This is a list of men's college ice hockey career coaching wins leaders It is limited to coaches with at least 400 wins.
Jerry York, who coached men's ice hockey for 50 years at Clarkson University, Bowling Green State University and Boston College is the all-time leader in wins, losses and ties.
With 897 wins in 40 years at Boston University, Jack Parker is the all-time leader in wins with a single program.
= Coached one team | = Active Coaches |
Rank | Name | Years | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. | Teams |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jerry York | 50 | 1123 | 682 | 128 | .614 | Clarkson (1972–1979), Bowling Green (1979–1994), Boston College (1994–2022) |
2 | Ron Mason | 36 | 924 | 380 | 83 | .696 | Lake Superior State (1967–1973), Bowling Green (1973–1979), Michigan State (1979–2002) |
3 | Jack Parker | 40 | 897 | 472 | 115 | .643 | Boston University (1973–2013) |
4 | Red Berenson | 33 | 848 | 426 | 92 | .654 | Michigan (1984–2017) |
5 | Rick Comley | 38 | 783 | 615 | 110 | .556 | Lake Superior State (1973–1976), Northern Michigan (1976–2002), Michigan State (2002–2011) |
6 | Bob Peters | 36 | 744 | 313 | 50 | .695 | North Dakota (1964–1966), Bemidji State (1966–1982, 1983–2001) |
7 | Mike McShane | 37 | 741 | 348 | 69 | .670 | St. Lawrence (1980–85), Providence (1985–1994), Norwich (1995–2018) |
8 | Don Lucia | 31 | 736 | 403 | 102 | .634 | Alaska-Fairbanks (1987–1993), Colorado College (1993–1999), Minnesota (1999–2018) |
9 | Len Ceglarski | 34 | 672 | 341 | 36 | .658 | Clarkson (1958–1972), Boston College (1972–1992) |
10 | Tim Coghlin | 30 | 660 | 180 | 60 | .767 | St. Norbert (1993–present) |
11 | Jeff Sauer | 31 | 655 | 532 | 57 | .549 | Colorado College (1971–1982), Wisconsin (1982–2002) |
12 | Rand Pecknold | 30 | 642 | 347 | 105 | .635 | Quinnipiac (1994–present) |
13 | Bill O'Neill | 41 | 626 | 436 | 76 | .583 | Salem State (1981–2023) |
14 | Bob Emery | 30 | 624 | 215 | 65 | .726 | Plattsburgh State (1989–2019) |
15 | Rick Gotkin | 36 | 607 | 524 | 107 | .534 | Mercyhurst (1988–present) |
16 | Dean Fuller | 39 | 605 | 366 | 67 | .615 | Fitchburg State (1984–present) |
17 | Bill Beaney | 35 | 601 | 260 | 59 | .685 | New England College (1978–84), Middlebury (1986–2002, 2003–2015) |
18 | Dick Umile | 28 | 598 | 375 | 114 | .603 | New Hampshire (1990–2018) |
19 | George Gwozdecky | 27 | 593 | 391 | 85 | .594 | Wisconsin–River Falls (1981–1984), Miami (1989–1994), Denver (1994–2013) |
20 | Jeff Jackson | 25 | 589 | 318 | 98 | .635 | Lake Superior State (1990–1996), Notre Dame (2005–present) |
21 | John Rolli | 32 | 577 | 224 | 43 | .709 | Mass. Dartmouth (1984–2016) |
22 | John MacInnes | 26 | 555 | 295 | 39 | .646 | Michigan Tech (1956–1982) |
23 | Jack Riley | 36 | 542 | 343 | 20 | .610 | Army (1950–1986) |
23 | Terry Meagher | 33 | 542 | 253 | 58 | .669 | Bowdoin (1983–2016) |
23 | Mike Schafer | 28 | 542 | 289 | 111 | .634 | Cornell (1995–present) |
26 | Don Brose | 34 | 539 | 362 | 78 | .590 | Concordia (MN) (1958–1962), Minnesota State-Mankato (1970–1983, 1985–2000) |
27 | Don Roberts | 33 | 532 | 290 | 25 | .643 | Gustavus Adolphus (1964–1997) |
28 | Jack Arena | 40 | 528 | 387 | 85 | .571 | Amherst (1983–present) |
29 | Frank Serratore | 31 | 505 | 528 | 108 | .490 | Denver (1990–1994), Air Force (1997–present) |
30 | Ed Saugestad | 38 | 503 | 364 | 21 | .578 | Augsburg (1958–1996) |
31 | John Kelley | 36 | 501 | 249 | 15 | .665 | Boston College (1933–1942, 1947–1972) |
32 | Bob Daniels | 32 | 497 | 605 | 114 | .456 | Ferris State (1992–present) |
33 | Joe Marsh | 27 | 482 | 418 | 75 | .533 | St. Lawrence (1985–2012) |
34 | Don Vaughan | 30 | 472 | 504 | 123 | .485 | Colgate (1992–2003, 2004–2023) |
35 | Murray Armstrong | 21 | 460 | 215 | 31 | .674 | Denver (1956–1977) |
36 | Wayne Wilson | 25 | 461 | 314 | 80 | .586 | RIT (1999–Present) |
37 | Scott Sandelin | 24 | 456 | 388 | 101 | .536 | Minnesota–Duluth (2000–Present) |
38 | Steve Freeman | 28 | 450 | 271 | 66 | .614 | Wisconsin–River Falls (1996–Present) |
39 | Jeff Meredith | 35 | 442 | 399 | 97 | .523 | Fredonia State (1988–present) |
40 | Bill Kangas | 35 | 441 | 310 | 70 | .580 | Williams (1989–2017, 2018–Present) |
40 | John Dunham | 33 | 441 | 306 | 34 | .586 | Trinity (1974–2007) |
42 | Bill Wilkinson | 26 | 437 | 469 | 81 | .484 | Western Michigan (1982–1999), Wayne State (1999–2008) |
43 | Enrico Blasi | 23 | 427 | 386 | 81 | .523 | Miami (1999–2019), St. Thomas (2021–Present) |
44 | Bob Gaudet | 32 | 424 | 482 | 112 | .472 | Brown (1988–1997), Dartmouth (1997–2020) |
45 | Mike Gilligan | 25 | 419 | 350 | 49 | .542 | Salem State (1975–1981), Yale (1983–1984), Vermont (1984–2003) |
46 | Terry Skrypek | 23 | 415 | 194 | 45 | .669 | St. Thomas (1987–2010) |
47 | Bob Motzko | 19 | 412 | 263 | 66 | .601 | St. Cloud State (2005–2018), Minnesota (2018–Present) |
47 | Charlie Holt | 24 | 412 | 313 | 22 | .566 | Colby (1962–1968), New Hampshire (1968–1986) |
49 | Mark Taylor | 24 | 409 | 176 | 55 | .682 | Hobart (2000–Present) |
50 | Dean Blais | 18 | 408 | 248 | 63 | .611 | North Dakota (1995–2004), Omaha (2010–2017) |
50 | Craig Dahl | 24 | 408 | 402 | 57 | .503 | Bethel (1981–1985), Wisconsin–River Falls (1985–1986), St. Cloud State (1987–2006) |
Coaches within 30 wins of reaching 400 for their career (as of the end of the 2023–24 season).
Name | Years | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. | Teams |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nate Leaman | 21 | 397 | 290 | 97 | .568 | Union (2003–2011), Providence (2011–Present) |
Ed Gosek | 21 | 392 | 133 | 33 | .732 | Oswego State (2003–Present) |
Tom Serratore | 23 | 388 | 360 | 99 | .517 | Bemidji State (2001–Present) |
Guy Gadowsky | 24 | 382 | 384 | 65 | .499 | Alaska (1999–2004), Princeton (2004–2011), Penn State (2012–Present) |
Gary Heenan | 23 | 372 | 180 | 52 | .659 | Utica (2001–Present) |
Prior to 1970, college teams routinely played fewer than 30 games per season, sometimes far fewer. This made reaching 400 career wins nearly impossible for many coaches, particularly in the early years of the sport. The following list includes several coaches whose career winning percentage was among the best in the college hockey history (minimum 10 seasons), all of whom had all of or a large portion of their tenure prior to 1970. Coaches appearing on the list above are not included.
Name | Years | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. | Teams |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alfred Winsor | 15 | 114 | 38 | 2 | .747 | Harvard (1903–1917, 1923–1924) |
Ned Harkness | 24 | 384 | 131 | 11 | .740 | Rensselaer (1949–1963), Cornell (1963–1970), Union (1975–1977) |
William Harrison | 10 | 127 | 47 | 6 | .722 | Clarkson (1948–1958) |
Larry Armstrong | 12 | 125 | 54 | 10 | .688 | Minnesota (1935–1947) |
Vic Heyliger | 23 | 353 | 158 | 21 | .683 | Illinois (1939–1943), Michigan (1944–1957), Air Force (1968–1974) |
Jack Kelley | 18 | 306 | 147 | 12 | .671 | Colby (1955–1962, 1976–1977), Boston University (1962–1972) |
Cheddy Thompson | 10 | 149 | 72 | 5 | .670 | Colorado College (1945–1955) |
Cooney Weiland | 21 | 315 | 173 | 17 | .641 | Harvard (1950–1971) |
Albert Prettyman | 26 | 141 | 80 | 7 | .634 | Hamilton (1918–1943), Colgate (1943–1944) |
Clarence Wanamaker | 11 | 97 | 57 | 4 | .627 | Dartmouth (1915–1918, 1919–1920), Yale (1921–1928) |
Jack Roos | 17 | 134 | 79 | 7 | .625 | Clarkson (1929–1944, 1946–1948) |
Harry Cleverly | 17 | 212 | 142 | 10 | .596 | Boston University (1945–1962) |
George Menard | 15 | 204 | 137 | 14 | .594 | St. Lawrence (1955–1967, 1968–1971) |
Eddie Jeremiah | 26 | 308 | 239 | 11 | .562 | Dartmouth (1937–1942, 1945–1963, 1964–1967) |
Shawn Walsh finished his career with 399 wins, however, that total excludes the 27 wins that were vacated as part of a pair of NCAA rulings on player ineligibility. [4]
Gordon Arthur "Red" Berenson is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team from 1984 to 2017. Berenson was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.
Jerry York is an American former ice hockey coach who was the men's ice hockey coach at Boston College. York is the winningest coach in NCAA hockey, and leads the all-time list as the only Division I head coach with over 1,000 wins. He has won the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey title five times as a coach, at Bowling Green State University in 1984 and at Boston College in 2001, 2008, 2010 and 2012, tying him with Murray Armstrong for second-most all-time behind only Vic Heyliger (6). York received the Spencer Penrose Trophy for being named Division I Coach of the Year in 1977. On June 25, 2019, York was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builders Category.
The Yale Bulldogs men's ice hockey team represents Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and is the oldest collegiate ice hockey team in the United States. The Bulldogs compete in the Ivy League and the ECAC Hockey League (ECACHL) and play their home games at Ingalls Rink, also called the Yale Whale. The current head coach is Keith Allain, who led the Bulldogs to an Ivy League championship in his first year as head coach. Allain is assisted by former QU/UND goaltender, Josh Siembida. On April 13, 2013, the Bulldogs shut out Quinnipiac 4–0 to win their first NCAA Division I Championship.
Leonard Stanley Ceglarski was an American ice hockey player and coach. He was an All-American left wing on Boston College's 1949 NCAA championship team, and was captain of the 1950–51 squad. He was also a member of the U.S. Olympic hockey team that won the silver medal at the 1952 Winter Olympic Games in Oslo, Norway. Ceglarski was also known as a baseball player. While at Boston College, his .429 batting average as a senior second baseman was best in New England.
John Andrew "Snooks" Kelley was an American ice hockey coach. Kelley was coach of the Boston College Eagles ice hockey team for 36 years. Kelley won the 1949 NCAA ice hockey title and was the first coach to win 500 games in the NCAA. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974
The Boston College Eagles are an NCAA Division I college ice hockey program that represents Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The team has competed in Hockey East since 1984, having previously played in the ECAC. The Eagles have won five national championships, the most recent coming in 2012. Home games have been played at Kelley Rink at Conte Forum, named in honor of long-time BC hockey coach John "Snooks" Kelley, since 1986, having previously played at McHugh Forum. The Eagles are coached by former Eagles and NHL defenseman Greg Brown, who recently took over the reins after the retirement of Jerry York.
William Wilkinson is a retired Canadian ice hockey coach. He coached the Wayne State Warriors men's ice hockey program for its entire 9-year existence at the Division I level. Prior to that, Wilkinson coach the Western Michigan for seventeen seasons.
The Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey team is a college ice hockey program representing Mercyhurst University in NCAA Division I competition as a member of the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) conference. They play in Erie, Pennsylvania at the Mercyhurst Ice Center, located on the Mercyhurst campus.
The Cornell Big Red men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Cornell University. Cornell competes in the ECAC Hockey conference and plays its home games at Lynah Rink in Ithaca, New York. Six of the eight Ivy League schools sponsor men's hockey and all six teams play in the 12-team ECAC. The Ivy League crowns a champion based on the results of the games played between its members during the ECAC season.
The Robert Morris Colonials men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Robert Morris University. The team plays its home games at the Clearview Arena, located at the RMU Island Sports Center in Neville Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The Colonials are members of Atlantic Hockey America, formed shortly after the 2023–24 season by the merger of RMU's former men's league of the Atlantic Hockey Association and the women-only College Hockey America (CHA), in which RMU had been a member. The Colonials men had been members of CHA until its men's division disbanded at the end of the 2009–10 season.
Jeffrey Sauer was an American ice hockey player and coach. Sauer was the head coach at the University of Wisconsin from 1982 to 2002 and Colorado College from 1971 to 1982. While at Wisconsin, he led the Badgers to two NCAA men's ice hockey championships. He was the special assistant to the commissioner of the WCHA prior to his death.
Richard Umile is a former American men's ice hockey coach at the University of New Hampshire. Coaching the Wildcats from 1990 through the 2018 season, Umile led UNH to the most wins in school history.
The RPI Engineers women's ice hockey team are a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I women's college ice hockey program that represents Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). The Engineers are a member of the ECAC Hockey (ECACHL) conference. They play at the Houston Field House in Troy, New York.
Mike McShane is a college men's ice hockey coach. He ranks ninth all-time among NCAA men's ice hockey coaches with 653 wins in 30 years as a head coach. As the head coach at Norwich University from 1996 to 2018, he led his teams to the Frozen Four nine times and NCAA Division III national championships in 2000, 2003, 2010 and 2017.
Don Brose is a retired American ice hockey coach. Brose was the head coach at Minnesota State University, Mankato from 1969 to 2000. He previously served as the head coach at Concordia College (Minnesota) from 1958 to 1962. In 34 years as a head coach, Brose compiled a record of 540 wins, 363 losses, and 79 ties. At the end of the 2009–2010 hockey season, Brose ranked 14th all-time among college men's ice hockey coaches.
Robert Donald Emery was a college men's ice hockey coach at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. He played college hockey at Boston College from 1983 to 1986 and briefly played professional hockey with the Fredericton Express in New Brunswick and the Maine Mariners in Portland, Maine. He has been the head men's ice hockey coach at Plattsburgh State since the 1989-1990 season. With 465 career victories, he is the winningest hockey coach in Plattsburgh history and the 20th winningest coach in NCAA college history. His .742 career winning percentage ranks third all-time among college coaches with at least 300 wins.
The Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Harvard University. The Crimson are a member of ECAC Hockey. They play at the Bright Hockey Center in Boston, Massachusetts. The Crimson hockey team is one of the oldest college ice hockey teams in the United States, having played their first game on January 19, 1898, in a 0–6 loss to Brown.
Mike Schafer is the men's ice hockey coach at Cornell University. He graduated from Cornell in 1986 with a degree in business management after leading the team to its first conference tournament championship in six years. Schafer retired as a player after his senior season and immediately became an assistant with the Big Red. Schafer left his alma mater after the 1989–90 season, taking a similar position with the Western Michigan Broncos of the WCHA. Five years later, after a downturn in the program that saw three consecutive losing seasons Cornell replaced Brian McCutcheon with Schafer as head coach. Schafer quickly returned the Big Red to prominence, winning the ECAC Hockey conference tournament his first two seasons back in Ithaca. Schafer has remained with Cornell ever since, becoming the longest tenured and the winningest coach in team history.
Charlie Holt was an American ice hockey coach. He was the head coach of the University of New Hampshire from 1968 thru 1986. He is one of three 3-time recipients of the college ice hockey National Coach-of-the-Year Award.
Terry Meagher (muh-HAR) is a Canadian retired ice hockey forward and coach who was twice named as the Division III National Coach of Year.