Four Named to U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame

Jerry York (Boston College), Dean Blais (Minnesota), Tony Granato (Wisconsin) and Jenny Potter (Minnesota-Duluth) will all be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame this fall.

York, a 1967 BC graduate who has led the Eagles to four NCAA titles since taking over as head coach in 1995, has notched a record 1,067 career wins overall with BC, Bowling Green and Clarkson since 1972, including 600 wins and 11 Hockey East regular season championships at his alma mater. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto last year.

Blais, who played at Minnesota between 1969 and 1973, and later played three years professionally with Dalls (CHL), became an assistant coach at North Dakota in 1980. He became head coach in 1994 and subsequently led UND to national titles in 1997 and 2000, and also guided Nebraska-Omaha to the 2015 NCAA Frozen Four before retiring two years later. In his long career, he also served as head coach with Roseau High School and International Falls High School in Minnesota, as an assistant/development coach with the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, and as GM/Head Coach of Fargo (USHL). He also guided the U.S. at four different World Junior Championships, winning the gold medal in 2010.

Granato skated for Wisconsin from 1983 to 1987, where he tallied 100 goals and 220 points for the Badgers. He went on to play 13 seasons in the NHL from 1988 to 2001 with the New York Rangers, Los Angeles and San Jose, recording 248 goals and 244 for 292 points in 774 regular-season outings, and also played for the U.S. at the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary. A long-time NHL assistant coach with Colorado, Pittsburgh and Detroit, he twice served as head coach with Colorado, and has been head coach at Wisconsin since 2018.

Potter began her NCAA career with Minnesota in 1998-99 before transferring to UMD for her final three college campaigns. She registered 141-186—327 points in all, and also helped the Bulldogs to the 2003 NCAA title.  A four-time Olympian, she earned two silver medals, a gold medal and a bronze medal while playing for the U.S., and also won a CWHL title with Boston in 2015. A former pro player with the Minnesota Whitecaps, she has served as an assistant high school hockey coach in Minnesota, and as head coach with the women's programs at both Trinity College and Ohio State University.

In other news, the 2020-21 NCAA hockey season is not expected to begin until just before Thanksgiving.