Sowpel Was Grandfather Of Simsbury Girls Hockey

I n his final seven seasons as a hockey coach, Nicolai "Kip" Sowpel never once touched the ice with skates.

[Ruffian]

One should not forget what a role model he was for honor & the underdog. He taught goodsportsmanship as well as standing up for oneself and that they do mix well.

He may not have had children of his own but every person he taught was like family to him, maybe even more so. Family was so important to him

He was a big man who lived life large

[James]

Great story folks! Coaches are usually under estimated and misunderstood....this guy was a coach that loved it - day in and day out.

[Linda Stauff]

The big Teddy Bear is now at rest. Fair Winds and Following Seas, Kip. You sailed a great life. Thank you for all you did.

[Dave Manzo]

Awesome article. I worked with Kip at the COMPASS School in Boston. There he treated the high-risk, inner-city students he taught with great respect and they, in turn, held Kip in high esteem. He introduced young women in Connecticut to hockey, while in Boston he took young trouble teens, from his history class, on annual field trips to Gettysburg and Washington DC. For those students, it was often their first trip out of the inner city. Kip will be missed in two great places - Simsbury and Boston.