Former all-star goalie to be posthumously inducted into the SHS Hall of Fame

By Mary Ann Tarr

His father was the first to notice it. His son had it.

“He was always good at all the sports and being competitive,” said Ken McCormick, referring to his late son Kevin. “He always had the mental frame of mind to handle all of this.

“He had that extra thing, whatever it is.”

The “it” factor that Kevin McCormick had was soon noticed by coaches and he went on to enjoy an outstanding “career” in youth sports.

Born in Trevose, Pa., Kevin was raised in Hamilton, where he attended Saint Gregory the Great School and graduated from Steinert High School in 1994.

“He would actually stand in a doorway and I would throw balls at him and he loved it,” said Ken McCormick of his son who will be posthumously inducted into the Steinert High School Athletic Hall of Fame during ceremonies April 1 in Hamilton.

“(When he was young) he was a catcher in baseball and he always wanted to have things thrown at him,” Ken McCormick said. “To be a goalie in hockey, to have everything on your shoulders, it never bothered him, it made him better.”

Kevin McCormick played a little bit of football and a lot of ice hockey and golf and is part of the 2017 Induction Class of the SHS Athletic Hall of Fame.

“He was an avid golfer, he kicked my butt when he was about 14,” Ken McCormick said.

The father-son bond was reinforced by sports, especially ice hockey.

“He and I were joined at the hip in hockey,” Ken McCormick said.

After Kevin found hockey, it didn’t take him long to find the position that would elevate him to all-star status.

“Once he got on the ice he found his niche, he wanted to be a goalie,” Ken McCormick said.

“Kevin was a competitor,” said Len Bardsley, a former Times of Trenton sports writer. “He really seemed to enjoy the challenge of taking on the ‘established’ hockey programs in the Colonial Valley Conference.

“He was one of the key players in helping put Steinert ice hockey on the map, because his ability in goal helped the team go toe-to-toe with some of the top programs in the division.

“He had very quick reflexes and could make the saves that should have been goals. A good player to build around.”

In his summary of McCormick for the 1993 CVC All-Stars Bardsley wrote: McCormick (a junior) was one of the busiest goalies in the league, facing over 30 shots a game in the nets for Steinert. The tireless McCormick had 385 saves and started every contest. An intense competitor, McCormick is known for pacing around the net while play is stopped. McCormick’s top game came against Peddie when he had 56 saves against the Falcons in Steinert’s first-round loss in the Mercer County Tournament.”

McCormick earned recognition throughout New Jersey, too. His name appeared on all-state teams by The Star-Ledger, he was selected for the inaugural High School Ice Hockey All-Star Game for seniors and he played in the Garden State Games on the winning team which were nice accomplishments for someone from Mercer County at that time.

“Kevin McCormick was a special young man who always put his teammates first and individual accolades second for his entire high school career,” said Frank Gatto, one of his former coaches at SHS.

McCormick also played hockey for the Mercer Chiefs, and at the University of Maryland for four years.

He received a bachelor’s of arts degree in communications from the University of Maryland in 1998. After graduation, he lived in Hoboken, N.J., Hermosa Beach, Calif., and Manhattan Beach, Calif., and he spent the last eight years of his life at his home on Glen Wild Lake in Bloomingdale, N.J. He built a successful career in medical sales, and he married the love of his life, Jennifer, in September of 2005 in Ashland, Oregon. Kevin was 35 when he died in 2012. Sports and nature were such big parts of his life, in his obituary it was noted that “Kevin was an incredible hockey player, an enthusiastic dart player, but above all he lived for the game of golf. He grew up an avid Eagles, Flyers and Phillies fan. He was happiest in the great outdoors, especially if water was involved. Nothing made him happier than traveling with his wife and experiencing new places.”

The impact that Kevin McCormick and his family made at Steinert is still noteworthy.

“Many athletes who play ice hockey, especially goalie, struggle with the responsibility that is unique to that position,” said former Steinert coach and current Principal Dr. James Fazzone. “Kevin McCormick, however, always seemed most comfortable between the pipes for Steinert. Kevin had great focus, skill, and determination while playing goalie for Steinert. Kevin’s family was also a big part of our team as they attended games and events with the utmost enthusiasm and support. Kevin’s Dad was always a big part of our team as well. Mr. McCormick organized our Christmas Greens fundraiser where we sold wreaths, laurel, and holiday centerpieces to buy extra ice time for our team. The Christmas Greens sale is a Steinert Ice Hockey fund raiser to this day.”

Fazzone summed it up this way:  “Kevin McCormick, a great goalie, a true Spartan.”

Since 2006, athletes, coaches, teams and special contributors have been honored with induction into the Steinert Athletic Hall of Fame. For information, visit steinertathletichof.com.