Parker Named Recipient of 2010 Lester Patrick Trophy
September 2, 2010 | Men's Ice Hockey
Sept. 2, 2010
Boston University's Jack Parker will join Bruins legend Cam Neely, Boston College's Jerry York and AHL President David Andrews as recipients of the 2010 Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States, as announced by the NHL on Thursday.
The award, one of the most prestigious in hockey, was presented to the NHL by the New York Rangers in 1966. It honors the memory of Lester Patrick, who spent 50 years in hockey as a player, coach and general manager and was a pioneer in the sport's development.
Parker, the only NCAA hockey coach to earn 800 victories at one school, has compiled a record of 836-432-104 during his 37 seasons at the helm of the Terrier program. A former captain of the Terriers, Parker graduated from BU in 1968 and became the program's head coach midway through the 1973-74 campaign.
Parker led the Terriers to national titles in 1978, 1995 and 2009 and has been named the Spencer Penrose Division I Coach of the Year three times (1975, 1978, 2009). Under his guidance, BU has claimed 11 conference tournament crowns (ECAC - 4; Hockey East - 7) and a staggering 21 Beanpot championships, including 12 of the last 16. He ranks first all-time in NCAA tournament appearances as a coach with 23 and his 30 NCAA wins are good for second.
Fifty-seven of Parker's former players at BU have gone on to play in the NHL. That group includes such standouts as Tony Amonte, Chris Drury, Joe Sacco, Keith Tkachuk, BU's all-time leading scorer - John Cullen - and a pair of three-time All-Americans in Matt Gilroy and Rick Meagher.
Parker joins five other Terriers as recipients of the Patrick Trophy, as Dick Rodenhiser earned the honor as a member of the gold medal-winning 1960 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team and the "BU Four" of Jim Craig, Mike Eruzione, Jack O'Callahan and David Silk received the accolade as part of the "Miracle on Ice" 1980 squad. Those four are among the 20 Olympians that have played for Parker at BU.
The recipients of the 2010 Lester Patrick Trophy will be honored at a reception in Boston in late October.
