Dave Fromm. Gone way too soon. Miss you already Frommer.

Thoughts and prayers to your family Frommer!

I regret not keeping in touch with Frommer as much in recent years, outside of a random text here and there.   It was heartbreaking to receive the news.  

I’ve known Dave since the mid 90s.  He ran the Dangle Roller Hockey League in MN and played and coached the Ultra-Wheels Team when we first met.   He was at the NARCh FINALS from the very beginning. 1994.  We became good friends on and off the rink.

In ’97 Dave coached Team USA (USARS) for the first time, and I played.  He was a player’s coach before the term became overused.  Dave had the ability to get respect from his players, yet still be their bud, even though we were all the same age.  Always greeting you with that finger flip.  Always had a seat at the card table and loved to laugh and tell stories with the best of them.  Dave was a blast to be around.

He lit up a rink when we walked in it.  Infectious smile.   If you were on the other bench, you may have got that confused for a shit-eating grin.   Known to lose his voice coaching on more than a few occasions, but much of that was due to the number of teams he coached at one time at tournaments.   A testament to how many lives he touched.

I was always so impressed on how he could change his coaching style to fit the team in front of him.   Beyond encouraging with the youngest players, yet tough love with the older guys he knew well when needed.  A mentor to other coaches, me included.

You were one of a kind Dave.  No rink you ever entered will be the same without you.