Woodstock’s Jordan Currie named Hockey N.B. Volunteer of the Year
Before the Hockey New Brunswick Volunteer of the Year award, before the packed rinks and post-game chats, Jordan Currie was just a teenager fresh out of high school, saying yes to a coaching offer in Florenceville-Bristol.
Currie began coaching in 2017 as a coach for the Western Valley Female Minor Hockey Association, working with a younger-level team in the Florenceville-Bristol area. He had played his whole life and was asked if he wanted to coach.
“They asked if I had any interest in doing it, and I said I would be interested in helping out, and then it turned into me becoming the head coach, and it just kind of grew from there,” said Currie.
Between practices and games in the evenings and on busy weekends, Currie’s role has required him to spend a significant amount of time away from his family. However, Currie says he’s fortunate that the teams he’s been a part of have welcomed his wife, Kaitlyn, and their two children with open arms.
“My kids enjoyed hanging out with the players on the teams a lot, and the players we had always made my kids feel like a part of the teams,” said Currie.
Following the announcement, Kaitlyn had been aware of her husband’s nomination when the nominator, Sean Kimball, reached out for background information on Currie’s coaching career. When the news broke, Currie says his wife was “super happy.” Kaitlyn expressed how “beyond proud” she was of her husband.
Since 2017, Currie has coached around 100 kids. He cherished the relationships he had formed with each one. Watching them grow both as people and as players.
“Whether they’re making jokes at you when you’re leaving the rink (3:14) or when you’re at the rink. Seeing the kids, and how much they’ve developed from the start of the year to the end of the year. That’s definitely 100% the best part,” said Currie.
Since winning, Currie feels even more supported and confident in his role, which relieves him of any pressure to outdo himself. He is fortunate to have made a large number of friends over the past eight years and to have learned a great deal from his fellow coaches.
“Without them, I definitely don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much as I have and will hopefully continue to do so,” said Currie.
