It was October 1994.
Bill Clinton was the U.S. president, “Pulp Fiction” was the No. 1 movie, and the Harvard University women’s hockey team was about to start the season.
Katey Stone looked at her team.
Stone turned to watch her players. It didn’t take long. Only 12 returned her gaze. That’s right, she had 12 players to work with during one of her first practices. Five minutes before practice, two assistant coaches - both volunteers - showed up.
At that point, Stone wasn’t thinking about winning 500 games. Or competing for national championships. Or coaching in the Olympics. Or becoming a mentor for coaches across the country. Or being a pioneer for the sport.
She simply wondered how to compete with such a short roster.
Today she’s hailed across college hockey as a guiding light for the sport. A native of Watertown, Conn., who now lives in Arlington, Mass., Stone enters her 27th season behind the Harvard bench with 494 wins.
Entering the 2021-22 season, she was fourth all-time in NCAA women’s history. Only Bill Mandigo of Middlebury (598), Mark Johnson of Wisconsin (522) and Michael Sisti of Mercyhurst (498) had won more games.
She’ll look to add to her win total Oct. 22 at Dartmouth when Harvard opens the season.
“I don’t think about those things,” Stone said. “I know they come about if you do the job long enough. It’s not a focus for me.”
That’s Stone’s mantra. Don’t worry about the big picture. Focus on the small details. Plan for the next practice. Prepare for the next game.
It’s been a winning recipe. Under Stone’s leadership, Harvard has advanced to four national championship games.
Josh Sciba is in his sixth season as Union’s head coach. He looks at Stone nearing the 500-win milestone and shakes his head in wonder. That’s a lot of wins. That’s a lot of practices. That’s a lot of bus rides.
“It’s obviously an amazing feat,” he said. “She’s a really special person and I think the game deserves a person like that.”
Everyone in the hockey world knows Stone is an outstanding coach. But Sciba said the fact that Stone is an ambassador for the sport is even more impressive.
She has coached five Patty Kazmaier Award winners, given to the outstanding women’s college hockey player in the nation. She has coached 13 Olympians and 24 All-American selections. Harvard has advanced to the NCAA Tournament 11 times during her tenure, and won six ECAC Tournament championships, 11 Beanpot trophies and an AWCHA national championship.
Through it all, she hasn’t lost her enthusiasm for the game. In fact, the rink is her sanctuary.
“My favorite time of the day is to be on the ice with the kids because of the energy,” she said. “I love it. It’s a place where people can’t get to you. I love being with them because it’s just us inside the glass.”
Stone is one of the most respected figures in women’s hockey, at any level.
Mel Ruzzi is in her first season as Brown’s head coach. One of her coaching stops was at Harvard, where she served as Stone’s assistant.
“Coach Stone is one of those people who’s passionate about our sport and passionate about women in leadership roles,” Ruzzi said. “She’s a tremendous leader for all of us. Super prepared. She has a plan for everything. If you think of a Harvard practice, all she has to do is mention a drill and the kids are running to the spot.”
Stone guided Harvard to a winning season (12-11-2) in her first campaign, but the Crimson were sub-.500 in two of the next three seasons. The 1998-99 season was a dream one for Stone and Harvard.
The Crimson staged a stunning turnaround, going from a 14-16-0 team to a 33-1-0 juggernaut. Soon the Crimson were making three straight NCAA title game appearances (2003-05). Harvard went 30-3-1 and 30-4-1 in back-to-back seasons from 2002-04.
Her fellow ECAC coaches have long recognized Stone’s talent -- she was named the league’s Coach of the Year in 1999, 2005 and 2008.
She has coached five Patty Kazmaier Award winners - forward Jennifer Botterill earned the honor in 2001 and 2003, while forward A.J. Mleczko (1999), defenseman Angela Ruggiero (2004), forward Julie Chu (2007) and forward Sarah Vaillancourt (2008) also won the award after developing under Stone.
All that success caught the eye of the hockey world.
Stone was the U.S. coach at the 2011, 2012 and 2013 IIHF Women’s World Championships, and guided her American clubs to two gold medals and one silver medal.
She then served as the head coach of the U.S. women’s hockey team at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The first female head coach of a USA Hockey team in the Olympics, Stone led the Americans to the silver medal.
Stone’s impact on the game runs deep. Liz Keady-Norton is another former Stone assistant coach now running her own program. She’s in her first year as the bench boss at Dartmouth.
“I feel very fortunate to have worked for coach Stone,” Keady-Norton said. “I feel like I learned something new from her.”
Cara Morey has done a terrific job building Princeton’s program. The Tigers finished sixth in the ECAC during the 2017-18 season, fourth in 2018-19 and then moved up to second, going 26-6-1 overall, during the 2019-20 campaign, the last full season.
She is a rising star who appreciates the impact Stone has had on the sport.
“Katey has been an inspiration, a pioneer and just a great role model,” Morey said. “It’s an incredible milestone to hit, especially as an Ivy League coach.”
Indeed, Harvard traditionally plays far fewer games than many Division 1 programs. This season, in fact, Harvard is scheduled to play 28 games, six fewer than many teams.
Stone’s influence on the game of hockey transcends wins and losses. She’s made an impact at all levels, serving as a member of the NCAA Championship committee, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award selection committee, and the NCAA rules committee. She’s also been president of the American Women’s Hockey Coaches Association.
Stone was a two-sport star athlete at the University of New Hampshire, shining in hockey and lacrosse. She exhibited her leadership skills in college, playing four years in both sports and captaining both programs.
Stone was a major reason the Wildcats captured ECAC championships in 1986 and 1987. No shrinking violet on the lacrosse field, she was a two-time All-America selection in that sport for UNH.
She was inducted into UNH’s Hall of Fame in 2014.
Prior to Harvard, Stone gained valuable experience at Tabor Academy, Northfield Mount Herman and Phillips Exeter Academy.
Through it all, Stone has adapted to the changing times. Coaching in 1994 isn’t the same as coaching now. She learned to be more flexible. There’s much more to being a Harvard student than playing hockey.
“I’m not as hard on the kids as I used to be,” she said. “Their lives are more full.”
Stone also doesn’t try to do everything by herself anymore. She lets her assistant coaches take on plenty of responsibility.
“When I was younger I had trouble with delegation. I don’t have that problem anymore,” she said.
Nor does she have a problem winning games. She’s up to 494 … and counting.
