitive and hope to keep the score close.”

Then, the pairings will be announced Sunday and the Patriots will find out who they will be playing. They likely will be played in the Founder’s Cup Tournament.

“While I have been dreading the postseason, as it will be my last, I am ready for some quality competition,” Poe said. “The team is excelling in each game we play and they are really looking forward to the playoffs.”

Parkway South’s record in division play means a slot competing in the Founder’s Cup Tournament again this year. The Patriots lost the championship game of the Founder’s Cup last season to Whitfield.

“We really hoped to be playing in the Wickenheuser Cup Tournament this year,” Poe said. “While this still might happen, we are definitely proud of our finish last year.  It is difficult to get to the finals in any tournament, no matter what the level is.  We talk about this often in our preparation for the playoffs.”

There has not been a successor named yet to coach the Patriots next season.

“We are looking for the right person to carry on a very proud tradition,” Poe said.

Meanwhile, Poe has some plans for himself.

“I plan to take some time off from hockey and eventually come back to play in a men’s league,” Poe said. “I am going to try and improve my golf game and take advantage of the hunting seasons that I missed during the season.  My son wants me to keep my coaching credentials up so that when he comes back from college, we can coach a team together. “Who knows, we might even be able to play on a team together.”

Poe said his wife, Marti, deserves kudos for all the years he has been involved with youth hockey.

“I thank her for putting up with all of the time I was away for practices, games, and tournaments,” Poe said. “I would also like to thank Rick Sease, our club president for everything he has done for Parkway South hockey.  His dedication is unparalleled.

“I would like to thank all of the coaches that have helped me throughout the years at Parkway South.  It has been a chapter in a long hockey book that I will never forget.”