Northeastern University Athletics | Men's Hockey Coaches

Greg Cronin
Head Coach
First season at NU: 2005-06
Alma mater: Colby '86

Greg Cronin led Northeastern to 25 wins in the 2008-09 season, marking the Huskies hockey program's return to national prominence. In four seasons since his arrival at Northeastern, Cronin led the Huskies from a three-win season in 2005-06 to the NCAA Tournament in 2008-09.

The 2008-09 season was a landmark campaign for Cronin and the Huskies. Northeastern earned home-ice in the Hockey East Quarterfinals for the first time since 1997-98, made it to the Hockey East Semifinals for the first time since 1993-94 and made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993-94. The Huskies' 25 wins tied the program record and the 25-12-4 record marked the first time Northeastern had twice as many wins as losses since 1981-82. The Huskies' 18 Hockey East wins were a team record in the current scheduling format.

The Huskies' 2008-09 success was the final step in the rebuilding process that Cronin began when he was hired prior to the 2005-06 season. That year, Northeastern went 3-24-7 with a very young squad. The very next season, the Huskies posted a league-best, 10-win improvement to go 13-18-5. The upswing continued in 2007-08 as the Huskies went 16-18-3, including an 11-game, 9-0-2 unbeaten streak during which the team rose to a No. 7 national ranking. Northeastern finally had a balanced and experienced roster in 2008-09 to reach the national stage for the first time in 15 years. The Huskies were ranked in the top five throughout the season and faced off against the nation's best. Northeastern beat Frozen Four participant Vermont in two out of three regular season games and posted two late-season ties with eventual national champ Boston University.

The public took notice of the team's success, as average attendance at Matthews Arena soared to 4,203 – the highest since cumulative records were kept starting 10 years ago.

Individual accolades rolled in for the Huskies. Cronin was named Hockey East Coach of the Year and New England Coach of the Year. Goaltender Brad Thiessen was first-team All-American, unanimous selection for the Hockey East and New England All-Star teams and a Hobey Hat Trick finalist as one of the top three players in the nation, just the second Husky ever to earn that distinction. Ryan Ginand was a Hockey East second-team All-Star and Wade MacLeod was Hockey East All-Star honorable mention. Joe Vitale was named Hockey East and New England's Best Defensive Forward and Louis Liotti was named Hockey East Best Defensive Defenseman. Steve Quailer was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie team.

As a team, Northeastern had its first positive goal differential since 2001-02, averaging 3.0 goals per game while giving up just 2.2. The Huskies' 121 goals were the team's most since 2001-02. Two Huskies had over 30 points and seven had over 20.

Cronin, a Boston native, has coached hockey since 1987 and has a stellar reputation in recruiting and player development. He has coached at all levels from the University of Maine and Colorado College to the U.S. National Team Development Program to the National Hockey League.

Prior to Northeastern, Cronin was head coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League, the top affiliate of the NHL's New York Islanders. He also served as Director of Player Development with the Islanders.

From 1998-2005, Cronin worked in the Islanders organization. From 1998-2003, Cronin served as an assistant with the big club under Mike Milbury, Butch Goring and Peter Laviolette. During the Islanders' "Renaissance" of 2001-02 when the team posted the fourth-largest turnaround in NHL history, going from a 21-51-7-3 team in 2000-01 to a 42-28-8-4 team in 2001-02, Cronin coached the penalty kill unit that led the NHL and tied a franchise record for shorthanded goals. In his five-year tenure, he also assisted with practice management, developing forwards and scouting opponents. He coached NHL All-Stars Mark Parrish, Mike Peca, Alexei Yashin, Roman Hamrlik and Adrian Aucoin.

Cronin was named head coach of the Sound Tigers in 2003-04 and guided the team to a franchise-record 98-point season by way of a 41-23-12-4 record that included a 22-game unbeaten streak. That team established six AHL records, including lowest goals against average (1.75), fewest goals against (140), best penalty kill (.907) and most shutouts at home (12). He was named head coach of the PlanetUSA team at the AHL All-Star game.

In the 2004-05 season, Cronin guided the Sound Tigers to a 37-38-4-1 record although Bridgeport was playing seven rookies on a regular basis. After starting out 16-22-1-1, the team developed into a winning group, going 21-16-3-0 in the final 40 games. First-year defenseman Chris Campoli had 49 points during an All-Rookie campaign and was joined by fellow rookies Bruno Gervals and Sean Bergenheim on the Islanders in 2005-06. Northeastern All-American Jason Guerriero played in 11 games down the stretch, tallying a 1-5-6 scoring line.

From 2002-05 while with the Islanders, Cronin was Director of Player Development. He oversaw the training of two-time Selke Trophy winner Michael Peca (best defensive forward), Calder Trophy winner Bryan Berard (Rookie of the Year) and Norris Trophy finalists Zdeno Chara and Eric Brewer (best all-around defenseman). In his role as Director of Player Development, Cronin created a summer curriculum for all players in the Islanders organization based on Long Island. He coordinated with strength and conditioning coaches, trainers and coaches to educate all Islanders prospects in all phases of professional hockey.

When USA Hockey began the U.S. National Team Development Program in 1996, Cronin was hired along with current Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson and Bob Mancini, who is now the Director of Player Development with Edmonton Oilers, to build the program from the ground up. As Director of Player Development, Cronin designed the program's world-class training facility in Ann Arbor, Mich. and coordinated the team's strength and conditioning program.

Cronin also coached the U.S. Under-18 team in 1997-98, which was the only U.S.-based team ever to play a schedule in the Ontario Hockey League. Current NHL players Adam Hall (Minnesota), David Tanabe (Carolina), Jordan Leopold (Colorado), Rick DiPietro (New York Islanders) and Andy Hilbert (Islanders) led the Under-18 team to the NAHL finals in 1998.

In addition, Cronin was Associate Head Coach of USA Hockey's World Junior teams in 1996 and '97. The 1996 team won the silver medal at the World Championship in Geneva, Switzerland, which was the best finish in U.S. history. The team placed fifth the following season, marking the best back-to-back showing for the U.S.

Cronin served as an assistant coach on the 1998 World Championship team that finished fifth in Helsinki, Finland. That team was captained by former Boston Bruins coach Mike Sullivan and Ted Donato, former NHL player and current head coach at Harvard.

Cronin is no stranger to the collegiate ranks, nor to Hockey East, as he was assistant coach at the University of Maine from 1993-95, then served as interim head coach from December 1995 to December 1996. While interim head coach, Cronin guided Maine to a 27-14-2 record and coached the Black Bears to the Hockey East Championship game in 1996. Cronin's record with the Black Bears included a 7-1 record in exhibition games, with Maine's only loss coming to the Sweden Junior National Team. As an assistant at Maine, he was responsible for player development, game preparation and assisted in recruiting. He previously was a graduate assistant coach from 1988-90 while earning his MBA at Maine.

From 1990-93, Cronin was assistant coach and recruiter at Colorado College and helped the Tigers reach the WCHA Tournament final in 1992 for the first time since 1978. He revitalized CC's recruiting efforts in Western Canada, developed players and directed the team's conditioning program. He was interim head coach at Colorado College for the first two months of the 1992-93 season.

As a player, Cronin earned four varsity letters in hockey at Colby College from 1982-86. He helped the team to ECAC Div. II Final Four appearances in 1983 and 1984 and received the Most Improved Player Award in 1984 and the Coach's Award in 1986. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in History and American Studies, Cronin was hired as an assistant coach of the White Mules in 1987-88.

The Cronin name is certainly familiar to Northeastern as his father, Don Cronin, was a three-year letter-winner in hockey, a 1958 Beanpot All-Tournament selection and was team captain in 1958-59. His uncle, Gerry Cronin, was also a three-year letter-winner at NU. Gerry was named Most Improved Player in New England in 1960, was a 1961 Beanpot All-Tournament selection and was team captain in 1960-61. Greg's cousin, Kerry Cronin, was a member of the great NU women's hockey teams from 1983-86.

Cronin resides in Boston.



	HUSKIES HEADLINES SCHEDULES & RESULTS CALENDAR OF EVENTS RADIO & TV SCHEDULE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HUSKIES INSIDER NORTHEASTERN TWITTER CAA BLOOD CHALLENGE DIRECTIONS SPECIAL EVENTS TRAVEL RSS FEEDS HUSKY ATHLETICS FUND CORPORATE PARTNERS MERCHANDISE TICKET INFORMATION iPHONE APPLICATION NCENTIVES HALL OF FAME CHEERLEADING MISSION & GOALS HISTORY STAFF DIRECTORY FACILITIES CAMPS & CLINICS MEDIA GUIDES NCAA COMPLIANCE NCAA CERTIFICATION SPORTS INFORMATION SPORTS MEDICINE STRENGTH & CONDITIONING STUDENT ATHLETES FIRST SUPPORT SERVICES P.A.W.S. INITIATIVE NORTHEASTERN WEBSITE BOSTON CAMPUS RECREATION SPORT IN SOCIETY GoNU.com INDEX	Schedule Coaches Roster Stats Archives Greg Cronin Head Coach First season at NU: 2005-06 Alma mater: Colby '86 Greg Cronin led Northeastern to 25 wins in the 2008-09 season, marking the Huskies hockey program's return to national prominence. In four seasons since his arrival at Northeastern, Cronin led the Huskies from a three-win season in 2005-06 to the NCAA Tournament in 2008-09. The 2008-09 season was a landmark campaign for Cronin and the Huskies. Northeastern earned home-ice in the Hockey East Quarterfinals for the first time since 1997-98, made it to the Hockey East Semifinals for the first time since 1993-94 and made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993-94. The Huskies' 25 wins tied the program record and the 25-12-4 record marked the first time Northeastern had twice as many wins as losses since 1981-82. The Huskies' 18 Hockey East wins were a team record in the current scheduling format. The Huskies' 2008-09 success was the final step in the rebuilding process that Cronin began when he was hired prior to the 2005-06 season. That year, Northeastern went 3-24-7 with a very young squad. The very next season, the Huskies posted a league-best, 10-win improvement to go 13-18-5. The upswing continued in 2007-08 as the Huskies went 16-18-3, including an 11-game, 9-0-2 unbeaten streak during which the team rose to a No. 7 national ranking. Northeastern finally had a balanced and experienced roster in 2008-09 to reach the national stage for the first time in 15 years. The Huskies were ranked in the top five throughout the season and faced off against the nation's best. Northeastern beat Frozen Four participant Vermont in two out of three regular season games and posted two late-season ties with eventual national champ Boston University. The public took notice of the team's success, as average attendance at Matthews Arena soared to 4,203 – the highest since cumulative records were kept starting 10 years ago. Individual accolades rolled in for the Huskies. Cronin was named Hockey East Coach of the Year and New England Coach of the Year. Goaltender Brad Thiessen was first-team All-American, unanimous selection for the Hockey East and New England All-Star teams and a Hobey Hat Trick finalist as one of the top three players in the nation, just the second Husky ever to earn that distinction. Ryan Ginand was a Hockey East second-team All-Star and Wade MacLeod was Hockey East All-Star honorable mention. Joe Vitale was named Hockey East and New England's Best Defensive Forward and Louis Liotti was named Hockey East Best Defensive Defenseman. Steve Quailer was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie team. As a team, Northeastern had its first positive goal differential since 2001-02, averaging 3.0 goals per game while giving up just 2.2. The Huskies' 121 goals were the team's most since 2001-02. Two Huskies had over 30 points and seven had over 20. Cronin, a Boston native, has coached hockey since 1987 and has a stellar reputation in recruiting and player development. He has coached at all levels from the University of Maine and Colorado College to the U.S. National Team Development Program to the National Hockey League. Prior to Northeastern, Cronin was head coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League, the top affiliate of the NHL's New York Islanders. He also served as Director of Player Development with the Islanders. From 1998-2005, Cronin worked in the Islanders organization. From 1998-2003, Cronin served as an assistant with the big club under Mike Milbury, Butch Goring and Peter Laviolette. During the Islanders' "Renaissance" of 2001-02 when the team posted the fourth-largest turnaround in NHL history, going from a 21-51-7-3 team in 2000-01 to a 42-28-8-4 team in 2001-02, Cronin coached the penalty kill unit that led the NHL and tied a franchise record for shorthanded goals. In his five-year tenure, he also assisted with practice management, developing forwards and scouting opponents. He coached NHL All-Stars Mark Parrish, Mike Peca, Alexei Yashin, Roman Hamrlik and Adrian Aucoin. Cronin was named head coach of the Sound Tigers in 2003-04 and guided the team to a franchise-record 98-point season by way of a 41-23-12-4 record that included a 22-game unbeaten streak. That team established six AHL records, including lowest goals against average (1.75), fewest goals against (140), best penalty kill (.907) and most shutouts at home (12). He was named head coach of the PlanetUSA team at the AHL All-Star game. In the 2004-05 season, Cronin guided the Sound Tigers to a 37-38-4-1 record although Bridgeport was playing seven rookies on a regular basis. After starting out 16-22-1-1, the team developed into a winning group, going 21-16-3-0 in the final 40 games. First-year defenseman Chris Campoli had 49 points during an All-Rookie campaign and was joined by fellow rookies Bruno Gervals and Sean Bergenheim on the Islanders in 2005-06. Northeastern All-American Jason Guerriero played in 11 games down the stretch, tallying a 1-5-6 scoring line. From 2002-05 while with the Islanders, Cronin was Director of Player Development. He oversaw the training of two-time Selke Trophy winner Michael Peca (best defensive forward), Calder Trophy winner Bryan Berard (Rookie of the Year) and Norris Trophy finalists Zdeno Chara and Eric Brewer (best all-around defenseman). In his role as Director of Player Development, Cronin created a summer curriculum for all players in the Islanders organization based on Long Island. He coordinated with strength and conditioning coaches, trainers and coaches to educate all Islanders prospects in all phases of professional hockey. When USA Hockey began the U.S. National Team Development Program in 1996, Cronin was hired along with current Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson and Bob Mancini, who is now the Director of Player Development with Edmonton Oilers, to build the program from the ground up. As Director of Player Development, Cronin designed the program's world-class training facility in Ann Arbor, Mich. and coordinated the team's strength and conditioning program. Cronin also coached the U.S. Under-18 team in 1997-98, which was the only U.S.-based team ever to play a schedule in the Ontario Hockey League. Current NHL players Adam Hall (Minnesota), David Tanabe (Carolina), Jordan Leopold (Colorado), Rick DiPietro (New York Islanders) and Andy Hilbert (Islanders) led the Under-18 team to the NAHL finals in 1998. In addition, Cronin was Associate Head Coach of USA Hockey's World Junior teams in 1996 and '97. The 1996 team won the silver medal at the World Championship in Geneva, Switzerland, which was the best finish in U.S. history. The team placed fifth the following season, marking the best back-to-back showing for the U.S. Cronin served as an assistant coach on the 1998 World Championship team that finished fifth in Helsinki, Finland. That team was captained by former Boston Bruins coach Mike Sullivan and Ted Donato, former NHL player and current head coach at Harvard. Cronin is no stranger to the collegiate ranks, nor to Hockey East, as he was assistant coach at the University of Maine from 1993-95, then served as interim head coach from December 1995 to December 1996. While interim head coach, Cronin guided Maine to a 27-14-2 record and coached the Black Bears to the Hockey East Championship game in 1996. Cronin's record with the Black Bears included a 7-1 record in exhibition games, with Maine's only loss coming to the Sweden Junior National Team. As an assistant at Maine, he was responsible for player development, game preparation and assisted in recruiting. He previously was a graduate assistant coach from 1988-90 while earning his MBA at Maine. From 1990-93, Cronin was assistant coach and recruiter at Colorado College and helped the Tigers reach the WCHA Tournament final in 1992 for the first time since 1978. He revitalized CC's recruiting efforts in Western Canada, developed players and directed the team's conditioning program. He was interim head coach at Colorado College for the first two months of the 1992-93 season. As a player, Cronin earned four varsity letters in hockey at Colby College from 1982-86. He helped the team to ECAC Div. II Final Four appearances in 1983 and 1984 and received the Most Improved Player Award in 1984 and the Coach's Award in 1986. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in History and American Studies, Cronin was hired as an assistant coach of the White Mules in 1987-88. The Cronin name is certainly familiar to Northeastern as his father, Don Cronin, was a three-year letter-winner in hockey, a 1958 Beanpot All-Tournament selection and was team captain in 1958-59. His uncle, Gerry Cronin, was also a three-year letter-winner at NU. Gerry was named Most Improved Player in New England in 1960, was a 1961 Beanpot All-Tournament selection and was team captain in 1960-61. Greg's cousin, Kerry Cronin, was a member of the great NU women's hockey teams from 1983-86. Cronin resides in Boston.