While his former team, the Chicago Blackhawks, was hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time since the days of Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Eric Nesterenko, Tony Amonte begins a new career as head coach at Thayer Academy, his high school alma mater, as reported by U.S. Hockey Report.
A November 2009 inductee to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, Amonte starred at Thayer in the late '80s, teaming with Jeremy Roenick, who would become his teammate again in Chicago, where he spent eight seasons.
Amonte scored an even 900 points in 16 NHL seasons (416-484) following 58- and 68-point seasons for the Terriers. BU reached the Final Four in both his varsity seasons, falling in the 1990 semifinals after stunning top-ranked Michigan State (video highlights) in the best-2-of-3 quarterfinals and reaching the 1991 national championship game, a triple overtime loss to Northern Michigan.
As we’ve noted numerous times, Amonte’s cousin is 2010 BU recruit Charlie Coyle. Tony’s sister, Kelly Amonte Hiller, was a four-time All-American in lacrosse at Maryland. She now is head coach at Northwestern, leading the Wildcats to five national championships.
Amonte’s move to a head coaching slot in the prep ranks follows just a few weeks after his Terrier linemate Shawn McEachern was named head coach and athletic director at The Rivers School.
The past season marked the 20th anniversary of the '89-'90 Terrier team – with freshman Amonte and sophomore McEachern helping to lead an improbable post-season run that saw BU win three best-of-three series after losing the opener each time: against Northeastern in the Hockey East quarterfinals, against North Dakota in the NCAA first round and against the Spartans in the quarterfinals. The run ended with a 3-2 loss to Colgate in the NCAA semifinals.
The 89-90 squad has produced several other successful coaches, including Avalanche head coach Joe Sacco, Rangers assistant coach (and former Bruins head coach) Mike Sullivan, who captained the team, and current BU associate head coach Mike Bavis.
Next week, blog contributor CDRAL will help us catch up on current activities of the other '89-'90 team members. He’ll be in touch with many of them on Monday when the annual Terrier hockey alumni golf tournament is held at Tedesco Country Club in Swampscott, Mass.
Looking ahead
Red Line Report's Kyle Woodlief, writing in USA Today, calls Coyle a "sleeper" among top forward draft prospects, adding:
Coyle plays for the South Shore Kings in the Eastern Junior Hockey League and combines excellent size with smooth puckhandling skills and playmaking ability. He has terrific vision and soft hands, and uses his size to win puck battles around the corners and create traffic around the slot. Coyle is also one of the EJHL's hardest workers and very unselfish with the puck.
International Scouting Services list of top 30 draft prospects for June ranks Coyle at #28.
Looking back
The Lake Erie Monsters' Web site's preview of 2010-11 rookies begins with a profile of Colby Cohen who played the final three games of last season for the Monsters and Coach David Quinn on an amateur tryout.
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