ABOUT COACH CHIC

The seeds for a very special kind of hockey training in New England sprouted in 1976, when Dennis attempted to fill what he thought was a growing need in his home region, this being a skill oriented training program that included game-related skating, puckhandling, passing and shooting. The popularity of his early sessions grew such that he ultimately expanded and operated some of the most successful hockey schools in the Northeast,with locations in MA, RI and PA. (Numerous former NHL players and coaches were among his students, as were hundreds of top college players over several generations.)

On the lighter side, the "Coach Chic" (pronounced "Chick") moniker came about as soon as Dennis realized that new students and their parents were struggling with his long, Italian last name. (At some point, Dennis was also dubbed "The Professor" by a number of hockey parents, mainly due to his penchant for inventing some pretty unique drilling methods and training devices.)

In 1979, Coach Chic studied at the Institute for Physical Culture & Sport in Moscow of the old Soviet Union. And, as his new followers will discover, that eye-opening experience still influences the way he views the game today.

The Coach possesses a BS Degree in Physical Education & Coaching, with a Minor in Instructional Media (concentrating on video production), and he was among the earliest American coaches to gain USA Hockey's highest certification as a Level 5 - Master Coach.

From the earliest days until his retirement from the ice, Dennis head coached every level of amateur hockey -- Mites through Juniors, he spent 3-years as a high school head coach, another 7-years as a college head coach, and ended that chapter in his life with several minor league professional coaching/GM interviews.

For sure, Coach Chic's approach to the game is unique -- and highly effective. AHL and NHL organizations have purchased his training manuals, his special drill ideas have been borrowed by elite coaches around the world, and when he publishes a new training idea, most higher-ups in hockey pay attention.

Today, Dennis and his wife Brenda live in Sunny Florida, where they work together in Local Video Marketing. Semi-retirement has been good to him, Since Dennis' two main loves have always been teaching the game and working with video.