Victor Heyliger (September 26, 1912 – October 4, 2006) was an American ice hockey player and coach. He played 33 games in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Black Hawks between 1937 and 1944 and then worked as the head coach in several places, including the University of Michigan ice hockey team from 1944 to 1957.[1]
.jpg) Vic Heyliger from the 1950 Michiganensian | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 26, 1912 Concord, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | October 4, 2006 (aged 94) Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1934–1937 | Michigan |
| 1937–1938 | St. Paul Saints |
| 1937–1938 | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 1938–1939 | Detroit Holzbaugh |
| 1943–1944 | Chicago Black Hawks |
| Position(s) | Center |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1939–1943 | Illinois |
| 1944–1957 | Michigan |
| 1961–1963 | West Germany National Team |
| 1965–1966 | US National Team |
| 1968–1974 | Air Force |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 353-158-21 (.683) |
| Tournaments | 16-4 (.800) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1948 NCAA National Championship 1951 NCAA National Championship 1952 NCAA National Championship 1953 MCHL Regular Season Championship 1953 NCAA National Championship 1955 NCAA National Championship 1956 WIHL Regular Season Championship 1956 NCAA National Championship | |
| Awards | |
| 1954 Spencer Penrose Award 1974 US Hockey Hall of Fame 1980 University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor 1982 Hobey Baker Legend of College Hockey Award 1988 John MacInnes Award | |
| Records | |
| Most NCAA ice hockey championships: (6) Most consecutive NCAA ice hockey championships: (3) Most consecutive Frozen Four appearances: (10) | |
Career
editBorn in Concord, Massachusetts, he attended the Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts and as an All-American at Michigan set a school record of 116 goals. He played for the Chicago Black Hawks in 1938 and 1944,[2] bookending his tenure as coach at the University of Illinois from 1939–43,[3] posting a record of 59–29–4.[4]
Returning to Michigan as coach of the Wolverines, he led the team to six NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championships in his thirteen years from 1944 to 1957: 1948 (the first NCAA title), 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956. His teams reached the Frozen Four in each of the first ten seasons it was held.
In 1954, he received the Spencer Penrose Award from the American Hockey Coaches Association as the University Division Coach of the Year. Heyliger had an overall Michigan record of 228–61–13. After coaching the U.S. national team in 1966, he coached at the United States Air Force Academy from 1966–74, where he was 85–77–3.[5]
He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in its second class of inductees in 1974. In 1988, he was awarded the John MacInnes Award by the AHCA, an honor that recognizes those individuals who have displayed an interest in amateur hockey and youth programs, as well as fostering high graduation rates among their players.
He died at his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, aged 94.[6][7]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1928–29 | Concord High School | HS-NH | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1929–30 | Concord High School | HS-NH | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1930–31 | Concord High School | HS-NH | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1931–32 | Concord High School | HS-NH | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1932–33 | Groton School | HS-MA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1934–35 | University of Michigan | NCAA | — | 19 | 11 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1935–36 | University of Michigan | NCAA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1936–37 | University of Michigan | NCAA | — | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1937–38 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1937–38 | St. Paul Saints | AHA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1938–39 | Detroit Holzbaugh | MOHL | 27 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 38 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1943–44 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 26 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 33 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Head coaching record
edit| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois Fighting Illini Independent (1939–1943) | |||||||||
| 1939–40 | Illinois | 3–11–0 | |||||||
| 1940–41 | Illinois | 17–3–1 | Western Intercollegiate Champion | ||||||
| 1941–42 | Illinois | 10–4–2 | Western Intercollegiate Champion | ||||||
| 1942–43 | Illinois | 10–2–0 | Western Intercollegiate Champion | ||||||
| Illinois: | 40–20–3 | ||||||||
| Michigan Wolverines Independent (1944–1951) | |||||||||
| 1944–45 | Michigan | 3–6–0 | |||||||
| 1945–46 | Michigan | 17–7–1 | Western Intercollegiate Champion | ||||||
| 1946–47 | Michigan | 13–7–1 | |||||||
| 1947–48 | Michigan | 20–2–1 | NCAA National Champion | ||||||
| 1948–49 | Michigan | 20–2–3 | NCAA Consolation Game (Win) | ||||||
| 1949–50 | Michigan | 23–4–0 | NCAA Consolation Game (Win) | ||||||
| 1950–51 | Michigan | 22–4–1 | NCAA National Champion | ||||||
| Michigan: | 118–32–7 | ||||||||
| Michigan Wolverines (MCHL) (1951–1953) | |||||||||
| 1951–52 | Michigan | 22–4–0 | 9–3–0 | T–2nd | NCAA National Champion | ||||
| 1952–53 | Michigan | 17–7–0 | 12–4–0 | T–1st | NCAA National Champion | ||||
| Michigan: | 39–11–0 | 21–7–0 | |||||||
| Michigan Wolverines (WIHL) (1953–1957) | |||||||||
| 1953–54 | Michigan | 15–6–2 | 12–3–1 | 2nd | NCAA Consolation Game (Win) | ||||
| 1954–55 | Michigan | 18–5–1 | 13–5–0 | 2nd | NCAA National Champion | ||||
| 1955–56 | Michigan | 20–2–1 | 15–2–1 | 1st | NCAA National Champion | ||||
| 1956–57 | Michigan | 18–5–2 | 13–4–1 | 2nd | NCAA Runner–Up | ||||
| Michigan: | 71–18–6 | 53–14–3 | |||||||
| Air Force Falcons Independent (1968–1974) | |||||||||
| 1968–69 | Air Force | 6–12–0 | |||||||
| 1969–70 | Air Force | 11–17–1 | |||||||
| 1970–71 | Air Force | 15–11–2 | |||||||
| 1971–72 | Air Force | 25–6–0 | |||||||
| 1972–73 | Air Force | 16–16–0 | |||||||
| 1973–74 | Air Force | 12–15–0 | |||||||
| Air Force: | 85–77–3 | ||||||||
| Total: | 353–158–21 | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Vic Heyliger". HockeyDB.com.
- ^ "Vic Heyliger". Hockey-Reference.com.
- ^ Charles Bartlett (December 5, 1941). "HEYLIGER SEES BIG FUTURE FOR COLLEGE HOCKEY: Illini Coach Says It May Rival Golf". Chicago Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.
- ^ "Vic Heyliger". Legends of Hockey.
- ^ "16 Greatest Coaches". Inside College Hockey. September 17, 2003.
- ^ "Legendary Michigan Coach Vic Heyliger Dies: Led Wolverines To Six NCAA Titles, Was First Air Force Varsity Coach". USCHO.
- ^ "Vic Heyliger, former national hockey team coach, dies at 87". Associated Press Archive. October 4, 2006.
- ^ "Vic Heyliger Year-By Year Coaching Record". USCHO.com. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
- ^ "Michigan Wolverines Through the Years" (PDF). Michigan Wolverines. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
- ^ "2013-14 Air Force Media Guide". ISSUU.com. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database