The Patriots have done it three times this decade. The Red Sox twice. Last year, the Celtics did it. Yesterday, the Boston University men’s hockey team took its turn, piling onto Duck Tours boats and parading down Commonwealth Avenue to celebrate the program’s first national championship since 1995.
More than 1,000 students filled Marsh Plaza to watch the victorious Terriers arrive with trophies in tow. Every senior waltzed up to the stage with hardware in hand from each of BU’s championships this season: the Ice Breaker, Denver Cup, Beanpot, Hockey East regular season and postseason titles were all represented. Senior Hobey Baker Award winner Matt Gilroy was introduced last, carrying the NCAA Division I Championship trophy to the stage, where the co-captain thanked Terrier Nation for its support all season.
‘The seniors and I get to go out like this,’ the senior defenseman said. ‘We leave as national champs.’
Senior co-captain John McCarthy also acknowledged the contribution the fans made to the Terriers’ run toward the national title.
‘There were times when we weren’t playing our best, but it didn’t matter to you,’ McCarthy told the crowd. ‘It was that support all year that helped us win.’
BU coach Jack Parker joked that with just six seniors and seven trophies to boast, the team had to leave ‘Hobey’ at home. But before the rally had finished, Athletics Director Mike Lynch announced the Terriers had earned one final piece of hardware, as Parker won the Spencer Penrose Award as Division I coach of the year.
‘I think it’s easy for me to say that this is the greatest team that I’ve ever coached,’ Parker said.
The title was the third for Parker at BU, and he said the boisterous student section in Washington, D.C., helped his team to victory. Parker spoke with several alumni and former players at the game, who told him the fans never let up, even when the team looked to be on the brink of losing.
‘They couldn’t believe how hard the student section was still cheering,’ Parker said.
Mayor Thomas Menino and BU President Robert Brown were also on hand to congratulate the team and its fans on a day that Menino declared ‘Terriers Day’ in Boston.
COACHING LESSONS
Nothing was easy for BU in Washington. The University of Vermont offered up everything it had on the ice Thursday night, giving the Terriers one last test to ensure they deserved to play in the championship game. In the process, the Catamounts took part in a thrilling hockey game that could only be upstaged by the stunning grand finale BU saved for Saturday.
Against Miami University, the Terriers were in the same position, scrambling late in the game to keep the season alive. A look over at the BU bench during a late timeout, however, would have revealed no desperation or panic. With the Terriers down two in the final minutes against Miami, there was no rallying of the troops or emotional speech.There was Parker, calmly instructing his skaters of their roles. Win the faceoff. Crash the net. Look for rebounds. Go make a play. Two weeks earlier, after BU edged the University of New Hampshire to earn its spot in the Frozen Four, Parker reflected on what makes a great coach.
He recounted a scene from a basketball game in which legendary coach Hubie Brown was coaching Julius Erving in the American Basketball Association. In a late-game situation with his team trailing by a point, Brown scrambled to draw up a winning play during a timeout. After furiously jotting down several incarnations of what he hoped to be the final shot, the buzzer sounded.
Having imparted no wisdom or guidance to his team as play began, Brown turned to Erving, grabbed his shoulders and told him, ‘You better do something.’ Erving heeded his coach’s advice and scored the game-winning basket.
‘That’s good coaching,’ Parker said.
During the timeout Saturday, Parker did much the same thing. He reminded his team of the situation, and allowed them to do the work. When asked after the game about his role in the comeback, Parker downplayed his impact.
‘Great players make great plays,’ he said.
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