Jerry York to be inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday

After coaching his team to a weekend sweep of the Vermont Catamounts, Jerry York will officially be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday after being announced as one of the inductees this summer. While we know that he’s a legend in college hockey, this only further cements his legacy in the sport.

Jerry York is the winningest coach in the history of men’s college hockey, having won 1,075 career games to date, 607 of them with the Eagles. He’s won five national championships throughout his career, one at Bowling Green in 1984 and four at Boston College in 2001, 2008, 2010, and 2012. The 2019-20 season is his 48th season coaching, and his 26th with BC.

58 of York’s former players have played at least 50 games in the NHL, combining to win a total of 12 Stanley Cups. He’s coached four different Hobey Baker award winners.

While he is an incredible coach and ambassador of the game, what really makes Jerry York remarkable is the impact he has on people and how nobody has anything bad to say about him. George McPhee, who played for York at Bowling Green and whose son Graham is a senior on this year’s team, noted in an article on The Athletic that York is the “Fred Rogers of hockey.” Former players almost always speak about how York cares for them as people as well as them as players. Fellow coaches, regardless of rivalries, hold immense respect for him.

What is notable, also, is his team-first mentality. York consistently emphasizes team over individual accomplishments - which is why instead of heading to Toronto early for pre-induction ceremony festivities, he stayed with his team and coached them this weekend before flying up. This team-first approach is integral to who he is as a person and as a coach, and that’s evident to anyone that knows anything about Jerry York.

Congratulations once again to Coach York on this incredible honor!