Boston College head coach Jerry York, already second in all-time coaching victories behind former Michigan State legend Ron Mason, hit a major milestone on Friday, becoming just the second coach to win 900 games.
As the seconds wound down on the clock and the victory seemed in hand, the Kelley Rink Crowd of 7,390 broke into chants of “Jerry, Jerry” to honor the legendary coach.
York, who has coached four national championship teams — three at Boston College and one at Bowling Green — earned his 900th win with a 4-2 decision over Merrimack. Despite reaching the career milestone, York remained extremely lighthearted about his accomplishment, focusing more on the first-place race in Hockey East.
“I’ll address it real early and then we’ll leave it behind,” said York about win No. 900. “When you sign up for a team sport, it’s not about individual awards or accomplishments. It doesn’t motivate me, the number of games. We try to win trophies.
“When you’re a team, in a team setting, that’s your goal. Boston College has provided all of us here with an opportunity to really chase some trophies.”
While York remained modest about his accomplishment, his opposing coach on Friday did not.
“Holy smokes, 900 wins,” said Merrimack coach Mark Dennehy, a BC grad himself who played before York’s arrival at the Heights in 1994. “At the rate I’m going, I’ll be 275 years old by the time I get 900 wins.”
York points to his four national titles as the most special of the 900 victories, but said that rivalry games — beating St. Lawrence while coaching at Clarkson, knocking off Michigan State while at Bowling Green, or winning Beanpot titles while at BC — are the most special.
He also feels that he’s coached a number of legendary players who have made his career more enjoyable. Stating that there were so many players who created his many coaching memories, he singled out a player from each of his three schools:
“I’ve had some remarkable players,” said York. “At Clarkson, NHL Hall of Famer Dave Taylor was a key player. At Bowling Green, Rob Blake was a top guy and a Hall of Famer for sure. Here, Brian Gionta really stands out. We’ve had some marquee players at all schools, but we’ve had more here at BC.”
Here is a list of York’s notable milestone victories in his 39-plus year coaching career:
No. 1 — November 10, 1972: Clarkson 13, University of Quebec, at Potsdam, N.Y.
No. 50 — January 2, 1976: Clarkson 4, Cornell 2, at ECAC Holiday Tournament, New York, N.Y.
No. 100 — January 24, 1978: Clarkson 10, St. Lawrence 3, at Potsdam, N.Y.
No. 150 — January 29, 1981: Bowling Green 6, Lake Superior 2, at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
No. 200 — January 22, 1983: Bowling Green 7, Northern Mich. 6 (OT), at Marquette, Mich.
No. 243 — March 24, 1984: Bowling Green 5, Minnesota-Duluth 4 (4OT) at NCAA Championship Game, Lake Placid, N.Y.
No. 250 — December 1, 1984: Bowling Green 5, Miami (Ohio) 3, at Oxford, Ohio
No. 300 — November 7, 1986: Bowling Green 5, Ohio State 2, Bowling Green, Ohio
No. 350 — March 4, 1988: Bowling Green 5, Ferris State 4 (4 OTs), at Bowling Green, Ohio
No. 400 — February 3, 1990: Bowling Green 4, Miami (Ohio) 3, at Bowling Green, Ohio
No. 450 — October 22, 1993: Bowling Green 6, Ohio State 0, at Bowling Green, Ohio
No. 500 — November 30, 1996: Boston College 6, St. Lawrence 4, at Canton, N.Y.
No. 550 — January 28, 1999: Boston College 7, Massachusetts 1, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
No. 600 — November 4, 2000: Boston College 6, Massachusetts-Lowell 1, at Lowell, Mass.
No. 626 — April 7, 2001: Boston College 3, North Dakota 2, at NCAA Championship Game, Albany, N.Y.
No. 650 — November 7, 2002: Boston College 7, Merrimack 0, at North Andover, Mass.
No. 700 — October 29, 2004: Boston College 5, North Dakota 3, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
No. 750 — October 10, 2006: Boston College 5, Northeastern 2, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
No. 800 — March 29, 2008: Boston College 5, Minnesota 2, at NCAA Tournament,
Worcester, Mass.
No. 803 — April 12, 2008: Boston College 4, Notre Dame 1, at NCAA Championship Game, Denver, Colo.
No. 850 — April, 10, 2010: Boston College 5, Wisconsin 0, at NCAA Championship Game, Detroit, Mich.
No. 900 — February 17, 2012: Boston College 4, Merrimack 2, at Chestnut Hill, Mass.
NCAA championship games in bold.
