Red Berenson
Gordon Arthur Berenson (born December 8, 1939), most commonly known as Red Berenson, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team from 1984 to 2017. Berenson was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.
| Red Berenson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Berenson with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1960s | |||
| Born | December 8, 1939 Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Montreal Canadiens New York Rangers St. Louis Blues Detroit Red Wings | ||
| National team | Canada | ||
| Playing career | 1961–1978 | ||
| Coaching career | |||
Berenson coaching the Michigan Wolverines | |||
| Biographical details | |||
| Alma mater | University of Michigan | ||
| Playing career | |||
| 1959–1962 | Michigan | ||
| Position(s) | Left Wing | ||
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |||
| 1978–1979 | St. Louis Blues (assistant) | ||
| 1979–1982 | St. Louis Blues | ||
| 1982–1984 | Buffalo Sabres (assistant) | ||
| 1984–2017 | Michigan | ||
| Head coaching record | |||
| Overall | 848–426–92 (.654) [College] 100–72–32 (.569) [NHL] | ||
| Tournaments | 30–23 (.566) | ||
| Accomplishments and honors | |||
| Championships | |||
| |||
| Awards | |||
| |||
| Records | |||
| Most Wins by a Michigan Hockey Coach (848) Most Consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearances by any Team in NCAA History (22 Consecutive from 1991-2012) | |||
Playing career
Berenson played junior ice hockey with the Regina Pats, participating in two Memorial Cups in 1956 and 1958. In 1959, Berenson played for the world champion Belleville McFarlands.
Berenson moved on to, and graduated from, Michigan's School of Business and played collegiately at the University of Michigan, winning All-American honors there with an NCAA-leading 43 goals in his final year.
Berenson signed thereafter with the Montreal Canadiens, playing five years in their system and being on a Stanley Cup-winning squad in 1965 before being traded to the New York Rangers, where he played parts of two seasons without success.
Seven weeks into the 1967/1968 NHL season, the St. Louis Blues acquired Berenson and Barclay Plager from the New York Rangers. It was with the Blues where Berenson became one of the new Western Division's first great stars, leading the Blues to three straight Stanley Cup finals and being named the division's best player by his peers in The Sporting News' annual poll each of those years.
Berenson's most notable scoring feat came on November 7, 1968, in a road game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Berenson scored six goals, including four over a nine-minute span. He became the first player to score a double hat trick on a road game.[1] The six-goal total was one shy of the all-time NHL record (set by Joe Malone in 1920), and has been accomplished only once since.
Berenson was named team captain in 1970; however, as he was already 31 years old, the Blues felt his skills were in decline, and traded him in what was considered a shocking deal to the Detroit Red Wings, a multi-player trade receiving centre Garry Unger in return. He was an impact player for Detroit for four seasons, but was having a poor fifth season when he was dealt back to the Blues. The trade rejuvenated him, and he was an effective player for three and a half seasons back in St. Louis before he retired after the 1977–1978 campaign.
Berenson played in the legendary eight-game Summit Series for Team Canada against the Soviet Union in 1972, as well as in the “old-timers” rematch of the Canada Cup in 1987. He played in six NHL All-Star Games.
Altogether, in 17 NHL seasons, Berenson recorded 261 goals and 397 assists in 987 games.
Coaching career
Berenson retired from playing in 1978 and joined the Blues' coaching staff. He became the team's head coach midway through the 1979–80 season. A year later, he won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's Coach of the Year.
Berenson returned to his alma mater as head coach in 1984 and remained in the position for 33 seasons. He led the Wolverines to 11 Frozen Four appearances, and NCAA championships in 1996 and 1998. In CCHA competition, his teams have won 11 regular-season and 9 tournament titles. In addition, Berenson's squads qualified for the NCAA tournament for 22 consecutive seasons from 1991 to 2012.[2] This is the longest streak ever in college hockey history. The Wolverines have also won 15 Great Lakes Invitational titles under Berenson.
On January 10, 2015, Berenson became the fourth coach in Division I men's hockey history reach 800 career wins.[3] Berenson was named the 2015–16 Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading the Wolverines to a 22–7–5 regular-season record, including a 12–5–3–2 record in Big Ten play.[4]
On April 10, 2017, Berenson announced his retirement as head coach of the Michigan Wolverine men's ice hockey team after 33 years. He finished his career with an 848–426–92 record in 1,366 games, and helped lead Michigan to a record 36 NCAA tournament appearances.[5]
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-WCHA First Team | 1960–61, 1961–62 | |
| AHCA West All-American | 1960–61, 1961–62 | |
| All-NCAA All-Tournament First Team | 1962 | [6] |
| Big Ten Coach of the Year | 2015–16 | [4] |
| NHL All-Star Game | 1965, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974 |
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1955–56 | Regina Pats | SJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1955–56 | Regina Pats | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1956–57 | Regina Pats | SJHL | 51 | 21 | 23 | 44 | 86 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 1957–58 | Regina Pats | SJHL | 51 | 46 | 49 | 95 | 62 | 27 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 49 | ||
| 1957–58 | Regina Pats | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1958–59 | Belleville McFarlands | EOHL | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1958–59 | Flin Flon Bombers | WCJHL | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 10 | ||
| 1958–59 | Flin Flon Bombers | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 1959–60 | Michigan Wolverines | WCHA | 28 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1960–61 | Michigan Wolverines | WCHA | 28 | 24 | 25 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1961–62 | Michigan Wolverines | WCHA | 28 | 43 | 27 | 70 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1961–62 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1962–63 | Hull-Ottawa Canadiens | EPHL | 30 | 23 | 25 | 48 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1962–63 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 37 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1963–64 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 69 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1964–65 | Quebec Aces | AHL | 65 | 22 | 34 | 56 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 1964–65 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1965–66 | Quebec Aces | AHL | 34 | 17 | 36 | 53 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 1965–66 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 23 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966–67 | New York Rangers | NHL | 30 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1967–68 | New York Rangers | NHL | 19 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 55 | 22 | 29 | 51 | 22 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 9 | ||
| 1968–69 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 76 | 35 | 47 | 82 | 43 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 20 | ||
| 1969–70 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 67 | 33 | 39 | 72 | 38 | 16 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 8 | ||
| 1970–71 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 45 | 16 | 26 | 42 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 24 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 78 | 28 | 41 | 69 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 78 | 13 | 30 | 43 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 76 | 24 | 42 | 66 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 27 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 44 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | ||
| 1975–76 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 72 | 20 | 27 | 47 | 47 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1976–77 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 80 | 21 | 28 | 49 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1977–78 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 80 | 13 | 25 | 38 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 987 | 261 | 397 | 658 | 305 | 85 | 23 | 14 | 37 | 49 | ||||
International
Head coaching record
NHL
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | Pts | Division rank | Result | ||
| St. Louis Blues | 1979–80 | 56 | 27 | 20 | 9 | 63 | 2nd in Smythe | Lost in Preliminary Round |
| St. Louis Blues | 1980–81 | 80 | 45 | 18 | 17 | 107 | 1st in Smythe | Lost in Quarter-Finals |
| St. Louis Blues | 1981–82 | 68 | 28 | 34 | 6 | 62 | 3rd in Norris | (fired) |
| Total | 204 | 100 | 72 | 32 | ||||
College
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan Wolverines (CCHA) (1984–2013) | |||||||||
| 1984–85 | Michigan | 13–26–1 | 11–20–1 | t-7th | CCHA first round | ||||
| 1985–86 | Michigan | 12–26–0 | 10–22–0 | 8th | CCHA first round | ||||
| 1986–87 | Michigan | 14–25–1 | 11–20–1 | 7th | CCHA first round | ||||
| 1987–88 | Michigan | 22–19–0 | 17–15–0 | 5th | CCHA first round | ||||
| 1988–89 | Michigan | 22–15–4 | 17–11–4 | 4th | CCHA first round | ||||
| 1989–90 | Michigan | 24–12–6 | 16–11–5 | 4th | CCHA consolation game (win) | ||||
| 1990–91 | Michigan | 34–10–3 | 24–5–3 | 2nd | NCAA Quarterfinals | ||||
| 1991–92 | Michigan | 32–9–3 | 22–7–3 | 1st | NCAA Frozen Four | ||||
| 1992–93 | Michigan | 30–7–3 | 23–5–2 | 2nd | NCAA Frozen Four | ||||
| 1993–94 | Michigan | 33–7–1 | 24–5–1 | 1st | NCAA West Regional semifinals | ||||
| 1994–95 | Michigan | 30–8–1 | 22–4–1 | 1st | NCAA Frozen Four | ||||
| 1995–96 | Michigan | 34–7–2 | 22–6–2 | t-1st | NCAA national champion | ||||
| 1996–97 | Michigan | 35–4–4 | 21–3–3 | 1st | NCAA Frozen Four | ||||
| 1997–98 | Michigan | 34–11–1 | 22–7–1 | 2nd | NCAA national champion | ||||
| 1998–99 | Michigan | 25–11–6 | 17–8–5 | 2nd | NCAA East Regional semifinals | ||||
| 1999–00 | Michigan | 27–10–4 | 19–6–3 | 1st | NCAA East Regional semifinals | ||||
| 2000–01 | Michigan | 27–13–5 | 16–9–3 | t-2nd | NCAA Frozen Four | ||||
| 2001–02 | Michigan | 28–11–5 | 19–5–4 | 1st | NCAA Frozen Four | ||||
| 2002–03 | Michigan | 30–10–3 | 18–7–3 | 2nd | NCAA Frozen Four | ||||
| 2003–04 | Michigan | 27–14–2 | 18–8–2 | 1st | NCAA Northeast Regional Finals | ||||
| 2004–05 | Michigan | 31–8–3 | 21–3–2 | 1st | NCAA Midwest Regional Finals | ||||
| 2005–06 | Michigan | 21–15–5 | 13–10–5 | 3rd | NCAA West Regional semifinals | ||||
| 2006–07 | Michigan | 26–14–1 | 18–9–1 | 2nd | NCAA West Regional semifinals | ||||
| 2007–08 | Michigan | 33–6–4 | 24–4–4 | 1st | NCAA Frozen Four | ||||
| 2008–09 | Michigan | 29–12–0 | 20–8–0–0 | 2nd | NCAA East Regional semifinals | ||||
| 2009–10 | Michigan | 26–18–1 | 14–13–1–0 | t-7th | NCAA Midwest Regional Finals | ||||
| 2010–11 | Michigan | 29–11–4 | 20–7–1–0 | 1st | NCAA runner-up | ||||
| 2011–12 | Michigan | 24–13–4 | 15–9–4–1 | t-2nd | NCAA Midwest Regional semifinals | ||||
| 2012–13 | Michigan | 18–19–3 | 10–15–3–3 | 7th | CCHA runner-up | ||||
| Michigan: | 770–371–80 | 524–262–68 | |||||||
| Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten) (2013–2017) | |||||||||
| 2013–14 | Michigan | 18–13–4 | 10–8–2–1 | 3rd | Big Ten Quarterfinals | ||||
| 2014–15 | Michigan | 22–15–0 | 12–8–0 | 3rd | Big Ten Runner-Up | ||||
| 2015–16 | Michigan | 25–8–5 | 12–5–3–2 | 2nd | NCAA Midwest Regional Finals | ||||
| 2016–17 | Michigan | 13–19–3 | 6–12–2–2 | 5th | Big Ten Quarterfinals | ||||
| Michigan: | 78–55–12 | 40–33–6 | |||||||
| Total: | 848–426–92 | ||||||||
| National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
See also
References
- ^ Hockey’s Book of Firsts, p.27, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9
- ^ Cunningham, Pete. "Michigan hockey's 22-year NCAA Tournament streak snapped with CCHA final loss to Notre Dame". Retrieved 28 December 2013.
- ^ "Red Berenson's Road to 800 Career Wins". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ a b "Connor, Berenson Head List of All-Big Ten Award Winners". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. March 14, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
- ^ Sipple, George (April 10, 2017). "Legendary Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson retires". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Profile from University of Michigan official site
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | WCHA Most Valuable Player 1961–62 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of the Jack Adams Award 1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | CCHA Coach of the Year 1993–94 2007–08 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Spencer Penrose Award 2007–08 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Big Ten Coach of the Year 2015–16 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award 2018 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | St. Louis Blues captain 1970–71 1976 1977–78 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Detroit Red Wings captain 1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Barclay Plager | Head coach of the St. Louis Blues 1979–82 | Succeeded by |