Marsh Announces Retirement; Carvel Named Head Men's Hockey Coach
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Tara FreemanJoe Marsh announced his retirement after 26 years as men's hockey coach
March 9: St. Lawrence University Charles W. Appleton II men's ice hockey coach Joe Marsh has announced his retirement following a 26-year career as the Saints' coach, citing the time commitment for the continuation of treatment for a condition that prompted him to take a medical leave for the 2011-12 season.
He will be replaced behind the bench by Greg Carvel, who will become head coach after sharing the coaching duties with Mike Hurlbut this past season. Hurlbut will continue in his role as associate head coach.Click here for more on Carvel.
"The time feels right," said Marsh. "We have the right people in place to take the reins of the program. Two of our former players, one of whom played in the NHL and the other who has years of coaching experience in the NHL."
Marsh compiled a coaching record of 468-399-72 in 26 seasons, the most career victories of any active ECAC coach and became the third coach in NCAA Division I history to accrue more than 400 wins at one institution. He is the seventh coach since 1951 to win multiple Spencer Penrose Awards as the NCAA Division I Hockey Coach of the Year (1989 and 2000) and was ECAC Coach of the Year a record four times.
"At St. Lawrence, we do not measure a coach's work solely by the length of a career, the number of victories, or the championship banners draped from the rafters, though Joe Marsh has earned the luster of many positive statistics," said St. Lawrence President William L. Fox. "Rather, we appreciate and admire Joe's success because it was all about being a teacher first, who had lessons, values and examples to impart. Our men's hockey program, so distinctive from all others, is nationally renowned - and an important part of Joe's legacy is the number of alumni who have gone into professional coaching. St. Lawrence is immensely grateful."
"On behalf of the athletic department and the men's hockey program, we want to thank Joe for his positive impact on the game of hockey not only at St. Lawrence, but throughout the college game," said Athletics Director Margie Strait. "He produced generations of players who played the game the way it should be played and brought a positive reputation to St. Lawrence and our hockey program."
Marsh coached 12 of the 14 20-or-more win seasons in St. Lawrence history, produced ECAC championship teams in 1988, 1989, 1992, 2000 and 2001, and took teams to eight ECAC tournament championship game appearances. His 1988 team was NCAA runner-up and he took a total of eight teams to NCAA tournament play. He has coached 18 of the 31 St. Lawrence All America players, seven Hobey Baker Award finalists, six ECAC Player of the Year award winners, four ECAC Rookie of the Year award winners, five ECAC Outstanding Defensive Forward award winners and five ECAC Outstanding Defensive Defenseman award winners.
His teams were twice honored by the NCAA for their academic progress rate, one of six Division I men's programs nationally to earn that recognition, and his teams have consistently ranked among the best in the east in graduation rate. In addition to coaching, Marsh taught a course in leadership in St. Lawrence's First-Year Program for four years.
"Joe clearly understood the university's mission and will always be remembered as a teaching-coach who taught lessons on and off the ice," Strait added. "He has mentored a number of individuals who have gone on to highly successful careers in hockey, coaching and other professional endeavors. We will miss his presence behind the bench, but we know he will be our biggest fan, not only of hockey, but our entire athletics program."
Among his former assistants are Mark Morris, now coach of the Manchester Monarchs in the American Hockey League; Don Vaughan, head coach at Colgate; Paul Flanagan, head women's coach at Syracuse; Pierre Maguire, NBC hockey analyst; and Jay Heinbuck, director of scouting for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Four of his former players are Division I head coaches: Bob Prier at Princeton, Chris Wells, coach of the St. Lawrence women's program, Matt Desrosiers, co-head coach of the Clarkson women, and now Carvel. Another of his players, Mike Mudd, is the president of the Worcester Sharks of the American Hockey League. A total of 14 of his former players have played in the National Hockey League with many others playing professionally in the American Hockey League, East Coach Hockey League, Central Hockey League and European professional leagues.