For ten years, Keith Levinthal has been the architect and driving force behind Manhattanville’s successful hockey team, as well as being the school’s Athletic’s director. According to his bio page online, Levinthal has received the ECAC West Coach of the year twice. This past Monday, I was fortunate enough to have an interview with Keith, in which we discussed his career here at Manhattanville, his introduction to hockey, and his dreams of one day owning a house in Montana.
Gregory Lico – Where were you born?
Keith Levinthal – Hartford, Connecticut. I was born in Mount Saini Hospital in Hartford, CT
GL – How were you introduced to hockey?
KL – Ah, good question. When I was really young, the New England Whalers had moved from Boston to Hartford. My father was a hockey fan and it just so happened that two miles from my house was an ice hockey rink. So I believe I started playing hockey when I was five. Two, the New England Whalers had recently moved to Hartford probably contributed to it as well.
GL – I myself got interested in hockey when I started here. And at the same time, my brother Steven got interested in the sport as well. So we became hockey fans at the same time. So did you play hockey in high school and college?
KL – I did. I played one year at Fermi High school in Enfield. and was really lucky. I got a scholarship to got to Loomis Chaffee, which is a place that I could never, ever had a chance to go to if I didn’t get the scholarship. So I went to Loomis Chaffee in Winsdor, CT for three years and I went on to play hockey at Hobart College.
GL – What did you major in college?
KL – I was an English major.
GL – What kinds of stuff do you like to read?
KL – When I was along those lines, I preferred American literature. Meville, Moby Dick is probably my favorite. I read it one summer for the second time on Bloch Island and I thought it was…but I like that kind of stuff. I really like the style of writing.
GL – It can be an engaging read, especially the last part with Ahab chasing the whale.
KL – Yeah, but my real love in reading is reading history. I’d say about 95 percent of what I’m reading now is history.
GL – What is your favorite period of history?
KL – Definitely the Civil War.
GL – Have you been to Gettysburg?
KL – You know what? I have. I spent three days in Gettysburg with a historian and three other people. As you know Gettysburg was fought over three days, and we would go each day over all the events and walk throught. I had read a lot of books on Gettysburg before I even got there. I’d say that of the half dozen people I was, my knowledge was at the bottom of the list. For me that kind of stuff is fascinating. In my next life, I’d like to be a history teacher.
GL – That was actually one of my questions.
KL - It would be for sure teaching American history. I would rather if, and I would be the first to admit this, I’d rather debate day two of Gettysburg than talk sports to be honest.
GL – So before coming to Manhattanville, what else did you do?
KL - I worked at Hobart for a couple of years as an assistant coach, which was two of my favorite years coaching. When you’re an assistant coach coaching, you just worry about coaching. When you’re an athletic director, there are a million other thing you need to be worried about. But when you’re an assistant coach, you just deal with hockey day, and that part is the enjoyable part. I had the chance to work with a really good guy Bill Greer, who was very helpful and who gave me a chance to do a lot of things and I gained a lot of experience there working for a really successful athletics department
GL – What brought you to Manhattanville?
KL – They had put an advertisement up because they were starting a hockey program, so I applied. Never heard back for months. Then all of a sudden, I want to say in late spring I get a call that they had some issues, they were going to build a rink with the New York Rangers on campus, but the project kept getting delayed but they were redoing it and they were going after it again. They asked me to come down for an interview. I did that. They asked me to come down for a second interview, I did that. But it was really bizarre because I’d given up on it. I applied in January, and never heard a word until April or May. Never hear of the school.
GL – You must have been thrilled to be asked to come here and start up a hockey program.
KL – It is was thrilling and nerve-wracking, sure, because you had no team, no JV team, no club team. We had to start from scratch, which turned out to be an advantage. And it was…my first year all I did was recruit. I spend my first year on the road. I didn’t know this at the time, but when I accepted the position in my first year. When I got here, I realized that a lot of people here didn’t want hockey, didn’t understand the game, didn’t realize the benefits of what it would bring to the school, and people weren’t very helpful. During my first recruiting class, I had to work really hard, because most people were of no help. And it was so different from my experience at Hobart, where you had such tremendous support all over the campus. And that was such a hard thing during my first year.
GL –You must have had it hard, did you think you might give up on creating the team?
KL – No, I think at first. It was really disorganized here and I was really frustrated with that. I went to see President Berman and say, I didn’t have an office or a place to live, that was al part of the original deal. And he said “Hey, hang in there.” You know I don’t think you quit something that you start. But it turned out to be a real blessing in disguise, because I realized real fast that boy, we better be good at what we do or else. I knew that the team had to have the highest GPA on campus, we had to do the most community service and we had to behave ourselves on campus. That was the only way we were going to be successful. And as a result, we went out and did that. Even to this day, it’s rare for us to have a GPA under a 3.3. I promise very little things. When I recruit, I only promise kids, One, you’re going to do well here as a student. Two, were going to do everything we can to make you the best hockey player you can be. Three, we’re here for you. And lastly, as long as you have a good attitude and work hard, you’re always good here in our program.
GL – What kinds of community service are you and your team involved in?
KL – Well, there’s a lot of stuff. We’re involved in the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital Wheelchair games, which we volunteer at. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, were a part of that. We work at different senior centers in the area. The guys actually play video games with the elderly
GL – Maybe next time, you could get them to do the Wii Fit.
KL – Yeah, they actually invited us to their dance. They did this little thing for our guys, And we do a lot with youth hockey associations, too.
GL – I figured.
KL – And this month, our guys are growing mustaches for this thing called “Movember” for prostate cancer, as a way to raise money.
GL – I wondered why all the guys were growing mustaches.
KL – One of my whole things in not only doing good things for people. Whenever we put our guys in a position, where they are either working with little kids or helping other people out, I think it has a big effect on helping them become better people. Because they have to be role models, they have to act a certain way. And the more that they can see how other people have to live their lives, the more they can appreciate what they have and handle it a different way. I think it’s good for them in the long term to see how good they have it here and how important it is for them to give back and help others. That also helps them make better decisions in every other aspect of their lives.
GL – What do you do for practice on a normal basis?
KL - Good question, it varies from day to day. Mondays, a lot of skill development. Tuesdays is probably a lot of defensive play. Wednesdays would be transition. Thursday would be more of defensive coverage and our stretch and we would probably do power play and penalty kill every day. And of course we play [games] on Friday and Saturday on a typical week.
GL – How long do you practice and how many days?
KL – An hour and forty-five minutes a day. We typically practice four, five days a week. Of course we lift weights every Monday and Wednesday too. And Wednesday afternoons we do video every week.
GL – Video?
KL – Video, yeah, which is another big part of our program.
GL – I notice a lot of players are international. How do you recruit players from other countries, Canada, Russia, etc?
KL – I don’t have a preference where our players come from. I’ll be the first to admit I do like guys who don’t have a Plan B option sometimes, because they have to make it work when they come here and they can really appreciate the opportunity when they get and how incredible it is to got to school a half hour outside New York City, play a high level of college hockey. In terms of finding those kids, we sometimes go out there. We spend a lot of time on the phone, sometimes hours on the phone. About 85% is on the phone
GL – In ten years you have been the driving force behind this school’s successful hockey team. What would you say has contributed to your team’s success and for yourself?
KL – well, I think for sure that we have had really good people involved in the program. Whether it’s the players, or the assistant coaches or the support staff, it’s just full of and surrounded by impressive people. And that makes life a lot easier when you have really good people around you. That is by far, the number one thing, without question. The team that we have right now, which is ranked number four in the country. In terms of the quality of individuals on the team, there are some really spectacular people on that team that will be successful in life. You need team players to be successful, and I think we have a team full of those guys.
GL- Let’s get personal, are you yourself married?
KL-I am.
GL-Congratulations. How long have you been married?
KL-I’ve been married since June. I have a seven-year old stepdaughter named Lauren. My wife’s name is Melissa. We live in Fairfield, CT.
GL-Well I guess I already know what your favorite book is, seeing as you answered it earlier.
KL-Well actually my favorite book is The Killer Angels. Great, great book. Yeah, that would be my favorite. I think that was the book that turned me on to Gettysburg and the Civil War.
GL-That would be the book to turn anyone on the Civil War. Do you have any favorite movies?
KL- Yeah, absolutely. Lonesome Dove. It was a TV series. I love the Old West, so for sure Lonesome Dove would be my number one.
GL- Any John Wayne stuff?
KL- Not as much, but Lonesome Dove is much more of a…its really about…a much more complicated Western. It really is a movie about best friends, fathers and sons, relationships gone wrong. It’s defiantly my favorite movie.
GL- I’ll have to check that movie out sometime. Do you play any sports yourself?
KL- I still play hockey in two different leagues. But I’m a fisherman. That’s really what I love to do.
GL- Really?
KL- I just started flyfishing. I started as a small mouth bass, then when I moved to here I became a stripper and bluefish. And this past year, I picked up flyfishing, but I still have a lot of work to do.
GL- I’ve done flyfishing too. It’s kind of fun, but like all fishing, its just a waiting game.
KL- And I play guitar too. I’m working on the guitar thing. Play the base guitar. I have a lot of interests, I just don’t have a lot of time.
GL – What is your ideal vacation?
KL- I’ve got two. Block Island is probably my first. Block Island, for me, is the most relaxing place. It is great during the day and at night the fishing is as good as it gets. And the other place which was where we went on our honeymoon was Montana, which whether its horseback riding, hiking, fishing, or kayaking, its great. One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. I like the open space. And that is eventually one of my goals to live out West. I want the open space.
GL – Maybe have your own ranch?
KL- Yeah, I don’t know if I want a ranch, but I defiantly want land. Ideally, I would like to live out West.
GL – What kinds of music do you prefer?
KL- Ah, a few. I like alternative country, which you can never get on the radio. And I like Americana, which is similar to alternative country. When most people think country, they think of music that comes out of Nashville. I prefer the music that comes out of Austin, Texas. I find it to be true musicians, true songwriters, really talented people. But I like all kinds of music. My iPod has such a wide range from classic rock to cow-punk. And some of my favorite people are those who did punk and now matured to a more country style.
GL – Have you ever been to the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame?
KL- I have. I’ve been there a few times. I have meetings in Cleveland every now and then, so I will take the time to go and see it.
GL- I’ve got two more questions. First, if you could teach any other sports team, what would it be?
KL-Cross-country. Cross-country athletes are the toughest athletes for sure. What’s great about that sport is first, it is a true team sport.
GL – And now my last question. I stole this from Inside the Actor’s Studio. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say to you when you are at the Pearly Gates?
KL- Umm, I tried my best doing the right thing. I tried my best.
Talking with Keith has made me realize that aside from being a hockey coach and our college’s Athletics Director, he is a mentor to many people and has contributed greatly to our school’s success and recognition. Keith has built a team not based on becoming the next Wayne Gretzky, but on how they can be a better person for themselves and for the people around them. Speaking to several hockey players following the interview, they spoke of him glowingly. One had even told me that when he returns here for our graduate program, he would be honor to work with Keith in the Athletics department. To have that level of faithfulness must be rewarding to Keith and I am proud to call him a Manhattanville Hero.
