NHL's Boston College alums laud York for 1,000th win

The reaction to Jerry York becoming the first NCAA hockey coach to reach 1,000 victories was felt not only at Boston College, where he has led the Eagles to four national championships since taking the job in 1994, but throughout the NHL.

A host of BC alumni around the League heaped praise upon their former coach, who reached the milestone Friday when Boston College defeated the University of Massachusetts 8-0 in Amherst, Mass.

"He's a great coach," said Calgary Flames left wing Johnny Gaudreau, who played at Boston College from 2011-12 through 2013-14. "He helped me out a lot making the jump from the college game to the pro game. It's great to see how well he's doing. My brother [Matthew, a junior forward] plays on the team right now and it's pretty cool to watch what he's doing.

"[York] cares about his players on and off the ice. It's not just about what a player can do on the ice for him, it's about caring for a player and taking interest in what kind of person he is ... He's a real caring coach and I can see why he's been so successful."

Boston Bruins forward Jimmy Hayes, a member of BC's 2010 national championship team, echoed Gaudreau when speaking about York's approach to his players.

"He was more worried about developing me as a better guy than as a hockey player," Hayes said. "He was always about that. That's why he's a big influence on guys being a better person away from the rink.

"He always was positive around all of us at all times. He'd always come to the rink with a smile ... and still treats every season and every game like it might be his last and he has a ton of fun with it, and he makes sure the guys in the locker room are having fun. He's just an overall positive guy who makes sure that it's contagious for everyone else."

Kevin Hayes of the New York Rangers, Jimmy's younger brother, said York is "the happiest guy in the world.

"He's the most humble, down-to-earth person," he said. "If you're having a bad day or you're having a bad game, it's impossible to be in a bad mood."

In his 44th season as an NCAA coach, York, 70, has a career mark of 1,000-595-108, including a 533-260-94 record in his 22nd season with the Eagles. York coached 15 seasons at Bowling Green, where he won an NCAA title in 1984, and seven seasons at Clarkson. He's one of only three coaches to lead two schools to an NCAA championship.

York coached the Eagles to NCAA titles in 2001, 2008, 2010 and 2012. His teams at BC have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 16 of the past 18 seasons.

"It's incredible," said New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider, who played for York from 2004-05 to 2006-07. "The sheer number of wins, at any level, is amazing. Especially in college when things can be cyclical. You lose guys, you have to recruit guys. You have to continually stay at it and bring in high-quality, high-character people. I think that's what coach has done. He's run a classy program there. Everyone who goes through there has nothing but the highest praise for Jerry and for what he does for you as a person, not just a hockey player."

In 2010, York received the Lester Patrick Trophy, awarded annually for outstanding service to hockey in the United States.

York became the winningest hockey coach in NCAA history on Dec. 29, 2012, when he won his 925th game to pass Ron Mason, who coached from 1967-2002, most notably at Michigan State.

"He's done it the hard way," Schneider said of York. "No shortcuts. He's played by the rules. You've never heard any kind of controversy surrounding him. And that's just him: His morality and his ethics are above all else. To see him get to that level, being such a great person, not just a great hockey coach, is well-deserved. Everyone who's ever played for him is excited for him."