Robert Kucheraway, also known as coach Rob, had just moved from Alberta, Canada, to Southern California in 2009 and, while looking for a coaching opportunity, played in a pickup hockey game with a few friends in Burbank and didn’t think too much of his performance back then.
That wasn’t until then-owner Roger Perez of the Ice Station in Valencia, now known as The Cube, sought out Kucheraway after the game and interviewed him in the middle of a parking lot for a job in the rink in Santa Clarita.
To Kucheraway’s surprise, he learned he played against the owner and did well enough to earn himself a job on the spot.
Kucheraway took the opportunity and worked as a professional staff instructor at the Ice Station in Valenica and joined the coaching staff with the Valencia Express, then the Valencia Flyers as a goalie coach thereafter.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do when I moved first moved down here. I was working for a power company back in Edmonton,” Kucheraway said. “One of the employees heard that I was leaving and was like, ‘You’re insane to leave this job,’ and he looked at me and says, ‘What are you going to do?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, maybe coach goalies down there.’’’
About 16 years later, Kucheraway had developed the next generation of hockey goalies in the Santa Clarita Valley, including two goalies, Tyler Shea and Tyler Krivtsov, both who went on to play Division 1 collegiate hockey and recently faced off across from each other in November.
Shea and Krivtsov are natives of the SCV and are only separated by two years of age, but both share the knowledge that Kucheraway shared with them.
For Shea, Kucheraway was introduced to him through his mother, who asked for lessons for her son right when his coaching career began in 2009.
As for Krivtsov, Kucheraway met him when he was 7 as he was originally coaching Tyler’s older brother, Jazz. Kucheraway recalled seeing the younger Krivtsov sitting on the bench with his dad and knew the kid had a future.
Krivtsov’s dad asked for coaching lessons for Tyler and thus began the coach’s relationship with both Tylers that spanned multiple years, which included weekly lessons for 10 years straight.
“I still remember to this day, like my very first lesson with Rob. He was just very patient, and I could just tell like he was going to be such a great coach, and he really is,” Krivtsov said. “I’ve been working with Rob since from then up until I went away for prep school at Shattuck St. Mary’s, so until I was 13 years old.”
Krivtsov currently plays for the University of Alaska Anchorage hockey team as a sophomore and has been a consistent starter on the team for two seasons.
Prior to playing for the Sea Wolves, Krivtsov played two seasons for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs of the North American Hockey League, where he made a name for himself in Alaska.
Krivtsov added that he doesn’t think he would be where he’s at if it wasn’t for Kucheraway and his coaching, as he gave him a real perspective of the hockey world when he was younger.
“I don’t think I’d be where I am if it wasn’t for him, like, teaching me all these things growing up,” he said. “Goaltending is like a very mental sport, so there’s like, a ton of different factors that can affect your play mentally. So just being aware and talking to him about certain problems and all that definitely helped me out growing up and stuff.”
Shea echoes Krivtsov’s sentiment of Kucheraway as he trained with him twice a week until he was 18.
“For 13 years, coach Rob was my goalie coach from when I started working with him when I was around 9 years old,” he said. “I think the most we went without seeing each other was probably around two weeks until I was 18 years old and ended up leaving for junior hockey.”
Shea graduated from West Ranch High School and spent the 2022-23 season with the University of Michigan.
Prior to his college career, Shea spent two seasons with the NAHL’s Austin Bruins and previously played for the Anaheim Jr. Ducks.
After spending some time in Ann Arbor with the Wolverines, Shea wasn’t getting the minutes he hoped for with Michigan.
Shea then made the decision to transfer and made the choice to go from a Big 10 school in the Wolverines to an Ivy League university in Brown for more playing time.
One lesson that Shea said that Kucheraway provided to him was when his coach brought older goalies to practice to enable them to speak to mentors who have knowledge of the game.
He added that those lessons helped him in the long run with what to expect, but that now he’s the “older goalie,” he comes to practice and provides that same kind of advice he was told when he was younger.
“I actually got a lot out of the training when we skated with a lot of other goalies, and he would bring in older goalies, especially when I was younger,” Shea said. “You’re kind of like, ‘I want to be like him.’ I want to be like the student that now Rob is having us out there with. And that mentorship was obviously really cool. And I used to deal with many different goalies, and I really loved doing that. And then I actually transitioned to being the older goalie, probably when I was 15 or 16.”
For Kucheraway, seeing two goalies go on to play collegiate hockey is a dream as a coach, and he even jokingly added that no matter where both Tylers play, they always find themselves training together again.
The players were teammates when they were drafted by the Madison Capitols of the United States Hockey League, a premier junior hockey league.
But to everyone’s surprise, disappointment came when both players were released by the organization shortly after.
“I was in the USHL with Madison for a couple of months with Ty at the same time before we ended up getting released,” said Shea. “That was a long road, but Rob was able to help out in terms of the support.”
When Kucheraway heard of the news, he was quick to speak to both Tylers and offered them help to find their path again.
“Many times, I’d write little letters to them saying, ‘Hey guys, just remember, remember what you’re doing. Remember the positive things that you’ve done in the game, even though, when things get negative, think of all the positives,” Kucheraway said. “You know things aren’t going your way. Don’t give up. Don’t give up. You have family back home. We’re supporting you. And I tell the guys always, if there’s any time, no matter when it is, if you need to talk to me, call me. I’ll be there any time for them.”
After parting ways from the Capitols, both players went on to have collegiate careers, with Shea at Brown and Krivtsov at Alaska, and on Nov. 19, they got to face each other on the ice in a game between their schools.
“Coach Rob saw we’re going to play, and he bought a ticket out to the game,” Krivtsov said. “It was great to see him. And just like, obviously, sharing some memories and stuff after the game with Rob and Tyler Shea there as well. But yeah, I was overall great experience having coach Rob there, and just pretty special that we’re both, like, on the ice playing D1 hockey with our hometown coach watching.”
Kucheraway described the game as emotional as he got to see, in his eyes, the two little kids who are learning to play hockey, accomplish their dreams together on the ice.
“I couldn’t be more prouder of those guys for all the sacrifices that their parents went through to help the kids, bringing them to lessons, the discipline they’ve shown,” he said. “I’ve been supporting them. I’ve been texting them, calling them through the years, even though we’re miles away. I’m still an ear for them when they need it. But I told them always to not forget where you come from. Don’t forget that you used to be that little guy, no matter how old, looking up to these pros, these college kids, and they continue to show to be a class act on and off the ice.”
As for what’s next for Kucheraway, he now works in Burbank but continues to drive to Valencia for lessons with students in Santa Clarita.
When asked about what he loves most in coaching, he says it’s the most rewarding after decades in the business to train that next generation and point out the two Tylers as an example of success for his younger students.
“When the Tylers come back and they get on the ice with me, all the little kids come up to them and start asking them questions,” he said. “I just point to them and say, ‘This is what you guys can be, but you have to work at it.’”
Kucheraway added that he’s glad that a pickup game landed him the opportunity to coach his dream job, and that he’ll always keep coaching no matter what because nothing beats getting to see the look of his players’ eyes as they make a save and seeing hard work pay off.
“I love these goalies. It’s the most rewarding experience,” he said. “It’s just seeing one of the goalies make a save that he or she has been struggling with, and they make the save, and I could see it in their eyes that they finally got it. And I just love seeing the kids happy.”
