Tom Newton To Receive Terry Flanagan Award At AHCA Banquet
1/28/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Jan. 28, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State assistant hockey coach Tom Newton has been selected to receive the eighth annual Terry Flanagan Memorial Award by the American Hockey Coaches Association. The award, which is named in honor of the former New Hampshire player and Bowling Green assistant coach, honors an assistant coach's career body of work.
"It's a great feeling and honor to win this award," said Newton. "I had the privilege of knowing Terry. He was a great individual and loved the game of hockey. To receive this honor that bears his name makes it very special."
The Uxbridge, Ontario, native is in his 14th year with the Michigan State hockey program and his 23rd overall in collegiate coaching. He was named to his position at MSU on June 12, 1990. He works with the Spartan forwards, and is directly involved with recruiting and all day-to-day operations of the Spartan hockey program and hockey school.
Prior to his arrival at MSU, he spent eight years at Western Michigan, serving as an assistant coach (1982-86) and the associate head coach (1986-90) under Bill Wilkinson. WMU captured the school's only CCHA title in the 1986 CCHA tournament.
He took his first college head coaching job at Kent State in 1981 and promptly led the Golden Flashes to a respectable 12-17-1 record as a Division I independent during the 1981-82 season. He began his coaching career as Bowling Green's graduate assistant coach in 1980-81 and also handled BGSU's club coaching duties. In 1995, he served as an assistant coach for Team West at the Shrine East-West College All-Star Hockey Classic in Minneapolis. He was an assistant coach for Team USA in the North American College Hockey Championship in 1999.
A four-year letterwinner and two-year captain for the Falcons, Newton registered 140 points during his career (1975-80). He skated for three CCHA regular-season and two playoff championship teams for then-BGSU coach Ron Mason. Newton led the Brown and Orange to NCAA Tournament appearances in 1978 (third) and 1979 (fifth). He holds the BGSU records for scoring back-to-back goals in the shortest time span (nine seconds) as well as scoring three goals in the shortest time span (4:39).
Newton holds a bachelor of science degree in physical education and health from Bowling Green State University (1980) and earned his master's of education degree from BSGU one year later. Newton served on the Board of Governors of the American Hockey Coaches Association as college hockey's Assistant Coaches Representative from 1998-2001. Born June 16, 1956, Newton and his wife, Eve, have two children - a son, Ted, and a daughter, Emma.
Newton will receive the award the April 24 banquet at the American Hockey Coaches Association Convention in Naples, Fla.
Past Terry Flanagan Award Winners1997 Terry Flanagan, Bowling Green1998 Bob Saunders, HC, RPI, UMB, NU1999 Glenn Kulyk, Minnesota-Duluth2000 Mel Pearson, Michigan2001 Brian Durocher, Boston University2002 Kevin Houle, Plattsburg State2003 Stu Irving, Merrimack
