2025 Fleming Family Hockey Coach Scholarship

Sponsored by Jennifer Fleming

The Manitoba Foundation for Sports scholarship program, administrated by Sport Manitoba, was established in 1992 to support young athletes of Sport Manitoba partners, who continue to participate in amateur sport while pursuing a post-secondary education on a full time basis. 

The Manitoba Foundation for Sports is pleased to be administering the Fleming Family Hockey Coach Scholarship. The scholarship is sponsored by Jennifer Fleming, in memory of her father Jake Fleming and her brother Wayne Fleming, to recognize an upcoming Manitoba hockey coach who demonstrates similar coaching and leadership traits that were characteristic of both Jake and Wayne.                     
Wayne began his organized hockey career at the age of 13 with the CUAC Community Club. This was the beginning of the Fleming family’s obsession with hockey which lead to the formation of the Canadian Professional Hockey Schools in 1966.  Jake operated the CPHS until 1991. Today CPHS continues under the ownership of Steve Briere, goalie coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  In the 1970’s Jake was very instrumental in getting the AAA tier system sanctioned in Winnipeg. In the meantime, Wayne’s love of coaching germinated with CPHS and, through his dedication, passion and hard work, eventually turned into gold. Wayne held CHA Advanced II Certification. 

Wayne joined the University of Manitoba Bisons as a defenseman in 1970 and then as Head Coach from 1982-1990 – winning Conference Coach of the Year twice and Canadian University Coach of the Year in 1984-85. During his Bison years, Wayne assisted with numerous national teams representing Canada at world events. He joined Hockey Canada in 1990 and helped coach Canada to a silver medal at the 1992 Olympics; after which he ventured overseas to coach in Sweden, Switzerland and Germany. In 1997, he returned to North America for his first NHL position as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders and then the Phoenix Coyotes. Wayne was then lured back to Team Canada to join Wayne Gretzky, Pat Quinn and Ken Hitchcock in preparation for the 2002 Olympics. In addition to his coaching roles, he also served as Vice-President of Operations for Team Canada and was recognized as the glue of the 2002 Olympic Gold Medal team.
                              
Following the Olympics, Wayne joined Ken Hitchcock and the Philadelphia Flyers, going all the way to the 2004 Stanley Cup finals. After seasons with the Calgary Flames, Avangard of the KHL, and the Edmonton Oilers, Wayne joined the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2010. As Tampa was entering the play-offs in April 2011, Wayne was diagnosed with brain cancer, bringing his coaching career to a very abrupt and tragic end. Upon winning the 2012 NHL Coach of the Year Award, Ken Hitchcock dedicated it to Wayne, saying “If you look at a dictionary of what a coach is, Fleming's name should be beside it. He’s a teacher, a motivator. He’s everything. For a lot of us who’ve worked with Fleming, he’s set a very high standard”. A great honour was also bestowed upon Wayne in February 2013 as an inductee into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. Wayne passed peacefully on March 25, 2013 and Jake on August 20, 2016. 

“You grind. You scrap. You work. You do not give in when the pressure builds. You do not worry what the odds are.” - WF  

Complete the full application online by Friday, May 15, 2026.

If you have any questions while completing this application,  please email scholarships@sportmanitoba.ca.

Requirements 

The Fleming Family Hockey Coach Scholarship, started in 2017 and is presented annually to a student(s) who demonstrates a commitment to coaching hockey in Manitoba. The goal is to encourage students to continue coaching hockey while attending a post-secondary institution and beyond. The scholarship(s) value may range up to $1,200, and will be applied to the tuition of the recipient(s). The number and amount of scholarships awarded annually will vary, at the discretion of the selection committee, based on the depth of applicants.

Eligibility

1. Attending university or college for the 2026/2027 regular academic sessions. As a full-time student, you will have a minimum 60% course load.
2. Currently coaching hockey with a plan for a future as a hockey coach.
3. Have been a resident of Manitoba since April 1, 2024.

Criteria Emphasis

1. Currently coaching a hockey team in Manitoba.
2. Plan to continue coaching hockey in Manitoba.
3. National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) training.
4. Additional courses related to coaching (e.g. NCCP, CPR, First Aid, Coaching Seminars) are an asset.

To complete this application please have the following documents ready to submit:

1. Letter of reference from someone you report to in your coaching position (i.e. principal, physical education teacher, club president, head coach).
2. Letter of reference from someone you have coached, or from a parent of someone you have coached, for at least one season.
3. A transcript of your most recent marks.

You will be asked upload these supporting documents at the end of this online application. 

If you do not have these documents ready at this time, you may still begin filling out the application. You can click on "Save for later" to receive a link via email to continue filling out the form at a later time.