No Red Lights: Hockey

Kush Sidhu returns to The Pride after taking a year off following 18 consecutive years of coaching women's hockey. Kush started at Northeastern University as an Assistant Coach in 1988 and in his 4 years there, the Huskies reached the Final Four each season, winning the Division 1 National Championship in 1989. Several players from those teams went on to both the US and Canadian Olympic Teams. Kush was also an Assistant Coach in the USA Hockey Women's Olympic Development Program from 1989 to 1995. This included terms with the US National Team as the goalie coach for the 1990 Women's World Championships in Ottawa, and as a training camp Assistant Coach for the 1992 and 1994 National Teams in Lake Placid, NY. From there, Kush served in other capacities within USA Hockey, including: Massachusetts District Girls Head Coach, Southeast District Girl’s Representative, Southeast District Girls Head Coach, and National, Regional, and District player evaluator. Kush attended USA Hockey's Coaches Program of Merit twice and was certified as a Master Level Coach in 1992.

After leaving the college ranks and relocating to the Washington, DC area, he formed the areas first ‘travel’ girls hockey program (Washington Little Capitals) which gave DC area players their first look at the more developed girls game in the Northeast. This exposure helped several girls move on to college hockey programs and kick-started the growth of girls hockey throughout the Southeast. In 2001, Kush took his team to the next competitive level by forming the Washington Pride - and joined the MidWest Elite Hockey League based in Detroit, MI - each season a playoff contender. The Pride also has the distinction of being 7-time Southeast District Champions representing the region at the USA Hockey National Championships every year since the team was formed.

In the 2007-2008, the Pride will be competing in very first 'Junior' style hockey league for girls. The Junior Women's Hockey League (JWHL) will feature some of the top teams in the US and Canada, and follow the same training, coaching, and competition formats as seen at the US Collegiate level. Kush is a co-founder of the league along with Bill Driscoll of the North American Hockey Academy. The league is also sponsoring a new elite tournament for teams world-wide called: "The JWHL Challenge Cup". The Pride will be hosting this event from February 15-18, 2008 at the Rockville Arena.

Kush's focus on quality and commitment to excellence has paid off for his players. 100% of Pride alumnae have been offered roster spots on NCAA Varsity programs. Of the 10 girls who have served as team captain in Washington, 7 have subsequently been selected as captains of their college teams. Three alums have made the US Under-22 teams and many players have received Conference, Student-Athlete, and Player of the Week awards. A few have also won NCAA National Championships! Most impressive is that all alumnae have either earned their degrees or are on track to do so. Some have moved on to graduate/professional schools and others now work full time in government, finance, or education.