No, Greg Brown does not feel like he has to win four NCAA championships anytime soon.
It would be somewhat understandable if he did.
The first-year coach of the Boston College men’s hockey team knew what he was getting into last spring when he was hired to replace the legendary Jerry York — he of 656 career wins and four national titles in 28 seasons with the Eagles.
“I hope people aren’t thinking we’re going to do that,” Brown said with a chuckle last weekend after securing his first career win as a head coach, 4-2 over New Hampshire at the Whittemore Center.
It’s safe to say matching York’s numbers right out of the gate is not something on the front-burner of the rookie coach’s mind.
“Luckily, (York’s) accomplishments are so far out there that it doesn’t even become part of the equation,” Brown said. “You just try to stay focused on the job at hand right now.”
The Eagles fell 4-0 to Quinnipiac (then ranked No. 6 in the DCU/USCHO.com D-I poll) at home in their season opener on Oct. 7, which made them particularly hungry for a win eight days later at UNH.
“We lost pretty handily,” said Brown about the shutout in his head coaching debut. “You never want to start 0-2, so it was important for us, just for our psyche, to get a win under our belts.”
There will, undoubtedly, be many more wins in Brown’s future, if his pedigree is any indication. Brown spent 14 years on the Eagles’ bench as an assistant to York, including three of BC’s NCAA title runs. He recently spent time in the pro ranks, serving as an assistant with the New York Rangers of the NHL, then one year at Dubuque of the USHL.
As a player for the Eagles from 1987 to 1990, he was twice Hockey East player of the year and was a first-team All-American as well as a Hobey Baker Award finalist.
The experience and depth of knowledge of the game are a direct result of Brown’s lengthy career as a player and a coach, something that’s not lost on his current crop of players.
“It’s been pretty seamless,” said BC senior defenseman Marshall Warren. “We had a good culture here, and I think Coach Brown is building on that. Overall, all the boys are excited to play for Coach. He’s such a good guy.”
Warren called Brown an “offensive wizard” and also had high praise for his new coach’s defensive acumen.
“He knows so much about the game,” Warren said. “I think we’re all really absorbing it. He just knows what he’s doing, especially on the defensive side. He played D and knows everything about that.”
While a coaching change can prove challenging for college athletes midway through their careers, regardless of the school or sport, Brown said he’s felt nothing but support from his staff, players and the administrators at BC.
“The team has been great,” Brown said. “From the leadership right on down, they’ve really been supportive. (They’re) buying in to everything we’re trying to do.”
