Coach Holdridge was born in Syracuse, New York and began his hockey career at the New York State Fairgrounds.  His family moved to Michigan when he was 10 and continued playing for AAA and AA teams in metro-Detroit through his freshman year in high school.  Mark went on to play for Detroit Catholic Central during his sophomore and junior seasons.  During his two years with Catholic Central, the team made back-to-back appearances in the MSHAA Class A finals, culminating in a State Championship in 1994. 

After his junior year at Catholic Central, Mark was drafted by the Compuware Ambassadors of the North American Hockey League and played one season.  During the 1994-1995 season, Mark helped the Ambassadors to a league championship and a National Semi-final while earning an NAHL All-Star Game appearance and All-NAHL Second Team honors.  

Coach Holdridge had the tremendous honor of representing his country after being selected to play in Germany for the US National Junior Team under the tutelage of USA hockey legend Lou Vairo. 

During Mark's senior season with Compuware,  he was recruited and committed to play NCAA Division 1 hockey at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York.

He went on to play four years with the Raiders.  During his junior season he earned the Dan Coley “Barrell” Award as Colgate’s best defenseman and was second in the nation in penalty minutes.  Following  four years at Colgate, Mark hung up the skates and focused on coaching and men’s league hockey.

What do you love most about coaching?
I love teaching kids and I love teaching the game of hockey.  When coaches see our players apply the skills and tactics we’ve taught and worked on in practice we know we’ve done at least a couple things right.

What values/lessons do you hope to teach your players?
What it means to be a good teammate, mutual respect for the sport of hockey and everyone around it and most importantly how to handle adversity.  These are skills the players will need throughout their lives and I hope reinforcing these principles through hockey will help the players apply them in their everyday lives.   

What was your best youth hockey memory?
When I was 14 years old I went to Europe for a series of exhibition games against some of the top bantam teams in Sweden and Finland.    

Who was your most influential coach?
I had numerous coaches who helped me at various stages in my career, but Mike Vellucci is the one who saw something in me that I didn’t necessarily see in myself.  He told me to keep it simple, to always have my feet moving and the importance of making a good first pass when exiting the defensive zone. 

What was the best advice that you received as a hockey player?
Keep it simple and a breakout can’t start without a good first pass.  

What advice do you have for hockey parents?
Enjoy the process, don’t coach your kids from the stands and don’t make them recount every play they did or didn’t make over the course of a game.  Ask them if they had fun, what their favorite play of the game was and if they learned anything.