Kornacki: Mount Rushmore of Coaches Reflect on Red
1/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
Jan. 10, 2015
• Berenson's Road to 800 | Recap
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan ice hockey coach Red Berenson has many things in common with the three legends he just joined after recording his 800th career win today (Saturday, Jan. 10) against No. 9 Minnesota.
But one thing Berenson doesn't share with Ron Mason, Jack Parker and Jerry York was their "boy coach" tag when starting in the college coaching ranks.
Mason was 26 in 1966, when he took over the reins at Lake Superior State before moving on to Bowling Green and Michigan State to accumulate 924 victories.
York was 27 in 1972, when he became the coach at Clarkson. He then replaced Mason at Bowling Green before landing at Boston College and piling up a record 975 wins and five national championships.
Parker was 28 in 1973, when he was hired at Boston University. He stayed at his alma mater until retiring prior to last season, and he totaled 897 wins.
Each of those coaching icons was calling the shots from the bench before turning 30.
Berenson, however, was 44 when he returned to his alma mater to become the head coach succeeding John Giordano in 1984, having spent more than two decades in the NHL.
Berenson played 17 distinguished seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings before becoming an assistant coach in St. Louis. He spent three seasons as head coach of the Blues, winning the Jack Adams Award as the NHL coach of the year in 1981.
Three years later, he was back behind the bench for the Wolverines. And 31 seasons later, Berenson has 800 wins.
Those three coaches ranking ahead of him in victories spoke with MGoBlue.com earlier this season about what makes Berenson special to them, the players he has coached and the game itself.
The four of you are something of a Mount Rushmore of college hockey coaches. What has enabled Red to win so many games?
York: "His consistent behavior game in and game out, season after season. He tells his players: 'We'll play well. We'll play hard. Let's go win the game!' His teams play with integrity -- no nonsense after the whistle. Red respects you, but tries to beat you."
Mason: "His teams play a good, up-tempo game. He gets really good skill players who he uses so well. He gets the most out of this players and he knows how to handle each player."
Parker: "Red wins with the thing that enables everyone to win -- great players and great assistant coaches. And he's had a lot of great ones in both areas. The coaches who get off the bus with the best teams usually win. And Red is a credit to the University, which is really a great place to go."
What do you admire most about Red?
York: "I've admired his career from afar for many years. He's clearly a good coach from way back. When Red came back to college, we were all excited because we knew it'd make our game a stronger force. And that's good for all of us. When teams like Boston College, Michigan, Minnesota, Boston University and Michigan State are good, it brings more attention to the college hockey brand name. And Red had a major impact with his presence."
Mason: "He is very knowledgeable about the game and pretty realistic. I like that. A lot of people think they can beat the game, but I always say that you can't beat this game. You beat opponents, and Red understands that. We played against each other in college, and Red was such a great player. There is so much to admire about him and his career."
Parker: "Red's personality as a coach is similar to those he has as a human being. He does not take away the creativity in his kids, but demands discipline on the ice. He gets across his message and still says, 'You can be who you are.' And Red always takes the high road with recruiting, with whatever. I cannot emphasize enough how well thought of he is by the other coaches. People will see him and say, 'Wow, that's Red Berenson.' I was just thrilled and so happy when I saw Red across the ice on the bench."
Do you have a favorite game against Red?
York: "We've been in national semifinals and regional finals against one another. And we got to play for the 1998 national championship in a very memorable game. But it's more memorable for Red (Michigan won, 3-2, in overtime). I can still see Josh Langfeld scoring the winning goal like it was yesterday."
Mason: "We had a lot of great games in our special rivalry -- some really good, close games. But then one year we played (four) times and won all (four). But we lost in the NCAA Tournament, and they won it all (in 1998)."
Parker: "In 1997, Michigan was No. 1 when we met them in the national semifinals. And they had a Hobey Baker winner in Brendan Morrison. After our pre-game skate in Milwaukee, one of our alumni members asked our super fan, Elliot Driben, what he was doing after our game with Michigan. Elliot said, 'I'm packing.' But we ended up with one of the biggest upsets in the Frozen Four (with a 3-2 win before losing to North Dakota in the championship game)."
What does winning 800 games at this level mean?
York: "None of us think about milestones. But winning that many games is all about being so consistent for so long. The next opponent is all we think about. And now Red and I are the old war horses. We still think about how to make our teams as good as they can be. How long are we going to coach? Hey, we still love it. But the wins can't be the driving force. It has to be working on a college campus with these great kids."
Mason: "At the time, you don't think of the number, only winning the next one. But when you look back at that win total, you say, 'I wonder how in the hell I did that. Holy geez!"
Parker: "I was lucky enough to be around a real long time, and the reason I stuck around is that I won. The reason Red stuck around so long is the same -- he won. You keep at it, have enough 20-win seasons, and they pile up."
Parker, who won three NCAA titles and coached four of the "Miracle on Ice" players from the 1980 Olympic win over the Russians with Jim Craig, Mike Eruzione, Dave Silk and Jack O'Callahan, is retired from both coaching and serving as the school's athletic director. He resides in Boston.
Mason, who won the 1986 NCAA title with the Spartans and also served as their athletic director, is retired and spends his winters sailing in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida and the summers fishing in Lake Huron off the Ontario coast.
York, 69, beat Berenson in a game in December in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, continuing their rivalry and his search for a sixth national championship and perhaps the first 1,000-win career.
Berenson, 75, continues the quest for another win in the Frozen Four finals to go with those from 1996 and 1998. But perhaps as much as anything, he looks forward to lacing up the skates at practice and molding men as surely as a team.
• Kornacki: Berenson Closing In on Win No. 800 (Jan. 8, 2015)
