Coach Chadd Cassidy
As the Huskies took the ice November 4th and 5th vs Gilmour Academy at SUNY Oswego, there was more on the boys’ minds than just securing two wins. If the boys were to win both games, Coach Cassidy would have earned his 100th win at Northwood School, an accomplishment attained in only a little more than two years.
The Huskies finished with the outcome they wished for: two wins. More importantly, Coach Cassidy earned his 99th win, and the big one, his 100th win as the head mind behind the Huskies’ bench. The win moved his Northwood record to 100-13-4, a huge achievement in such a short amount of time, Coach Cassidy wrote his name in the history books, where he has joined three other elite coaches at Northwood who have registered 100 wins, and he hit the 100-win mark quicker than any other coach in Northwood history.
No coach has registered 100 wins this early in their Northwood coaching career; however, retired coach Tom Fleming may have equaled the number of games it took to reach 100. Fleming did it in his fourth year when Northwood teams typically played about 30 games per year.
Former Northwood hockey coach Jim Fullerton.
Coach Cassidy is now with included with the legend Jim Fullerton, who coached at Northwood from 1931-1955. Fullerton went on to coach at Brown University and was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992. According to his Wikipedia entry, Fullerton won an enviable 86% of his games at Northwood and had four undefeated seasons during his tenure. Fullerton is also credited with founding the first prep school invitational hockey tournament in the late 1930s, which continues today.
Next is Tom Fleming, a coach who won over 500 games behind the Huskies’ bench. Fleming has a number of coaching marks that may never be equaled. He coached more than 250 future collegiate players (62 who captained their college squads), eight NHLers and six Olympians. Flem also had twenty seasons with at least twenty wins and ended his career with a .753 winning percentage.
Former Northwood hockey coach Tom Fleming.
Finally, Cassidy joins Jeff Matthews, who posted a 174-59-17 record during his six seasons. Matthews went on to coach the women’s team at Amherst College, where he is currently in his sixth season.
Coach Cassidy has had an impressive first few years at Northwood School. Steve Reed, longtime Northwood faculty member and the 2003 Jim Fullerton Award winner from the American Hockey Coaches Association, said that Cassidy “took over the program when it had become just another good hockey program, and he has brought it back to one of the premiere prep programs in the country,” he said.
Praise for Cassidy also comes from his players.
“He is easily the best coach I have had. You can tell he loves what he does and is happy to be at the rink every day. All the boys are super excited to be apart of his 100th win,” said Sam DeBitetto ‘18, who has been with Cassidy for two years. First year player, Cole Leal ‘19, had high praise for his coach. “He is an amazing coach, one of the best if not the best coach I’ve had. He has so much experience at the highest of levels, whenever he tells you something you just have to soak it in and do it.”
The boys’ hockey team and the greater Northwood community congratulate Coach Cassidy on his amazing achievement and wish him the best of luck with the rest of this season and seasons to come behind the Huskies’ bench.
Northwood Coaches with 100 or More Wins
Jim Fullerton. 1932 – 1955
Tom Fleming. 1983 – 2004
Jeff Matthews. 2006 – 2012
Chadd Cassidy. 2015 –
Please note: Northwood School has not kept comprehensive records or statistics for its teams or coaches. The reporting here represents the best research with the limited available information.
