Video: Ducks Head Coach Greg Cronin Introductory PresserĪn aggressive, physical player by nature, Vitale thrived within the structure, with an intensity and passion that Cronin instilled throughout his program. "He said, if you're not going to listen to me, we'll find a different way."
I couldn't even pass! But I think that was the point. So I went to ask what was going on and he said, 'You keep skating around with your stick in the air.' So I had to use it the whole practice, 10 pounds just taped above my blade. "I come into practice after class and I have these two plates taped to the bottom of stick," Vitale recalled through a big laugh. So when Vitale, who never met a body check he didn't like, couldn't seem to keep his stick on the ice with the regularity his coach wanted, he found out the hard way just how important it was to Cronin that he pays attention to the details in the form of two five-pound weights. Things as small as finishing the drill through the end line or keeping your stick on the puck through a check aren't just helpful habits to Cronin, they're requirements. To Cronin, culture touches every aspect of your hockey operation, and it starts with an attention to detail in practice. "He built the team from the ground up, from the culture on up." "And truthfully, every person you talk to there will tell you the same thing: It all really started with Greg.
"You look at Northeastern now and it's a full-blown juggernaut," Vitale beamed proudly. Over the next four years, helped by his first recruit and eventual two-year captain Vitale, Cronin completely revitalized the Northeastern program, going from a three-win season in his debut 2005-06 campaign to one of the best teams in the country and Northeastern's first NCAA Tournament berth in 15 years. The Huskies, as part of the NCAA's Hockey East - widely considered the best conference in the sport - had reached double-digit wins just three times in the past decade and claimed just 20 combined victories across the prior three seasons. At the time, Northeastern was far from the college hockey power it has become today. It's hard to fault Vitale for his reaction.
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