PIHL mourns death of commissioner John Mucha

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, January 5, 2023 | 5:02 PM

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PIHL commissioner John Mucha, the top administrator for high school hockey in Western Pennsylvania, has died.

League president Jack Kukan, who described him as a strong leader with a business-like approach to finances, said Mucha died Thursday while traveling to New York City. Mucha, 63, was hired four years ago as commissioner of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League, which includes 57 varsity teams this season.

“I’ve been involved with this league for 20-some years, and I believe in my heart that he’s done more than anyone to bring this league forward,” Kukan said. “He tried to be fair to every team and worked ceaselessly with all of the rinks to make this league a credible entity.”

Before becoming commissioner in 2019, Mucha served in various roles, including as league president, business manager and club officer. As commissioner, Mucha will be remembered for guiding the PIHL through the covid pandemic, which was one of the league’s toughest tests.

The 2019-20 playoffs were cut short, but Mucha saw the following season through to completion, despite frequent schedule adjustments and strict state-imposed limitations.

“That 2020-21 season was probably the equivalent of about 10 seasons for John, and he had to manage all of that,” Peters Township coach Rick Tingle said. “It was a monstrous effort, and he did an unbelievable job at keeping the league going.”

Mucha was surely under pressure at the time but always had a steady approach, said former North Allegheny coach Mike Bagnato.

“He was very good at staying calm and looking out for the best interests (of the league),” Bagnato said. “One of his biggest strengths was communicating with the (member) organizations when they had questions. Even if it was something they didn’t want to hear, he did a good job of smoothing out the situation.”

A season ago, Mucha oversaw the creation of a groundbreaking PIHL girls division that included more than 100 players.

Coaches and colleagues on Thursday remembered him as a good communicator with a keen sense of humor, and someone who regularly attended games and connected well with others.

In an email to officials, Pennsylvania Ice Hockey Officiating vice president Chadd Colin called Mucha “an invaluable partner to our organization and a champion of our game.”

The process to eventually replace Mucha will start when the league’s executive board holds an emergency meeting this weekend. The board of governors, which includes a representative from every member club, meets next week.

The commissioner position was Mucha’s full-time job.

“(Finding a replacement) is not going to be easy,” Kukan said. “That’s not a position where you just hire somebody off the street, because you need somebody who really knows how the league works and how everything fits together.”

However, he said league operations will continue as scheduled this winter and credited the administrative staff already in place for keeping things running. The PIHL season started in October and continues into March.

“We’ll be OK in the interim until we work this out,” Kukan said. “Hockey will be played, and things will be taken care of.”

Mucha is survived by his wife, Anne, a daughter, Sarah, a son, Joe, and his wife, Molli.

He was the fifth commissioner in league history, following Ed Sam (1999-2014), Jim Black (2014-16), Dave Fryer (interim in 2016) and Craig Barnett (2016-18). Mucha moved from president to commissioner in the 2018-19 season, after Barnett resigned to become executive director of the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

“We’ve gone through several commissioners,” Kukan said. “Some were more successful than others, but nobody has been as successful as John, I believe.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.