Jerry York of Boston College gets call from Hockey Hall of Fame

Jerry York, who has won more than 1,000 games and five NCAA championships in a coaching career that is approaching 50 years, will be enshrined as a Builder in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Jerry York has spent almost 50 years preparing people to go on to illustrious careers as NHL players and front office members.

He never expected to be enshrined with any of them, but that will happen on Nov. 18.

York, the Watertown native who has been an NCAA head hockey coach for 47 years -- the last 25 at Boston College -- was selected for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Tuesday. York, a BC High and BC graduate whose college coaching career began at Clarkson University in 1972-73 (he was 26), was selected in the Builder Category, along with Jim Rutherford, who has led the Hurricanes and Penguins to Stanley Cup championships as a general manager.

Former NHL players Guy Carbonneau, Vaclav Nedomansky and Sergei Zubov, and Canadian women’s hockey icon Hayley Wickenheiser, were also selected.

“Never once did I think I’d go in, in any category whatsoever,” York said. “I’m so thrilled and excited. It’s an incredible honor.”

York has coached a Who’s Who of future NHL stars, Stanley Cup and Olympic champions, and team managers over the course of his coaching career, winning an NCAA record 1,067 games (125 at Clarkson, 342 at Bowling Green State University, 600 at BC) and five NCAA championships (four with the Eagles) in the process.

York cited proteges and players from each school in a post-selection conference call, including former NHL standouts Brian Gionta (briefly a Bruin in 2017-18), Brooks Orpik (the New York native and Thayer Academy product announced his retirement on Tuesday) and current Flames star Johnny Gaudreau among some of his top players at BC.

York recruited and coached Dave Taylor, a former NHLer who has spent more than 20 years as GM or hockey operations chief with the Kings, Stars and newly-minted Stanley Cup champion Blues, while at Clarkson. He did the same at Bowling Green with George McPhee, the current Golden Knights GM who held that position with the Capitals from 1997-97 through 2013-14. Rob Blake, another Bowling Green product and current general manager of the Kings, is in the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player.

Four of York’s players have won the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s top player, including Avon’s Mike Mottau in 1999-2000.

“They certainly make you a better coach, when you have those players,” York said.

York, the eighth of 10 children, said that “growing up, (playing) shortstop for the Red Sox was my dream.” There was no dream of being selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame, with only four other NCAA coaches.

“I’m just really surprised,” he said.

“When J.D. (John Davidson, New York Rangers president) and Lanny (McDonald, a Hall of Fame player who is now the Hall’s chairman) called, I almost didn’t answer the phone. I thought ‘Oh, (Davidson) is going to trade for one of my players.’ I had to sit down, I was so excited.”