Thank You, Andy Geshan

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When Miami Hockey opened the 1995-1996 season with a pair of games at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, Calif., Andy Geshan was not there.

The newly hired Miami equipment manager had a good excuse; he and his bride Carmen were on their honeymoon.

But by the home opener that fall in Oxford (Oct. 20, 1995 vs. Michigan State), Geshan was behind the bench.

And he's still there today.

The job responsibilities and technologies may look a little different than they did three decades ago. Plenty of players, coaches and staffers have come and gone. Even the arena is different than when Geshan started (Steve "Coach" Cady Arena at the Goggin Ice Center opened in 2006).

But Geshan is still in the equipment room, toiling hard behind the scenes to help Miami Hockey.

Through nearly 29 seasons with the Red and White, 'Gesh', as he's known to everyone inside and outside the program, can count on one hand the number of times he's missed a game.

It adds up to an important milestone, as Geshan worked the 1,000th game of his Miami career on Dec. 30, 2023 when the RedHawks visited Niagara.

"When I think about Miami Hockey, I think about Andy Geshan," said head coach Chris Bergeron. "In my mind, where I'm coming from is 'consistency.' Obviously 1,000 games over 29 years is in itself amazingly consistent, and I think Gesh's approach on a daily basis has been consistent.

"He cares about the kids. His demeanor and attention to detail and those kinds of things are self-explanatory, but what he brings to the table as far as caring for the boys and making sure they've got all their needs is a whole other thing, and a lot of people don't get to see that."

Trying to list the responsibilities Geshan's job entails (between both hockey and synchronized skating) is a hopeless cause, because there are so many things day-in and day-out that might seem routine or go unnoticed.

Sharpening blades.

Andy Geshan and Miami Hockey bench — 'Gesh' behind the Miami bench during one of his 1,000 games
as the program's equipment manager (photo by Bella Sagarese)

Repairing skates.

Ordering jerseys.

Making the coffee.

Vacuuming the locker room.

Purchasing sticks.

Doing laundry.

Doing laundry.

(That one's worth repeating, because there is a LOT of laundry!)

A normal day for Geshan might involve a half-dozen loads, between hockey socks, underwear, jerseys and towels.

And when Miami is hosting a home hockey series, his duties expand to include taking care of laundry for the visiting team and referees.

After Friday night's game ends, Geshan will undoubtedly be one of the last people out of the building, likely after midnight.

(At least he won't be sleeping on the floor under his desk, which has happened in the past on more than one occasion…especially in the precious few hours between the end of a road trip and the start of his sons' Sunday morning youth hockey games!)

"To be in that job, you have to love what you do," said Geshan's son Patrick, now a broadcaster for the Bismarck Bobcats. "It's very clear to me that he enjoys it, for the amount of time he's spent doing it.

"It's not glamorous at all. You are doing hands-on labor, and you're working ridiculous hours. You're away from home a lot. You've got to love hockey. You've got to love grinding. You've got to love the day-to-day pressures and tolls that it takes on you, both physically and mentally.

"It's a hard job to do, for so many different reasons. Someone reaches this milestone because they're devoted, they're committed and they love what they do. It's really, really incredible that he's done it for 29 years now. That, to me, is just really special."

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Gesh's relationship with the sport of hockey began nearly a half century ago, attending Cincinnati Stingers games in the 1970's at the Riverfront Coliseum (now Heritage Bank Center). In fact, a pennant and poster from that era still sit near his desk at Goggin, with familiar faces like Barry Melrose and Mark Messier prominently pictured.

"My dad was career Navy," Andy Geshan recalled. "I was born on the island of Malta, then my dad was transferred to Cleveland, then Spain, and Cincinnati after that.

"I grew up on the east side of Cincinnati from third grade on…my mom would put [me and my brother] on the bus, the bus would take us downtown, my dad would meet us at the government square there and take us to dinner, and then we'd go see a hockey game…

Alex McDaniel and Andy Geshan — Geshan (right) with assistant Alex McDaniel after Miami
won the Frozen Faceoff in 2015 (photo by Greg Waddell)

"I can remember doing homework between periods. I watched Wayne Gretzky play when he was 17 years old. I saw Gordie Howe play in that building. I used to listen to the games on a transistor radio under my pillow. I have a scrapbook in my garage of newspaper clippings that I got out of my parents' basement…

"That's where I learned hockey. Growing up, I think maybe there was a little bit of youth hockey on the west side of Cincinnati, but not on the east side, so I never played."

After attending Cincinnati Technical College, Geshan went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in Applied Science from Miami University in 1988. He enjoyed attending hockey games during his first year as a Miami student, and the next fall found him at the rink trying to land a job. "They handed me an application [with different categories]: very general, custodial, whatever. Nothing with the team. So I put my own box and checkmark," Geshan laughed.

"I want to work for the team, whatever that looks like!"

Geshan spent two seasons as a student worker under David Randolph, the first full-time equipment manager for Miami Hockey. "It was an alignment of the stars…he had just been hired and was looking for help, and that's when I walked in," Geshan said.

"There were probably two trips a year that I would travel with the team solo, and on others I would go with him…I was [majoring] in what's now Computer Science, but I wasn't getting it. I just didn't enjoy it...

"So I fell in love with this."

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Geshan said one of the favorite things about his chosen career is figuring out to fix things or make them better. "Not quite McGyver-ish, but I have a problem to solve and I have a paper clip and a rubber band, and that's all I have. Sometimes that's what you have to do on the bench!", he said.

"I like the hands-on aspect of it. I like the immediate results of it. Whether it's a routine thing, like sharpening a pair of skates, or if there's something wrong, trying to turn that around and solve that problem real quickly. A player comes off the ice from a shift – 'Hey Gesh, I've got this [issue]' – and depending on who it is, I only have so much time to fix it.

"I like the hands-on solving and seeing the results of my work."

Geshan family in 2018 — Geshan family (From L: Carmen, Patrick, Andy, Parker) in 2018
with the Stanley Cup (courtesy of Andy Geshan)

Former Miami great and current Columbus Blue Jackets forward Sean Kuraly '16 said he remembers and appreciates Geshan always paying attention to the smallest details. "Every time after we'd get off the ice, he'd want the insoles of your skates taken out. To this day, I don't even know why," Kuraly chuckled.

"Maybe it makes them dry faster or whatever? But it's something I'm still doing to this day. I think I'm the only one in my locker room to do it now. It's by pure habit, and every time I do it, I think of Gesh."

"He operates in his own way," Patrick Geshan said. "He's really, in a lot of ways, self-taught in many different areas…My dad is very old-school; he does it how he knows how to do it. He has his own style, his own way and his own method of going about the job…

"I mean, Gesh is Gesh. That's who he is. That's what makes him him."

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The role of equipment manager can be a thankless one. In fact, ask Miami Hockey captains past and present about Gesh's impact on the RedHawks, and that exact word comes up over and over again.

"Miami is lucky to have Gesh," Kuraly said. "He's obviously one of the best at his job. It's not an easy job. A lot of late nights, and a lot of thankless hours and thankless duties that aren't seen. Those come a lot of times without 'thank yous' because no one knows they're even done!

"But Gesh is one of those guys that is doing it no matter what, not for the praise or for people patting him on the back. He's coming in and getting the job done, and I think that's the greatest thing about Gesh…

"He's one of a handful of people that have really dedicated their professional lives to Miami Hockey. I think, on behalf of all the alumni, we're super thankful for the time and effort he's put into this program."

"For a guy to be around as long as he has, I know he cares about Miami and the program so much, which is really inspiring," said Jack Clement. "He does a really tough job, day-in and day-out. It's a thankless job and I think a lot of what he does goes unnoticed.

"For him to get that recognition and reach that milestone is really a testament to who he is as a person, just putting his head down and going to work every day and making sure we have everything we need.

"The detail in which he does it…and the human being he is: He's obviously a huge part of what goes on here."

Andy Geshan — *Geshan before Miami's outdoor game at Soldier Field in 2013*

"When my dad goes home at night, he wants to know that he did the best he could every single day, and he just doesn't want the public recognition for it," Patrick Geshan added.

"He doesn't think he deserves that; he doesn't think it's necessary. He doesn't believe that he should get a party and get all this attention just for simply doing his job."

And even though (or perhaps, because) Gesh might not hear expressions of gratitude as often as he deserves, he has made an intentional effort over the many years in his role to show his appreciation to those around him.

"The days can be long and tiring, but Gesh never forgets to tell you 'thank you' every day and make sure that you know you and your hard work are appreciated," said student manager Shelby Wright. "That's something that has stood out to me working with him that isn't the standard everywhere."

"When [what you do] is recognized and you can tell someone has gone out of their way to simply say thank you, that means a lot," Andy Geshan said.

"But I do a lot of things for these guys, out of necessity, that they have no idea I do…maybe they didn't even know anything happened.

"It's what I do."

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Players Mentioned

Jack Clement

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