Cronin Back To NHL: Accepts Job With Maple Leafs
Greg Cronin has left Northeastern to accept a job as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He will serve under current head coach Ron Wilson and was hired alongside Scott Gordon, former head coach of the New York Islanders.
Cronin has been behind the bench for the past six seasons at NU, amassing a record of 84-104-29. He was able to turn around a program that had just three wins in 2005 and set a record for victories in a season with 25 in the 2008-2009 season.
Sometimes a controversial figure, Cronin was suspended for six games this past season for committing NCAA violations, but he has brought in high-level recruits such as Joe Vitale, Brad Thiessen, Steve Quailer, and most recently Jamie Oleksiak.
Cronin coached alongside Gordon this past spring at the 2011 IIHF World Championships in Slovakia. His new role with the Maple Leafs will bring him back to the NHL, as he was an assistant coach with the New York Islanders from 1998-2003.
Peter Roby thanked Cronin for his work in a press release from Northeastern.
“I want to thank Greg for the incredible work he has done on behalf of this university and our student athletes,” Roby said. “Greg has been a tireless worker, both on and off the ice. He has taken our hockey program to new heights. He’s advanced our relationships with alumni and friends of the program. And he’s helped reshape our arena into one of the finest hockey venues in the nation.”
Sebastien Laplante will serve as an interim head coach while the school conducts a national search for Cronin’s replacement. Laplante, who played at NU from 1989 to 1993, joined the Northeastern coaching staff in 2008 and will be a candidate for the full-time position.
