Wright resigns after 32 years leading American International

Gary Wright has resigned as head coach at American International after 32 seasons leading the program, the school announced Thursday.Wright and Michigan’s Red Berenson were tied as the longest-tenured coaches in Division I men’s hockey.Wright had a 313-605-76 record at American International, where he started in 1984.”My time at AIC has been enormously enriched by the people I’ve worked with on campus, our assistant coaches and the players I’ve coached,” Wright said in a statement released by the school. “And by my coaching colleagues on the other bench. It has often been said that playing college hockey helps make college the best four years of your life. For me, that association extended to nearly 40 years.”I only wish that my record had been better. Otherwise, it has been a wonderful run, with few regrets.”Under Wright, the Yellow Jackets moved to Division I in 1998-99, becoming a charter member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, which later transitioned to Atlantic Hockey.He was the MAAC’s coach of the year in the inaugural season, when the Yellow Jackets were 12-16-4.AIC’s Athletic Director Matthew Johnson shared,”Gary Wright has done things the right way for 32 years,” American International athletic director Matthew Johnson said in a news release. “He recruited students of high character and prepared them to be productive members of society after college. He has mentored hundreds of players, instilling sound moral and ethical principles on a daily basis through his own actions.”Gary is well respected on campus, within the Atlantic Hockey Conference and throughout the country. He has been a tremendous ambassador for the game of hockey and American International College for more than three decades. We will deeply miss Gary and wish him nothing but health and happiness as he enters a new chapter of his life.”