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The Greatest Coaches of All-Time

Re: The Greatest Coaches of All-Time

Fighting Sioux 23 said:
#4 – Murray Armstrong
Coached at Denver from 1956-1977
Coming in at #4 is the Chief, Murray Armstrong. Armstrong began his career at DU in 1956, and promised to lead the Pioneers to a National Championship within 3 years. His first season was not terribly promising, as the Chief led Denver to a 13-14-2 record. However, the following season would be a special one for Denver. In 1958, Armstrong led Denver to a 25-10-2 record, and Denver was invited to the NCAA Tournament. Denver would defeat Clarkson 6-2 in the semis and would meet up with North Dakota for the National Championship. The Chief led the Pioneers to a 6-2 victory over their conference rival, and gave Denver their first National Championship within three years. It would not be there last. While the 1958-1959 season failed to yield an NCAA birth (despite a 22-5-1 record), the 1959-1960 season would see Denver advance to the Frozen Four once again. Denver would defeat BU 6-4 to advance to the title game against Michigan Tech. The Chief would lead Denver to a 5-3 victory and his second title in three years. The following season, Denver again was strong in the regular season and advanced to the Frozen Four. Denver met conference rival Minnesota, and crushed them 6-1. The Pioneers would meet St. Lawrence in the title game, and showed no mercy. The Chief watched as his team destroyed the Saints 12-2. While Denver had a mediocre season (at least to the Chief’s standards) in 1962, they responded with a great 1963 campaign. Denver would again make the Frozen Four, and dispatched 6-2 to advance to the title game against conference foe North Dakota. The Sioux would defeat Denver 6-5 at Chestnut Hill to claim their second title. Denver would again advance to the Frozen Four in 1964, and would again advance to the title game as the Pioneers would defeat Rensselaer 4-1. They would meet up with Michigan. The Wolverines would win the game 6-3 for their seventh title. The Chief had the Pioneers back at the Frozen Four in 1966, but Denver would fall in the semifinals for the first time under Armstrong. It would not take the Chief long to get Denver back in the title hunt. In 1968, Denver was back at the Frozen Four in Duluth. DU would defeat Boston College 4-1 to advance to the title game, again against North Dakota. Armstrong would lead Denver to their fourth title, defeating the Sioux 4-0. The following season, Denver was going for their second repeat under Armstrong. Denver again advanced to the Frozen Four, and would defeat Harvard 9-2 in the semis to advance to yet another title game, this time against Cornell. The Chief led Denver to a 4-3 victory over Cornell, to give himself and the school their fifth titles. Denver would advance to the Frozen Four ’71, ’72 and ’73, advancing to the Title game in ’73 (falling to Wisconsin 4-2). Armstrong would retire in 1977. In his 21 seasons at DU, Armstrong had 18 winning seasons, 15 20+ win seasons, 1 30 win season, 11 Frozen Fours, 8 Title Games, and 5 National Championships. He finished with an amazing 67%+ winning percentage. The Greatest Coach in the Denver’s history, the Chief, Murray Armstrong comes in at #4.

Points: 272.32
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Humorous! I guess 5 national titles, a 67% winning percentage, wins over the US and Russian Olympic teams, one of the top 3 teams in college hockey history, and a trailblazer in the college game doesn't even get you in the top 3. Man, that's one tough formula!
 
Re: The Greatest Coaches of All-Time

#3 – Jack Parker
Coached at Boston University from 1973-persent
Coming in at #3 is Jack Parker. Parker was an apprentice under the legendary Jack Kelley. There is perhaps no other coach in college that is more loved or more hated. The main reason for that, is that Parker has done such a great job at BU. Parker has been to more NCAA Tournaments (23), and Frozen Fours (13), than any other coach. He has won more conference titles (22) than any other coach. He started in 1973 at BU, and had immediate success. Parker advanced to five consecutive Frozen Fours, losing in the semis in his first four attempts, but in 1978, Parker finally got over the hump. That year, BU would go 30-2-0, and advanced to the Frozen Four after defeating Providence. BU would go on to defeat defending champion and #1 seed Wisconsin 5-2 to get to the title game against conference rival Boston College. Parker would lead the Terriers over the Eagles 5-3 to give BU their third title, and Parker his first. The 80’s would not be too kind to Parker. They made only 2 NCAA Tournaments, and failed to reach the Frozen Four. That changed in the 90s as Parker would lead BU to 7 Frozen Fours in the decade. They would lose in the semis to Colgate 3-2 in 1990. In 1991, Parker led BU to the National Championship against Northern Michigan, falling to the Wildcats in one of the greatest games ever, 8-7 in triple OT in St Paul. 1993 saw another semifinal loss, this time to defending champion LSSU, and in 1994, Parker had the Terriers again playing in the National Championship. In a forgettable game for BU, the Terriers would fall to LSSU 9-1. 1995 would be a different story. Parker would lead BU to a 31-6-3 record, and once again were at the Frozen Four. This time, BU stormed through Minnesota 7-3, and would meet up with Maine in the title game. They would defeat their conference rival 6-2 for Parker’s second national championship. BU would try to defend their title, but lost in the 1996 Frozen Four semis to eventual champion Michigan. In 1997, BU would again be at the Frozen Four, and upset Michigan on their way to the title game. They would play North Dakota in Milwaukee, but would fall to the Sioux 6-4. Parker would lead BU to several successful seasons in the following years, but they were unable to get back to the Frozen Four. That would change in 2009. Boston University charged through the regular season and Hockey East Tournament on their way to a #1 seed. They would defeat Ohio State in the First Round, and then snuck past New Hampshire to advance to the Frozen Four in Washington DC. They would meet conference foe Vermont in the semifinals, and would dispose the Catamounts 5-4. They would advance to the title game, where they would meet Miami. The Redhawks were a surprise team to make the Frozen Four, but they would prove worthy. Miami would take a 3-1 lead with just over a minute left in the game. BU would stage one of the greatest comebacks in college hockey history, as they scored twice in the final minute to tie the game. In OT, BU got a fortunate bounce for the game winner. It would be Parker’s 3rd title as coach at BU, and the school’s fifth overall. In his 38 seasons at BU, Parker has had 31 winning seasons, 24 20+ win seasons, 5 30+ win seasons, 23 trips to the NCAA Tournament, 13 Frozen Fours, 6 National Title games, and 3 National Championships. He has coached 41 All-Americans, 13 Hobey Finalists, and 2 Hobey Winners. The Greatest Coach in Boston University history, Jack Parker comes in at #3.

Points: 284.05
 
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Re: The Greatest Coaches of All-Time

Pablo said:
Humorous! I guess 5 national titles, a 67% winning percentage, wins over the US and Russian Olympic teams, one of the top 3 teams in college hockey history, and a trailblazer in the college game doesn't even get you in the top 3. Man, that's one tough formula!
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You're funny...the 3 guys left have 3,4 and 6 National championships, .647, .610 and .685 W%, Its hard to figure out how to separate these top 6 guys to be honest...Murray and Vic are hurt by the lack of a conference for period of their career...and Jerry York and Jack Parker are benefitted by their longevity and dominance in Hockey East.
 
Re: The Greatest Coaches of All-Time

Yeah, the numbers and formula say what they say, and racking up all sorts of conference stuff over the years will help. Obviously, all these guys are legends. But most people would be like "what?" if you said that The Chief was only the 4th greatest in history. Just interesting how crunching the numbers like this can come up with a different ranking than most people would expect. But it is what it is, and I appreciate the effort. So rank on!
 
Re: The Greatest Coaches of All-Time

Fighting Sioux 23 said:
#3 – Jack Parker
Coached at Boston University from 1973-persent
Coming in at #3 is Jack Parker. Parker took over the BU program from another legend, Jack Kelley.
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Has Leon Abbott been expunged from BU history? He should have stayed at the 'Tute. :D
 
Re: The Greatest Coaches of All-Time

Pablo said:
Yeah, the numbers and formula say what they say, and racking up all sorts of conference stuff over the years will help. Obviously, all these guys are legends. But most people would be like "what?" if you said that The Chief was only the 4th greatest in history. Just interesting how crunching the numbers like this can come up with a different ranking than most people would expect. But it is what it is, and I appreciate the effort. So rank on!
Click to expand...

Personally, I don't think it's odd that any of three who are ahead of Armstrong are ahead of him. Armstrong was obviously a legend, and was a tremendous coach. He was 15th in wins among the 75 coaches that were nominated, and surprisingly 12th in Winning Percentage. He has a pretty good lead on Berenson, so he should stay firmly in 4th...at least for a long time. The only coach, at this point, that I could see catching him (or any of the top 3) is Hakstol, and even then that would take another 25+ years of what he has done, along with 3-4 national titles in that time span.

EDIT: FWIW, Armstrong did win a boatload of conference titles, picking up 7 WCHA Regular Season championships and 10 Tournament titles.
 
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Re: The Greatest Coaches of All-Time

#2 – Vic Heyliger
Coached at Illinois from 1939-1943
Coached at Michigan from 1944-1957
Coached at Air Force from 1968-1974
Vic Heyliger comes in at #2. Heyliger has won more National Titles (6) than any other coach in NCAA D-1 College Hockey History. He began his career at Illinois, and in his four seasons with the Illini, had three winning seasons. In the 1940-1941 season, Illinois went 17-3-1, and in 1942-1943, they were 9-1-0 under Heyliger. Heyliger eventually left Illinois to become the head coach at Michigan in 1944. His first season was unimpressive, as he led the Wolverines to a 3-6-0 record. After that however, he would never had another losing season at Michigan again. Starting in 1948 (the first year there was an NCAA Championship), Heyliger guided the Wolverines to 10 consecutive Frozen Fours. This is the longest such stream ever in NCAA history. In 1948, Heyliger won his first of six titles, leading Michigan to the First Frozen Four, and they defeated Boston College and Dartmouth. The following two seasons would see Michigan at the Frozen Four, but they were unable to walk away with titles, as they lost in the semis. By 1951 though, Michigan was ready for a second national title. This time, Michigan would beat Boston University 8-2 and Brown 7-1 for the title. In 1952, it would be more of the same. Michigan would beat St. Lawrence 9-3 and Colorado College 4-1 for their third national championship. In 1953, Michigan would go for the three peat, and they would not be denied. Michigan destroyed BU 14-2, and then beat Minnesota 7-3 for their third consecutive, and fourth title overall in school history. Heyliger led Michigan to the Frozen Four again in 1954, but lost to eventual national champion Rensselaer 6-4, preventing Michigan from four titles in a row. In 1955 though, they would be back on top of the hill. Heyliger led the Wolverines to a 7-3 victory over Harvard in the semis, and then a 5-3 victory over CC for his 5th National Championship. In 1956, Michigan would win their 6th, and Heyliger’s final, NCAA Championship. The Wolverines would defeat St. Lawrence in OT 2-1, and then Michigan Tech 7-5 for the title. In 1957, with Michigan going for their second three peat, and sixth title in seven years, they would defeat Harvard 6-1, setting up a match with Colorado College. CC would storm past Michigan, defeating the Wolverines 13-6. That would be Vic Heyliger’s final game as Wolverine coach. While Heyliger would coach at Air Force for six seasons, he never returned to the NCAA Tournament. He finished with an impressive 68.5% winning percentage, coaching 23 seasons, 7 20+ win seasons, 10 trips to the Frozen Four, 7 National Title Game appearances and 6 National Championships. Heyliger was an impressive 16-4 at the Frozen Four. His 16 Frozen Four wins are the most of any coach in D-1 history. If Heyliger coached more years in the era of conferences and tournament titles, he would likely be #1. As it is, he sits #2.

Points: 288.38
 
Re: The Greatest Coaches of All-Time

#1 – Jerry York
Coached at Clarkson from 1972-1979
Coached at Bowling Green from 1979-1994
Coached at Boston College from 1994-present
The Greatest Coach of All-Time in Division 1 College Hockey is Jerry York. York has been impressive nearly from his first season at the D-1 level. If he continues his current pace, and coaches for 2-3 more seasons, he will have more victories than any other coach, he already has more NCAA Tournament victories (33) than any other coach. He has coached more All-Americans (50) than any other coach. He has coached more Hobey Baker finalists (17) than any other coach. He is simply the best. He began his D-1 career at Clarkson in 1972, taking over for Len Ceglarski. In his 7 seasons there, he had 2 losing seasons, along with 1 conference title. In 1976-1977 he led Clarkson to a 26-8-0 record and an ECAC Regular Season championship. He never went to the NCAA Tournament while at Clarkson, but that would change at his next venue. In 1979, York left Clarkson for Bowling Green. He took over for Ron Mason and led the Falcons to a 27 win season, and an NCAA Tournament appearance in his third season at the helm. By 1984, York had molded the Falcons into his kind of team. Bowling Green would go 34-8-2, and advance to the Frozen Four, York’s first, by defeating Jack Parker and BU in a 2-game total goals series (they lost game 1 6-3, but won 5-1 in Overtime…gotta love total goals series). At the Frozen Four, York would face Ron Mason and Michigan State in the semis in Lake Placid. Bowling Green would defeat their conference foe 2-1 to advance to the National Championship. They would play Minnesota Duluth, and won in one of the longest games in college hockey history to that point 5-4 in quadruple overtime. It would be York’s first title, but not his last. York would lead Bowling Green to four more trips to the NCAA Tournament, but they were never able to get back to the Frozen Four. In 1994, Boston College called, and Jerry York took over the program. He struggled initially, failing to have a winning season in his first three tries. In 1998 though, York would have his first winning season with the Eagles, and would take them to the brink of a national title. Boston College would make the Frozen Four, which was being held in Boston, and would defeat Ohio State 5-2 to reach the title game against Michigan. The game would go to OT, and Michigan would walk away the victor. The following season, York would have BC back in the Frozen Four once again, but unfortunately they lost to eventual champion Maine 2-1 in OT. 2000 saw BC again at the Frozen Four, and again they would reach the title game with a 4-2 victory over St. Lawrence. They would meet up with North Dakota, but would fall 4-2 to the Sioux. In 2001, BC was again back at the Frozen Four, and they would again make it to the title game, and would again play North Dakota. This time, BC won a classic 3-2 in OT to give Boston College their first National Championship (and York and the school’s 2nd overall) since 1949. In 2002 BC missed the NCAAs, and in 2003 they lost to Cornell in the Regional Finals, but in 2004, York had the Eagles back at the Frozen Four, again in Boston. BC would fall to Maine 2-1 in the semis. In 2005, BC was a #1 seed, but fell to eventual runner-up North Dakota 6-3. In 2006 however, BC would get some revenge. The Eagles destroyed rival BU in the Regional Final, and had a rematch with North Dakota in the semis. York would lead the Eagles past the Sioux to reach the finals against Wisconsin, but lost a heartbreaker 2-1. 2007 would follow a similar tone, as BC would reach the Frozen Four, defeated North Dakota, but would fall to Rick Comley’s Michigan State squad 3-1 in the title game. 2008, it looked like it might play out the same. BC would advance to the Frozen Four, then trounced North Dakota 6-1 to reach the title game against Notre Dame. The Eagles would not be denied this time, as York’s squad defeated the Fighting Irish 4-1 for his 3rd Title. 2009 saw BC miss the NCAA Tournament, but BC came back with a vengeance in 2010. The Eagles advanced to the Frozen Four, and met up with #1 seed Miami. BC destroyed the Redhawks 5-0, and then met Wisconsin for the Title. York would lead BC past the Badgers 5-0 for his 4th National Title. This past season, BC was heavily favored to win it all, but were upset in the Regional Semifinals. In his career, York has coached 39 seasons, 26 of which were winning campaigns. He has made 18 trips to the NCAA Tournament, amassed 33 NCAA Tournament victories, and has advanced to the Frozen Four 10 times, amassing 12 victories. He has nearly 900 wins, and is on pace to eclipse Ron Mason for the most wins of all-time. He has coached 50 All-Americans, 17 Hobey Finalists and 2 Hobey Winners. He has been by far the best coach in the NCAA since 1998, reaching 9 Frozen Fours in that time frame. He has led his teams to the National Title game 8 times, tying Murray Armstrong for most appearances in a title game, and has won 4 National Championships. He is a legend, and is the Greatest Coach of All-Time.

Points: 293.73
 
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Re: The Greatest Coaches of All-Time

Great thread FS. Obviously a lot of work went into it and I'm sure it's appreciated by the USCHO community!
 
Re: The Greatest Coaches of All-Time

Well done.

While I'm rather surprised to see York atop this list (I thought he'd trail the DU and Michigan legends), in terms of active coaches, there's no debate - the 2000-2010 stretch alone would put him above pretty much all of them. :eek:
 
Re: The Greatest Coaches of All-Time

Pablo said:
Humorous! I guess 5 national titles, a 67% winning percentage, wins over the US and Russian Olympic teams, one of the top 3 teams in college hockey history, and a trailblazer in the college game doesn't even get you in the top 3. Man, that's one tough formula!
Click to expand...

Shirtless Guy said:
You're funny...the 3 guys left have 3,4 and 6 National championships, .647, .610 and .685 W%, Its hard to figure out how to separate these top 6 guys to be honest...Murray and Vic are hurt by the lack of a conference for period of their career...and Jerry York and Jack Parker are benefitted by their longevity and dominance in Hockey East.
Click to expand...

Well. I did expect Murray Armstrong to be in the top 2 or 3. :(

But you did a lot of good work and it is appreciated.
 
Re: The Greatest Coaches of All-Time

In your write up on Jerry York, you mistakenly placed BG playing MSU in Detroit. The 1984 National Championship was played in Lake Placid.
 
Re: The Greatest Coaches of All-Time

samboni said:
In your write up on Jerry York, you mistakenly placed BG playing MSU in Detroit. The 1984 National Championship was played in Lake Placid.
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Thanks for the correction. INCH had it listed as being in Detroit, but pretty obvious from the video that it was in Lake Placid. :) I'll update it in the writeup.
 
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