Longtime Valley head coach steps away from high school hockey

WASILLA — After 25 seasons, nearly 400 total wins and a stack of banners, longtime Valley prep hockey head coach Jamie Smith has officially retired from the prep game.

“I knew it was time,” Smith, Colony High’s bench boss for the last eight years, said recently.

During a run that included stops at Wasilla, Houston and Colony, Smith finished with a career record of 389-169-12, 10 region championships and five state titles. It’s an end of an illustrious career for Smith, who trails only Dimond High legend Dennis Sorenson on Alaska’s prep hockey career wins list. But most importantly for Smith, he was able to walk off the ice for the final time alongside his son, Cooper, a senior who also capped his high school career in 2018 with Colony’s win over rival Wasilla in the 4A state hockey tournament third-place game. Jamie Smith said he made the decision about a decade ago that he wanted to continue coaching, if possible, through Cooper’s senior season. Now, Smith said, it’s time to focus more on family.

“That’s the biggest thing for me,” Smith said. “It was time for family.”

Smith said Cooper is now making the move to play at the next level. His daughter Sydney will be a high school senior next year.

“I felt like it was fair to (Cooper), fair to my daughter to spend more time with them,” Smith said. “They’re making the transition to college and junior hockey.”

Smith said it’s also about simple things, like spending extra weekends with his wife Nancy at the family cabin.

Smith said he’s thrilled to have spent the final four years of his high school coaching career with his son on the ice.

“Coaching your own kid, you want it all to work out,” Smith said.

Colony was among the top teams in the state in 2017-18, and was among the squads in the conversation for the state title. The Knights fell short of that goal, but finished a program-best third for the second straight year.

Smith also had the chance to celebrate victory one final time with a handful of seniors he’s coached for about a dozen years.

“To go out with those kids, great kids, is unbelievable,” Smith said.

Smith said when he looks back on his career, it’s as much about the people as it is the game.

“At the end of the day, the biggest thing for me is building the relationships with the kids, the families,” Smith said. “The biggest thing for me, these are lifelong friends.”

Smith said the experience the last several years with the Colony program is similar to his time at Houston. He still has friendships with many of the players he coached at Houston and their families.

Smith also helped turn Houston from a struggling program to a power.

“To me, it all started there,” Smith said.

During his first season with the Hawks in 1992, Houston was 0-16-0. During his last season as Houston’s head coach in 2006, the Hawks were 20-3-0 and earned their fifth state title in six seasons.

“Houston will always have a place close to my heart,” Smith said.

Smith, a 1984 graduate of Wasilla High, landed his first gig as a head coach at his alma mater. He led the Warriors to a 20-6 record and region title in 1990. After two seasons with the Warriors, Smith made the move to Houston.

Smith also helped turn around the Colony program. The Knights were struggling when Smith took over in 2009. Colony made the leap and won the region title in 2014, 2015 and 2106, and finished third in the 4A state tournament in each of the last two seasons.

“It was great. Our coaching staff, Harold Henderson and Peter Frank, came in and we laid out a plan,” Smith said.

Smith said he doesn’t plan to completely step away from the game. He said he will continue to be a part of the Valley Thunder, a local co-op competitive program that features players from across the Valley.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.