I have to say that I was very surprised at hearing this news. My son played for Coach Cleary this past year as a senior swing player. We are human beings, we all have our faults, we're not perfect. Did we have a great and winning season, no? Do I feel that a kid should not be ridiculed in front of others, yes of course, I'm a Mom and I wouldn't want my child to be hurt like that. Did we have fun seeing out boys play.....HELL YES!!!! I wouldn't trade that for anything, I'm just sad it's over. But, I am a firm believer that by the time my sons (this is my 3rd) reach this age, they need to get ready for the real world. The real world isn't always easy, and we are not always going to be there to fight their battles. They need to be able to handle things themselves (unless of course there was physical abuse involved, which there WASN'T). But, I have to say that since this is the first time we (my husband and I) were ever asked to fill out a survey, I would never have dreamed that for someone doing so anonymously would result in someone being fired! Nothing was ever told to my husband or I, or our son, that by filling this out that the information would be used to help get rid of a coach. I guess I was naive. I don't believe this was handled the right way at all. I realize by saying this, I'm not going to be very popular, but I just NEEDED to say this. Thank you Coach Cleary for all the years you've given to this Club. Good luck in your future endeavors.

It's time for the school district to send out surveys to all the parents and get their opinions of all the teachers plus the Administrative Staff and let's see what happens. These coaches were not teachers but people truly qualified to coach their respective sports plus they have a genuine love for their sport which extends beyond the high school coaching environment. I can't wait to see who the next coach is who gets the heave-ho. It won't be a coach who is a teacher in the school district but someone who is coaching because they truly love the sport and has the qualifications.

I've played for Cleary in the past and I can say nothing but good things about him. One of the best coaches I've ever had. We've won numerous championships, being tournament championships, league championships, and three straight Flyers Cup victories. He simplified the game for us and taught us how to win. His discipline through cursing and screaming is just something that comes with the game. You can't take that stuff to heart because it helps you become a better player. I had been yelled at many times in my high school career by Brian, and usually we could just fix our problems and be able to laugh at it after practice. In my opinion it's just his passion for the game because he is a totally different person off the ice. I hope Haverford High Hockey doesn't decline after this move it would be a shame to see.

Mr. Santoliquito, I have 2 sons that have played for Brian Cleary while at Haverford High School. I was Coach Cleary's Manager and held several board positions during my years affiliated with the program. My eldest son will graduate from West Virginia University this May, and has played Division I Ice Hockey while there. My younger son broke his neck playing Middle School Hockey and rehabed himself so he too could experience playing for such a successful coach. I am appalled that such a small group of individuals can highjack such a successful program and derail such a great coach. Under Brian Cleary, many of his player have gone to play on high-level NCAA teams for many universities, Junior B Level teams, become successful coaches. Does this sound like the resume of a coach that should be fired. What would the resume of a "better" coach look like. Perhaps a poll and survey of the "other" players and parents should be reviewed. And, I for one, have no problem saying any of this under the veil of anonymity .. .. . My Name is, Donna Lowry

I am somewhat surprised and confused over the firing of Coach Cleary.
I question in what direction will the Board will take the Varsity Ice Hockey Team?
Will they seek a candidate who wants to "win", because they had that person, on board, or, will we they seek a candidate who is going to be "politically correct" at the expense of being non competitive.

Was the Board aware that Coach Cleary was not able to field a "true varsity" team because we did not have 15 "varsity skaters" . As a result Coach Cleary had to bring up "swing players" from the JV Team.
Was the Board aware that in addition to not having a "true varsity" team that we were hit with injury, sickness and some of our players having been hospitalized for an extended period of time.

In summation Coach Cleary and his staff did as good a job as they could, with the talent they had, and, with a little good luck, and, had we had some of our "true varsity players" towards the end of the season we may have gone .500 for the year. We should have never lost, towards the end of the season, to Penncrest and to Garnet Valley.

Ralph Treat

My son David played under Brian Cleary for four years, as a freshman he was yelled at, benched, and corrected. On his senior night I stood with David at center ice, a senior captain who had played in three state championship games! Brian did more than win championships, he turned young boys into men... thank you Brian Cleary for a great run, and you are a true legend to Haverford Hockey!
Missy Baker

Wow what a surprise! Brian Cleary not COACHING HAVERFORD ICE HOCKEY. After 9 strong seasons as the head man, coach, teacher, mentor and friend. I had 2 sons play for Brian and both thought alot of him as a person and coach. My oldest son did not even make the Varisty one team his freshman year. He made the varsity 2 team. Brian spoke to both of us and told Chris he felt that he could play at the higher level but would sit the bench. Because of this Chris excelled his final three years having the best time of his life playing and learning the game of hockey. My son Joe played 2 years for Brian and at times needed to be put in is place by the coach. But I can say one thing he also learned the game and grew as a player. Its a shame that other Haverford Ice Hockey Players will not have the same experience with Brian Cleary as my 2 boys did. I think the BOARD made a very poor decision in firing one of the best coaches at Haverford High School.
Arc

TOM HAEBERLE

wow what a blunder on the ice hockey board can anyone on the board coach my son is very upset that his coach for the last three years has been fired my oldest son played on three flyers cup teams gee did brian coach those teams right both of my boys made varsity their freshman year and learned alot about the game of hockey from brian cleary not from the board sorry to see haverford hockey go downhill but dont be suprised if you cant feild a varsity team next year very bad firing on the boards part

I have known Brian Cleary for at least 15 years. While my 2 sons played ice hockey for the hawks and HHS, he was a household word. He is a natural teacher who takes every opportunity to correct his students in the moment. His dedication to his players is unsurpassed by anyone I have ever met. Dependability is a word that describes exactly who Brian Cleary is. His record speaks for itself. How will we ever recognize the importance of his work now that he has been fired? Coaching high school students can be a real challenge due to the varying skill levels and personalities. I didn't know that he had to coach and please the parents too! Furthermore, I don't understand how the board could make such a bad decision as this. Does this promote the game of ice hockey or are you board members just trying to follow in the footprints of the other parents who also responded negatively to Jorge Severini and Terry McNichol? Who are the crazy people making these decisions? It is time for parents to take a step back and allow their high school students to handle themselves in order to prepare themselves for adulthood. That is what Brian Cleary was trying to do. Duh. . . .

I coached WITH Brian Cleary on the Varsity Haverford squad from 2002-2006. We came in replacing a LONG tenured coach who had been there for around 20 years, who also was pushed out for being "too tough" on players. Sure, we had our challenges with the transition, with meeting the new parents, players and at the same time, putting a winning team out there. Did I agree with everything Coach Cleary said or did during that period?? No, just like any family. But I stand by what he did and said, and I do respect him and his accomplishments. Any problems we had were handled in house like they should be. I was part of 2 of the 3 straight Flyers Cup teams as well as other division/league titles and I can honestly say, it was the most fun I ever had being part of a team. Brian's approach was the same in the 5 seasons I worked with him. There were no inconsistencies with his behavior. What you saw was what you got and it's just crazy that all of a sudden, a few people with computers would rather type their grievances than air them publicly. The man at the bare minimum deserved the opportunity to respond or at least know what the sentiment was before any severe action was taken.
Coach - I haven't talked to you in a while but you deserved better my friend. Thanks for the opportunity to coach under you.
Vinnie DiGirolamo

I coached with Brian for 7 years and I have never met anyone as passionate as Brian about hockey. He knows the game in and out and knows how to get the best out of his players. Playing hockey in college and coaching with the JV team for 3 years I thought I knew how to coach until I started coaching with Brian. He taught me more in the first year then I learned in 16 years of playing and coaching. Did I always see eye to eye with his approach? No I didn't but I did see results from his approach and respect his knowledge and coaching ability. Brian's philosophy was easy, "Show me respect and I will show you respect."

This is a major loss for Haverford Ice Hockey. I played for Haverford and had a coach just like Brian, Mike McNelis Sr. who was harder on us then any other coach I have seen or played for and he was let go after 20 years for being too hard on his players also. I see a pattern. To this day I still talk about playing in high school and how they were the best years of playing hockey because of my coach. My kids could tell you stories about me playing in high school and I am sure every young man that Brian coached will be telling stories to their children and for the rest of their lives also.
I see ex-players almost every day and they love to talk about how much fun they had and the 3 Flyers Cup Championships we won! We won those because of the talented players we had and the coach that knew how to get the best out of them Brian Cleary.

Doug Heston

I think that someone should find out who is involved with these surveys, have a survey done on them, and then have them fired if there are any negative comments.

Rich Miller

I am very disappointment to hear that Brian Cleary was fired. I think he is a great hockey coach and as evidenced by the above comments will be sorely missed. I think Haverford is very foolish to listen to anonymous complaints. Any problems should be dealt with face to face. This is teaching our children that if they have a problem with their coaches, they just run to Daddy or Mommy and they'll get him fired. It's a disgrace that we have the tail wagging the dog here.