Somebody’s going to have some big shoes to fill.
As Ron Mason seems poised to leave the Spartan bench for the athletics director’s office, a giant-sized void in the hockey program will be left behind.
Mason, college hockey’s all-time winningest coach with 916 wins, has been synonymous with MSU hockey for the last two decades. He succeeded equally legendary Amo Bessone, who spent 28 seasons behind the Spartan bench from 1951-79.
The two have had a stranglehold on the MSU head coaching position for the last 51 years, but now the university might have to post a “Help Wanted” sign in the Munn Ice Arena window again.
Rumors are Denver head coach George Gwozdecky, a former MSU assistant, is the front-runner to succeed Mason, but no official move is expected until after the Frozen Four in April.
Whomever takes over will have the daunting task of replacing the beloved Mason.
“I came here three years ago and coach hasn’t changed one bit,” junior forward Troy Ferguson said. “He’s been a great, positive leader and coach for us ever since I’ve been here and, obviously, the years before that.”
Ferguson said he’s glad that Mason will still be close to the program as athletics director.
“He’s still going to be around and he bleeds green like all of us do at Michigan State,” Ferguson said. “Obviously, he’s chosen to stay on and that’s great news.”
Mason, a graduate of Saint Lawrence, New York, won his only national championship in 1986 and won the Spencer Penrose Award as national coach of the year in 1992.
His teams have won the CCHA Tournament on 10 occasions and the league renamed the CCHA Tournament championship trophy the Mason Cup in his honor in 2000.
Mason’s promotion, coupled with the impending retirement of Wisconsin head coach Jeff Sauer, means the top four all-time winningest hockey coaches will no longer be active. Boston University’s Jack Parker, currently at 644 wins, is the winningest coach planning on returning next season.
The announcement of Mason’s promotion shocked most people associated with Spartan hockey. Junior defenseman John-Michael Liles articulated the sentiments of many of the MSU players after hearing the news Saturday night.
“He’s been a great influence on my life, not only on my hockey life, but my life in general,” Liles said. “He’s definitely more than a coach, he’s just a great man.
“It’s definitely surprising, but at the same time, it’s what’s best for him and what’s best for the university as well.”
After her team’s 75-58 win on Sunday, MSU women’s basketball head coach Joanne P. McCallie praised her new boss.
“Wow, I tell you what, a living legend athletic director,” McCallie said. “I can’t say enough about Ron Mason. I think the world of him and what he’s done here at Michigan State and his history.
“I think that he has all the qualities necessary to lead our athletic department. He could teach us all a lot in terms of pursuing the highest level. We’re very thrilled about that.”
