Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

[J.D.]

Re: Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

I don't know if he's the best ever, but an argument can certainly be made for it. That's good enough for me.

[Nifty16]

Re: Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

As a UNH fan, and by far no fan of BC, I have to say York is by far the best coach I have ever seen. Can always root against BC, but can never find myself rooting against York, he does it with style and class, any school would be lucky to have him

[MinnesotaNorthStar]

Re: Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

The shocking thing is he has only won the Penrose once. I'm sure he doesn't care though. He'll take the titles.

[J.D.]

Re: Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

I don't know how the penrose used to work, but now it's all about teams that had a good year after a not so good year. Almost impossible for him to win it.

[Caustic Undertow]

Re: Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

Hard to argue against him, plus he only 66. He could win a few more titles before it is all done.

What is the other head coach with 5 titles? Someone at Michigan during the 40s and 50's?

"That guy from Michigan" was Vic Heyliger, a giant in the sport, thankyouverymuch.

This conversation makes me sick to my stomach.

I hate watching BC win titles. Drives me nuts. Only team I'd rather see win less in North Dakota, and that's only because they're a threat to Michigan's title record. Thing is, while York always has good talent, it's not like his teams are always the most talented in the country; Michigan, North Dakota, and Minnesota (among others) have also fielded loaded teams throughout York's most successful stretch of play.

I'm a Michigan guy, and I wouldn't trade Red Berenson for anything. A brilliant coach, a molder of men, a true Michigan Man, everything we would want, including championships. Our tourney streak is a cherished record. I hate the idea that someone would be clearly better than Red in some category. Similar, yes; better? Don't like the thought.

But the fact is that York has outshined every one of his peers. He has outperformed Ron Mason. He has outperformed Dean Blais. He has outperformed Jack Parker. He has outperformed Don Lucia. He has outperformed George Gwozdecky. He has outperformed Jeff Jackson.

And he has outperformed Red Berenson. He is by any reasonable criteria the best coach of this era.

All time? We're talking about a wide range of eras, here; the era of Vic Heyliger is vastly different from the era of today, as is the era of Murray Armstrong or Herb Brooks. I think that's a hard comparison to make.

[solovsfett]

Re: Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

I have to agree. And he's easy to like as well -- a true gentleman, yet an extremely effective coach who pats his players on the back when they do well, or leans over to offer a few words to a player in a "teachable moment". That's one thing I rarely (read never) see Umile do. He has an uncanny knack for getting his team to play their best when the games count the most.

And I also remember -- I think it was in 2007 (but it could have been 2000 -- the years tend to fade...,) when BC played for the title and lost. His dejected team started skating off the ice as (Michigan?) celebrated its championship. York called the players back to the ice to watch -- surely a painful sight -- but the message was effective, as BC won the title the following year. That always impressed me.

When BC lost to Wisconsin in 06 the team skated off the ice after the handshake and Jerry was upset w/them for not acknowledging their fans before leaving, so he called them all back out (1/2 of them were walking down the tunnel) and asked them to go acknowledge their fans so the team skated to the section w/the largest amount of BC fans and saluted them w/sticks in the air.

This is one reason I feel Jerry is a class act.

Re: different era's, there has to be a way to evaluate this from a dispassionate perspective.

I LOVE Bob Johnson but at this point Jerry York is the better NCAA Coach based solely on NCAA rings. I could argue if Bob had stayed 10 more years at Wisco he'd have 5 or more titles but that didn't happen...Brooks could have 5 or more at Minnesota but he left early as well.

my .02 is what York has done is also even more impressive than Heyliger (sp?) as the competition is much tougher for recruits now and there are far more good to great teams in the tourney each year now as opposed to the 50's.

and that title at Bowling Green? Really? Consider who were the powers back in 84, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Duluth, Michigan State all in the West alone. That's a pretty impressive accomplishment in and of itself.

[carltonbarrett]

Re: Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

I know it's a sore subject for some, but the fact that York has been so successful with mainly college age (i.e. 18/19 year old freshmen), American kids in my opinion is another feather in his cap. I could probably coach a team to the FF if had a team full of 25 year old Canadian, semi-pros like so many schools seem to have these days.

[J.D.]

Re: Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

Just so we're clear, "team full of 25 year old Canadians" is quite the exaggeration. Anyway, to be honest, it doesn't really bother me too much. I'll take the talent over age any day of the week. It's worked out fine for BC. As long as older collegiate players are getting an education and contributing to society, I don't have a problem with it. And while it's great seeing so much local talent playing and winning for BC, I wouldn't think any less of York if he fielded a team full of Canadians.

[Onion Man]

Re: Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

"That guy from Michigan" was Vic Heyliger, a giant in the sport, thankyouverymuch.

This conversation makes me sick to my stomach.

I hate watching BC win titles. Drives me nuts. Only team I'd rather see win less in North Dakota, and that's only because they're a threat to Michigan's title record. Thing is, while York always has good talent, it's not like his teams are always the most talented in the country; Michigan, North Dakota, and Minnesota (among others) have also fielded loaded teams throughout York's most successful stretch of play.

I'm a Michigan guy, and I wouldn't trade Red Berenson for anything. A brilliant coach, a molder of men, a true Michigan Man, everything we would want, including championships. Our tourney streak is a cherished record. I hate the idea that someone would be clearly better than Red in some category. Similar, yes; better? Don't like the thought.

But the fact is that York has outshined every one of his peers. He has outperformed Ron Mason. He has outperformed Dean Blais. He has outperformed Jack Parker. He has outperformed Don Lucia. He has outperformed George Gwozdecky. He has outperformed Jeff Jackson.

And he has outperformed Red Berenson. He is by any reasonable criteria the best coach of this era.

All time? We're talking about a wide range of eras, here; the era of Vic Heyliger is vastly different from the era of today, as is the era of Murray Armstrong or Herb Brooks. I think that's a hard comparison to make.

Berenson has two titles in the last 16 years with talent coming out of his ears. He cant carry York's jock, sorry. York is the best college coach ever (I dont just mean hockey).

[solovsfett]

Re: Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

I know it's a sore subject for some, but the fact that York has been so successful with mainly college age (i.e. 18/19 year old freshmen), American kids in my opinion is another feather in his cap. I could probably coach a team to the FF if had a team full of 25 year old Canadian, semi-pros like so many schools seem to have these days.

this has never been a problem for me. I don't care if teams field entirely american or entirely straight from high school line-ups or entire canadian or entirely 20y.o. and up players.

the bottom line is I want to see great hockey, drop the puck!

[solovsfett]

Re: Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

Berenson has two titles in the last 16 years with talent coming out of his ears. He cant carry York's jock, sorry. York is the best college coach ever (I dont just mean hockey).

Jerry York >John Wooden? let's not get too carried away here

[TimU]

Re: Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

I know it's a sore subject for some, but the fact that York has been so successful with mainly college age (i.e. 18/19 year old freshmen), American kids in my opinion is another feather in his cap. I could probably coach a team to the FF if had a team full of 25 year old Canadian, semi-pros like so many schools seem to have these days.

Just remember: there's a reason those kids are playing D1 at 18, while most others don't make it until they're 21. It's because they're way more talented. Not a knock on Jerry York, but having these NHL-caliber 18-year-olds shouldn't be seen as a disadvantage.

[streaker]

Re: Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

Berenson has two titles in the last 16 years with talent coming out of his ears. He cant carry York's jock, sorry. York is the best college coach ever (I dont just mean hockey).

This sounds to me like a person more bitter about Michigan/Berenson than an argument for Jerry York.

York is a class act and brought back a dormant program to a dynasty without scandal.

Best coach ever in all of sports? Yeah, ok. Nice leap.

[Onion Man]

Re: Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

Jerry York >John Wooden? let's not get too carried away here

Im not talking about necessarily guys from the Jurassic era. I'd put him ahead of Coach K at Duke, etc or any of the other coaches across the collegiate spectrum. Wooden is different, but I'm not sure Wooden had to deal with Major Jr, NHL defections, etc either...

[Onion Man]

Re: Jerry York is the best NCAA hockey coach of the last 30 years, maybe of all-time

This sounds to me like a person more bitter about Michigan/Berenson than an argument for Jerry York.

York is a class act and brought back a dormant program to a dynasty without scandal.

Best coach ever in all of sports? Yeah, ok. Nice leap.

First of all, there is no more overrated coach than Red Berenson. You call it what you want, but they have a pipeline to the USNDPT and they have two FF titles since he took over (both needing OT) and have been annual flops in the NCAAs every other year. He's a great regular season coach, but I'm not sure he's a guy who I'd say "can win the big one".

York, to me, is the best coach in any college sport today among the major sports. When it's all said and done, he may be the all time best. I think he is to be honest already.