Former Gophers men’s hockey standout Pat Westrum received USA Hockey’s annual Walter Yaciuk award on June 10.

According to USA Hockey, the Walter Yaciuk award is given to an individual who “has made an outstanding contribution to the organization’s coaching education program during many years of service as a volunteer.” The award is named after USA Hockey’s first coach-in-chief.

Westrum grew up in Minneapolis playing multiple sports with the neighborhood kids. He is a firm believer that you should always strive to teach kids to have fun in sports because that is where a lot of the learning comes from, according to a USA Hockey article.

“I think now the newest thing is trying to teach players and coaches to have fun and ways to get it across,” Westrum said in a statement to USA Hockey. “And not so much hammering and yelling and screaming.”

Westrum skated for the Gophers from 1967-70 and went on to play in the World Hockey Association from 1974-78.

After graduating from the Gophers, he served as an amateur scout for various NHL teams. He currently serves as the coach-in-chief for Minnesota District 6, while also being heavily involved in USA Hockey’s coaching education program since 1995.

Westrum has tried to emphasize the importance of having fun through his coaching technique, according to USA Hockey.

“It’s like going grocery shopping. They’re in a hurry to go get something, but they don’t know really what they want. That’s an issue I think we have to continue to work on, and the aspect of having fun,” Westrum said. “So many kids now … are quitting at early ages. It’s a lot of burnout. It’s not only hockey. It’s all sports and a lot of activities.”