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College hockey: UW's Eaves, BC's York share more than most coaches

Todd D. Milewski  —  10/10/2008 9:35 am

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Any two college hockey head coaches can chat before or after big games, but when the University of Wisconsin's Mike Eaves and Boston College's Jerry York start talking, it's more than idle chitchat.

Look back to April 2006, when, shortly after Eaves' team had defeated York's for the national championship, they met in a Bradley Center hallway with their wives. York passed on some advice he once got from Bob Johnson, that winning your first national championship makes it easier to get the next one.

And look back to last April, when Eaves stopped by to visit York before BC defeated Notre Dame to deliver the championship that had barely eluded them in the two previous years.

The relationship between Mike and Beth Eaves and Jerry and Bobbie York grew as the two Eaves sons, Ben and Patrick, became All-Americans while playing for BC.

"They're parents of sons that went to school here, so it's different than a normal coaching relationship," York said. "So I think we share maybe more things. As disappointed as I was to lose it in Milwaukee, if you're going to lose it, it's great to have somebody you can say, 'Hey, terrific job, Mike.'"

York appreciated that Eaves made the effort to find him and talk.

"It was kind of neat in that short time period to now have Mike have a chance to give us a handshake," he said.

Six months after that handshake, the Eagles raise their third national championship banner to the Conte Forum rafters Friday night before hosting the Badgers in the season opener.

York said BC went down the same path as UW in the weeks and months after their triumph. The Badgers were introduced at a Milwaukee Brewers game at Miller Park; the Eagles went to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park.

The one big difference: York and Boston College were honored at the White House. And on that trip, they stopped by Walter Reed Army Medical Center to visit wounded soldiers.

York considered that one of the highlights.

"That's pretty inspiring," he said, "the soldiers and the wounded warriors."

Now, as the attention turns to the 2008-09 season, the Eagles start with the No. 1 tag in preseason polls. Unlike in 2001, the last time they won the national championship, they return a good number of difference-makers.

"We were more in survival mode" after the 2001 title, York said. "This year, if we can stay healthy and keep that good karma in our locker room, we've got a good chance to be a very special team."

And now it's Eaves turn to give York a word of advice. The UW coach said in the aftermath of the Badgers' 2006 title that you don't try to defend the title the next season; you try to get another one.

York and the Eagles have taken on that motto.

"Our whole objective," York said, "is to chase another one."

'Extra incentive' for Kessel

The experience was going to be a good one regardless, but the opponent only serves to add more intrigue.

Verona native Blake Kessel is likely to make his college hockey debut for New Hampshire on Saturday. The fact that game comes against Wisconsin is sure to raise the hairs a little higher for the defenseman.

"The first college game is always a big one; it's a nerveracking experience for pretty much anyone," Kessel said. "And then to be against the team that you watched growing up, pretty much your whole life, makes it a little bit more exciting."

Kessel, whose family is good friends with that of Badgers sophomore Patrick Johnson, hadn't gotten the official word on whether he was dressing Saturday as of Wednesday night, but he could hope.

Last season's defenseman of the year in the United States Hockey League with Waterloo and a 2007 NHL draft pick of the New York Islanders, Kessel has a little extra motivation going into the game.

He said Wisconsin didn't show much interest in him during the recruiting process. Keep in mind that his brother, Phil, chose Minnesota over Wisconsin in a 2006 recruiting battle.

"I was being recruited by quite a few different schools, but Wisconsin never really came to me with anything," Blake Kessel said. "I'm really happy with where I am now, so you can't really look back on it and say (anything). But I definitely have a little extra incentive come Saturday."

Extension for McLeod?

Western Collegiate Hockey Association commissioner Bruce McLeod's contract expires at the end of the 2009-10 season, but he said he's in the process of starting a dialogue with the league's executive committee for an extension.

McLeod, who has been in the position since 1994, said the executive committee handles preliminary negotiations and reports to the association as a whole at its January meeting. A vote likely would come at the league's May meeting, he said.

"I hadn't really thought about retirement or anything like that yet," McLeod said. "I'll be 62 in January. I feel good, feel enthusiastic. I just haven't thought about it. But I have to think about it. Probably this is the time I'll really start thinking about, 'How long do I want to do this?'"

Going into the Hall

Former Badgers goaltender Mike Richter will be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame at a ceremony Friday in Denver. The rest of the class: Cammi Granato, Brett Hull and Brian Leetch.

Todd D. Milewski  —  10/10/2008 9:35 am