York, NCAA hockey's all-time winningest coach, enters U.S. Hall

Jerry York will be inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame on Thursday but won't stay to celebrate. The Boston College coach will fly into Denver the day of the ceremony and fly out that night. His team has a game against rival Boston University on Friday.

The 76-year-old is still going, still teaching, still winning.
"I enjoy it," he said. "I wake up every day with a real good feeling about what I do for a living. I have excitement in my step as I get in the car and come over to BC for practice or games, so as long as that stays.
"People call it passion. I'm not sure what the real word for it is. But [it's] the excitement of getting on the ice, making our team better. I just love being in the team atmosphere. I will go as long as I have that feeling. I feel like I can still contribute. We can still chase those banners at the end of the year."
York is part of the USHHOF's Class of 2020 with Dean Blais, Tony Granato and Jenny Potter. Their enshrinement was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and they will be honored alongside the 2021 Class of Stan Fischler, Paul Holmgren and Peter McNab.
Despite the honor, York declines to discuss his legacy.
"I'm not that type of person," he said. "I don't really think of that. Hey, let's get better at today's practice. Let's prepare for our next opponent. I just love bringing a group of guys together. … That hasn't changed in 50-some-odd years here."
That is how he got here, how he made the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019, how he has compiled an incredible career and impacted so many people.
Among his accomplishments: 1,115 wins in NCAA Division I, 191 more than anyone else; five NCAA titles, one with Bowling Green (1984) and four with BC (2001, 2008, 2010 and 2012); and four winners of the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in U.S. men's college hockey, two at Bowling Green (George McPhee in 1982, Brian Holzinger in 1995) and two at BC (Mike Mottau in 2000, Johnny Gaudreau in 2014).
He has had 18 players picked in the first round of the NHL Draft, 58 play more than 50 games in the League and 12 win the Stanley Cup. Several have become executives and coaches in the NHL, including McPhee, president of hockey operations of the Vegas Golden Knights; Rob Blake, general manager of the Los Angeles Kings; and Brian MacLellan, GM of the Washington Capitals.
It goes back to the beginning, according to old friends Paul Fulchino, a high school teammate; Art Byrne, a college teammate; and Dave Taylor, one of York's first recruits and his first player to make the NHL.
York grew up in Watertown, Massachusetts, near where he still lives in a modest home. He studied hard and played hard as the quintessential student-athlete at Boston College High from 1959-63. Fulchino called him "Mr. Hockey."
"Everybody loved Jerry," Fulchino said. "Jerry was very popular among his teammates. He had a great personality. If you know Jerry today … When you walk into a room, Jerry will make you feel [like] you're the most important guy in that room. He always makes people feel that way. You ask him about his accomplishments or his team, he will change the subject."
Same at Boston College from 1963-67. York, a center, scored 134 points (64 goals, 70 assists) in 81 varsity games. (Freshmen couldn't play varsity then.) As a senior, he was the captain and an All-American, scoring 67 points (26 goals, 41 assists) in 28 games to lead the Eagles for the second straight season.
Byrne said York wasn't the fastest or strongest, but he was smart and patient with the puck.
"He had this hockey sense that most people don't have, and so it really was a great qualification for being a coach," Byrne said. "And on top of that, Jerry's personality is such that if you ever find someone who doesn't like Jerry York, there's something wrong with that person."
York started as an assistant at Clarkson University and rose to coach in 1972-73, at age 27.
In February 1973, he traveled to the nickel mining town of Levack, Ontario. In the lobby of the local arena, he introduced himself to Taylor, then a small Junior B forward, and asked if he could go to his house and talk to his parents about Clarkson.
"I'd never heard of Clarkson," Taylor said.
Taylor's mother put out tea and cookies, and York showed a video of the campus and arena in Potsdam, New York. York talked about the importance of an education and asked Taylor's father what he thought. Sold.
After scoring 251 points (98 goals, 153 assists) in 116 games at Clarkson from 1973-77, Taylor went on to score 1,069 points (431 goals, 638 assists) in 1,111 games for the Los Angeles Kings from 1977-94. He was GM of the Kings from 1997-2006 and is now senior advisor to hockey operations for the St. Louis Blues.
"I'm not sure I would have ever had an opportunity to play in the NHL if I didn't go down there and have those four years to mature and get stronger but also to learn from Jerry," Taylor said. "He would always preach the opportunity to get better. He said, 'You don't stay the same. You're either getting better moving forward, or you're falling behind.' He always talked about wanting to improve every day."
That has continued from Clarkson (1972-79) to Bowling Green (1979-94) to Boston College (1994-present).
"This is my 45th year working in the National Hockey League, and Jerry recruited me four years before that, and he's still coaching," Taylor said. "He's still the same person -- outgoing, terrific. I think that's a credit to him. With all the success, he hasn't changed a bit."