Vic Heyliger

Victor Heyliger (September 26, 1912 – October 4, 2006) was an American ice hockey player and coach. He played 33 games in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Black Hawks between 1937 and 1944 and then worked as the head coach in several places, including the University of Michigan ice hockey team from 1944 to 1957. He won six NCAA Division I men's hockey National Championships, the most for a men's hockey coach.

Career Born in Concord, Massachusetts, he attended the Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts and as an All-American at Michigan set a school record of 116 goals. He played for the Chicago Black Hawks in 1938 and 1944, bookending his tenure as coach at the University of Illinois from 1939–43, posting a record of 59–29–4.

Returning to Michigan as coach of the Wolverines, he led the team to six NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championships in his thirteen years from 1944 to 1957: 1948 (the first NCAA title), 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956. His teams reached the Frozen Four in each of the first ten seasons it was held.

In 1954, he received the Spencer Penrose Award from the American Hockey Coaches Association as the University Division Coach of the Year. Heyliger had an overall Michigan record of 228–61–13. After coaching the U.S. national team in 1966, he coached at the United States Air Force Academy from 1966–74, where he was 85–77–3.

He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in its second class of inductees in 1974. In 1988, he was awarded the John MacInnes Award by the AHCA, an honor that recognizes those individuals who have displayed an interest in amateur hockey and youth programs, as well as fostering high graduation rates among their players.

He died at his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, aged 94.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1928–29 Concord-Carlisle High School HS-MA — — — — — — — — — — 1929–30 Concord-Carlisle High School HS-MA — — — — — — — — — — 1930–31 Concord-Carlisle High School HS-MA — — — — — — — — — — 1931–32 Concord-Carlisle High School HS-MA — — — — — — — — — — 1932–33 Lawrence Academy HS-MA — — — — — — — — — — 1934–35 University of Michigan NCAA — 19 11 30 — — — — — — 1935–36 University of Michigan NCAA — — — — — — — — — — 1936–37 University of Michigan NCAA — 43 — — — — — — — — 1937–38 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 7 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1937–38 St. Paul Saints AHA 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1938–39 Detroit Holzbaugh MOHL 27 5 13 18 38 2 1 1 2 2 1943–44 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 26 2 3 5 2 — — — — — NHL totals 33 2 3 5 2 — — — — —

Head coaching record