When Steve Greeley became the associate head coach of the Boston University men’s hockey team at the beginning of the 2013-14 season, he quickly established a reputation as a premier recruiter at the NCAA level. Among media and fans, the former Terrier earned praise for his hockey knowledge and for his hand in BU’s resurgence last season.
On Thursday, the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers announced that Greeley would become their assistant director of player personnel. It’s safe to say he is leaving on a high note. Alongside head coach David Quinn and assistant coach Albie O’Connell, Greeley helped guide his alma mater to a Beanpot, Hockey East championship and a berth in the national title game in 2014-15.
As Greeley leaves BU, he said he leaves behind close friends, fond memories and a bright future for the team. The chance to work again for the NHL, though, was just something he couldn’t pass up.
“It’s an opportunity to work in a management role, front-office type role at the NHL level,” he said in a phone interview with The Daily Free Press. “Those jobs just don’t come around every day. The opportunity to work for an Original Six team with a great owner, with great management … you just never know if you’re going to get something like that again.”
Greeley will continue to live in his native Massachusetts with his wife, Lauren, and their three young daughters, Reilly, Sloane and Nina.
Having spent the previous seven years as a scout for the Los Angeles Kings, Greeley began his tenure at BU with limited coaching experience. But he said he brought with him diligence, passion and refusal to be outworked that he said served him well.
Greeley also said his time with the Terriers gave him a bit of a new perspective on the game.
“I learned a lot from David Quinn in terms of the daily routine, operating with the team, the ins and outs that come with the players — the way they can be affected by schoolwork, the way they can be affected by situations at home,” he said. “You live it 24 hours a day … You know when they’ve got something going on at home or if they’ve got a problem in class. So you really become part of these kids’ lives. I think what I learned quite a bit about it is that these guys are going to have good days and bad days.”
His time at BU commenced with a shaky season in 2013-14, in which the Terriers stumbled to a 10-21-4 record. That was followed by an “unbelievable” turnaround in 2014-15, when BU finished 28-8-5. Despite the drastic difference between the two years, Greeley’s not about to play favorites between the two seasons.
“You become so close to the players, and you become so close to the coaching staff that you hate to see a team’s season end,” Greeley said. “So even in our 10-win season, we loved our group of guys, we loved our group of players. The relationships you develop as a coach at the collegiate level are very special. And my memories are really of watching these kids become better people, watching them become better student-athletes.”
“I think we faced a little bit of adversity as a group in year one, and I think we faced a lot of success in year two,” he added. “But I think the main thing our guys learned is that nothing’s easy. We fought for everything we got as a team.”
Greeley said he feels confident that the group he helped put together, alongside Quinn and O’Connell, is capable of winning a national title — whether that’s this season or in the next few years. With an incoming slate of top-ranked recruits, alongside the development of leadership Greeley said he has witnessed, he said he believes BU’s future is bright.
“One of the hardest parts about leaving Boston University, for me, was that I know this team is going to win a national championship at some point,” Greeley said. “And I said the same thing when I left the Los Angeles Kings. The hardest part about leaving L.A. to come to BU was that I knew that L.A. was going to win another Stanley Cup. I didn’t know when it was going to be, but sure enough, it was that next year, when BU won 10 games, L.A. won a Cup again.
“But I never looked back,” he added. “I knew I had made the right choice.”