Lee and Lynn Otis with their first player, Martin Galstyan in 1999.
Last Updated on Thursday, 28 January 2016 09:54
By Kevin Hartzell
Let’s Play Hockey Columnist
This week’s column is motivated totally by the passing of a good friend and most importantly, a good man, Lee B. Otis. I got to know Lee while coaching in Sioux Falls. Lee and his awesome wife, Lynn, were the head of our housing families. Their contributions and the contributions of all host families are a major part of the junior hockey experience.
There are times I really miss coaching juniors. It is such a place to coach, mentor and help young aspiring players grow up to young “professionals” who are ready to take on the rigors of life and hockey at either the collegiate or professional level. The host family is a big part of this process.
Unlike many junior hockey coaches who delegate the recruitment and retention of the host family, I took that job on with enthusiasm in my time in Sioux Falls. I believed the host family was my greatest resource as they have the most contact with the player, as well as providing a safe and stable place to live and grow.
Lee and Lynn Otis opened their home for incoming players of the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede long before I arrived in Sioux Falls. Upon my arrival, they served as our “lead” host family. Serving as both a home to a player and often more than one, they also served the entire group of host families, answering everyday questions and lending their experience to the new families coming into the system.
Lynn is store manager at Macy’s in Sioux Falls. She has more than once been named Macy’s Store Manager of the Year – quite the honor. Even during the height of the Christmas season, Lynn would take her break time to get home, cook a great meal for her player(s) and then get back to work. She was easy to get along with … unless the boys didn’t show up for dinner. Leaving work to serve them and not getting a little communication in return was not something that would make Lynn happy. Nor should it have. A little communication went a long way in keeping a smile on Lynn’s face.
Lee and Lynn were selfless. But they always told me it was they who were the biggest beneficiaries. Their extended family grew each year. They have hosted future NHL players like Nate Prosser, many future collegiate stars and already a future doctor! They hosted my son, Eric, as well the sons of good friends Tom Vannelli and Jim Hansen. Lee and Lynn get invites to big hockey games, but more importantly, to college graduations and weddings.
Through it all, they and we raised a tribe of Stampede players who needed to learn how to live away from home and become responsible adults. One night we heard some of the boys were having a party. Before I got myself injected into the situation, Lee called and asked that I let him go first. He would assess the seriousness of the situation and handle things “family-first.” Then if the coach needed to go, then so be it. I always knew Lee would handle things appropriately and before I had to come in and be the “badarse disciplinarian.” We worked together well.
I will always remember fondly the morning I met with about a dozen of our host moms at Scooters coffee shop in Sioux Falls which included Lynn. Our moms wanted some improvements from me, such as more calls at curfew. I wanted more discipline from them … “After all,” I told them, “they signed up for the job.” But it was a family get-together and we talked it out. I loved it then and I appreciate now, the opportunity to be part of this family. I miss the host families.
In their time as host family, Lee and Lynn hosted over 30 players. They had an extra bedroom besides their main extra bedroom, which could often host a player temporarily before a permanent situation could be found. From the first day, Lee taught the boys simple table manners and built from there. While some kids left home prepared and understood simple table manners and other of life’s simple etiquettes, many did not. Lee was quirky and funny … well, funny if you appreciate quirky! He was definitely one of a kind. Lee and Lynn’s selflessness is a testament to all the host families in all of junior hockey.
My wife, Marybeth, and I have been lucky to get together with Lee and Lynn on occasion. A wonderful part of our family, a part of the Stampede family has left us. Many have been touched by Lee and Lynn’s generosity. Just off the top of my head, I can think of the following names that Lee and Lynn opened their house to: Vannelli, Prosser, Hansen, Holmstrom, Isackson, Thang, Kamrass and Hartzell, just to name a few.
When it is all said and done, the ties and family created by the host family is maybe THE lasting experience had in junior hockey. It is not easy to learn to live with a new family, but it is an important step in learning to live outside of one’s immediate family and to learn to live with others.
To the many host families in junior hockey, thank you for all you do. To Lee, we will miss you, but I trust you know as you look upon us that your efforts and your lessons remain in the hearts of many. We are all fortunate to have had you in our lives and a big part of our family. You did God’s work. Rest in peace, my friend.
And to Lynn, we love you. Your family is large, and I have no doubt you will have a large family of love surrounding you in the days, months and years ahead.
Kevin Hartzell is the director of player development for the NA3HL’s Twin City Steel. A St. Paul native and forward for the University of Minnesota from 1978-82, Hartzell coached in the USHL from 1983-89 with the St. Paul Vulcans and from 2005-12 with the Sioux Falls Stampede. He was the head coach of Lillehammer in Norway’s GET-Ligaen from 2012-14. His columns have appeared in Let’s Play Hockey since the late 1980s. His book “Leading From the Ice” is available at amazon.com.
