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Oldtimers Hockey Association to honor Whitey and Peter Aus

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Last Updated on Saturday, 30 June 2012 05:05

The Oldtimers Hockey Association will honor two of Minnesota coaching legends, Whitey and Peter Aus, at its 26th annual Roast and Toast banquet Tuesday, May 1, at the Prom Center in Oakdale, Minn.

Whitey Aus grew up in St. Paul and he benefited by the strong hockey programs (both park teams and high school) that the city developed in the 1940s and 50s. The high school conference consisted of 10 teams scattered over the entire city, and every school had a boys’ hockey team. The St. Paul City Conference was among the hockey powers in the state, along with the perennial teams that represented northern Minnesota.

Whitey attended Murray Junior and Senior High School where he played football, hockey and baseball. He did the same at St. Olaf College for four years, and enjoyed his love affair with sports. His coaches were very influential in encouraging Whitey’s interest in education as a career. They were great mentors and positive role models during his formative years. They took coaching seriously, but also made it fun.

Whitey met his wife Carol, at St. Olaf – she has been an unbelievable friend and supporter of 52 years. They have four children – twin daughters Karin Olson and Kirstin Anderson, and sons Erik and Leif – and six amazing grandchildren.

Whitey’s coaching career started with a volunteer coaching position for the local Bantam team. He went on to coach the Capitol View Junior High team in Roseville for three years. After coaching the junior high team, he spent one year coaching both the ninth grade and sophomore team at Kellogg High School before he started his 13-year position as the varsity head coach. For the next 20 years, Whitey guided the men’s’ hockey program at St. Olaf College. Whitey concluded his tremendous coaching career at Centennial High School as the JV coach for one year.

Whitey was blessed to coach some outstanding players, work with a number of competent and dedicated assistants, and to be part of the development of boys into young men. What a privilege! He would not hesitate to do it all over again.

In addition to coaching hockey, Whitey was an assistant football coach all 17 years in Roseville, and a varsity assistant in tennis. He coached eight years in the soccer program and eight years as the head men’s tennis coach at St. Olaf. He assumed leadership of the entire athletics program (men and women) at St. Olaf between 1989-95, while continuing as the head hockey coach. He retired after the 1996-97 season, a total of 39 years.

Whitey has tried to integrate his Christian faith with his teaching/coaching wherever God has led him. Being part of the spiritual maturation of young people has been as exciting as watching their progress as student athletes.

Whitey graduated from St. Olaf in 1959 with a B.A. degree and from the U of M in 1964 with an M.A. He was captain and MVP of his college hockey team during his senior year.

For more than 25 years, Peter Aus has traveled throughout the United States and Canada working with Christian Athlete Hockey Camps as a power skating specialist and on-ice instructor and has acquired nearly 50 years of experience coaching hockey.
Aus grew up in St. Paul and attended Murray High School where he played hockey, football and baseball. Most recently Aus directed the Mounds View girls’ hockey squad to 22 wins, which is the most in school history, and helped the team advance to the state tournament. For his leadership he was awarded the section 5AA Coach of the Year.

A former college athlete, Aus received his degree in physical education from St. Olaf College in 1964. As an Ole athlete, he was a quarterback on the football team and captain of the hockey team during his senior season. A three-time letterwinner in both sports, Aus won the MVP award for the Ole hockey team his senior year.

After graduating from St. Olaf, Aus combined his experiences and skills for a career in teaching and coaching. From 1966-70, he served as a physical education teacher at Minnetonka East Junior High and later at Litchfield High School, where he developed their hockey program. While in Litchfield, he also coached golf and football.

In 1984, Aus moved to Willmar, where he coached the high school hockey team through many successful seasons, including two conference championships. He was named the Section Five Coach of the Year in 1984-85 and again in 1989-90.

During Aus’ 13-year tenure at Bethel, he has developed the program into one that has challenged for the conference playoffs. In 2001, he earned MIAC Coach of the Year honors after the Royals finished in fourth place in the league and advanced to the conference championship series, and again won the award after the 2004-05 season’s 17-9 record and third-place finish.

Aus posted the most wins of any hockey coach in Bethel history with a career record of 120-191-13 and is the first Bethel hockey coach to reach 100 wins in a career. A two-time MIAC Coach of the Year, he was most recently inducted into the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association (MHCA) Hall of Fame for 30 years of success in the high school and junior high ranks before coming to Bethel.

During his tenure, Aus developed the program into one of the top in the conference, culminating in 2006-07’s 18-10-1 overall record and 12-3-1 MIAC record, the best finish in Bethel history. The season also marked a string of firsts for the hockey program as the team earned their first-ever MIAC regular season championship, MIAC playoff championship, NCAA playoff berth and NCAA playoff win.

Aus retired from Bethel after the 2006-07 season. He later served as an assistant coach with the Blaine High School boys’ hockey team, assisting his son, Dave.

Aus and Kathy, his wife, have three adult children and live on Camp Lake in Garrison, Minn.

Popular and charismatic Dick Jonckowski will emcee the Old Timers Hockey Association banquet Tuesday, May 1.

For ticket information please call Ann Berres at 651-771-1375.