For the part 34 years, there has been a familiar face around North High School. In February, this familiar face will disappear. Mr. Diebel, a teacher and former head coach of the boys’ hockey team, will be retiring this February.

He is no stranger to the community surrounding North High. After all, he did grow up in Maplewood. His mom went to North, as well as his brother ad uncle. He himself graduated from North High School in the Class of ‘78. “I see people all over the community. I once had a former student to pull up at a stoplight and say hi…”

He was a teacher in the Mound-Westonka district when his former high school coach, who had become the Athletic Director, asked him to come back and coach. He was the Boys’ Hockey coach for twenty years. The hockey program had been around since 1948 and it was struggling when Mr. Diebel started coaching. “ in the late 80s and early 90s it had become unstable. There had been only 3 head coaches from 1948 until around 1990. Then the team had two coaching staffs within 5 years. The coaches were not teachers in our school so they could not develop as strong of a relationship with the players as our coaching did. A very negative culture was present. They had mostly losing seasons and discipline problems when I becam

e the Head Coach. I would not say we built the program from the ground up but we re-established the program. We let our players know the great history of Polar hockey and tried to make playing for the team important and fun.” Boys’ Hockey went on to win the Academic Championship as well as several Section Academic Championships. The students went from having discipline problems to becoming “good school and community citizens which made for a very positive team environment…when I started coaching, I didn’t know we would be friends. It was friendships that stuck around.” The program went from having three head coaches from 1948 to 1990 who weren’t even teachers at North…“ they could not develop as strong of a relationship with the players as our coaching did,”…to a program where the majority of the coaches are former players at North.

Mr. Diebel is a former hockey player for the North Polars. A while back, they started an event called Alumni Weekend, where former players come back and play. They also have an induction in the “Hall of Fame.” Every year, two or three players are inducted. “We started the Polar Hockey Alumni Weekend and it still takes place every year, We have an Alumni vs. Alumni Game and Social on Friday Night and a Hall of fame Induction on Saturday

Night before the Varsity Hockey game.”  Mr. Diebel was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015… “It was an honor to be a part of that…every guy feels honored when they are inducted.”

He describes his best experience as the times he spent with the people and kids he met over the years. He describes his worst experience as the witnessing the increase on students. “It’s not as fun as it should be. You got to have joy in education.”

After 34 years of teaching, Mr. Diebel doesn’t know what he’ll do next. “I’m going to take the opportunity to find something different.” Every person who has ever spent time with Mr. Diebel knows that he is a fun guy to be around. “I’ve always enjoyed being around students…” We enjoyed being around you too, Mr. Diebel. You will be greatly missed. Come back and visit!