By Anthony Gulizia, News Staff
Rumors of hockey coach Greg Cronin leaving the Huskies surfaced in April, but the gossip was confirmed when Northeastern Athletics announced Monday that Cronin will take an assistant coaching job with the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs.
Assistant coach Sebastien Laplante will serve as the interim head coach until a replacement is found.
“We’re going to try to make a decision on our next coach in a timely fashion to stabilize the program,” Director of Athletics Peter Roby said in an interview with the News. “I don’t have a timeline, but there are policies and procedures that we have to follow. We’ll do it in a way that’s thorough, and we’ll do it right and talk to the right people to find the right person to lead the program going forward.”
Laplante, who joined the staff in 2008, stepped in for Cronin after he and assistant coach Albie O’Connell were suspended for telephone and text message violations which were revealed during the course of routine monitoring.
With Cronin out six games, Laplante led the Huskies to a 2-2-2 record.
Whenever the head coach leaves a collegiate program, there is always concern that recruits may lose interest, but Roby said he has not seen that happen yet.
“There’s always the concern when there’s change, but there’s nothing that I’m aware of at this point,” Roby said. “Part of our job is to assure them that they are going to have a quality coach and the coaching staff in place will be doing that over the next several days.”
Cronin began coaching at NU in 2005 after replacing Bruce Crowder. In six years with the Huskies, Cronin’s record stands at 84-104-29.
The 2008-09 season was remarkable for the program, as Cronin guided the Huskies to 25 wins, tying the school record set in 1981-82, good enough for a No. 2 national ranking and a bid to the NCAA tournament, NU’s first appearance since 1994. For his success that season, Cronin earned the Bob Kullen Hockey East Coach of the Year award.
“[Cronin] certainly had an impressive resume,’’ Roby said. “He put in a lot of work and dedication. It’s definitely going to take us some time to find someone with that type of background, but there are a lot of talented people out there. We’re appreciative of all that Greg has brought to Northeastern — he’s done a tremendous job.’’
Since Cronin arrived at Northeastern, there have been many changes to the program, the most notable being the multi-million dollar renovation to Matthews Arena in the spring of 2009.
“[Cronin] has done a tremendous job, but the program was different than when he was first hired,” Roby said. “We added a lot, the facilities have been upgraded, and there was additional money in the operating budget to make the program competitive. There are a lot of reasons there is significant interest in the program, and it’s arguably in the best conference in the country. We have a very formidable team coming back.”
Cronin’s move to Toronto marks his fourth stint with the National Hockey League. He served as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders for six seasons (1998-2003); as the organization’s director of player development for three years (2002-05); and as head coach of its top AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, for two years (2003-05).
During Cronin’s six-year tenure at Northeastern, 11 players were drafted or signed by NHL teams.
“I wouldn’t say I was surprised [he left],’’ Roby said. “Greg and I had a good enough relationship and he always kept me posted on what he was doing, and I always encouraged Greg to do what makes him happy. I always have had a sense that Greg might someday return to the NHL.’’
