54 Facts About Dave Siciliano

David John Siciliano was born on July 7,1946 and is a Canadian former ice hockey coach and player.

Dave Siciliano 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.

Dave Siciliano 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.

Dave Siciliano returned to the USHL as coach and general manager of the Sioux City Musketeers from 2000 to 2008.

Dave Siciliano led them to a playoffs championship in 2002, and had the second most career victories for a coach in the USHL when he retired.

Dave Siciliano was named Coach of the Year in three USHL seasons, and received the league's Distinguished Service Award in 2009.

Dave Siciliano 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.

David John Dave Siciliano was born on July 7,1946, in Fort William, Ontario, into a family of Italian Canadians.

In university, Dave Siciliano played three seasons for the Lakehead Nor'Westers from 1966 to 1969.

Dave Siciliano served as an assistant team captain in his first two seasons, and as the captain in his third season.

Dave Siciliano 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".

Dave Siciliano 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.

Dave Siciliano won the 1969 league championship, as a pitcher, outfielder, and assistant coach.

Dave Siciliano was an English major at Lakehead University, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969.

Dave Siciliano stated that the tests were best suited to determining the skill level and eventual skill level of younger players.

Dave Siciliano led the team to a third-place finish with 18 wins in 32 games, winning the league's bronze medal.

Dave Siciliano led the team to 36 wins in 48 games, and a second-place finish in the Northern Division.

Dave Siciliano felt that goaltending would make a difference in the playoffs, and that his team played best against the stronger teams in the USHL.

Dave Siciliano credited his team's defensive and positional play for winning the series.

From 1975 to 1980, Dave 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 as part of Canadian university men's hockey.

Dave Siciliano represented Lakehead University at the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union meeting in June 1979, which voted against financial aid or scholarships to student athletes.

Dave Siciliano felt that the decision would lead to under-the-table offers to students in lieu of legitimate financial support.

Dave Siciliano chose to leave Lakehead University in 1980 wanting a new challenge, stating that an elite sports program was not a priority of the school.

Dave Siciliano served as head coach of the Thunder Bay Flyers in the USHL from 1986 to 1993.

Dave 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".

Dave 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".

Dave Siciliano declined an offer to coach the team full-time for the next two seasons, opting to return to Thunder Bay.

Dave Siciliano recalled in a 2021 interview that, Winkler was "a bigger and more physical team and wanted to wear their black sweaters" as an intimidation tactic.

Dave Siciliano served as chairman of the high-performance committee of the CAHA development council from 1983 to 1996, and assisted writing coaching manuals for the CAHA.

Dave Siciliano was the general manager of an Ontario all-star team in the midget age group which played against a touring Soviet Union team, in a program overseen by the CAHA to identify prospect players for the Canada men's national team in ice hockey at the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Dave Siciliano served as assistant coach of the Canada men's national under-18 team at the Phoenix Cup in 1987, then was head coach of Canada's under-18 team which won the silver medal at the 1991 Phoenix Cup in Japan.

Dave Siciliano was an assistant coach to Perry Pearn with the Canada men's national junior team which won gold at the 1993 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Sweden.

On January 16,1996, Dave Siciliano was announced as the first head coach for the Edmonton Ice, an expansion team in the Western Hockey League.

Dave Siciliano signed a two-year contract, and had previously declined offers from the Red Deer Rebels, and the Michigan Tech Huskies team.

On November 25,1997, Dave Siciliano was named the coach and general manager of the Owen Sound Platers in the Ontario Hockey League.

Dave Siciliano was fired on January 15,2000, and replaced by his assistant coach Brian O'Leary.

Sioux City radio station KOOL 99.5 broadcast The Dave Siciliano Show on Mondays during the season, which included interviews with the coach and the team's players.

Dave Siciliano promised that his team would be in better physical condition and to outwork their opponents.

At the start of the season, Dave Siciliano had not expected to reach the finals nor win the cup, but credited the team for being tight-knit and "just great quality kids" who handled adversity.

Dave Siciliano credited his team for not quitting despite the strong play of opposing goaltender Alex Stalock.

Dave Siciliano led the team to 32 wins and a fourth-place finish in the West Division, then lost to the Omaha Lancers three games to one in the first round of the playoffs.

Dave Siciliano had the second most career victories for a coach in the USHL at the time, and had the most wins for a Musketeers coach with 272 victories.

The Sioux City Journal credited Dave Siciliano for having "etched a distinct signature on Musketeer ice success for eight seasons".

Dave Siciliano reflected on his time with the Musketeers by saying, "coaching in Sioux City has been a wonderful experience, one of my best in hockey".

Dave Siciliano was proud of designing the team's circular dressing room at the Gateway Arena, where players could "look [their] teammates directly in the eye".

Dave Siciliano mentored the leagues coaches, assisted with the scouting and development of players, and disciplinary reviews.

Dave Siciliano was inducted into the builder category of the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

Dave Siciliano married Carol in 1970, and raised a son and a daughter.

Dave Siciliano's wife was head of Thunder Bay's adult education program until 1996, then oversaw the player housing program for the Musketeers, and the school reading program involving players from the Musketeers.

Dave Siciliano developed recreational programs for handicapped and geriatric patients at Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital.

Dave Siciliano received the Outstanding Young Person Award in 1981, from the Thunder Bay South Junior Chamber International.

Dave Siciliano served as chairman of the Thunder Bay Community Fitness Council from 1981 to 1990, and as chairman of Olympic Torch Relay committee for Thunder Bay in advance of the 1988 Winter Olympics hosted in Calgary.

Dave Siciliano was later the general manager of the Thunder Bay Community Services Department from 1993 to 1996.

Dave Siciliano has held several positions on the board of directors for the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, and was president of 2016, He served a five-year term as chairman of the board of directors for the Thunder Bay International Airport Authority, ending in 2022.