The Red Gendron Memorial Scholarship was created ahead of the 2023 Level 5 Symposium in honor of Red Gendron, who was the head men’s ice hockey coach at the University of Maine from 2013-2021 before he passed away in April of 2021. The scholarship covers all expenses for a coach to attend the event. 

Vaughan has served as a coach and volunteer in her home state of Maine for the past 16 years. She is currently a coach with the Casco Bay Mariners association and is the Mariners’ Tier IV hockey director and is an assistant coach for the Mariners’ Girls Tier II 10U and 12U teams.

The former college hockey player for the University of Southern Maine is also the president of the Maine Girls Ice Hockey Association, which aims to grow the game by providing free equipment and hockey clinics for girls in Maine.

“It is such an honor to win this award,” Vaughan, who hopped on a flight at 5:30 a.m. Thursday, said. “I have friends who played up there when (Gendron) was coaching and it is such an honor. Hockey changed my life. I started playing when I was a freshman in high school and haven’t stopped. I just hope that we can keep getting kids to play, no matter what. Let’s get them on the ice. As much as my husband doesn’t like it, our garage is filled with bins of hockey equipment.”

By the end of the conversation, Muse reminded her that if she ever needs anything to reach out any time. He then laughed and admitted it may take him a bit during the NHL season to return her call, but he promised that he would.

“That was amazing,” Vaughan said. “It doesn’t even feel like I was just speaking to an NHL coach. He was so helpful and willing to help anytime. I can’t even process what is happening. This is amazing and this hockey community is so amazing. I am little bit of shell shocked. It has been a whirlwind of craziness.”

More than 530 coaches are seeking to attain their Level 5 certification, the highest offered by USA Hockey, and are gathering in Columbus this weekend for the four-day event, which includes a star-studded lineup of guest speakers and breakout sessions featuring some of American hockey’s most prominent figures. 

“I am going to have a full notebook of advice by the time I am done here,” Vaughan said. “I will need to type it all up and share it with all of the coaches back home.”

Muse is entering his first season as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins and is one of the guest speakers in Columbus this weekend. The former head coach at USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program presented Vaughan with the award Thursday evening and considered Gendron a personal mentor of his.

Vaughan and Muse bonded Thursday night over also being coaches who are raising a family.

Vaughan’s son, Lucas, moved through the Mariners program over the years and her daughters, Lily and Bailey, also play hockey.

With hockey season right around the corner, Vaughan, also has experience coaching girls high school hockey in Maine, offered up her own advice to her fellow coaches in the USA Hockey Community.

“Make it fun,” she concluded. “Get to know the kids. Realize it is about more than winning and losing, and you can be the positive impact for their day. I am so proud. You see girls six years later and they remember who I am and they are still having fun playing hockey and playing club hockey in college.”