The accolades keep rolling in for Dartmouth men’s hockey as Head Coach Reid Cashman was named the winner of the Spencer Penrose Award on Tuesday, which is given to the coach of the year in Division I men’s hockey.
This season, Cashman led the Big Green to a program-record 23 wins, its first ECAC tournament championship and its first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 1980.
The Big Green’s bench boss joins Eddie Jeremiah, who won the award in 1951 and 1967, as the second coach in program history to win the award, which is given out by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) and was established in 1951.
“We talk about Eddie Jeremiah in our program; he’s obviously the most legendary coach we’ve had, so to have my name next to his is pretty cool,” Cashman said in a telephone interview on Wednesday.
While the Spencer Penrose Award is an individual recognition, Cashman does not solely see it that way.
“Anytime there’s individual accolades, it’s really a byproduct of team success,” he said. “I think, why we won this award, which is voted on by other head coaches, is, I think, they’ve looked at the growth Dartmouth hockey has shown over the last five years.”
The growth Cashman mentioned is an essential part of what makes this award even more rewarding.
Cashman, who was hired in 2020, headed up a seven-win team in his first season and a five-win team in his second before things started to turn around.
“I think after that five-win season, I think there were some questions about our program, and me probably,” he acknowledged.
But the rewarding part was not proving himself right or the doubters wrong; it was seeing the players and staff who endured that five-win season now be a part of the squad’s historic run this past season.
“The rewarding part is ‘man, hey, thanks for sticking with it, and look what we have been able to accomplish,’ and now where do we go from here,” Cashman said.
Naturally, one would think the arrow is pointed up for the Big Green, and it’s easy to make that prediction considering what Cashman says the national recognition from this award and the team’s success this season will do for recruiting.
“All these things, and add in our renovation (of Thompson Arena) that will be open in the fall — this is all part of the story that we get to tell recruits,” he said. “We have proof of concept that you can come here, you can win championships, you can compete in the national tournament, you can sign NHL deals.”
That proof of concept not only helps recruit new players but also the development of current players in the program, Cashman said.
“It just allows us to keep growing and to bring in the right kids that value what we value, and then it’s our job as a staff and ultimately my job to make sure we keep surrounding those kids we bring in with the right tools,” he added.
The Spencer Penrose Award will be officially presented in Bonita Springs, Fla., at this year’s AHCA convention on April 29.
“I’m grateful to be recognized, grateful that our staff is recognized, not just coaches, support staff, administration — everybody’s had a hand in how this thing has grown over the last five years,” Cashman said.
