Standbrook wins award for work as assistant coach UMaine hockey recruiter flattered

ORONO – University of Maine assistant men’s hockey coach Grant Standbrook has been named the recipient of the 2005 Terry Flanagan Award which honors the career body of work of an assistant coach.

It is awarded by the American Hockey Coaches Association and Standbrook will receive the honor at the Coach of the Year banquet in Naples, Fla., on April 23.

Standbrook is in his 17th season at Maine as an assistant and primary recruiter.

During his tenure, Maine has won two NCAA championships, participated in 12 NCAA Tournaments and nine Frozen Fours.

Maine has won five Hockey East Tournaments.

“I’m flattered. It’s very meaningful. I know the list of recipients and they’re all very impressive guys. I respect them all,” said the 67-year-old Standbrook.

Standbrook said he still finds coaching “a lot of fun.”

“I love being on the ice with the kids. The recruiting trips sometimes get long but I still have the same passion and enthusiasm when I hit the ice. I love teaching,” said Standbrook.

Maine head coach Tim Whitehead said the award was “long overdue.

“I’m thrilled. He is so deserving. He exemplifies all the great qualities Terry Flanagan exemplified. We love having him at Maine. He’s a great teacher, an outstanding recruiter and he is a great student of the game. He’s great to work with,” said Whitehead.

Standbrook previously spent 12 years at the University of Wisconsin where the Badgers won three NCAA titles and were runners-up on two other occasions.

From 1970-75, Standbrook was the head coach at Dartmouth College where he inherited a program with just 29 wins in the previous 10 years, and led the team to the Ivy League Championship game in his third season. He also coached soccer and lacrosse.

In 1987-88, he was the head coach of Varese-Kronenberg of the Italian league where he led the team to a second place finish. He was an assistant coach of the 1976 U.S. Olympic hockey team, and the U.S. National teams in 1974 and 1975 and has coached several teams for USA Hockey.

A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, he is a 1961 graduate of the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Standbrook was a two-year letter winner for the Bulldogs, scoring 22 goals and adding 24 assists in 31 games.

The team lost only eight games during his junior and senior seasons. He also was a member of Minnesota-Duluth’s track and field team. A versatile athlete, Standbrook finished second in the Manitoba Judo Championships in 1954. He also played on a Canadian national championship soccer team in 1962 and was a prolific scorer in lacrosse.