Pseudotsuga Menziesii

by | Mar 22, 2018 | Pseudotsuga Menziesii

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Normand M. Bazin (born January 18, 1971) is the current head coach of the University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks men's ice hockey team. In 2013 he led the team to their first Hockey East Championship and their first appearance in the Frozen Four.

Career

Bazin played left wing for the University of Massachusetts Lowell from 1990 (as the University of Lowell) until he graduated in 1994, where he played alongside future NHL goaltender Dwayne Roloson.[2] He played one season with the ECHL Birmingham Bulls, before returning to Lowell to serve as an assistant coach under Tim Whitehead. After three years in Lowell he moved to an assistant position at Colorado College. During his tenure the Tigers won their regular season three times, made six appearances in the NCAA tournament and progressed to the Frozen Four in 2005. The team had a combined record of 205–103–22 between 2000 and 2008 with Bazin as assistant coach.

In 2008 he left the school to accept a head coaching position at Hamilton College in New York, where he coached the team to a regular season conference championship in 2011. That year Bazin was hired as head coach at UMass Lowell when Blaise MacDonald was fired at the end of a 5–24–4 season (a program low for Lowell since it entered Division I in 1984).[3] Under Bazin's guidance, the River Hawks made two consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division I Ice Hockey Tournament, and won both the Hockey East regular season and the league tournament in 2013 (both program firsts).

Car accident

In 2003 Bazin, then an assistant coach at Colorado College, was driving on U.S. Route 395 during a recruiting trip when his car was struck by a drunk driver. Rescuers needed over an hour to free Bazin from the wreckage, and he was rushed to Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane, with severe injuries that included a severed aorta. Bazin was given a 10% chance of survival, and was so close to death when he first arrived that a priest performed last rites.[4] After 12 hours of surgery and 8 days in a medically induced coma, Bazin awoke but lingering injuries included a broken jaw, arms, shoulders, ribs, pelvis and legs, as well as bruising to his lungs and spleen.[5]

After months of physical therapy confined to a wheelchair, Bazin fully recovered with no lasting health effects "worth mentioning". The story of his injury, recovery and subsequent success as head coach at his alma mater has been covered by several media outlets, including The Globe and Mail, which quoted the coach as saying that since the accident “I never have a bad day”.[5] Bazin's second son Coleston is named for Dr. Daniel Coulston, the critical care physician who Bazin credits with saving his life.[6]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Hamilton Continentals (NESCAC) (2008–2011)
2008–09 Hamilton 9–15–1 8–11–0 T–7th
2009–10 Hamilton 15–9–2 11–7–1 6th
2010–11 Hamilton 14–7–4 11–4–4 1st
Hamilton: 38–31–7 (.546) 30–22–5 (.570)
Massachusetts–Lowell River Hawks (Hockey East) (2011–present)
2011–12 Massachusetts–Lowell 24–13–1 17–9–1 T–2nd NCAA Regional Finals
2012–13 Massachusetts–Lowell 28–11–2 16–9–2 1st NCAA Frozen Four
2013–14 Massachusetts–Lowell 26–11–4 11–6–3 2nd NCAA Regional Finals
2014–15 Massachusetts–Lowell 21–12–6 11–7–4 4th Hockey East Runner-Up
2015–16 Massachusetts–Lowell 25–10–5 12–6–4 T-4th NCAA Regional Finals
2016–17 Massachusetts–Lowell 27–11–3 14–7–1 T-1st NCAA Regional Finals
2017–18 Massachusetts–Lowell 17–19–0 11–13–0 7th Hockey East First Round
2018–19 Massachusetts–Lowell 19–13–5 12–7–5 4th Hockey East Quarterfinals
2019–20 Massachusetts–Lowell 18–10–6 12–7–5 3rd Tournament cancelled
2020–21 Massachusetts–Lowell 10–9–1 7–8–1 7th Hockey East Runner-up
2021–22 Massachusetts Lowell 21–11–3 15–8–1 T–2nd NCAA Regional Semifinals
2022–23 Massachusetts Lowell 18–15–3 11–10–3 5th Hockey East Semifinals
2023–24 Massachusetts Lowell 8–24–4 4–17–3 11th Hockey East First Round
2024–25 Massachusetts Lowell
UMass Lowell: 262–169–43 (.598) 153–114–35 (.565)
Total: 300–200–50 (.591)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. ^ "Statewide Payroll". Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  2. ^ Fluto Shinzawa (2012-11-18) Dwayne Roloson coaching to fill NHL lockout void The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2013-07-30.
  3. ^ (2011-05-02) Bazin hired as UML's hockey coach The Lowell Sun. Retrieved 2013-07-30
  4. ^ (2014-01-17) Norm Bazin survives crash, helps hockey team succeed The National (TV, CBC). Retrieved 2014-03-01
  5. ^ a b (2012-03-21) After horrific car crash, Norm Bazin reassembles his life and a hockey team The Globe And Mail. Retrieved 2014-03-01
  6. ^ (2012-03-22) Coach Surmounts Injury and Team Beats Odds The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-03-01

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Bob Kullen Coach of the Year Award
2011–12
2012–13
2016–17 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Spencer Penrose Award
2012–13 		Succeeded by
Categories
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