Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey

     NCAA Tournament championships1989NCAA Tournament Runner-up1983, 1986NCAA Tournament Frozen Four1955, 1957, 1958, 1969, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1994, 2017NCAA Tournament appearances1955, 1957, 1958, 1969, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023Conference Tournament championships1963, 1971, 1983, 1987, 1994, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2015, 2017, 2022Conference regular season championships1963, 1973, 1975, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2017

The Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Harvard University. The Crimson are a member of ECAC Hockey. They play at the Bright Hockey Center in Boston, Massachusetts.^[2] The Crimson hockey team is one of the oldest college ice hockey teams in the United States, having played their first game on January 19, 1898, in a 0–6 loss to Brown.^[3]

The Crimson's archrival is the Cornell Big Red. The teams meet at least twice each season for installments of the historic Cornell-Harvard hockey rivalry.

History

Early history

The Crimson hockey team was founded in 1898 making the team one of the oldest college ice hockey teams in the United States. The team played on a local pond and played their first recorded intercollegiate game against Brown on January 19, 1898, at Franklin Field in Boston.^[4] The rivalry is the oldest continuing college hockey series in the country.^[5] The Crimson lost that game 0–6 but the Brown-Harvard rivalry continued and later become US college hockey's oldest rivalry.^[5]

The two teams played again the following winter; Brown won that game by a score of 2–1. The Crimson would get their first recorded win in program history in 1900 with a 10–1 win over MIT.^[6] That same season Harvard beat Brown in back to back games. On February 26, 1900, Harvard played Yale for the first time.^[4] The game was held at the St. Nicholas Rink in New York and the 4–5 loss was the Crimson's only loss of the 1899–1900 season.^[4][6]

In 1903 Alfred Winsor became the team's first official head coach.^[4] The team previously used captains in a player-coach role, including Winsor who served as the Crimson's captain from 1901 to 1902.^[4] Under Winsor the team recorded a 22-game winning streak that spanned five and a half seasons and lasted from January 10, 1903, to Jan 19, 1907.^[4][7]

After beginning the program on a pond and playing on various outdoor rinks constructed on campus over the seasons, the university constructed two ice rinks inside Harvard Stadium for the 1904 season and move some old bleachers to the side of the rink. The university also began charging admission for select important games for the first time.^[4] The Crimson later moved home games to the Boston Arena, the first indoor ice rink in Boston and one of the oldest in the United States.^[8] A few years after moving into the Boston Arena, on March 14, 1913, the Harvard University Athletic Committee voted to make ice hockey a major sport in the university's athletic department.^[4] Following the 1917 season Alfred Winsor stepped down as the head coach after compiling a 124–29 record in 15 seasons as Crimson head coach. The following season was suspended because of World War I with the team resuming play in 1919.^[4]

1919–1944

From 1919 to 1921 the team went back to playing at outdoor rinks after the Boston Arena caught fire in the fall of 1918. The Crimson returned to the arena after it was rebuilt in the fall of 1921.^[4] Following three seasons again with no official coach, William H. Claflin became the second coach in program history in 1921^[9] On March 7, 1923, William H. Claflin and captain George Owen '23 substituted entire forward lines instead of individuals, in the first recorded use of a line change. The idea proved successful as Harvard defeated Yale 2–1 in overtime.^[4][10]

On March 12, 1930, Harvard and Yale played the final game of a three-game series to end the 1930 season. The two teams split the first two games of the series.^[4] The game was called off at midnight due to blue laws despite the teams being tied in the third overtime and a record crowd in excess of 14,000.^[11] The resulting tie caused the two rivals to share the 1929–30 intercollegiate title.^[4]

Joseph Stubbs became the fourth head coach in program history starting with the 1927–28 season.^[9] He stepped down after the 1937–38 season with a record of 95–43–6 record in 11 seasons. Stubbs led the team to four seasons of double-digit wins, including two back-to-back 11-win seasons in 1930–31 and 1931–32, as well as a 12-win season in 1935–36,^[9] and leading the Crimson to a 15–1 record in 1936–37.^[4]

The Quadrangular League was created for the 1933–34 with Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Dartmouth, the league is considered the predecessor to the Ivy League.^[4] In 1936, the Council of Ivy Group Presidents agreed on the formal formation of the League, however the agreement did not go into effect until the 1955–56 season.^[4]

1945–1960

The program was suspended for two years during World War II but then returned to the ice for an abbreviated 1945–46 season.^[9] In 1950 Ralph "Cooney" Weiland became head coach, Weiland was a former NHL scoring champion who won Stanley Cups as both a player and a coach with the Boston Bruins. With the hire, Weiland became the first non-alumnus to become head coach of the program.^[4]

Weiland guided Harvard to win the inaugural Beanpot hockey tournament on December 27, 1952, when the team defeated Boston University 7–4.^[4] A few seasons later Weiland's Crimson team competed in the 1955 NCAA Ice Hockey Tournament. It was the first Frozen Four appearance by the university.^[9] The 1954–55 season was highlighted by William J. "Billy" Cleary leading the nation in scoring with 89 points in 21 games, his point total still stands as the Harvard single-season record.^[4] Cleary and classmate Chuck Flynn become Harvard's first All-Americans.^[4] The team returned to the tournament in 1957 and 1958. All three tournament appearances under Weiland saw the Crimson exit in the semi-final round.^[9]

In 1956 Harvard moved into the 2,000-seat Donald C. Watson Rink bringing hockey back on campus from the Boston Arena.^[12] The rink was located north of Harvard Stadium.

Harvard became a founding member of the ECAC Hockey League in 1961.^[13] That same season, on January 4, 1962, Harvard defeated Northeastern 6–1 for the program's 500th win. In its second season in the ECAC, Harvard won both the league regular season championship and, with a 4–3 overtime win over Boston University, won the league championship.^[14]

At the conclusion of the 1970–71 season Weiland left the program after 21 years. He compiled a record of 316–172–17, six Ivy League championships, two ECAC championships, and five NCAA appearances.^[4] Weiland was named coach of the year by the American Hockey Coaches Association in 1955 and 1971. In 1971 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and received the Lester Patrick Award for contribution to hockey in the United States in 1972.^[15]

1971–1990

Bill Cleary, former Crimson All-American, took over coaching duties for the 1971–72 season after serving as an assistant coach under Weiland.^[4] On March 7, 1975 – Harvard defeated Cornell 6–4 to win the 23rd game of the season,^[4] the first 20-win season in program history.^[9] Unfortunately, the Crimson would lose in the finals the next day to Boston University and finish fourth in the NCAA Tournament with defeats to Minnesota and the same BU squad. The team was captained by All-American Randy Roth '75, who the previous year was named the Crimson's first ever ECAC Player of the Year.

By the mid-1970s the Donald C. Watson Rink was becoming outdated and the university made plans to construct a new hockey facility. A decision was eventually made to extensively upgrade the facility and in 1978 the walls were removed and the roof was extended before the new arena was installed at a cost exceeding $5-million.^[12] During the renovation the Harvard's men's and new women's teams played out of various local rinks in 1978–79. Following the renovation the facility was named after former Harvard hockey player Alec Bright '19.^[12] The Bright Hockey Center increased seating by more than 800 people The ice surface was extended by five feet to 204 feet by 87 feet under the direction of coach Cleary.^[12]

Cleary lead the Crimson to their third conference tournament championship by beating Providence 4–1 in the ECAC Championship, sending the Crimson to the 1983 NCAA Tournament. Harvard first defeated Michigan State in the two-game quarter-final series by a combined score 9–8.^[16] The Crimson advanced to the Frozen Four in Grand Forks, North Dakota and defeated Minnesota 5–3 to send Harvard to the program's first NCAA Championship appearance.^[16] The Crimson was defeated in the NCAA final 2–6 by Wisconsin.^[16] Despite the loss in the final, Mark Fusco became the school's first Hobey Baker Award winner.^[4] Three seasons later, his brother, Scott Fusco became the second player and first ever pair of brothers to win the Award.^[4]

Despite a 2–3 overtime loss to Vermont in the ECAC semifinals,^[17] the 1988–89 team received an at-large bid to the 1989 NCAA Tournament, the team's fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.^[9] Harvard swept Lake Superior State in the two game quarter-final round by a combined score of 9–4.^[17] The team advanced to the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minnesota and defeated Michigan State 6–3 before facing the hometown Minnesota Golden Gophers in the championship.^[18] Harvard won their first NCAA Championship on April 1, 1989 when senior forward Ed Krayer score in overtime to give the Crimson a 4–3 overtime victory.^[4][17] Following the game, Lane MacDonald became the third player in program history to earn the Hobey Baker Award.^[4]

Recent history

Bill Cleary ended his tenure as head coach at the conclusion of the 1989–90 season to become the director of athletics.^[4] In his 19 seasons as head coach for the program he won 324 games and took the Crimson to the NCAA Tournament nine times, the Frozen Four on seven occasions, and the first national championship for Harvard.^[9] The ECAC regular season championship, the Cleary Cup, is named in honor of the former Harvard player, coach, and Olympian for his efforts to form the conference.^[19] Longtime assistant Ronn Tomassoni was named head coach for the following season. In his first season as head coach on February 1, 1992, Tomassoni guided Harvard to the program's 1,000 win when it defeats Union, 7–3.^[4]

In 1993 the team returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since their championship in 1989.^[9] The Crimson lost in double overtime to Northern Michigan 2–3.^[20] Harvard returned to the NCAA the following season in 1994 and advanced to the Frozen Four with a 7–1 win over New Hampshire. In the NCAA semifinal the Crimson fell to Lake Superior State 3–2 in overtime.^[21] finishing the year a record of 24–5–4.^[4] The appearance in the 1994 Frozen Four was the last of the program to date.^[9]

Mark Mazzoleni became the tenth coach in program history on July 16, 1999.^[4][9] Under Mazzoleni the Crimson reached the NCAA Tournament three straight seasons in 2001–02, 2002–03, and 2003–04.^[9] The streak was extended to five straight seasons, tying a program high, by Ted Donato in 2004–05 and 2005–06.^[22]

Adam Fox played for the team as a freshman for the 2016–17 season, led all NCAA defensemen in the nation with 40 points, and led all NCAA defensemen and all NCAA freshmen skaters in assists with 34, as he played 35 games.^[23][24] He was named 2017 ECAC Rookie of the Year and Ivy League Rookie of the Year.^[23] In his junior 2018–19 season, he was the top scoring player and defenseman in the country with 1.45 points per game.^[25][24] He led the NCAA in assists, while also setting school single-season records for assists by a defenseman.^[25] Fox also broke the school record for points by a Harvard defenseman in one season, set by Mark Fusco in 1983.^[24]

Season-by-season results

Source:^[26]

Championships

Pre-NCAA

• Before the NCAA began holding a national tournament in 1948, Harvard won 17 intercollegiate titles: 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1909, 1913, 1916, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1926, 1927, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1936, 1937

NCAA

• 1-time NCAA men's champions: 1989

Ivy League champions

• 24-time Ivy League men's champions: 1956, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1974, 1975, 1982, 1983*, 1984*, 1985*, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2006, 2016*, 2017, 2022^[27]

(*denotes tie)

ECAC Hockey

• 11-time ECAC men's champions: 1963, 1971, 1983, 1987, 1994, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2015, 2017, 2022
• 11-time ECAC men's regular-season champions: 1963, 1973*, 1975, 1986, 1987, 1988*, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2017*^[28]

(*denotes tie)

Beanpot championships

Championships: 1953, 1955, 1960, 1962, 1969, 1974, 1977, 1981, 1989, 1993, 2017

Mariucci Classic

• 1-time Mariucci Classic champion: 2016(Jan)

Coaches

Harvard's men's team has been in continual operation since 1897 with two notable exceptions. The university did not field a team for the 1917–18 season nor was there a team from 1943 through the spring of 1945. These three seasons were lost as a result of the two world wars that occurred during the first half of the 20th century. For two periods early in the team's history the team was coached by their captains; those years have been included here for continuity.

As of completion of 2022–23 season^[29]

Tenure	Coach	Years	Record	Pct.
1897–1903	Coached by Captains	6	26–6–1	.803
1903–1917, 1923–1924	Alfred Winsor	15	114–38–2	.747
1918–1919	Coached by Captains	1	7–0–0	1.000
1919–1923	William Claflin	4	34–10–2	.761
1924–1927	Edward Bigelow	3	25–8–2	.743
1927–1938	Joseph Stubbs	11	95–43–6	.681
1938–1942	Clark Hodder	4	20–34–3	.377
1942–1943, 1945–1950	John Chase	6	53–44–3	.545
1950–1971	Ralph "Cooney" Weiland	21	315–173–17	.641
1971–1990	Bill Cleary	19	324–201–24	.612
1990–1999	Ronn Tomassoni	9	145–115–24	.553
1999–2004	Mark Mazzoleni	5	82–72–13	.530
2004–present	Ted Donato	18	298–240–66	.548
Totals	11 coaches	122 seasons	1538–984–163	.603

Awards and honors

Hockey Hall of Fame

Source:^[30]

United States Hockey Hall of Fame

Source:^[31]

NCAA

Individual awards

All-Americans

AHCA First Team All-Americans

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

ECAC Hockey

Individual awards

ECAC Hockey Most Outstanding Player in Tournament

All-Conference

First Team All-ECAC Hockey

Second Team All-ECAC Hockey

Third Team All-ECAC Hockey

ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team

Olympians

This is a list of Harvard alumni were a part of an Olympic team.^[32]

Name	Position	Harvard Tenure	Team	Year	Finish
Willard Rice	Left Wing	N/A	USA	1924	Silver
John Chase	Forward	1925–1928	USA	1932	Silver
John Garrison	Defenseman	1928–1931	USA	1932, 1936, 1948 (coach)	Silver,  Bronze, DQ†
Alfred Winsor	Forward	1900–1902	USA	1932 (coach)	Silver
Frank Stubbs	Forward	1929–1930	USA	1936	Bronze
Goodwin Harding	Goaltender	1942–1943	USA	1948	DQ†
Lewis Preston	Center	1946–1947, 1948–1951	USA	1948	DQ†
Robert Ridder	N/A	N/A	USA	1952 (manager), 1956 (manager)	Silver,  Silver
Bill Cleary	Forward	1953–1955	USA	1956, 1960	Silver,  Gold
Bob Cleary	Center	1955–1958	USA	1960	Gold
Robert McVey	Defenseman	1955–1958	USA	1960	Gold
Edwyn Owen	Defenseman	1955–1958	USA	1960	Gold
Dan Bolduc	Left Wing	1972–1975	USA	1976	5th
Theodore Thorndike	Right Wing	1972–1975	USA	1976	5th
Mark Fusco	Defenseman	1979–1983	USA	1984	7th
Scott Fusco	Center	1981–1983, 1984–1986	USA	1984, 1988	7th, 7th
Tim Taylor	Center	1960–1963	USA	1984 (asst. coach), 1994 (coach)	7th, 8th
Allen Bourbeau	Center	1985–1987, 1988–1989	USA	1988	7th
Lane MacDonald	Left Wing	1984–1987, 1988–1989	USA	1988	7th
Ben Smith	Forward	1965–1967, 1968–1969	USA	1988 (asst. coach), 1998 (coach), 2002 (coach), 2006 (coach), 2018 (manager)	7th,  Gold,  Silver,  Bronze, 8th
Ted Donato	Left Wing	1987–1991	USA	1992	4th
Ted Drury	Center	1989–1991, 1992–1993	USA	1992, 1994	8th
C. J. Young	Right Wing	1986–1990	USA	1992	4th
Peter Ciavaglia	Right Wing	1987–1991	USA	1994	8th
Joe Bertagna	Right Wing	1970–1973	USA	1994 (asst. coach)	8th
Allain Roy	Goaltender	1988–1992	Canada	1994	Silver
Noah Welch	Defenseman	2001–2005	USA	2018	7th
Ryan Donato	Center	2015–2018	USA	2018	7th
Nick Abruzzese	Center	2019–Present	USA	2022	5th
Sean Farrell	Left Wing	2021–Present	USA	2022	5th

† Were members of the AHA team that was allowed to play in the Olympics but disqualified from medal contention.^[33]

Statistical leaders

Source:^[34]

Career points leaders

Player	Years	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Scott Fusco	1981–1986	123	107	133	240
Lane MacDonald	1984–1989	128	111	114	225
Bob Cleary	1955–1958	81	92	107	199
Peter Ciavaglia	1987–1991	120	66	128	194
Joe Cavanagh	1968–1971	79	60	127	187
C. J. Young	1986–1990	124	84	78	162
George Hughes	1975–1979	98	66	95	161
Allen Bourbeau	1985–1989	92	58	96	155
Bob McManama	1970–1973	75	64	87	151
Mike Vukonich	1987–1991	114	74	74	148

Career goaltending leaders

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Minimum 40 games

Player	Years	GP	Min	W	L	T	GA	SO	SV%	GAA
Godfrey Wood	1960–1963	50							.918	1.93
Merrick Madsen	2014–2018	90	5289	56	23	8	187	10	.924	2.12
Dov Grumet-Morris	2001–2005	114	6811	63	40	9	255	11	.924	2.25
Mitchell Gibson	2019–2023	79	4656	47	25	6	180	6	.918	2.32
John Dagineau	2002–2006	43	2349	25	12	2	94	3	.914	2.40

Statistics current through the end of the 2022–23 season.

Harvard Athletic Hall of Fame

The following is a list of people associated with the Harvard men's ice hockey program who were elected into the Harvard Athletic Hall of Fame (induction date in parentheses).^[35]

Current roster

As of August 2, 2023.^[36]

No.	S/P/C	Player	Class	Pos	Height	Weight	DoB	Hometown	Previous team	NHL rights
1		Max Miller	Senior	G	6' 2" (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	2001-08-02	Ann Arbor, Michigan	Janesville (NAHL)	—
2		Ian Moore (C)	Junior	D	6' 3" (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2002-01-04	Concord, Massachusetts	Chicago (USHL)	ANA, 67th overall 2020
5		Mason Langenbrunner	Sophomore	D	6' 3" (1.91 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	2002-09-14	Eden Prairie, Minnesota	Fargo (USHL)	BOS, 151st overall 2020
7		Philip Tresca	Sophomore	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2002-04-10	Newton, Massachusetts	Muskegon (USHL)	—
8		Alex Gaffney	Junior	F	5' 8" (1.73 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	2002-06-25	West Orange, New Jersey	Waterloo (USHL)	—
9		Ryan Healey	Sophomore	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	2004-05-19	Hull, Massachusetts	Sioux Falls (USHL)	MIN, 121st overall 2022
11		Ryan Fine	Freshman	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	183 lb (83 kg)	2005-03-14	Center Moriches, New York	NTDP (USHL)	—
12		Joe Miller	Sophomore	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	2002-09-15	Minneapolis, Minnesota	Chicago (USHL)	TOR, 180th overall 2020
13		Marek Hejduk	Sophomore	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	184 lb (83 kg)	2004-01-03	Parker, Colorado	NTDP (USHL)	—
15		Luke Khozozian	Junior	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	2001-04-21	Weston, Massachusetts	East Coast (EHL)	—
20		Tommy Lyons	Junior	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2000-04-01	East Falmouth, Massachusetts	Chilliwack (BCHL)	—
24		Jack Bar	Junior	D	6' 2" (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	2002-10-24	Newmarket, Ontario	Chicago (USHL)	DAL, 138th overall 2021
26		Ryan Drkulec	Senior	F	6' 6" (1.98 m)	197 lb (89 kg)	2000-09-22	Westlake, Texas	Lone Star (NAHL)	—
29		Casey Severo	Sophomore	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	177 lb (80 kg)	2001-02-01	Penfield, New York	Madison (USHL)	—
30		Aku Koskenvuo	Sophomore	G	6' 4" (1.93 m)	173 lb (78 kg)	2003-02-26	Espoo, Finland	HIFK U20 (U20 SM-sarja)	VAN, 137th overall 2021
33		Kyle Aucoin	Junior	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	2002-07-02	Ottawa, Ontario	Muskegon (USHL)	DET, 156th overall 2020
35		Derek Mullahy	Senior	G	6' 0" (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2001-03-20	Scituate, Massachusetts	Des Moines (USHL)	—
43		Christian Jimenez	Junior	D	5' 9" (1.75 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	2002-03-15	Yorktown Heights, New York	Sioux City (USHL)	—
59		Zakary Karpa (C)	Junior	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2002-03-25	Newport Beach, California	Des Moines (USHL)	NYR, 191st overall 2022
		Michael Callow	Freshman	F	6' 4" (1.93 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	2004-01-15	Boston, Massachusetts	Muskegon (USHL)	ANA, 154th overall 2022
		Salvatore Guzzo	Freshman	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	168 lb (76 kg)	2005-04-17	Old Tappan, New Jersey	NTDP (USHL)	—
		David Hejduk	Freshman	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	2004-01-03	Parker, Colorado	Wenatchee (BCHL)	—
		Cam Johnson	Freshman	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	146 lb (66 kg)	2004-11-28	Vancouver, British Columbia	Chicago (USHL)	—
		Ben MacDonald	Freshman	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	2004-02-24	Weston, Massachusetts	West Kelowna (BCHL)	SEA, 91st overall 2022
		Matthew Morden	Freshman	D	6' 4" (1.93 m)	203 lb (92 kg)	2004-07-29	Hamilton, Ontario	Muskegon (USHL)	ARI, 131st overall 2022

Crimson in the NHL

As of July 1, 2023.

= NHL All-Star team

= NHL All-Star[37]

= NHL All-Star[37] and NHL All-Star team

= Hall of Famers

• 
  Craig Adams
• 
  Adam Fox
• 
  Alexander Kerfoot
• 
  Alexander Killorn
• 
  John Marino
• 
  Dominic Moore

Source:^[38]

See also

• Cornell–Harvard hockey rivalry
• Harvard Crimson women's ice hockey

References

External links

• Official website