By Hannah Simon, Co-Copy Editor
Loving, grateful and dedicated are just some of the words that friends and family use to describe the late ice hockey coach Robert Anderson. However, they only just begin to break the surface of the kind of man Anderson was and will be remembered as.
Anderson passed away in late September due to complications from an injury that occurred at a practice.
“He was someone you only meet once in your life,” said senior and assistant captain Lily Jiang. “Irreplaceable.”
The legacy of Anderson has left a lasting impression on many people in the Conestoga community and beyond. Anderson became not only a commendable ice hockey player and valuable coach, but a friend to the program.
“You can’t replace Bob,” said senior and captain Isa Thompson.
In 2022, Anderson was selected for induction into the Conestoga High School Hall of Fame in recognition for his significant achievements and meaningful contribution to the program. Tremendously impactful and furtively committed to the team and his players, Anderson was the first hall of fame inductee from the ice hockey team.
Anderson’s energy for the game was palpable. He was famous for his words: words of advice, words of constructive criticism, words against the opponent. It was Anderson’s voice that made up his gritty, can-do attitude that he would eventually become known.
His fireside chats with seniors were a right of passage for the soon-to-be graduates, almost like the moment when a player receives their first stick. Senior and captain Giada Liberato said that his ability to conjure the right word for any moment, sharpen every player’s skate and teach through an activity will never be forgotten.
“You’re not going to find another Bob Anderson,” Liberato said.
Anderson did not only coach ice hockey. Rather, he used the sport to develop players to be the best versions of themselves that they could be. A clinician of the game, Anderson had high expectations of his players both on the ice and throughout life.
When reflecting about Anderson’s memory, players, other coaches and friends alike are sincerely honored to have had Anderson a part of the program for so long. His praise made the players’ relationships with hockey stronger.
“He had a big personality. He would talk to everybody. He would just spend time with you and wasn’t somebody who’s distracted when he was talking to you. (He) gave me his full attention,” said head coach Tony Parisi. “He had an understanding of how hard it was to be in high school. He remembered. He cared. He was rough around the edges, but he really loved the people he was around, including all these young women. And he made no mystery of how he cared for (them).”
For more than 50 years, Anderson coached with love and meaningful intention in his own exponential way. He coached hundreds of players who have taken what they learned from him and used it in hundreds of different ways throughout sports and their careers.
In this way, in the words of Parisi, Anderson has influenced millions.
Hannah Simon can be reached at [email protected].
