PITTSBURGH — A former kicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers is enjoying life after football, at the ice rink.
“(Hockey) was my dream. Football took me away from it,” said Shaun Suisham. And his daughters brought him back to it.
He’s the coach of both of his daughters’ all-girls teams with Pittsburgh Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Penguins Elite.
“Coaching is my passion. It feels purposeful, I enjoy doing it, and I’ve fully committed myself to do doing it,” said Suisham.
Suisham came to the Steel City for the second time in 2010 to kick for the Steelers.
“I didn’t know we’d stay following football,” said Suisham. “But Pittsburgh has become our home.”
Now he has committed himself to making girls hockey more visible in Pittsburgh and giving girls more opportunities in a sport he has loved since he was a kid.
Suisham grew up playing hockey in Canada.
“I wasn’t good enough in hockey to get my school paid for, so here we go kicking in football,” said Suisham.
Bowling Green State University gave him the foundation to play football almost 10 seasons in the NFL. But it was hard on his knee so he retired from the Steelers in 2015. Hockey wasn’t so hard on his knee.
“I had the opportunity to get back into hockey and do my very best to hopefully create a meaningful experience for the girls I coach, including my own daughters,” said Suisham.
He talks with pride about his 10U AND 12U all-girls teams, two of seven all-girls teams in the league.
“This is a great place to be if you’re a girl who wants to play hockey,” said Suisham. “There’s not a lot like this where teams play the caliber that this team does.”
They play other girls teams and coed teams, comprising mostly boys.
“It’s not easy. It’s not for everyone,” said Suisham. “They’re pushed very hard, but the girls continue to work and they continue to grow.”
Through the course of a season, “we see them and their confidence is soaring and they’re not afraid and they’re not unsure. And I think that’s the magic that sports can bring to our world,” said Suisham.
He sees it working, in the faces of his daughters, Sienna and Stella.
“I hope my daughters want to play hockey until they’re 85!”
For now, Suisham has reached a more attainable goal: “That we could have a full-time girls program where the girls would still have the locker-room experience but they wouldn’t give up anything in regard to skill development,” said Suisham.
Now all levels of girls hockey, including the youngest, are full-time programs with Penguins Elite. That means being at the rink four to seven days a week for practice and a 55-game schedule.
As their season winds down, and the Beijing Olympics wind up, Suisham has this message for all girls hockey players:
“Dream big. I hope every single one of them have dreams of playing in the Olympics and representing their country.”
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