Funk Family has been a pillar of community-driven hockey for more than 70 years

by Robert Brent, Let’s Play Hockey

For the past 20 years, the Herb Brooks Foundation has honored those deeply committed to youth hockey by inducting them into its prestigious Youth Hockey Hall of Fame. At this year’s Herb Brooks Golf Classic on July 29, 2025, the latest inductees, the Funk hockey family, were officially enshrined.

Youth sports are the lifeblood of Minnesota hockey. Built on a community-based development model, the system emphasizes young players growing and competing in their home regions. This approach gives kids across the State of Hockey access to high-level competition, often with fewer barriers than in other parts of the country.

The Funk family has been a pillar of that community-driven hockey legacy for more than 70 years. The family dynasty has been involved in youth hockey development going back to Bill Funk, who coached the University of St. Thomas from 1948-1955, before going on to help found what is now the St. Paul Capitals program in the 1970s. 

Bill Funk’s contributions to Minnesota hockey are monumental in their own right, but he was the first branch in what would go on to be an entire family of instrumental figures in youth hockey development. 

The next generations of Funks included Bill’s sons Pat, Jim and Mike Funk. Pat Funk followed in his father’s footsteps, coaching the University of St. Thomas and St. Thomas Academy. Pat had a close relationship with Herb Brooks, with the induction by Brooks’ foundation being a full-circle moment. He now works as a scout with the San Jose Sharks, a position he has held since 1990, the Sharks’ inaugural season. 

Mike Funk also became a notable coach in the Minnesota hockey ecosystem. He coached the Mountain View High School team to a State Tournament appearance in the late 1970s before taking the mantle as the head coach of St. Thomas Academy. While at St. Thomas Academy, Mike coached Herb Brooks’ son Donny. 

The youngest of the siblings, Jim, served on Pat Funk’s staff at St. Thomas Academy before a long coaching career in St. Paul public schools. Jim is currently an assistant coach at Highland Park, the school he graduated from.

A third generation of Funks is now making their mark on youth hockey as well, with Pat Funk’s three children, Liz, John, and Matt, involved with coaching, scouting, and support of youth development programs. 

Liz Funk, a North Dakota alum, coaches in Minot, North Dakota. John, a former Wisconsin player, served as a scout for the Colorado Avalanche before returning to Minnesota to coach youth hockey.

Matt Funk is the former head coach of St. Thomas Academy and currently serves as the head coach and athletic director at Cretin-Derham Hall High School. 

Matt Funk is now the head of one of the premier hockey programs in St. Paul, but he still looks back at his childhood with his family as some of the most crucial moments in his hockey life.

“We’d go to practice after school with my dad. We’d run around the rink. We’d go on road trips. And so a lot of our memories growing up were around the rink from a coach’s perspective,” Funk said. “I think for us, it was always about the love of the game and playing it the right way. As a coach’s kid, you always felt like you had to do it even better. And our dad was the type of coach who held us accountable.”

Those memories have helped shape Funk’s coaching philosophy and framed what matters about participation in youth sports. 

“It is about growing up with your buddies, playing the game you love, forming relationships, and those memories, because the game stops for us at some point. Hopefully for the top 2% it goes for a long time, but for most of us, it ends early, but those memories are always there,” Funk said. “It’s about making sure that we’re giving them an environment that they’re going to talk about, remember, and I think that’s why coaching the age group that all of us coached at is important. It’s where the game is still pure.”

The Funk family’s commitment to coaching and developing the game at the youth level has impacted countless young people in the state. With the honor of being inducted into the Herb Brooks Foundation Youth Hockey Hall of Fame, the Funks got their well-deserved recognition as a legendary hockey family.

Matt Funk spoke candidly about how it felt to receive the honor as part of the Funks and what it meant to the rest of the family.

“When I received the call, it was a shock. The reason I do what I do is because of my grandpa, my dad and my uncle. So for the whole family to be recognized, it was amazing,” Funk said. “It was quite the honor, and it was fun to make that call to my dad and have that conversation with him.”