Our History

Rousseau's Hockey Clinic was born of a French Canadian father's love for his sons and a desire to share with them a life long passion for the game of hockey. The earliest Clinics were, in fact, summer scrimmages organized by Coach Guy Rousseau specifically to teach his own sons how to play and love the game.

Since its inception in 1986, Rousseau's Hockey Clinic has evolved to become Maine's largest and most highly regarded program for Ice Hockey instruction.

The clinic currently serves nearly 800 hockey players from throughout the state each year and our range in age from 3 through 72. We employ more than 50 instructors and counselors.

1986 marked the first official year of open enrollment. Coach Rousseau and his oldest son, Gary, offered a program focused specifically on Power Skating to 40 squirt and pee-wee players from the Lewiston, Maine area. The first sessions took place at the Kennebec Ice Arena, the official home of Rousseau's Hockey Clinic in the Central Maine region. Since then, the program has experienced many changes....

• 1991 - We expanded the program to Bantam and High School Age players - We are invited to conduct our first Private clinic to Mid-Coast Youth Hockey
• 1994 - We offered our first clinic in Southern Maine at the Portland Ice Arena
• 1997 - We are invited to conduct a Private clinic to Waterville Youth Hockey
• 1998 - We expanded the program to 4 to 7 year old Beginners - We offered our first clinic at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham
• 1999 - The Family Ice Center in Falmouth becomes our official home in Southern Maine - Our Southern Maine programs are expanded to include all divisions in both the spring and summer - We offer our first Fall "Training Camp" clinic in Lewiston - Rousseau's Hockey Clinic Staff was asked to conduct "Try-Outs" for the Lewiston Area Travel Teams and Maine State Select teams
• 2000 - We expand our youth clinics to include a "Select Bantam" division.  Our Fall "Training Camp" clinics are offered in Auburn - We were invited to conduct private clinic for Skowhegan High School - We introduced its first ever "All Girls" Clinic
• 2001 - We added the Girls Clinic as part of our Core Programs - We were invited to conduct private clinic for Lawrence High School
• 2002 - We added a "Dry-Land training program to our curriculum, making us a complete hockey training program - We are invited to conduct a "Checking Clinic" for Gorham Youth Hockey - We are invited to conduct a power skating clinic for Scarborough Middle School
• 2003 - We expanded our Goaltender programs to include "Goalie Only" practice sessions.  We conducted our first Adult Men's Clinic
• 2004 - We expanded our Adult clinics to both Men and Women in Southern Maine.  We expand our "Select Clinic" offerings to include a "Select Pee-Wee" division.
• 2005 - We further expanded our Adult clinics, offering clinics in the early spring and fall at both the Family Ice Center and Kennebec Ice Arena.
• 2006 - Our 20th anniversary.  We expanded our "All Girls" division to the Kennebec Ice Arena.
• 2007 - We conduct Goalie clinics for Casco Bay Youth Hockey and "Training Camp" clinics for Maine Coast Youth Hockey.
• 2008 - We expand our "Select Clinic" offerings to include a "Select Squirt" division.
• 2009 - We introduce both Adult and Youth clinics at the newly renovated Ingersoll Arena in Auburn.  We welcome back coach Shawn Rousseau to our staff.
• 2010 - We introduced our first "Goalie Clinic" with great success.  We expanded our Adult clinic curriculum to include a "Puck Skills" and “Game Skills” curriculum.
• 2011 - We celebrate our 25th Anniversary running hockey clinics.  To date, we have trained nearly 5,000 Maine hockey players.  We conducted our first clinic at the Midcoast Rec Center in Rockport, Me.
• 2012 – We returned to the Augusta area and offered youth clinics at the new Bank of Maine Ice Vault.
• 2013 – We offered our first “Select Girls” division for High School and Prep School girls with accomplished hockey skills.
• 2014 – We will be offering adult and youth clinics at the new Norway Savings Bank arena in Auburn.  We expanded our spring clinics to include a High School division.
• 2016 - Rousseau's Hockey celebrates our 30th anniversary. Since 1986 we have trained with more than 8,000 Maine hockey players.
• 2017 - We begin our fouth decade training Maine hockey players.