By Michael Caples –
Former Novi High School coach Todd Krygier is heading to the west side of the state.
The Muskegon Lumberjacks announced today that Krygier will be taking over as head coach of the USHL club.
Krygier, 47, played 12 years in the National Hockey League. He was the first and is still the only player to skate for the University of Connecticut and then advance to the NHL. He played in 543 NHL games from 1989 to 1998 with the Hartford Whalers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and Washington Capitals, and totaled 243 points (100 goals and 143 assists in the process.
The Chicago Heights, Illinois native led Novi High School to their first D1 state championship in 2011, and led Team Michigan to their first Minnesota Showcase Tournament championship in 2012.
“Todd Krygier has been a driving force in the success of building teams and developing talent since he retired as a professional player in 2000. Todd has been where our student-athletes are and he accomplished what they are dreaming of,” said Lumberjacks’ President Tim Taylor in a press release. “We had a number of very strong coaching candidates interested in the position, however, Todd’s experience as a student-athlete, professional player, business leader, and most importantly, as a successful coach of young men focused on developing both hockey skills and character set him apart in our eyes.”
Krygier, who officially retired from hockey in 2000, said he is looking forward to the next step in his coaching career.
“Throughout the last 12 years, I dedicated myself to teaching, training, and developing hockey players in Michigan. At every level and age group, we worked hard, had success, and won team championships,” Krygier said in the release. “Our team achieved high rankings at both the state and national levels, and we helped develop players that are competing on top junior teams and NCAA Division I programs.
“I am honored and humbled to have this opportunity, and I am thankful to Tim (Taylor) and the new ownership team at Muskegon. I could not be more impressed with Tim and the new ownership group and I am excited about the privilege and responsibility to further develop the skills and character of Muskegon Lumberjack student-athletes. We will hold ourselves to the highest standards, compete with honor and integrity, and will do everything in our power to make the Muskegon community proud to be associated with their Muskegon Lumberjacks.”
Krygier, who graduated with a bachelor’s of science in finance from the University of Connecticut in 1987, currently resides in Northville, with his wife, Kim, and their five children – Brock, 20; Natalie ,18; Grace ,14; Cole, 12 and Christian, 12. Brock Krygier, a member of the Michigan State hockey program, will be a redshirt freshman next season.