Dave Hendrickson writes:
>Brian Morris asks:
>> ...  Outside of Shawn Walsh, which
>> coaches have joined a program and really changed the way it was perceived
>> in recent years?
>
>How about Bruce Crowder?  He took a UMass-Lowell program that was really
>hurting and has turned it around in a major way.
 
Crowder was one of the first guys I thought of, too.  He has people
excited about Lowell hockey again, as well as getting kids excited
about playing there.  Their turnaround under him has been remarkable.
And Lucia and Schafer, mentioned by Charlie Shub, likewise have done
outstanding jobs at CC and Notre Dame.
 
To those, I will add Northeastern's Ben Smith.  I think that more than any
of the others, he has completely changed the way hockey is played at
his school and he also has brought them from the cellar to near the
top of HE in a couple of years.
 
In the days of Fern Flaman and Don McKenney, Northeastern hockey was
rough-em-up, bang-em-around, dump-and-chase, anything you can think of
along those lines.  That style came from Flaman, an NHL All-Star
defenseman in the 50s, and the smaller ice surface at Matthews meant it
was to Northeastern's advantage to play physical against their better
skating opponents like Maine and BC.  And they became successful at it,
too, winning four Beanpots, an ECAC and a HE championship all on the
similarly sized Boston Garden ice from 1980-88.
 
Ben came along and inherited a team that was falling behind in terms
of speed and talent, and he injected his own European style of play to
give them new life (while recognizing that a certain physical element
is necessary at Matthews).  He's recruited some of the faster
Canadians and Americans, and as a result Northeastern has become one
of the quicker teams in HE.  Also, the Huskies have two Europeans on
their team this season if I remember correctly; you would never have
seen that in the "old days".  Another sign that Ben has ushered in a
brand new era of hockey at Northeastern.
 
I would have to say that right now, Crowder and Smith are running about
neck and neck for the Bob Kullen Award (Coach of the Year) in HE.
---                                                                 ---
Mike Machnik                                          [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                  *HMM* 11/13/93
<<<<< Color Voice of the (12-14-2) Merrimack Warriors WCCM 800 AM >>>>>