Tim Benz: Penguins players praise Boston College's Jerry York for historic career in wake of his retirement

When Boston College hockey coach Jerry York retired last week after 28 years on the job, he did so without all the fanfare that was directed toward Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. But York leaves his sport with a resume that is every bit as impressive.

He does so while leaving an imprint on the Pittsburgh Penguins, too.

Like Krzyzewski, York retired with the most coaching wins in the history of his sport: Krzyzewski with 1,202 between stints at Army and Duke, York with 1,123 after stops at Clarkson, Bowling Green and Boston College.

Like Krzyzewski, York can claim five national championships — one at Bowling Green (1984) and four at B.C. (2001, ’08, ’10, ’12). And like Krzyzewski, York can boast of a long list of alumni who have become stars at the pro level.

Quite a few have played in Pittsburgh. Since York took over at his alma mater in 1994, some of the players who eventually skated with the Penguins included the likes of current Penguins Brian Boyle, Brian Dumoulin and Mike Matheson. Former Penguins who played under York include Stanley Cup Champions Rob Scuderi, Brooks Orpik and Ben Lovejoy (transferred to Dartmouth), along with Brian Gibbons, Chuck Kobasew, Carl Sneep and Philip Samuelsson.

“He established a standard of hard work,” Boyle said after York’s announcement last week. “An up-tempo, high-skill game. But most importantly, work. He taught us work ethic. I think that was the biggest part of my development.”

Boyle said York managed to instill that level of dedication without being overbearing or domineering.

“He’s the only coach that I ever played for that didn’t swear,” Boyle said with a laugh. “He’s probably also the coach that had the most fun at the rink every day. And that was infectious.”

Scuderi played under York for four years, three after being drafted by the Penguins. When the defenseman left for the pros, he held the record for most games played (169) at Boston College.

He says he did hear York swear. Once. And he says the team deserved it at the time. But Scuderi echoed Boyle’s sentiments.

“He was the eternal optimist,” Scuderi said. “He always wanted the best for you as an individual and for the team. He always thought we could find a way out of something. On the flip side of that, in his own way, he was tough… Overall I liked his general approach. He was a good man.”

According to Dumoulin, York “is a man with no enemies.” The defenseman insists what York did off the ice for his players was just as important to building the framework of the program as his on-ice coaching tactics.

“He treated us all as family. He’d have us over for dinner as freshmen. He’d come to our dorm room and see what we were up to,” Dumoulin said. “Throughout the day, there were always little things like mentor meetings where we would have to meet with business individuals, B.C. alumni. We’d learn about the industry and fields they were in. A quote of the day that we had to memorize, usually inspirational. Some were different. He started a player board for us. If anyone was going through hardships, we could talk about it as a team and kinda clear the air. He just did so many little things that I look back on, and I’m very thankful for it.”

When York took over the Eagles in 1994, he managed to elevate a program that had 13 Frozen Four appearances prior to his arrival. Plus he expanded a B.C. network of NHL alumni that had already produced dozens of standouts such as former Penguins stars Bill Guerin, Joe Mullen and Kevin Stevens.

“He turned out some good people,” Boyle said. “I think our alumni are the strongest in college hockey. We are all so close. The wins and losses are obvious. The championships and hardware are obvious. His impact has been tremendous in the college hockey world. I’m thankful I got to be a part of it.”

At Bowling Green, York had some eventual Penguins connections, too. Former Pens head coach Dan Bylsma played under York there, as did current assistant coach Todd Reirden. Also, ex-Penguin Brian Holzinger won the Hobey Baker award under York at BGSU.

York, 76, has said he plans to spend more time traveling and watching his grandchildren in their youth sporting events. As discussed on the AT&T Sportsnet broadcast of the Penguins game in Boston on Saturday, some of those family members live in Western Pennsylvania.