The high-school hockey landscape has changed considerably over the past half century. When North Penn founded its ice hockey club for the 1975-76 season the sport was in the midst of a growth spurt, thanks in no small measure to the Philadelphia Flyers, who had just won their second consecutive Stanley Cup. In 1976 they reached the finals once more but were swept by the Montreal Canadians.
In that era, a lot of high-school players were less concerned about playing for a championship than they were happy to be playing on an enclosed rink with lies painted on the ice.
Pete Hendricks was North Penn’ first coach. For six seasons, he dealt with the challenges that are part and parcel to getting a program off the ground.
Dave Culp played for North Penn as a senior before graduating 1980. He went on to coach the Knights from 1986-94, a time when the team was at first unable to field a pure roster (consisting entirely of players from North Penn).
“When we first started, we had Lansdale Catholic and North Penn working together,” he said. “When {He started coaching}, North Penn was going downhill we couldn’t get anybody.
I was grabbing guys from North Penn Lansdale Catholic Souderton and one from a (private) Christian school.”
Culp recalls an early North Penn team being barred from the SHSHL playoffs over the purity issue.
“It took us about two years but we became pure,” he said. “We had all North Penn guys.”
Culp recalls North Penn teams playing games outdoors.
“There was a skating rink at Whites Road Park,” he said. “I remember having practices and games there when I was playing. We were playing a game there outside and snow was coming through your cage. It was the most incredible thing we’d ever done.”
Dan Vaitis has never coached North Penn, but he has been involved in the program for some 25 years and is today the club’s president, a role he has filled for a decade. His son Kevin is the longest-tenured head coach in the club’s history.
Dan Vaitis commented on the growth of amateur/scholastic hockey during his involvement with the sport.
“Ice hockey overall has become much more popular,” he said, “Not only club hockey but high school hockey and middle school hockey. I think that North Penn has set the standard over the years for being a first-class organization.
“It’s great to see all these kids participate in ice hockey. We’re extremely proud that many of our coaches are alumni of North Penn Ice Hockey in terms of love of the game, we have a lot of coaches that really love the game.”
The Knights have won three SHSHL titles in their history and claimed their first Class AA Flyers Cup and state championships last season.
Senior Chase Kelly Del Ricci carries the program’s legacy forward as this year’s captain.
“It feels pretty hood,” he said. “I’ve been here since I was a freshman and it feels pretty good to be part of something that’s lasted this long.”
Hockey Happenings 