According to sources within the hockey community, former University of Maine assistant men’s hockey coach and current Yale University assistant Dennis “Red” Gendron has been offered the Black Bears’ vacant men’s hockey head coaching position. A formal announcement is scheduled for Tuesday.
Gendron was an assistant coach under the late Shawn Walsh for three seasons at UMaine, including the NCAA championship-winning season of 1992-93 that saw the Black Bears finish with a 41-1-2 record.
The 55-year-old New Hampshire native was a part of the Yale coaching staff that led the Bulldogs to their first ever NCAA championship this past season. He spent 11 seasons as an assistant with the NHL’s New Jersey Devils as well as a six year stint on the University of Massachusetts coaching staff before joining Yale two seasons ago.
Gendron, who has a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from UMaine, will also bring head coaching and U.S. National Team experience to the Black Bears hockey program next season. He was a part of the Devils’ Stanley Cup-winning squads in 1995, 2000 and 2003 and was a head coach and scout for their AHL affiliate, the Albany River Rats, during his tenure with the organization. Gendron was an assistant coach on the U.S. Junior National team during three World Championship tournaments as well as a number of USA Select-16 and 17 teams.
Gendron will take the place of former head coach Tim Whitehead, who was fired in April with one year remaining on his contract after the Black Bears finished with an 11-19-8 record and were ousted in the first round of the Hockey East tournament this past season. Whitehead had spent the last 12 seasons behind the UMaine bench but had the final year of his contract bought out after failing to reach the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
Gendron was chosen from among four finalists for the position, including recently-ousted Ohio State University head coach Mark Osiecki, former UMaine goaltender and current University of New Hampshire assistant Jim Tortorella and UMaine interim head coach Bob Corkum. It is unknown whether Corkum and associate head coach Dan Kerluke will remain on Gendron’s staff when the move is made official in the coming days.