Whippany Park
Coach
Mark was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. He was introduced to ice skating during a 3rd-grade field trip to Branch Brook Ice Rink. Mark enjoyed skating so much that he and his best friend decided to try ice hockey the following year.
In fourth grade, Mark got his introduction to ice hockey skating in the Tuesday clinic at Branch Brook, which luckily was within walking distance from his house. Mark was very fortunate to learn hockey from some of the best coaches New Jersey had to offer: John Warchol, Pete Herms Sr., Joe Hannabach, and Dave Sloan. Under their tutelage, Mark’s love for the game blossomed.
Mark’s high school did not have a hockey team, so he played club hockey throughout his high school years. His last club team was the Essex County Rockets Junior team, which was coached by John Warchol—the man who had introduced him to hockey nine years earlier. Mark then went on to play two years in college at Harvard University.
Mark’s coaching career began during his senior year at Harvard. He became a volunteer assistant coach at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School. Upon graduating in 1980, Mr. Warchol asked Mark if he would like to help run and coach in the Branch Brook House League, which he did. At the same time, Mark also started coaching Bantam and Midget travel teams for the Essex County Chiefs.
In 1983, Mark was named the head coach at Whippany Park High School. In his first year there, he turned the program around from a losing record to a winning record, along with Mennen Cup and State Playoff appearances. In Mark’s second year—the 1984–85 season—Whippany Park won the Mennen Cup Championship and advanced to the State Playoff semifinals.
Mark has coached at four high schools during his career: Whippany Park, Morristown, West Orange, and Montclair. He is credited with turning programs around and instilling a winning attitude at both Whippany Park and West Orange. In addition to his high school coaching, Mark also coached many of his sons’ club hockey teams.
Mark lives in Montclair with his wife, Karen, and his youngest son, Brett. His oldest son, Clark, lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Cara, and his middle son, Evan, lives in Montclair with his wife, Kelsey. Mark’s coaching career was interrupted in 2024 by health issues, but he hopes to resume coaching in the near future.
As he always implores his players: Never, never quit!
