John Giordano (ice hockey coach)
Encyclopedia
John Giordano is a former ice hockey
coach. He was the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey
team from 1980 to 1984.
, a Catholic
high school located in the Detroit suburb of Harper Woods, Michigan
. He graduated in 1961 and later graduated from Wayne State University
in Detroit.
. Actor Dave Coulier
also played hockey for Giordano in the 1970s. Coulier later recalled: "Giordano wasn't real happy when I made the guys laugh. He was very serious. Not a great combination with my constantly goofing-around personality. We had team curfews, haircuts, and if you didn't wear a suit to the games, you were benched."
working under head coach Dan Farrell
. Giordano was reunited at Michigan with John Blum, who had joined the Wolverines after graduating from Notre Dame High School. During the 1979-1980 hockey season, Giordano was in charge of the Wolverines' power play. Giordano was credited with molding the unit into "the most potent power play in the country," scoring on 40% of power play opportunities.
In the spring of 1980, Farrell resigned as Michigan's head coach and was replaced by former Wolverine hockey star Wilf Martin
. In the fall of 1980, the Michigan hockey team became embroiled in two major controversies.
First, a hazing scandal dominated press coverage of the team in October. Veteran players reportedly forced a freshman player to drink large quantities of gin, vodka and beer, stripped him of his clothes, shaved his body from the neck down, covered him with jam, eggs and cologne, dumped him in the trunk of a car, and left him nearly unconscious in freezing weather. This was later found not to be true and the players actually returned the player, (J T Todd) to his dorm. Todd, who was walk-on from Detroit left the team.
Second, head coach Martin developed health problems, reported in the press to be an emotional disorder, during the exhibition season. Martin coached only two games during the 1980-1981 season, and announced his resignation in late November 1980.
Giordano took over, initially as interim head coach, for a Michigan hockey team in crisis. Giordano was praised for his efforts in leading the team to a 23-17 record during the 1980-1981 season. The Michigan Daily noted:
Athletic director Don Canham
added, "He took over in a bad situation and he’s done a remarkably good job." Giordano was named permanent head coach in early February 1981. At the end of the 1980-1981 season, he was named collegiate Coach of the Year by The Hockey News
, WCHA Coach of the Year by The Denver Post
, and WCHA Co-Coach of the Year with John MacInnes
by the vote of WCHA coaches.
In Giordano's second year as head coach, the Michigan hockey team moved from the highly-competitive Western Collegiate Hockey Association
("WCHA") to the less-competitive Central Collegiate Hockey Association
("CCHA"). With the change in conferences, "the conventional wisdom was that the Wolverines would dominate the new circuit behind their successful young coach." Instead, the Wolverines finished in fourth place in the CCHA during the 1981-1982 season with a record of 18-15-5.;
The team continued to move in the wrong direction in Giordano’s third and fourth years as head coach, finishing in ninth place in the CCHA both years with records of 14-22-0 and 14-22-1.
Giordano's position as head coach was further undermined by lagging attendance (Michigan averaged approximately 3,000 fans per game during Giordano's final two years as head coach) and a players' mutiny. Giordano had a reputation as a disciplinarian. Among other things, he strictly enforced curfews and ordered extra 6 a.m. practices when the team failed to perform. He was also alleged to have stripped seven players of their scholarships. In the spring of 1984, all 22 Michigan hockey players signed a petition listing their grievances and stating that Giordano was "an embarrassment to all of us in front of other coaches and players." Athletic director Don Canham later recalled:
In his history of the Michigan hockey program, historian John U. Bacon noted: "In reporting the decision, the Michigan Daily described Giordano as being 'very unpopular with the players, parents, fans and alumni' – which didn't leave many in his corner."
Giordano was replaced as the head coach of the Michigan men's ice hockey team by current head coach Red Berenson.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
coach. He was the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey
Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey
The Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Earning varsity status in 1922, the program is competing in its 90th season...
team from 1980 to 1984.
Early years
Giordano attended Notre Dame High SchoolNotre Dame High School (Harper Woods, Michigan)
Notre Dame High School was a Catholic, all–male, non–residential college preparatory school in the Detroit suburb of Harper Woods, Michigan...
, a Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
high school located in the Detroit suburb of Harper Woods, Michigan
Harper Woods, Michigan
Harper Woods is a city located on the eastside of suburban Detroit, Michigan, United States. The city is located in Wayne County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 14,236.- History :...
. He graduated in 1961 and later graduated from Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
in Detroit.
Hockey coach at Harper Woods Notre Dame
Giordano returned to Harper Woods Notre Dame High School as a teacher and hockey coach. He was the hockey coach at Notre Dame from 1969 to 1979. He led the Notre Dame hockey team to a Michigan state championship in 1972. While at Notre Dame, he coached future NHL player John BlumJohn Blum
John Joseph Blum is a retired American ice hockey defenseman.Blum is a graduate of Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods, Michigan. His high school hockey teammate was comedian Dave Coulier...
. Actor Dave Coulier
Dave Coulier
David Alan "Dave" Coulier is an American stand-up comedian, impressionist, television and voice actor, and television host. He is well-known for his role as Joey Gladstone on the ABC sitcom Full House, which ran from 1987 to 1995....
also played hockey for Giordano in the 1970s. Coulier later recalled: "Giordano wasn't real happy when I made the guys laugh. He was very serious. Not a great combination with my constantly goofing-around personality. We had team curfews, haircuts, and if you didn't wear a suit to the games, you were benched."
Hockey coach at Michigan
In 1979, Giordano was hired as an assistant hockey coach at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
working under head coach Dan Farrell
Dan Farrell
Daniel T. "Dan" Farrell is a former ice hockey player and coach. He played for the Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey team from 1957-1960 and was the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team from 1973 to 1980. Farrell later had a career in the financial services and mineral...
. Giordano was reunited at Michigan with John Blum, who had joined the Wolverines after graduating from Notre Dame High School. During the 1979-1980 hockey season, Giordano was in charge of the Wolverines' power play. Giordano was credited with molding the unit into "the most potent power play in the country," scoring on 40% of power play opportunities.
In the spring of 1980, Farrell resigned as Michigan's head coach and was replaced by former Wolverine hockey star Wilf Martin
Wilf Martin
Wilfred "Wilf" Martin is a former ice hockey player and coach. He played at the center position for the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team from 1963 to 1965, including the 1963–1964 NCAA national championship team. He also served briefly as the head coach of the Michigan hockey team in...
. In the fall of 1980, the Michigan hockey team became embroiled in two major controversies.
First, a hazing scandal dominated press coverage of the team in October. Veteran players reportedly forced a freshman player to drink large quantities of gin, vodka and beer, stripped him of his clothes, shaved his body from the neck down, covered him with jam, eggs and cologne, dumped him in the trunk of a car, and left him nearly unconscious in freezing weather. This was later found not to be true and the players actually returned the player, (J T Todd) to his dorm. Todd, who was walk-on from Detroit left the team.
Second, head coach Martin developed health problems, reported in the press to be an emotional disorder, during the exhibition season. Martin coached only two games during the 1980-1981 season, and announced his resignation in late November 1980.
Giordano took over, initially as interim head coach, for a Michigan hockey team in crisis. Giordano was praised for his efforts in leading the team to a 23-17 record during the 1980-1981 season. The Michigan Daily noted:
"The Wayne State graduate was faced with a very adverse set of circumstances from the outset, including the loss of Michigan's top three scorers, being picked to finish last in the WCHAWestern Collegiate Hockey AssociationThe Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....
by pre-season pollsters, and extremely negative publicity surrounding the hazing incident."
Athletic director Don Canham
Don Canham
Donald Canham was a track and field athlete and coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the athletic director at the University of Michigan from 1968 to 1988. There, he became nationally renowned for his ability to market and sell products bearing the name or logo of the school...
added, "He took over in a bad situation and he’s done a remarkably good job." Giordano was named permanent head coach in early February 1981. At the end of the 1980-1981 season, he was named collegiate Coach of the Year by The Hockey News
The Hockey News
The Hockey News, commonly abbreviated to THN, is a North American ice hockey magazine published by Transcontinental. The Hockey News was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Bill Côté, and has since been the most recognized hockey publication in North America...
, WCHA Coach of the Year by The Denver Post
The Denver Post
-Ownership:The Post is the flagship newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc., founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder. MediaNews is today one of the nation's largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers and more than 120 non-daily publications in 13 states. MediaNews...
, and WCHA Co-Coach of the Year with John MacInnes
John MacInnes
John J. MacInnes was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender and NCAA hockey head coach. He was born in Toronto, Ontario.-Playing career:...
by the vote of WCHA coaches.
In Giordano's second year as head coach, the Michigan hockey team moved from the highly-competitive Western Collegiate Hockey Association
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....
("WCHA") to the less-competitive Central Collegiate Hockey Association
Central Collegiate Hockey Association
The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey college athletic conference that operates mostly in Michigan and Ohio, although it also has members in Alaska and Indiana. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. It holds its championship...
("CCHA"). With the change in conferences, "the conventional wisdom was that the Wolverines would dominate the new circuit behind their successful young coach." Instead, the Wolverines finished in fourth place in the CCHA during the 1981-1982 season with a record of 18-15-5.;
The team continued to move in the wrong direction in Giordano’s third and fourth years as head coach, finishing in ninth place in the CCHA both years with records of 14-22-0 and 14-22-1.
Giordano's position as head coach was further undermined by lagging attendance (Michigan averaged approximately 3,000 fans per game during Giordano's final two years as head coach) and a players' mutiny. Giordano had a reputation as a disciplinarian. Among other things, he strictly enforced curfews and ordered extra 6 a.m. practices when the team failed to perform. He was also alleged to have stripped seven players of their scholarships. In the spring of 1984, all 22 Michigan hockey players signed a petition listing their grievances and stating that Giordano was "an embarrassment to all of us in front of other coaches and players." Athletic director Don Canham later recalled:
"I never talk to players about their coaches. I coached myself, and I know enough not to do that. But when all 22 players walked into my office the second time with a signed petition to say this situation is intolerable – well, I just had to let him go. He just never could get along with the players."
In his history of the Michigan hockey program, historian John U. Bacon noted: "In reporting the decision, the Michigan Daily described Giordano as being 'very unpopular with the players, parents, fans and alumni' – which didn't leave many in his corner."
Giordano was replaced as the head coach of the Michigan men's ice hockey team by current head coach Red Berenson.