Coaching change question

[PrincetonFan]

I'm a relatively new fan of college hockey, so I hope you'll indulge this question. The Princeton men's program fired their coach, and on the men's board there are all sorts of suggestions for a new one. I was curious--do coaches from women's programs ever jump over to men's programs? I'm just wondering if Princeton would think of approaching Jeff Kampersal (or Mark Johnson, or whomever) to coach their men's team.

[ARM]

Until two years ago, Mark Johnson had been coaching on the men's side. Once you move to women's hockey, I think you might be off of the radar of those looking for a replacement. Still, somebody like Johnson has an excellent reputation, with all of the accomplishments of his late father's coaching career, his own playing career, and his coaching to date. I would think that the work he has done with the Badger women would have done nothing to hurt his resume. But I don't know how much credit the powers that be on the men's side wold give to success coaching women.

[kashmunnie73]

...Johnson might be as good choice....marquee name, NHL background, and I assume he has Junior A Canadian recruitng experience and background. Unlike a guy like Beaney of Middlebury who has great New England prep school recruiting contacts. D1 teams now need the lure of NHL potential in order to be competitive...even at Princeton...see 14+ draft choices at Harvard. Would the PC liberals at Princeton ever hire a woman to coach the men's team? kash

[hungryman]

If I recall correctly, Johnson turned down an opportuntiy to go work with his friend as an assistant at the CO Avalanche shortly after he was given the job at Wisconsin. I would be suprised if the Madison native would up root himself and family for one of the worst men's jobs in the country. No mens coach wants to coach at an ivy except to build the resume. And it would probably be a significant pay cut from his salary at Wisconsin.

The move would make no sense at all. There are plenty of men's assistants right now who will be after that job becasue they need to build the resume.

[PrincetonFan]

Okay, forget Johnson. Has any women's coach made the jump to a men's program? Or is there a certain kind of segregation?

[toots]

A prominent name comes to mind - Tom Mutch. His experience on the men's side has always been as an assistant, and then he was Ben Smith's assistant for US women's national team, then back to a men's assistant. Now head coach of BC women's program.

This from the BC web site:
After his playing experience, Mutch moved into coaching as an assistant at Northeastern University for two seasons (1994-96).

His first experience as a women's hockey coach was in 1996, accepting a position as the US Women's National and Olympic Hockey team assistant. The team captured an Olympic gold medal in 1998, going 6-0 in Japan, with a 3-1 victory over Canada. During the 1997 World Championship in Ontario, Team USA took home the silver medal after falling to Canada, 3-1.

After Nagano, Mutch served as the assistant in men's hockey for the Omaha Lancers Hockey Club and then at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He returned to Northeastern last season as an assistant to the men's team.