Jude Liptak
Episode 404
2 NOV 2026
He played hockey growing up and then played broom ball at Kent State, where he became the leading goal scorer. He was also a hockey referee for three seasons there as well. He is deeply involved in youth athletics, particularly ice hockey. As a coach with the Hampton Roads Whalers, Tidewater Tritons, and previously with other youth hockey organizations, he has helped guide young athletes through competitive seasons and championship experiences. His coaching philosophy extends far beyond wins and losses, emphasizing discipline, accountability, perseverance, teamwork, and respect.
Notable guest quotes:
“I actually coached with Fellowship of Christian Athletes as well for hockey, which is great. And I’d love to see somebody like a Catholic version of that.”
“I’ve always been really interested in church history and geography.”
“It’s an organization that seeks to carry forward the Christian ideals of the Knights Templar, or particularly, the faith, service, charity and chivalry parts.”
“There’s a lot of Christian services that promote Christian values or religious devotion and service to God and the faith and your church. A lot of charitable work, supporting humanitarian causes … Red Cross type stuff, relief efforts, things like that.”
“I love doing youth ministry. I started when I was in college. It was like a part-time job. I started volunteering and I was like shocked and then gave me a paycheck.”
“We do like a little prayer service, chapel type thing, before games on weekends. We usually meet an hour and 20 minutes before a game. So, for 20 minutes, we just do a little fellowship together and we do a little Bible study.”
“Try to show your faith through actions. I heard from Shane Doan from the (NHL) Coyotes a long time ago, he said something that really stuck with me. We don’t allow swearing on our team at all because … what comes out of your heart comes out of your mouth.”
“The younger the kid is, every parent thinks their kids are going to the NHL. So, you get a lot of unrealistic expectations, unrealistic goals… and they get angry at their kids if they’re not performing well.”
“Sports, first, is supposed to be fun and then, if you can maybe get a college scholarship in the future, that would be fantastic. But, let’s not put the cart before the horse and let’s just see if (your kid is) willing to put the work in and go from there.”
“What we see, unfortunately, a lot of time in coaching… divorce is a big thing. We’ve had a lot of parents while we’re coaching, they’re going through a terrible part of their marriage and they get divorced or … something happens and the kid’s in the middle.”
“You realize what the number one goal is… this life’s temporary. Have fun in it. Sports is a great thing. I love sports more than just about anything… faith, family, sports pretty much for me… but it’s so important to have your heart in the right place.”
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