Mark Janes: Mark Janes Developmental Hockey LeagueNews 2

Mark Janes

This page is dedicated to the late Mark Janes, founder of the Mark Janes Developmental Hockey League (MJDHL). Mark started the league in January of 2006 to give older players like himself a chance to compete against skaters their own age. The MJDHL is a group of hockey players 50 years of age and older and what began with 18 skaters playing on Thursday nights has grown to 50+ skaters, spread over Tuesday and Thursday nights, playing hockey year round. To learn more about the background of the MJDHL read the stories on the Articles page.

The following is a brief summary of Mark's hockey history and legacy. On December 7, 2013, Mark died at his home in Rochester, with his wife, Mary, family, Joe, Erin, Brandon and Natalia, brother, Peter and dog, Riley, at his bedside. His obituary can be found at the bottom of this page.

Youth Hockey

Mark Janes began his ice hockey on Mayowood Lake with his father, Dr. Joseph M. Janes a co-founder of the Rochester Juvenile Hockey Association and his coach. They used logs for the goal posts and the Ladies' Home Journal for shin pads. Mark played for the Rochester Rovers, Fire Fighters, and the Southwest Police teams under the direction of Dr. David Hoffman. Here's a picture of Mark and one of his hockey buddies skating at the Soldier's Field rink.

High School

Mark graduated from John Marshall High School in Rochester, Minnesota, in 1965. During his Senior year, he was the Senior Class President, a member of the football team, and co-captain of the hockey team under Coach Sack. The following pictures are from the John Marshall yearbook, the Rochord.

The JM hockey team had a record of 11-8 during the 1964-1965 season. They started out slow but won 8 of the last 9 regular season games. They lost to Mahtomedi 1-0 in a Regional play-off game. Mark (#21) had 10 goals and 10 assists his Senior year.

College Hockey

Mark played Division II college hockey at Colby College in Waterville, Maine (with Peter Hoffman from Rochester). In 1969 he was voted the MVP, Captain, and selected for the ECAC All East Team.

After College

Mark played semi-pro in Soderhamn, Sweden for one year, only to return to coach Rochester Youth hockey, the Rochester Community College team, the Rochester Lourdes High School team, and to oversee the resurrection of the Rochester Mustangs (a name that his father had changed from the Rochester "Queens" after WWII). Mark was General Manager of the Mustangs during their three years of dominance as the USHL Junior Champions in the late 80's.

Mark also played hockey in various Men's leagues before he started the Old-Timer Developmental Hockey League in 2006 for those players 50 and over. The league would later be renamed the Mark Janes Developmental Hockey League in his honor.

April 2009. 9,600 feet at Breckenridge, Colorado. Mark, Rebekah, Peter, and Joe.

April 18, 2013

About 70 friends of local hockey legend Mark Janes gathered at Glynner's Pub to honor their hockey commissioner by changing the name of their hockey league to the Mark Janes Developmental Hockey League (MJDHL). At the party, players wore their new red and white jerseys and presented Mark with his "Captain" jersey, #7. Here are a few pictures of players, spouses, and friends celebrating the event. For the full story see "Senior hockey league changes name; friends honor founder" on the "Articles" page.

November 20, 2013

At the November 2013 meeting of the Mae L. Jacobs Foundation, the Board of Directors awarded Mark an honorary membership to the Foundation's Board. According to Bob Suk, President of the Board of Directors, the money earned by the Foundation is "to be used to benefit Rochester Youth Hockey and has done so in many different ways over many years. Mark along with myself was involved in the Foundation from day one and he was primarily responsible for earning all the money that has been spent over many years".

Click on the link to read the official letter notifying Mark of his membership onto the Foundation's Board.

Mae L. Jacobs Foundation

John Mark Janes - Rochester

(Source: Rochester Post-Bulletin, December 10, 2013)

John Mark Janes, 66, died Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013, at his home in Rochester, with his wife, Mary, family, Joe, Erin, Brandon and Natalia, brother, Peter and dog, Riley, at his bedside.

Mr. Mark Janes, a retired investment counselor, dedicated husband and father, was also a lifelong supporter and leader of Rochester Youth (Juvenile) Hockey.

He was born March 14, 1947, in Rochester, to Helen Viola Janes Hill and Dr. Joseph Mowat Janes, a Mayo Clinic Orthopaedic surgeon. He was a high school triple letterman athlete and the 1965 class president of Rochester John Marshall, the largest class to ever graduate. He attended Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where he played Division II hockey, and was the captain, most valuable player, and selected for the All East Hockey Team in 1969. He graduated with a BA in business. He then played one year of semi-pro hockey in Sweden. He returned for further education in financial planning, followed by a dedicated 40-year career with the IDS/American Express/Ameriprise Company where he assisted hundreds of clients.

Mr. Janes married the former Mary Duffy on Dec. 5, 1970, in Rochester. They raised Joseph Edward and Erin Elizabeth (Tancredi), both currently residing in Denver, Colo. He and Mary were recently blessed with their first grandchild, Natalia Rae Tancredi, born Sept. 25, 2013. Mark had a keen appreciation of the outdoors and he, his family and friends would often spend time at their cabin on Ham Lake, Wis., near Hayward.

Throughout his life, Mr. Janes quietly contributed to Rochester's civic and recreational organizations. His efforts include eight years on the Rochester Recreation Board, working as an usher at the Mayo Civic Auditorium, a volunteer elevator operator at the Mayo Clinic's Gonda Building, coaching ice hockey for Rochester Youth Hockey, and serving as head hockey coach for Lourdes High School and the Rochester Community College. He was the general manager of the Rochester Mustangs during the team's three-year run as the USHL Junior A Champions, and he was very proud of helping many Mustang players obtain Division I college scholarships around the nation.

Mark's father was instrumental in starting the Rochester Juvenile Hockey Association in 1953, and also served the Mustangs in the '60s and '70s as the team physician and as chairman of the board. Mark continued this legacy and was also the founder of the Old Timers Developmental Hockey League, renamed this year by his colleagues as the Mark Janes DHL (mjdhl.org). He taught them all..."to never take away a good scoring opportunity." Mark was a true mentor and coach to many and he helped ice hockey to flourish into what it is today in Rochester and beyond.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Mary (Duffy); son, Joe; daughter, Erin Janes Tancredi; granddaughter, Natalia; mother, Helen Janes Hill of the Charter House in Rochester; brother Robert (Priscilla) of Canmore, Alberta, Canada; sister, Janet of Minneapolis; brother, Peter (Patti) of Breckenridge, Colo.; and many beloved nieces and nephews. He was also close to Mary's sister, Nancy Elkins of Bend, Ore.; her brother, David Duffy (Neva) of Stone Lake, Wis.; brother, Ed Duffy of Rochester; and brother, Peter Duffy (deceased).

Mr. Janes will be remembered for his good cheer, humility, optimism and especially his courage, which were known by all who knew him.

The service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 12, at the First Presbyterian Church, 512 Third St. S. W. in Rochester, with the Rev. T.J. Parlette officiating. Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 12, at the church.

Arrangements are being handled by Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes, 5421 Royal Place N.W., Rochester, MN 55901, 507-289-3600, ranfranzandvinefh.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorials should be directed to Rochester Youth Hockey or Paws and Claws.