Some stories start with a trophy on a shelf. This one starts with a promise.
Coach Scott has spent nearly two decades coaching women’s hockey after a long career in the military. His rink is a classroom where leadership is learned the hard way and kindness is practised on purpose. He tells his captains that leaders eat last and sleep last. They take care of their people before they take care of themselves. He believes a team is at its best when character comes first, then being a good teammate, then talent. You can be the best player on the ice, but if you forget to lift the people beside you, you are missing what matters most.
Every year, Scott identifies his graduating players and begins months of quiet work to help them finish well. Senior leadership starts long before the first puck drops. The older players take the lead, carry the water, set the tone, and learn how to bring others along. During the season, Scott and his staff teach the details of the women’s game. They talk about angling, protecting the puck, and making contact with purpose. They also talk about being grateful, finding your wins, and speaking to each other with respect when emotions run high. It is real world training wrapped in sport.
At the end of the year, each graduate receives a small wooden puck that Scott turns himself and a presentation box he designs and engraves. Inside the lid, there is a simple record of that season. A name. Some numbers. A memory that can be held and shown to future kids, who will hear about the year their mom skated with grit and grace. Nested in the base there is a place for a coin. Scott chose silver on purpose.
Why silver? In hockey, most of the trophies you see are silver. The Stanley Cup is silver. The bright metal shows fingerprints and history. It tells the truth about the work that got you here. There was a time when silver held more value than gold. Even today, it carries its own kind of weight. For Scott, the Silver Maple Leaf is a symbol of achievement that is humble and proud at once. It is Canadian. It is beautiful. It is strong without shouting. It says you have earned something you will carry for life.
Scott also believes in paying it forward. In the military, there is a tradition of challenge coins. A coin does not make you a leader, but it marks a moment when your leadership was seen. Scott brought that idea to his association in a new program called Griffins for Life. They will induct players, coaches, and builders who have left the program better than they found it. The first honouree will be University of Guelph head coach Katie Mora, a hometown player who came back to lead and build. Scott is designing a special box for her that honours all three roles. He has been looking at a beautiful version of the Silver Maple that features three leaves. Three leaves for player, coach, and builder. Three leaves for the past, the present, and the future.
For his graduating players this year, Scott contacted Canada Gold to purchase newly minted 2026 Silver Maple Leaf coins when they are released. Ten of them, set aside and ready when the season ends. He is practical about cost and clear about meaning. Gold would be too expensive for a gift he pays for himself, and silver is perfect for the story he wants to tell. The coin is worth money, but that is not why it matters. It is a promise to pay it forward. It is a reminder that someone saw you do something hard and good and wanted you to remember it.
The way Scott presents the gift matters just as much as the coin itself. He builds the box. He turns the wooden puck. He engraves the names. He places the coin so it fits just right. When a player opens the lid, she sees the facts of her season and feels the care that went into this one-of-a-kind keepsake. It is a quiet ceremony that says you belong to something bigger than a stat line. You are part of a team that asked a lot of you and trusted you to give it. You did. Now take this with you as proof.
There is a quote Scott loves:
“Society grows great when old people plant trees under whose shade they will never sit.”
Coaching is like that. So is gifting silver to a young woman who is about to step into the next hard and beautiful chapter of her life. The tree is not only a symbol. It is a plan. Scott wants these athletes to come back to the game in time as officials, coaches, and leaders. He wants the team room to be full of women who once wore the jersey and chose to give back. He knows many of them will not be able to invest 20 hours a week right away. Careers and families come first and that is as it should be. So he invites them to give what they can and makes room for every hour they offer. Five hours can change a room when it is given with intention.
The girls understand. They raise money for good causes. They support each other when days are heavy. They learn to say I need a minute before the drill starts so the coach knows how to help. They learn that it takes more strength to pick someone up than to put them down. They learn that a silver coin can be both treasure and teaching. Silver tarnishes if it is left alone. It shines brightest when it is handled, polished, and passed across a table with care. So do people.
At Canada Gold, we hear stories about precious metals as investments and as gifts. We love numbers, but we love meaning more. Scott’s story moved us because it is so practical and so full of heart. He is not building a museum piece. He is building a habit of honour and a culture of gratitude. He is teaching young athletes that winning is bigger than a scoreboard. It looks like service. It sounds like thank you. It feels like opening a simple box and seeing your name beside a silver leaf that will always remind you who you were when your team needed you most.
This year, we will set aside the 2026 Silver Maple Leaf coins Scott requested so his seniors receive the keepsake they have earned. If you have your own tradition that uses precious metals to mark a moment, we would be honoured to help you bring it to life. If you are just starting a tradition, a Silver Maple is a beautiful way to begin. It carries a story. It holds a promise. It fits in the palm of your hand like a seed.
And when you give it, you are planting a tree.
