Editor’s Note: This story began as a short account of the recent Vic Levine Memorial Adult Hockey Tournament. As I gathered information it began to grow into something much bigger. Vic was one of the most significant coaches in the history of WIAA hockey. However, his story runs much deeper than just his influence in hockey. Thanks to the Levine family for their contributions to this tribute to the legacy of Vic Levine.

You would get little if any argument that Vic Levine was one of the most influential and successful high school hockey coaches the state of Wisconsin has ever seen. The iconic math teacher and coach passed away in October 2023 after a battle with esophageal cancer at age 75. His legacy lives on in every person that ever met him. And for one weekend every October the Puck Cancer Vic Levine Memorial Adult Hockey Tournament pays tribute to the legendary coach. As much as Vic loved coaching the game, he may have enjoyed playing it even more, so it seems fitting that an adult tournament would pay tribute to him.

As November rolls in, men are encouraged to grow mustaches to raise cancer awareness. It is a bit of melancholy irony that Vic Levine never needed a special month to showcase his legendary mustache for the disease that ultimately claimed his life. Vic’s bushy stash was his trademark, and I don’t ever remember seeing him without it. His wife Judy confirmed that his mustache, which began when he was a sophomore in college, was seldom absent.

In 1998, Levine bet his team that if they won the state title, they could shave off his mustache. At the championship game some students in the stands had shaving cream cans dangling from hockey sticks. When Madison Memorial defeated Stevens Point 4-3 in overtime, the local television crew came into the locker room to film the team shaving off his mustache.

In the future it would seem appropriate that mustaches should be highly encouraged by all participants in the Vic Levine Memorial Adult Hockey Tournament. Maybe even a requirement!

The mission of the Levine Memorial Tournament is to raise money to support local cancer patients and their families.  The 2025 tournament will support a nine-year old boy, Bennett, who is battling Leukemia for the second time. This year’s event raised over $3,500 to be donated to Bennett and his family.

The tournament kicked off on Saturday morning with a tribute to Vic Levine, followed by a ceremonial puck-drop with Vic's wife Judy, son Adam and daughter Bekah, who both flew in from California for the event. Seven teams competed over the weekend including a team of former Memorial players put together by Adam. Event coordinator Andrea Chaffee surprised the Levine family with a photo of Vic on the game puck. “Judy cried,” shared Chaffee, “she loved it so much...it was pretty awesome.”

Following Vic’s death, a Vic Levine Fund was created that has raised over $27,000 to help disadvantaged, disabled and underprivileged kids. “We have given out most of it as grants to some of the area organizations like the Special Hockey team, sled hockey organization and other youth organizations to help lower the costs for them,” said Judy Levine. That fund will now be transferred to the Vic Levine Memorial Tournament to help families dealing with cancer.

Adam is hoping to help grow the tournament and make it available to even more adult league players. Just two years removed from his father’s passing, Adam is well aware of cancer’s painful journey. “It's all going to a good cause if we can support a family and help them get through these tough times because it's not easy, and we're all still dealing with it.”

For the Love of the Game

Vic Levine was an avid adult league participant right up to the very end. Long time friend and adult league teammate Pete Giacomini said, “Vic’s greatest passion was in playing the game itself.” A close friend of Levine, Giacomini, about to turn seventy is still putting on the goalie pads and playing twice a week. He recounted a story of Vic’s love for the game. “I think it was club hockey at Trinity, I don't know for certain, and Vic was a pre-Med student and at one point there was a conflict with the required class and hockey practice and he chose to go to practice.”

Giacomini, who delivered the eulogy at Vic’s funeral, admits the goal of their adult league group is “to just keep everybody playing as long as we can.” As most of us find out the adult league version of sports becomes about the friendships and the lockeroom banter. And for this morning game and group, donuts have long replaced the traditional postgame beer.

Watching Levine coach through his career it was obvious that his love for the game went beyond playing. “I think he also just loved the camaraderie around the lockeroom,” said his son Adam. “And I think he also liked the strategizing and the development of players. I mean that was really where he sunk his teeth into, was watching the kids he coached develop and grow. He was very smart, and for lack of a better term calculated (math pun),” he joked. He had a developmental game plan for the players and the program—and it was awesome to be a part of it.”

It is clear in talking with Giacomini that Levine’s departure has left a void that can’t be replaced. “Vic was beloved,” shared Giacomini. “His skills weren't that much better than the average, but you know that made us realize that we could keep playing too. But his positivity, he would never say anything negative, he was just there to have a good time like the rest of us. So yeah, we miss him, we miss him a lot.”

The Spartan Hockey Family

Like so many others, Adam Levine found himself in the common, yet challenging, position of having to play for his dad. As a freshman in 1992 the mutual decision was made for Adam to stay at bantams. The following year as a sophomore the Spartans made it to the championship game but lost 4-3 to Superior. As a senior Adam was named a 1st Team All State defenseman. Memorial went to the state tournament for the third time, and the dream of a father/son championship came up empty. “It would have been nice, it just didn't happen,” lamented Adam.

When asked about those challenges of playing for your dad, Adam described the path they laid out. “We both kind of had a mutual understanding that we didn't really talk immediately after a game. We kind of let things simmer down. In retrospect, I thought that was a really smart approach on his part, because he knew that if we went down that path, things could go sideways quickly.” It is an approach that should be adopted by all parents. Adam, who works in sales for Lumen Technologies, currently coaches his son’s team in San Diego. “Obviously a little bit more challenging and difficult out here,” Adam confessed.

For Judy Levine the life of high school coach’s wife almost always includes the task of welcoming a large contingent of adopted children. Coach’s houses become the hockey epicenter for many teams and the mom’s become the host, caterer and etiquette coach. Judy took that job seriously and one of the first lessons was, “I taught them right away in the beginning that when you enter somebody's house you take your shoes off,” she noted, “I've pictures of these piles of shoes in the entry way.”

“There was a real sense of community that he and my mom developed within the hockey program,” revealed Adam. “It was just a really cool thing to be a part of.” Adam heaped much praise on his mother’s role in building that community atmosphere. “My mom was a huge part of it.”

“Well, I decided early on that if I was going to see him (Vic) and we were going to enjoy this time together that I needed to really be part of it,” confessed Judy. “I tried to go to every game home or away and that when the kids were really little, I would often take them with me.”

The Levine family bond that hockey delivered started at the top with Vic and Judy. Bekah remembers well the post-game discussions at home. “They would talk a long time after the games. For a woman who never grew up around the game, she loved to talk to my dad about the games. Partly, I think she just loved how excited he got about it, and wanted to share that with him, but also, she really cared about the players.”   

Spartan traditions evolved including hosting a team lunch after Vic would make his final cuts. The whole team would come over to watch the Packer game on a Sunday and Judy would prepare over 100 meatball sandwiches. The Levine rec room became a sort of Spartan hockey shrine with team photos filling the walls.

Levine like many coaches was aware of the temptations of New Years Eve and high school boys. He held a traditional morning outdoor practice on January 1st. Judy would deliver hot chocolate and donuts. “The players loved those things,” Judy affirmed, “I mean they really were part of our extended family.”

For daughter Bekah, who grew up a figure skater, the family hockey influence remained significant. “Who I am, how I parent, how I teach, how I see life—all of that has been shaped by my mom and dad,” she said. Bekah now living in San Diego, with two children of her own, teaches in a French Immersion middle school. Like her dad Bekah switched majors in college and leaned on his guidance. “He talked to me about how interesting and fun teaching is, and how important it is,” she recalled. “I've taken a lot of my dad's teaching philosophy into my own classroom. One thing he always stressed was to praise publicly but correct privately.”

While attending college at the University of British Columbia, she traded in her toe picks for hockey skates and played on the club team. When she lived in Boston, she coached an area junior varsity hockey team. Judy recalled Vic boxing up hockey books to send out to her. “You couldn't grow up in my house without some familiarity with hockey,” said Bekah. “When the opportunity came to play while I was at the University of British Columbia, I couldn't pass it up. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I was able to experience the beauty of the sport, and the camaraderie of being on a team. It was so much fun!”

A Calculating Mind

Sometimes coaches can get painted as one dimensional and laser focused on that part of their life. Levine was in stark contrast to that stereotype and was as multi-layered as an onion. His love for mathematics was equally strong and blending the two together came naturally. Aaron Rodgers gave all of us a look into the mind of a player that sees that game differently than most. LA Rams coach Sean McVay has demonstrated the ability to recall specific play calls, down, distance, and game situations from his entire coaching career. Those who spent time around Levine saw a similar ability to dissect the game.

Levine and Giacomini spent many years as the official scorers for the Badgers men’s program. Levine was responsible for the shot chart, which included judgment on whether shots were blocked, wide or on net. Giacomini was responsible for awarding goals and assists, which had to be determined quickly. “We all worked together,” recalled Giacomini, “but Vic’s vision for the game flow made him my most valuable asset. Vic could have done all our jobs himself because he just had an uncanny sense of both what was about to happen and what had just happened.” Giacomini placed Levine into the same category as Mark Johnson, “I’d say he is at that level, he just saw the ice as well as anybody I’ve ever been around.”

The Johnson and Levine families were quite intertwined. Mark, of course, played for Levine, and in 1976 they won a state championship together when Vic was an assistant coach. Mark also served as an assistant under Levine for one season after retiring from the NHL and all three of his sons played for Levine at Memorial. Mark’s future wife, Leslie babysat for the Levine family, “She was our very first babysitter,” relayed Judy.

Bob Johnson’s impact on Levine was reflected in his positive and poised demeanor behind the Spartans bench. Mark Greenhalgh, Badger Women’s Goalie Coach, and former assistant with Vic for thirteen seasons at Memorial said, “Vic was heavily influenced by Bob Johnson’s coaching philosophy and implemented the positive mindset belief with much success. He still held people accountable but never got down on a player to any great extent during a game.” Giacomini described him as “even tempered” and “the calm voice of reason.”

Perhaps the most impactful person in Levine’s calculating mind was by no accident his father, Philip, born in Russia in 1900, who then came to America in 1908. The elder Levine earned a medical s degree from Cornell Medical School and became an immuno-hematologist. He was a pioneer in the blood research that discovered the Rh factor in blood that led to the discovery and the development of treatments for Rh disease. In 1969, the American Society for Clinical Pathology started an award for clinical research and named it the Philip Levine Award.

At Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, Vic Levine started down the medical path his father paved. Maybe it was missing that class to go to hockey practice, but Levine changed course and pursued a mathematics degree instead. It was then off to UW-Madison in search of a graduate degree.

Vic taught mathematics including advanced calculus at Memorial for thirty-five years as well as being an adjunct professor at Madison Area Technical College beginning in 2008. He was involved as an international consultant and played a major role in writing the math AP test still used across the country. Wherever he delegated his time it produced significant influence and results. Greenhalgh said, “Vic had such a huge influence on so many people, he did things for all the right reasons.”

The number of Levine’s former hockey players that went on to play in college and professionally is well documented. Giacomini believes the number of math students that Levine influenced was even greater. “I’d venture to guess that the number of teachers, engineers, Ph.D’s, professors, and scientists who built their foundation in Vic Levine’s calculus class at Memorial would make the hockey number pale by comparison.” Former players expressed the consistent sentiment that Coach Levine taught them as much or more about life as he did about hockey. Levine never allowed his players to forget that they were high school students first and athletes second.

After his passing in 2023 his wife Judy reminisced, "He would be proud of the fact that he felt like he treated people well," she said. "People wanted to be around him and listen to him and what he had to say."

Leading the Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association

Levine did indeed have a lot to say when it came to organizing the state’s hockey coaches. He was one of the pioneers and an impactful leader of the then fledgling Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association. Vic served as president of the WHCA three times in the organizations first fourteen years, 1982, 85 and 1990. He was a meticulous record keeper and staunch advocate for the growth of high school hockey. He started a three-ring binder that contains all the minutes from the WHCA annual meetings since 1977. At this time, that invaluable piece of history seems to be lost. Vic was an outspoken statesman for high school hockey who led the charge that eventually brought eight boys teams to the state tournament in 1989.

In 2004, after being nominated seven times previously, Levine was named the WHCA Bob Johnson Memorial Coach of the Year. At the time Levine credited Johnson saying, “He had the biggest influence on my coaching career.” Vic relayed this story to me about winning the award and Johnson’s influence on him. “It was 1978 and I did not attend the state coaches meeting because my team was getting ready to play in the state tournament”, recalled Levine. “He (Johnson) told me in no uncertain words that as a coach of a team at the state tournament it was my duty to attend the coaches meeting and help that organization grow in stature. He said that things dealing with the team could be handled by my assistant coaches and that I should be at the meeting. I have not missed a state coaches meeting since.”

I can recall Vic telling that story at the annual Fall Coaches Clinic. It was his straightforward message to all the coaches across the state to attend the clinic. It is a pertinent reminder to current coaches of their responsibility to be stewards and promotors of the high school product. The unchecked growth of year-round Tier I programs and their poaching of high school players is a serious threat to Wisconsin high school hockey.

Vic was always measured and poised when dealing with the WIAA and their constant denial of the requests of the WHCA. As a young coach watching from afar in Spooner, I learned a lot from Vic. He was one of the coaches who came out in support of me when I was nominated for the president position. That meant a lot to me.

The Covid year took a toll on many businesses and organizations. The WHCA Fall Coaches Clinic, which was annually held in October in Madison to kick off the WIAA season, became a casualty of Covid. The in-person clinic was replaced temporarily with a virtual clinic in 2020 and 2021. I am certain Vic would be disappointed to see the elimination of the clinic. Current President BJ Brandt is hopeful for the clinic to return in 2026. “The greatest hurdle we have had was the Badger Schedule not cooperating to align with the clinic,” offered Brandt.

A Legacy of Winning

When Levine moved to Madison, he found himself in the same neighborhood as Bob Johnson, Lee Skille and Conrad Andringa, a decent hat trick itself. Levine soon found himself as a youth assistant coach with the West Flyers under head coaches Art Thomsen and John Riley.  Thomson and John McCormick were the last coaches of the inaugural Badger program of the 1920-30’s and Riley the head coach of the first Badger team of the modern era which began in 1963. Looking back years later, Levine said, “I was very lucky to be in the right place at the right time.”

Levine’s tenure behind the Madison Memorial bench began as an assistant to goaltending guru Bill Howard.  In 1977 Levine was named head coach. In all he patrolled the Spartan bench for over thirty-five years, including his return as an assistant after he stepped down as head coach in 2006. He was a part of an unprecedented eight WIAA state championships. Levine’s Spartans made twenty-two state tournament appearances. He won championships in four different decades, 1976 and 77, as an assistant with Howard and 1979, 80, 85, 88, 98, and 2000 as head coach. His six titles as a head coach is the most by any coach, with Jim Webster, Madison East (4), Gary Harker, David Kukowski and Jason Kalin, all with Superior (3) behind him.   

Memorial never had a losing season with Levine, and he compiled a 512-144-20 (.757%) career record. It took Pete Susens, who holds the record for most wins at 573-233-25 (.689), seven more seasons, thirty-six in all at Wausau West, to surpass Levine. Memorial made five straight championship game appearances from 1976 to 1980, they won four and lost the other 1-0 to Madison East. In the first thirty-three years of the WIAA state tournament, Memorial made an unfathomable twenty-nine trips.

When Levine attained the 500-win milestone the team presented him with a framed jersey to commemorate the achievement. The backstory is that the jersey they used was that of Matt Mussallem who had been the victim of a near disaster.  During a game, he was cut by a skate blade on the neck, narrowly missing his carotid artery. He was ambulanced to the emergency room, but they had to cut his jersey off from him in the process of saving his life. That became the jersey framed for the 500th win.   

Since Levine’s retirement in 2006, the Spartans have made just one state tournament appearance in 2015. There have been six undefeated boys state champions in WIAA history. Levine was a part of three of them; 1976 22-0, 1977 21-0-1 and his 1985 team that went 24-0. From 1976 to 1978 the Spartans ran off a 42-game unbeaten streak. It is hard to imagine that any modern-day coaches, who tend to have a much shorter shelf life, will eclipse any of those marks.

The list of awards and recognition bestowed on Levine is extensive as it is impressive. He was inducted into the Madison Sports Hall of Fame, Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and recognized by the National Federation of State High Schools Association and with the American Hockey Coaches Association’s John Mariucci award for contributions to high school hockey. Levine also made an appearance in the Hollywood movie scene in the 1980 made for television movie, The Boy Who Drank Too Much, starring Scott Baio. The movie is about Buff Saunders, played by Baio, who is an alcoholic high school hockey star. Levine and his Memorial Spartans are part of the on-ice scenes that were filmed at Hartmeyer Ice Arena in Madison. The movie debuted six days before Mark Johnson and the 1980 Gold Medal Olympic team’s first game in Lake Placid.

Vic Levine’s influence on the growth and development of Wisconsin high school hockey is compelling and undeniable. Equally convincing was the impact he had on his students, players, colleagues and virtually everyone he met. In his eulogy Giacomini stated, “The number of people I heard from was almost overwhelming.”

Like so many significant people in our lives, Vic was guided by his religious values. “His belief in a higher power, faith in God, and in the world to come centered him in everything he did,” said Giacomini. It is a poignant reminder for all of us to appreciate those around us while they are here. As Clarence the angel in It’s A Wonderful Life warns us, “Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" 

That hole is real, but we fill it with wonderful memories and stories, because for Vic Levine, it truly was a wonderful life. “It’s just continuing his legacy and his memory, it's still tough for me,” said a grateful son, Adam, as his voice faded away to the emotions.

“I couldn’t have been luckier to have him as my dad,” Bekah concluded.  

The 2026 Puck Cancer Vic Levine Memorial Adult Hockey Tournament

Will be held in October, date TBA, at Verona Ice Arena. Teams interested in participating in next year’s event can email Andree Chaffee at andreachaffee@yahoo.com.

Donations to the tournament can still be made.