5 Things You Might Not Know: Coach Courville

He’s a Dog Breeder

We all know Larry is our Head Coach, but did you know he is also a dog nut? Not only does Larry have four Bernese Mountain Dogs, named Cuddles, Kisses, Boone and Dakota, but he also breeds dogs as well! He has bred Dakota a few times and now is breeding Kisses- she’s due in Febraury. Think the dogs have great names? Larry let his kids (and KMac) name all his dogs. “K-mac gets credit for naming Cuddles. He came up with the name and it just stuck. I got her on a 10 day road trip; we ended up going 5-0 so she quickly became the team mascot.” Who doesn’t love a man and his dogs?

He’s A Neat Freak

On the bench, Coach always looks calm, cool and collected- but in actuality he’s quite a bit OCD. “I’m a neat freak. My closet is completely color coded, I like things clean, organized and in color order.” Think it stops there? Nope! He’s particular about his daily dress too: “One of the things I get picked on about all the time is that I wear the same thing everyday. I always wear track pants and a Nautica T-shirt.” Hey, at least he’s predictable right?!

He’s An Outdoorsman

We all know Larry loves hockey, but in his downtime did you know Coach loves to hunt and fish? “Ten years ago or so, my Dad and I actually used to guide for black bears back home.” While here in Reading though, Coach spends his free time hunting for deer and Turkey. Besides that, he loves to fish, though apparently our PA fishing doesn’t hold a candle to northern Canadian fishing! Wonder if he’s checked out the Tully yet?

He Can Juggle

Just call him a jack-of-all-trades! Coach Larry not only is a stellar hockey player and coach but can also juggle! Even more impressive? He’s completely self-taught! “As a kid I just would pick up pucks and balls and start practicing. I finally got good enough to really juggle.” Hmm… think we could have some fun with this talent!

He’s A Legend

Over the year’s Larry has been called a lot of names, some good, some bad, but the nickname that has stuck the longest? The Legend. “When I first started playing pro, I was called ‘Hack-Saw’; back then I was really bad with my stick and a bit of a dirty player. Now everyone in the dressing room calls me ‘Legend.’” Larry The Legend… Got a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

5 Things You Might Not Know is a weekly column capturing glimpses into the lives of different Reading Royals players and coaches. Looking to learn more about a specific player? Make sure to write into Alexy at aposner@royalshockey.com- we want to hear from you!