Whether that is to explain the rules, provide some technical advice or just offer a friendly word of support, the 62-year-old has been there to chip in whenever needed for the past 40 or so years.
A fine player in his own right, the University Club stalwart was selected in the New Zealand squad which prepared for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.
He never got to go, though. He "screwed" his knee while playing a social game of rugby. He should have known better, of course.
Many years earlier, his coach at Macandrew Intermediate School had warned him he had too much potential to risk throwing it all away with an injury on the rugby field.
That was 1960 and Ashton fell in love with the game and has never stopped playing. Last year he joined three of his mates - Warren Leonard, John Daniel and Robbie Green - in the New Zealand grand masters team (60-plus) at an international tournament in Cape Town, South Africa.
When you have played as long as Ashton has, passion, drive and the will to push yourself to the limit are just givens. But off the field it is the people who have kept Ashton inspired and involved as long as he has been. And, arguably, that is where he has made his greatest contribution.
"I don't rate myself as a great coach. Other people seemed to do so, but I think I'm more of a people person," Ashton replied when asked what he gets out of standing on the sideline year after year.
"It is the people, it's the encouragement, it's getting a team together and getting them up. I thoroughly enjoy that side of it."
Ashton's long coaching resume includes stints at national level and in the National Hockey League. He has assisted with the New Zealand Universities team, and, with four children, he had his share of coaching school teams. But it is his beloved University Club which brings a twinkle to his eye.
"It is club stuff which is the backbone and where the most interest is. You're here [the McMillan Hockey Turf] week in week out - standing out here until 9 o'clock at night and you can feel the frost coming up through you. That's the real tough coaching.
"If you have a team for a tournament you can get them all keyed up for it. But the club tournament goes for 20-25 weeks and you have so many different personalities to encourage and get the best out of. Winning a competition like that is such an achievement. It has probably been the highlight."
A fit man, Ashton's drive to compete is never far from the surface.
"I like to see who can handle the last five minutes of a final - that's what I love. I love a 1-all game with 10 minutes to go. I love playing in them and I love coaching in them."
Ashton said he had great coaches such as Graham Haase and Barry Berkeley who had helped inspire him. They helped plant a seed in his mind, and giving something back to the sport and passing on his knowledge is what drives him to turn up night after night.
"I guess you hope that someone might remember that the sport had a bald-headed coach in Dunedin who gave a bit of encouragement," he said.
Hockey guru
- Peter Ashton
• Age: 62
• Sport: Hockey
• Roles: NHL co-coach 2006 and 2005, has assisted with New Zealand University teams, and too many representative, club and school coaching roles to list.
