The 35th anniversary season of Hockey East is about to begin.
It’s no secret that the great number of successful coaches to come through the league is a major reason why it has been widely regarded as the best college hockey conference in the country for so long.
Consider the names like Jack Parker, Shawn Walsh and Len Ceglarski. Of course, the sport’s all-time winningest coach, Jerry York, is still kicking and keeping Boston College in annual contention. Recent years also have seen the retirement of legendary New Hampshire boss Dick Umile and the emergence of some program-changing newcomers in UMass Lowell’s Norm Bazin and Providence’s Nate Leaman.
A new chapter in Hockey East’s long coaching history will be written this year as three former associate head coaches make the jump to the top slot: UNH’s Mike Souza, Boston University’s Albie O’Connell and Merrimack’s Scott Borek. The conference has not seen a trio of new head coaches in the same year since 2011-12.
