By Tim Healey/DFP Staff
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced this afternoon that they have hired Northeastern University coach Greg Cronin as an assistant coach, ending Cronin’s six-year tenure at NU. The Boston Herald first reported the move this morning.
“Coaching in a city like Toronto, which is just dripping with hockey, I thought is a wonderful opportunity,” Cronin said during the Leafs’ press conference. “The timing of this opportunity is just perfect for me, and I’m thrilled to be here in Toronto.”
Cronin’s departure comes just four months after NU handed down a six-game suspension for recruiting violations.
This will be Cronin’s first position in professional hockey since serving as the head coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the New York Islanders’ AHL affiliate, from 2003-05.
Cronin finishes his time at NU with an 84-104-29 record, highlighted by a 2008-09 campaign that saw the team tie a program record for wins in a season (25) and make it’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 1994.
According to an official statement from NU, assistant coach Sebastien Laplante, who coached the team to a 2-2-2 record during Cronin’s suspension, will serve as the interim head coach.
The full statement from NU: https://www.gonu.com/news/2011/6/20/MHOCKEY_0620111451.aspx
He was never a good fit for college hockey.