Former head men's ice hockey coach Phil Grady will receive the 2012 John Mac Innes Award at the three-day American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) Convention in Naples, Fla., which begins on April 26.
Click here to read the full release from the AHCA.
The John Mac Innes Award recognizes those who have shown great concern for amateur hockey and youth programs. Recipients have maintained high winning percentages as well as outstanding graduation rates among their former players. Previous winners include Jack Riley, Bob Johnson, Ned Harkness, Len Ceglarski and Herb Brooks.
Grady was the head men's ice hockey coach at Hamilton from 1984 to 2008, during which time he amassed a 304-260-34 record. His teams recorded 15 winnning seasons, 18 postseason appearences, and captured the 1998 ECAC East championship. Grady recruited and coached four all-Americans, including NHL all-star and U.S. Olympic goaltender Guy Hebert '89. During his time at Hamilton, Grady's program boasted a 100 percent graduation rate.
"I was shocked, completely surprised and very, very humbled," Grady told the Utica Observer-Dispatch. "It’s a tribute to the great student-athletes and great coaches I’ve had a chance to work with."
Grady was also involved in a variety of other areas of youth hockey, including the USA Hockey development program and the Empire State Games in New York. In 2008, he was a volunteer assistant with the United States National Team Development Program Under-18 team.
"This award is a tremendous tribute to Phil," Hamilton College Director of Athletics Jon Hind '80 said. "It encompasses all of his efforts in the entire hockey community, not just Hamilton's."
