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It’s been over a decade since Denny Bray retired as head coach of the Packer girls hockey team, but he is now sitting in the same seat he once held in Riverside Arena.

Bray hasn’t fallen into a recurring pattern like the movie “Groundhog’s Day,” but he is on a mission to inject life into an Austin girls hockey program that has gone 3-43-1 overall in the last two seasons. After serving as an assistant coach last year, Bray came back into the fold when he heard the head coaching job had opened up in the offseason and he came out of retirement to start his second act with the team.

“I enjoyed myself last year and my wife said I’m retired, so I might as well do it,” Bray said. “I got the job and I’ve been busy ever since. We did dry land and ice time over the summer. We had anywhere from eight to 15 girls each time and you can tell. At the first practice, the girls have really improved since last year.”

Bray’s first stint with the Packers came during the golden era of the program. He was at the helm for 16 years and he led Austin to the state tournament in 2000, 2007 and 2008. Bray was named Section 1A coach of the year three times and he was Big Nine coach of the year once. He finished with a career record of 215-193-7 overall.

Bray’s first run as head coach ended in 2013 and he was inducted into the Minnesota Girls Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2017.

“I was successful in the past, so I’m going to continue with some of that,” Bray said. “I’ve got some new drills and kids are different than they were back then. There is so much social media and I don’t know how I did it back then, working full time and coaching. The social media thing is huge because I can put out notices when our game times change.”
Austin senior captain Kate Fox said the team is well aware of Bray’s history as a head coach. She has noticed tougher practices and better team camaraderie in early practices, which began this week.

“He makes us work harder and I like that. At first I didn’t like that, but then I realized he does it to make it better. I like that in a coach, because he cares and he wants us to get better as a team,” Fox said. “It’s going good and all of the girls are getting along. The older girls are making sure that the younger girls are fitting in.”

While Bray has adjusted to modern technologies, he still keeps his practice schedule tucked away inside his hat, and he still keeps a weekly bulletin and depth chart in his office.

He’s spent a good portion of his time starting a booster club, raising funds, and going through inventory – where he discovered some old jerseys that were in use when he was still head coach.

“I’m kind of combining new ways with old ways. It’s going to take some time to get back to normal,” Bray said. “I care greatly about the program. I follow the team every year and it wasn’t going anywhere. They were spinning their tires in the mud, and my wife said ‘do something about it.’ I’m not going to promise the world and we’re very young with some seventh and eighth graders mixed in. It’s going to take some time.”

The Packers will not have a JV team this season, but the squad has plenty of players to play a full varsity season.

Bray is an AHS grad who once played hockey for the Packer boys program. His first stint of head coaching began in the second year of Austin having a girls hockey program.

Since it is co-oping with Lyle-Pacelli and Blooming Prairie, the Packers are now a Class AA team. 

The Packers will open their season at Luverne at 6 p.m. Thursday and they will host Red Wing at noon on Nov. 9.