GIL SCHAFFER CLASS OF '07 YEAR OF INDUCTION: 2018 Gil Schaffer finished his high school ice hockey career as Steinert High School's all-time leading goal-scorer with 112. A four-year varsity letter winner, Schaffer helped the Spartans win three Colonial Valley Conference titles and the only Mercer County Tournament ice hockey championship in the school's history. "I have so much respect for all sports but I felt like hockey was the thing I was most interested in," he said. "The (best) first and last memory (of sports, for me) will always be the MCT title run of '06," he said. "That '06 team was so good." "Gil was tremendous, he had 10 goals and two assists in the three games," former SHS ice hockey coach Bill James said. "It was one of the most dominating three- game stretches I have seen someone play, both offensively and defensively, on our team." "I'll never forget that week," Schaffer said. "Standing-room-only (at the rink) at Mercer County Park. I remember thinking that I felt like 'that was a moment you can never take away from us.' The best moment I've ever had in hockey was winning that championship. Everybody contributed." Schaffer, who works fulltime with the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, knows the importance of dedication and teamwork. "Coaching is something you take pride in," Schaffer said. "I'm trying to give other kids the great experience I had. It was his (Ed Snider's) vision to provide this after- school program for the kids of the City of Philadelphia. "I'm so proud and happy to do it," Schaffer said. "I realize I'm really, really lucky to work where there is something that is such a perfect fit for me. "I work in hockey, I get to coach, I get to teach -- I am really lucky to be able to do that and work in the game, and obviously we do really good things." Schaffer joined Snider Hockey in January 2011 as a Programming Intern and his impact blossomed from there. He was promoted to Coach following his graduation from Rutgers University in May 2011 with a B.S. in Exercise Science and Sport Studies, Sports Management. He has steadily expanded his role and his impact with Snider Hockey. And, Schaffer remembers his roots. "I had such a great experience playing high school hockey," he said. "I'm in the same headspace as Coach Bill James. I could talk about him forever, I think he was the best coach I ever had. "(From my freshman year, Gil and his mates) were excited about it, we had this tangible goal, we wanted to put Steinert hockey on the map. At Steinert: Baseball is great, girls' soccer is great, football is great -- we wanted hockey to be great, we wanted to take the biggest bite we could." RETURN TO THE HALL OF FAME MEMBERS PAGE