BOSTON — Jerry York exited college hockey on his terms and with a minimum of fanfare.
York, 76, announced on Wednesday that he is stepping down as men’s hockey coach at Boston College after 28 seasons behind the Eagles’ bench and 50 overall with three Division I programs. York first told BC athletic director Patrick Kraft, then informed his staff at a morning meeting and his players in the afternoon.
“It was a whirlwind two days,” York told the Boston Herald. “That was kind of neat leaving (on my terms), but the hardest part was that it affects a lot of people and I didn’t expect to get emotional but I kind of did.
“At three o’clock I told all the players and I like the fact that none of the players knew. It didn’t leak out and that was good for BC to be able to do that.”
York is the winningest coach in Div. I hockey history with 1,123 victories, five NCAA championships and a record 41 tournament wins in a sport that only qualifies only 16 teams for the postseason.
One of three coaches in NCAA history to win national titles with two different teams. York led Bowling Green to the crown in 1984 after beginning his head coaching career at Clarkson in 1972 at the age of 27.
A former BC player, York coached his alma mater to nine Hockey East titles and 12 regular-season championships in one of the toughest top-to-bottom conferences in college sports. He was named Hockey East Coach of the Year five times, the latest in 2021. But the Eagles struggled this season, going 15-18-5, including a 12-game winless streak with 10 losses and two ties.
“For the last 28 years I lived four miles from work and I always looked forward to it,” said York, who grew up and lives in Watertown. “Win the night before, lose the night before I get in the car and start a fresh day there.
“I just thought this is the right point, 50 years is a round number. But I will miss all those Hockey East rivalries over the years with Jack Parker (BU) and Rich Umile (UNH) and even out west with Jeff Jackson (Notre Dame) and Red Berenson (Michigan). I respect all those guys and it was neat to go against them all those times.”
Kraft will be charged with finding York’s replacement, the second major undertaking of his tenure at the Heights. Kraft hired Earl Grant to replace Jim Christian as the Eagles’ head basketball coach prior to the 2021-2020 season.
Kraft will likely hire a consulting firm to assist with the process but there are two obvious and successful candidates located nearby inside the Commonwealth.
UMass coach Greg Carvel led the Minutemen to their first NCAA title in 2021 and has a track record of rebuilding a program. The other possible local candidate is UMass-Lowell head coach Norm Bazin, who has transformed the former Division II program into Hockey East champion and a national contender.
Former Boston University and New York Rangers coach David Quinn would be an interesting candidate. Quinn coached the U.S. National Team in the 2022 Winter Olympics. Mike Ayers and Brendan Buckley have been an associate head coaches under York if Kraft looks to hire in house.
“We talked about that and I said ‘Hey Pat, this your hire because you are the one that has to live with that hire,' ” York said. “I’ll be a resource if he reaches out to me, but it is not my job to name a coach.
“Pat will do a terrific job, he’ll get the right guy in here. But the one favor I asked was that my two assistants have been here for a while. They deserve a real sitdown interview because both are qualified, and he told me he would do that. There will be a national search after that.
“I’ll watch every game on TV now. I’m not going to put any pressure on the new coach by being there. Maybe after a year I will go back. But I want to make sure I give the new coach all the room he needs. Rich Umile did it that way and I like that concept.”
With York’s announcement, college athletics lost two its longest tenured and winningest icons at the end of this winter season. Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski called it quits after 47 seasons in Durham, N.C., getting the Blue Devils to the Final Four in his last campaign. But unlike Coach K, who enjoyed an extended ACC farewell tour, York kept his intentions private.
“Everybody has their own choices in how to do it,” said York. “I don’t think there is a right or a wrong way, but I didn’t feel comfortable doing it that way and getting a chair or a picture frame or some awards. That’s just not me and this is just the way I want it.”
In another ironic twist, BU is also in the market for a new coach since relieving Albie O’Connell of his duties after the Terriers failed to advance in the Hockey East tournament.
