Photo by Christopher Huang
Don鈥檛 look for the big hockey championship trophies in Coach Jerry York鈥檚 Conte Forum office. He might be the first to tell you that the collection of gleaming hardware is not the most important part of his hockey program.
York, who announced his retirement this month after a highly successful 28-season run at Boston College鈥攁nd 50 years overall as a Division I head coach鈥攁lways zeroed in on winning his sport鈥檚 biggest prizes, but he never treated those championship trophies as the only focus of his program.
When his teams won the NCAA Championship on four different occasions, he would bring the coveted prize back to University offices for display. The trophy would be loaned to the Office of Undergraduate Admission, where prospective students could see the accomplishment, or to 51茶馆 Dining Services, the 51茶馆 Police Department, Office of Residential Life, Learning Resources for Student-Athletes (now Student-Athlete Academic Services), or other academic departments.
鈥淭o him, it wasn鈥檛 his trophy,鈥� noted John Hagerty, the hockey team鈥檚 director of operations. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 the players鈥� trophy, either. It belonged to Boston College.
鈥淭here were some years when we had to remember where we had put it,鈥� laughed Hagerty, who has served on York鈥檚 staff since the 76-year-old Watertown native returned to his alma mater in 1994 to resurrect the school鈥檚 slipping hockey program.
The Eagles鈥� four York-era NCAA Championship trophies now reside in the hallway display case outside the hockey suite, still available for all to see.
“He is sincere. He has a passion for the sport of hockey and for playing it the right way. He has a passion for Boston College...He loves his staff鈥攁ll the assistant coaches, the support people. We are all a part of his family.”
York鈥檚 success over the last 28 years has been unmatched: His teams qualified for the NCAA tournament 18 times; advanced to 12 鈥淔rozen Four鈥� championship series; and won national titles in 2001, 2008, 2010, and 2012. Along the way, he also led the ice Eagles to multiple Hockey East and Beanpot Tournament championships. York finished his sparkling career with 1,123 victories鈥攖he most of anyone who has ever coached this college game.
The keys to this success were rooted in York鈥檚 personal integrity and people skills as much as his hockey acuity. 鈥淗e is sincere. He has a passion for the sport of hockey and for playing it the right way,鈥� Hagerty said. 鈥淗e has a passion for Boston College.
鈥淐oach York鈥檚 greatest strength may have been his ability to draw people into the program,鈥� Hagerty continued. 鈥淗e loves his staff鈥攁ll the assistant coaches, the support people. We are all a part of his family.
鈥淓veryone is invested,鈥� Hagerty said. 鈥淚n my own job, I have never wanted to fail him. I would never let it get to that point.鈥�
When a player was recruited for the program, York would go to great lengths to ensure that the young man would be a good fit, as a player and as a person. 鈥淗e did his homework on every single person we recruited to play for Boston College,鈥� Hagerty said. 鈥淗e was selling something that he strongly believed in.鈥�
鈥淭he kids thought he was using life to teach them about hockey, but what he really was doing was using hockey to teach them about life.鈥�
To his players, York was constantly teaching life skills and values along with winning hockey techniques. Each season, he brought guest speakers in to address the team, among them New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, former Red Sox manager Terry Francona, and University Trustee and Apple Fellow Phil Schiller 鈥�82鈥攁ll of whom pointed out the need for leadership and teamwork to generate success.
Also, each year he would invite Conte Forum鈥檚 custodial workers into a team meeting. 鈥淭hese are the folks who have to clean up after you, so let鈥檚 leave our locker room in good shape for them,鈥� he told the players. Those who demonstrated lax locker room habits would likely find themselves on 鈥淒yson Duty鈥濃�攁ssigned to vacuum the locker room carpet each day for a week.
Similarly, he brought his team over to meet the Kelley Rink鈥檚 Zamboni crew before each season, introducing the players to the people who work the long hours to keep the ice surface and rink facility in pristine shape, and to thank them in advance for their efforts.
When the team made a meal stop during road trips to distant rinks, York would invariably ask the bus driver, 鈥淲hat would you like? We鈥檒l bring a meal out to you.鈥� He never failed to say 鈥渢hank you鈥� to ushers and security staff members who assisted the team.
In the 2006 NCAA Final, York鈥檚 team lost a 2-1 heartbreaker to the University of Wisconsin in a game played in Milwaukee. As the crestfallen 51茶馆 squad skated off the ice, York called them back out to go across the rink to salute a small contingent of maroon-and-gold-clad Boston College alumni and fans who had faithfully cheered the team amid some 17,000 raucous Badger rooters.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what he instilled in his teams,鈥� said Hagerty. 鈥淭he kids thought he was using life to teach them about hockey, but what he really was doing was using hockey to teach them about life.鈥�
More recently, with COVID protocols in effect, Hagerty brought his 11-year-old daughter, Bridget, into the 51茶馆 hockey office where they had plans to link up to her virtual classroom computer connection. York, a grandfather of two, insisted that the youngster place her computer on a table in his personal office, where it would be quiet for her virtual class.
There they sat: College hockey鈥檚 winningest coach, formulating his recruiting evaluations, practice schedules, and game plans; Bridget engaging in virtual reading and math exercises with her teachers and sixth-grade classmates at St. Agatha School in Milton.
As usual, there were no big trophies in the room to get in the way of such important work.
Reid Oslin, former sports information director for Boston College Athletics and associate director of 51茶馆's Office of News & Public Affairs聽 |聽 May 2022