David John Siciliano (born July 7, 1946) is a Canadian former ice hockey coach and player. He played university hockey for the Lakehead Nor'Westers, and led them to the International Collegiate Hockey Association championship as the most valuable player in the 1966–67 season. As the player-coach for the Thunder Bay Twins, his team won both the United States Hockey League (USHL) playoffs and the 1975 Allan Cup as the Canadian senior champions. He served as head coach of the Thunder Bay Flyers from 1986 to 1993, where he won four regular season titles, and two playoffs championships, and two Centennial Cups as Canadian junior champions. He was a coach for the Canada men's under-18 team at the Phoenix Cup in 1987 and 1991, and for the Canada men's junior team which won gold at the 1993 World Juniors.
Siciliano was the first coach of the Edmonton Ice when the team was established for the 1996–97 Western Hockey League season, then was coach and general manager of the Owen Sound Platers in the Ontario Hockey League from 1997 to 2000. He returned to the USHL as coach and general manager of the Sioux City Musketeers from 2000 to 2008. He led them to a playoffs championship in 2002, and had the second most career victories for a coach in the USHL when he retired. He was named Coach of the Year in three USHL seasons, and received the league's Distinguished Service Award in 2009. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association named him the recipient of the Gordon Juckes Award in 1987, for contributions to amateur hockey in Canada. He was twice inducted into the Wall of Fame at Lakehead University, and was inducted into the builder category of the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
Early life and playing career
David John Siciliano was born on July 7, 1946, in Fort William, Ontario, into a family of Italian Canadians. He began playing minor ice hockey at age 13, then attended Westgate Collegiate & Vocational Institute where he played ice hockey, baseball and Canadian football.; During high school, he won the 1963 juvenile championship as a pitcher in the Lakehead Baseball Association, and was a right-handed centreman playing junior ice hockey with the Fort William Canadiens. He graduated high school in 1966.
In university, Siciliano played three seasons for the Lakehead Nor'Westers from 1966 to 1969. He served as an assistant team captain in his first two seasons, and as the captain in his third season. He was coached by Hank Akervall and played on the same forward line with Dwight Stirrett and Murray Smith each season, which became known as the "S-line". The 1966–67 Lakehead team won the International Collegiate Hockey Association (ICHA) championship, and Siciliano led the association in points scored.
In three seasons playing for Lakehead, Siciliano was named to the ICHA All-Conference team in each season, was named to the first National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American yeam in the 1968–69 season, and scored 54 goals and 102 assists. He also played for Lakehead in an exhibition game versus the Romania men's national team in 1967, and was invited by coach Jackie McLeod to tryout for the Canada men's national team in September 1968.
During summers while attending university, Siciliano played for the Gateway Builders in the Lakehead Baseball Association senior league. He won the 1969 league championship, as a pitcher, outfielder, and assistant coach.
Siciliano was an English major at Lakehead University, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969. He then played senior ice hockey for the Fort William Beavers during the 1969–70 season. He later completed his Master of Physical Education degree from Northern Michigan University, while playing the 1970–71 season with the Marquette Iron Rangers as a graduate student. His master thesis was, "The Relationship of Battery of Hockey Skills Test to Hockey Playing Ability". Siciliano stated that the tests were best suited to determining the skill level and eventual skill level of younger players.
Coaching career 1971 to 1980 Siciliano was a player-coach for HIFK Hockey in Finland in during the 1971–72 SM-sarja season. He led the team to a third-place finish with 18 wins in 32 games, winning the league's bronze medal. He returned to Canada for the 1972–73 season, and played for the Thunder Bay Twins coached by Lee Fogolin Sr. The Twins placed first overall during the United States Hockey League (USHL) regular season.
In addition to playing the 1972–73 season, Siciliano also coached the Thunder Bay Hurricanes in the Can-Am Junior Hockey League. In the 1973–74 season, he coached the Hurricanes in the Midwest Junior Hockey League. His team completed the 1973–74 regular season in first place with 45 wins in 60 games. In the 1974 Centennial Cup playoffs, the Hurricanes defeated the Wexford Raiders four games to three in the first round, then were defeated four games to three by the Smiths Falls Bears in the second round.
In the 1974–75 season, Siciliano served as a player-coach for the Thunder Bay Twins in the USHL. He led the team to 36 wins in 48 games, and a second-place finish in the Northern Division. He felt that goaltending would make a difference in the playoffs, and that his team played best against the stronger teams in the USHL. The Twins defeated the first-place Green Bay Bobcats two games to none in a best-of-three series in the first round of the playoffs. Siciliano credited his team's defensive and positional play for winning the series. The Twins won the final round of the playoffs with three consecutive wins versus Waterloo Black Hawks in a best-of-five series for the USHL championship.
The Twins chose not to participate in the 1975 Allan Cup playoffs for the Canadian senior hockey championship due to scheduling conflicts with the USHL playoffs. After the St. Boniface Mohawks appealed for reconsideration, the Twins entered the Allan Cup playoffs upon the conclusion of the USHL playoffs, then won the series versus the Mohawks. In the Western Canada finals, the Twins won the best-of-five series with three consecutive victories versus the Spokane Flyers. The Twins scored five goals in the last 25 minutes of the decisive third game, including the winning goal scored with six seconds remaining.; In a best-of-seven series for the national championship, Siciliano and the Twins won the Allan Cup by defeating the defending champion Barrie Flyers four games to two. The Twins then withdrew from the USHL due to travel costs and schedule commitments to represent Canada on a European tour in the 1975–76 season.
Siciliano's USHL player rights were drafted by the Traverse City Bays, but he chose to retire from playing to coach full-time. After he completed his level five certification from the National Hockey Coaches School in 1975; he then conducted coaching clinics on behalf of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA), and operated power skating and hockey schools in Thunder Bay.
From 1975 to 1980, Siciliano was the athletic director at Lakehead University, an assistant professor of physical education, and head coach of the Lakehead Nor'Westers which played in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) as part of Canadian university men's hockey.; He coached the Nor'Westers to the GPAC championship finals during the 1977–78 season, but lost the best-of-three series versus the Regina Cougars by two games to one.
Siciliano represented Lakehead University at the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union meeting in June 1979, which voted against financial aid or scholarships to student athletes. He felt that the decision would lead to under-the-table offers to students in lieu of legitimate financial support.; He chose to leave Lakehead University in 1980 wanting a new challenge, stating that an elite sports program was not a priority of the school.
Thunder Bay Kings/Flyers Siciliano was hired to coach the Thunder Bay Kings for the 1981–82 season, in the Thunder Bay Hockey League. The Kings won the TBHL playoffs, but lost in the semifinals of the Dudley Hewitt Cup for the Ontario championship.
Siciliano served as head coach of the Thunder Bay Flyers in the USHL from 1986 to 1993. He led the team to 35 wins and a second-place finish during the 1986–87 season. After defeating the Sioux City Musketeers in the first round of the playoffs, the Flyers lost three games to two versus the Madison Capitols in the second round.
The Flyers won 40 games and placed first overall in the 1987–88 season, which gave Siciliano his first Anderson Cup as the USHL's regular season champion. Despite that his team had 13 rookies, the Flyers had the highest scoring offence in the league and the second best goals against average. The Ottawa Citizen credited the team's success to its skating ability, puck control and aggressive forechecking. The Flyers defeated the Madison Capitols by three games to one in the first round of the playoffs, then defeated the Rochester Mustangs by three games to one in the finals to win the Clark Cup as USHL playoffs champions. The Flyers then participated in the Dudley Hewitt Cup playoffs to determine the Central Canada "Junior A" champion, and lost to the Pembroke Lumber Kings in four consecutive games in the final series. Since the Lumber Kings hosted the 1988 Centennial Cup tournament to determine the Canadian Junior A champion and received an automatic berth, the Flyers advanced to the Centennial Cup tournament as the Dudley Hewitt Cup finalists. The tournament was the first appearance for the Flyers at the Centennial Cup, which saw them lose all three games played and finish in fourth place.;
Siciliano led the Flyers to 40 wins and placed first overall in the 1988–89 season, to win his second Anderson Cup. In the USHL playoffs, the Flyers defeated the Omaha Lancers in three games in the first round, then defeated the North Iowa Huskies in four games in the second round, then defeated the St. Paul Vulcans in five games to give Siciliano his second Clark Cup championship. The Flyers began the Canadian playoffs undefeated in eight games with series victories versus the Sudbury Cubs and the Pembroke Lumber Kings to give Siciliano his first Dudley Hewitt Cup. Siciliano recalled that the Flyers were not given respect in advance of the 1989 Centennial Cup, and said that "the host Summerside team commented at the coaches press conference that Thunder Bay couldn't be very strong since they played in an American-based league". During the round-robin stage of the tournament, the Flyers earned wins versus the Vernon Lakers and Moncton Hawks, and lost to the Summerside Western Capitals. The Flyers earned a berth in the cup finals based on goal difference among three teams tied for first place, then defeated Summerside by a 4–1 score in the final game to win the Centennial Cup. Siciliano summarized the game by saying, "our team speed and skill over powered Summerside and we were unfazed by the full house and their physical play"; and "believe[d] that team was one of the best junior teams to ever represent Thunder Bay". The Centennial Cup championship was the first for both Siciliano and for any team from Northwestern Ontario.
The Flyers won 31 games and placed third overall in the 1989–90 season. They defeated the St. Paul Vulcans in three games in the first round of the playoffs then were defeated three games to two by the Rochester Mustangs in the semifinals. In the Dudley Hewitt Cup playoffs, the Flyers lost 4 games to 2 versus the Sudbury Cubs in the semifinals.
During the summer in 1990, Siciliano spent several weeks in Bressanone with the Italy men's national team, organizing practices and inter-squad games. He declined an offer to coach the team full-time for the next two seasons, opting to return to Thunder Bay.