With the continuing success of the Michigan State hockey program, including a record season and a Big Ten regular season championship, a new five-year contract for head coach Adam Nightingale has been announced.
Under the helm of Nightingale, Michigan State's hockey team has had one of the best turnarounds in the history of college hockey and has not gone unnoticed, resulting in the announcement of the contract from MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics, Alan Haller.
“Spartan hockey has a proud history of excellence, and we are currently witnessing the latest chapter of success," Haller said in a press release. "A couple months ago, Adam and I started having conversations surrounding him and his staff and how best to continue the resurgence of the program. With the new contract, we’re taking steps to ensure stability and the opportunity for success for many years to come.”
For the success of the team, there are countless achievements that have shown greatly through the 2022-23 campaign under Nightingale's first year, as well as the 2023-24 season. The Spartans captured their first Big Ten regular season championship in program history and their first title since the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, or CCHA, conference title in the 2000-01 season. The Spartans ended the season with a 22-9-3 overall record and a 16-6-2 Big Ten record, surpassing the number of games won since the 2007-08 team which went 25-12-3 overall. The team has also achieved new academic records and highs for the overall team.
The contract will give Nightingale five more years as the head coach to his Alma Mater, as well as a raise for him and for his hockey staff that continues to help the team in their record-breaking season. His contract includes non-performance-related compensation of $700,000 in the first year — $600,000 for the base salary and $100,000 in supplemental compensation — and for each year following, the supplemental compensation will increase by $25,000.
“Being the head coach of the Spartan hockey program continues to be a great honor — one I do not take lightly,” Nightingale said. “Our staff and players are thankful for the support we receive from the University, community and alumni. The opportunity to represent them is a humbling experience. Although we celebrated a Big Ten championship last weekend, we still have several short-term and long-term goals we will strive to achieve. We appreciate Alan Haller and (Deputy AD) Jennifer Smith’s belief in us, and look forward to continuing our climb back to the top of college hockey.”
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