Greg Brown to Become 12th Head Coach of Boston College Eagles
May 6, 2022 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Dubuque Fighting Saints head coach Greg Brown has accepted the position of head coach of the Boston College Eagles. He will take over for his longtime mentor, Jerry York, who announced his retirement from BC on April 19, 2022, after 28 seasons at the helm at The Heights.
Brown led the Fighting Saints to a 40-16-6 record in his sole season as bench boss in Dubuque. That record earned the Fighting Saints an eleventh consecutive playoff berth. Those 40 wins stood as the second-most victories in a single season in the Saints' Tier I era, behind the 2012-13 season's 45.
"It was an honor and a privilege to be the head coach of the Dubuque Fighting Saints this past season. It was an unforgettable experience from beginning to end," Brown said. "I want to thank Brad Kwong, the ownership group of the Fighting Saints, Kalle Larsson, my assistant coaches Justin Hale and Evan Dixon, and the rest of the staff and players for making my time here in Dubuque worth every minute."
Brown coached a Fighting Saints team that finished the regular season with the third-most wins in the league (40), the third-most goals (254), the fifth-fewest goals against (199), the third-most home wins (21), and the second-most road wins (19). The team was a nearly unstoppable 26-3-1 when leading after the first period, and a 29-5-1 record when scoring the first goal in a game (.843 pct). The Fighting Saints finished with the fifth-best power play (21.4%), and the fifth-best penalty kill (81.0%).
"We felt very fortunate to have Brownie join us in Dubuque. While only with us for a year, his knowledge, professionalism, and character definitely had and will have a lasting impact on our program," said Fighting Saints managing partner Brad Kwong. "We all thank him and wish him and his wife Katharine the very best in this next phase of their lives."
Eight Fighting Saints earned league recognition as players of the week including Stephen Halliday twice, Connor Kurth, Ryan Beck, Tristan Lemyre, Max Montes, Samuel Sjölund, Paxton Geisel and Philip Svedebäck. Brown coached two players who finished in the top five in USHL scoring, including Halliday (second, 95 points) and Kurth (fifth, 81 points).
Brown joined the Fighting Saints with a long list of accomplishments in his hockey career. He spent three seasons prior to becoming head coach of the Fighting Saints behind the bench of the New York Rangers as an assistant coach. There, he spearheaded the development of the Rangers' burgeoning cupboard of prospects to higher heights- many of them USHL alumni.
"Despite one season behind our bench, Coach Brown leaves a lasting mark on our organization. The players loved playing for him, our great fans appreciated his style, and our staff enjoyed working with him every day," said Fighting Saints General Manager & President of Hockey Operations, Kalle Larsson. "We exist to support players, coaches, and staff to move on in life and in hockey. Being the head coach at Boston College is Greg's dream job and while we are sad to see him leave, we are equally excited for him and his family."
"We thank Greg, Katharine, and the rest of their family for their time with the Saints and we wish them the very best at BC."
Brown spent 14 seasons beside York at Boston College as an assistant coach, followed by an associate head coach. His steadfast contributions behind the bench helped the Eagles win seven Hockey East championships, seven Hockey East regular season titles, make 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, make seven Frozen Four appearances, make five national championship game appearances, and win three NCAA national championships (2008, 2010, 2012). He coached and developed four former Fighting Saints, including multi-time NHL All-Star Johnny Gaudreau (CGY), Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson, Shattuck St. Mary's assistant coach Teddy Doherty and former pro J.D. Dudek.
Brown had a hand in the development of prominent NHL pros such as Gaudreau, Matheson, Chris Kreider (NYR), who was among the league's leader in goals this past season, Kevin Hayes (PHI), Cam Atkinson (PHI) and Brian Dumoulin (PIT), among many others.
Brown takes over for York at the helm of the program after York put forward a 656-347-94 record at The Heights over the course of 28 seasons. York's 1,123 wins across 50 seasons at a combination of Boston College, Bowling Green State University and Clarkson University are the most in college hockey history, and account for the only record with over 1,000 wins in Division I. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019 in the Builders Category.
Brown earned significant experience on the international stage as assistant coach of Team USA at the 2014, 2017 and 2018 IIHF World Junior Championships. He won gold in 2017, and bronze in 2018 with some of the best players that USA Hockey has ever churned out.
A Boston College hockey legend, Brown was inducted into Boston College's Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2004 with two Hockey East championships, two All-American nods, and two nominations as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's top player. He is one of just three players in Hockey East history to be the conference's player of the year twice. He finished his playing career at The Heights with 120 points in 119 games across three seasons.
Brown represented the United States on two occasions as an Olympian, in both 1988 in Calgary, and 1992 in Albertville, France. He also played in the World Championships for Team USA in 1998 and 1999.
Brown played a professional career that spanned 13 seasons, which included 94 games across four seasons in the NHL. He is part of a hockey family that includes a brother, Doug, a fellow BC Hall-of-Famer and a two-time Stanley Cup champion, and nephews Chris and Patrick, who are both currently professional hockey players.
Brown will be introduced as head coach of the Eagles at a press conference at Boston College on Monday, May 16 at 11:00 a.m. EDT. The search for a new Fighting Saints head coach will begin immediately.
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