After firing former men’s hockey coach Tim Whitehead on Tuesday, the University of Maine named associate head coach Robert Corkum as the interim head coach on Wednesday.
Corkum was happy to be named the interim head coach, but also surprised at the firing of Whitehead.
“I was very excited. Obviously it’s a responsibility that I take very seriously,” Corkum said. “I know that there still is going to be a process to select the next head coach but I’m very happy to fill in in the mean time and do what I can to keep everything running smoothly. I think everybody here has a lot of respect for coach Whitehead and the integrity and passion he coached here with over the past 12 years. We were all a little bit shocked, it’s always a possibility that something like this can happen.”
Corkum will be responsible for duties that the head coach would be responsible for while a new head coach is sought.
“Day-to-day operations along with [Associate Head Coach] Dan [Kerluke] and [Administrative Specialist] Nannette [Marcinkowski], the three of us will be working on making the National Letter of Intents get out on time, admission issues, and it’s our job to touch base with recruits as well as future recruits to calm their nerves a bit because they are a little bit concerned about who the next guy is going to be,” Corkum said. “There is still some scheduling that needs to be done for next year; we need to pick up two more games and possibly an exhibition game against the USA U-18 team. The budget needs to be done. There are a lot of things that we need to continue to work on. Just because we’re not in the hockey season it doesn’t mean that we shut down here.”
UMaine Athletic Director Steve Abbott put his faith in Corkum during the transition period of fiding a permanent coach.
“Bob Corkum was a great Black Bear and NHL player,” Abbott said in a press release. “He did a terrific job as an associate head coach and I am confident that he can give us stability during this time of transition.”
Corkum will be a candidate for the next head coach as the University starts a nationwide search with the hopes that a new coach will be found within the next month.
“Hopefully I am the next head coach. I will be applying, I am sure there are a bunch of strong candidates but I certainly feel very capable of taking this over and bringing us back to where we need to be,” Corkum said. “I would be hopeful [a new coach is found] within three weeks to a month. I think it depends on the candidate list and how busy the president [UMaine President Paul Ferguson] and Steve are. I would assume this is a big priority for them to get this done as quickly as possible.”
Corkum started his position as the associate head coach starting in 2008. He played for the Black Bears from 1985 to 1989, serving as the captain during the 1988-1989 season. During his career he played in two Frozen Fours in three NCAA tournament appearances. He went in to play 720 games during a 12 season NHL career, playing for the Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, and Atlanta Thrashers. Corkum scored 97 goals and tallied 103 assisted for 200 career points.
Corkum hopes his time as a Black Bear and experience will be recognized as well as support from current team members will be recognized as the search for a coach gets underway.
“I’ve been a Maine Black Bear for a long time, and bleed blue like so many people do here on campus, and it’s just a tremendous place to play hockey,” Corkum said. “My years from ’85 through ’89 were extraordinary. I played under the late Shawn Walsh, made it to the NCAA tournament three times, the final four my last two years. I was here at the inception of the program. We were starting from scratch and were part of the building process.
It would be a dream come true to come back in a head coaching capacity and try to lead these young men through the same type of experience I had,” he continued. “Steve came down yesterday and made the announcement to the team, they broke out in applause so I know I have their support. I have a lot of respect for those guys, we love them here and want to stay involved and continue to coach them for the remaining years that they have here.”
Recruits have been an issue as well, with many having questions about where they stand with the University. The quicker a decision about whom the next head coach will be, the easier it will be on recruits.
“We’ve had some guys express that they are still committed to the University but they are not going to sign their [national letter of intent],” Corkum said. “There are a lot of questions about who’s going to be the next head coach, or what should we do, are we still obligated to come, things like that. We certainly encourage Steve Abbott and President Ferguson to move quickly so that we don’t risk losing these kids.”
Prior to UMaine, Corkum was the associate head coach of the Eastern Junior Hockey League team New Hampshire Junior Monarchs. While with the team, the Monarchs won the Tier III Junior A National Championship.