Dash Between: Wally Kaczay, 84, hockey coach, ice skating instructor

Wally Kaczay

Wally Kaczay taught hundreds - possibly thousands - of youngsters to ice skate and/or play hockey from the 1950s until hanging up his skates in 2000 due to a bad hip.

The retired carpenter and home builder, who died April 21, 2011, at age 84, helped organize hockey leagues in Northeast Ohio and for several years coached the varsity hockey team at Elyria High School.

Kaczay even created an ice rink in his backyard, which served as a baseball diamond in summer and became a hangout for neighborhood kids.

Click here to read about Kaczay's Dash Between, which was published May 22, 2011, in the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. And click here to see a gallery of photos provided by his family.

Lorain Strollers hockey team, 1940s. Kaczay is in front row, 2nd from right.