Former longtime girls’ hockey coach, Patsy Odden, is the recipient of the 2025 American Hockey Coaches Association Joe Burke Award for her contributions and great dedication to girls’/women’s hockey, and will be recognized at the 2025 AHCA Convention that is set to be held in Naples, Florida, from May 4–6.

Odden played a pivotal role in shaping girls’ hockey at Taft, coaching for 25 years and mentoring players who advanced to collegiate and Olympic levels. She started the varsity program in 1975 when only one other prep school had a girls’ team, ultimately having her teams compete against town and college teams. Under her leadership, Taft won multiple league titles, including a 49-game winning streak and three New England Championships (1991, 1992, 1993). In 2002, the annual Taft-St. Paul’s Tournament was renamed in her honor as the Patsy K. Odden Invitational Hockey Tournament—which still continues to take place to this day, as the 41st iteration of the tournament took place on campus in December.

About the award:
The Joe Burke Award was established in 1994 to honor those individuals who have shown great support and dedication to girls’/women’s hockey. Joe Burke has been an avid fan of girls’/women’s hockey since the late 70’s. Joe Burke, a Dedham resident is a life-long hockey fan, who never actually played the game himself. He became hooked on the women’s game when he attended the game vs. the University of New Hampshire and Boston College in 1978 at McHugh Forum. Since this game, Joe was seen at every major girls’/women’s hockey event in the New England area. He is a true friend of the women’s game and the people associated with it.

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