Gosek’s retirement draws memories of guidance, respect from coaching colleagues

OSWEGO, N.Y. – “Eddie has had success — ultimate success. Eddie has had heartbreak. Through the ups and downs, he’s remained hard-working and forever classy. Oswego has been lucky to have him.”

Long-time Utica University head coach Gary Heenan’s words reflected a broader sentiment that surfaced across college hockey about Ed Gosek’s work ethic, grace, and success on the bench and in the community.

For 23 years, opposing coaches across Division III hockey measured themselves against Gosek and his Oswego State program. But following his retirement announcement on April 30, the collegiate coaching ring’s shared goal of beating him was set aside to reflect on the coach, mentor, and person they had known for years. An ensemble of respect quickly emerged.

They all knew Gosek for over two decades, some as a player, a coach, and one knew him for so long that he couldn’t remember when they met.

“I’ve known Ed for 25 plus years.” 3-time national champion and head coach at Hobart, Mark Taylor said, “I would think when I was an assistant at Cornell, maybe, but put it this way, we’re both pretty old, and I can’t remember, but certainly before I came to Hobart College.”

Geneseo head coach Chris Schultz’s relationship with Gosek was special and memorable from day one.

“I started as an assistant coach with Geneseo in 2001, and Ed was an assistant with George Roll at the time. Both Ed and George were really good to me.” Schultz said, “You remember who gives you the time of day when you first get into this business. Ed is and was one of the good guys.”

Heenan traced his relationship with Gosek back to his playing years.

“Our relationship goes back to the old Romney days,” Heenan said. “Eddie was on the bench when I was a player at Hamilton, and then I got to know him when I coached at Brockport and Hamilton as an assistant.”

Many were caught off guard by the retirement, while others expected the announcement sooner rather than later.

“Definitely caught me off guard. Don’t see Eddie as old, he’s got plenty of spirit, and the program is in a great place.” Heenan said.

“To be honest, I wasn’t surprised, and I was extremely happy for him,” Schultz said. “He deserves to spend time with family and friends. This is a really hard job, a job that many people don’t understand how much time and effort go into it.”

Even rivals in Plattsburgh, who have been put through a buzzer-beater goal and “Whiteout” atmospheres in the Deborah F. Stanley Ice Arena, put their pitchforks down for a moment, if only briefly.

“I was excited for him. He has put in a lot of hard work and dedication to the Oswego program, and he deserves some time to enjoy his family and some free time.” Plattsburgh head coach Steve Moffat said.

Beyond their relationships and opening reactions, Heenan commented on Gosek’s work ethic, one of many traits he envied.

“We recruit against each other all the time,” Heenan said. “I don’t like seeing him in a Canadian rink. I was hoping to outwork him. He lands players and has them prepared to play.”

All of the coaches from Plattsburgh to the Western Finger Lakes region of Geneseo praised Gosek’s class, respect, and pregame camaraderie, something that they feel is fading away from the younger generation of coaches.

“I see a huge cultural shift in our game, especially amongst the coaches. Gentlemen’s agreements basically do not exist anymore.” Schultz said, “The younger generation coach doesn’t understand the concept of being in it together as a group of coaches to do what is best for your league and our game. Respect is diminishing. I learned this from guys like Ed. They taught me the right way and wrong way to do things.  But those days are long gone.”

“Ed did things the right way, and everyone in Division III hockey knows it.” Schultz continued.

“Scheduling games, it was always painless; it was always enjoyable calling Ed.” Taylor said, “We enjoyed talking about different things besides hockey.”

Those small interactions were part of what made Gosek so respected in college hockey circles.

“Eddie always comes down to say hi before games. It seems simple, but none of the young guys do that anymore.” Heenan said.

Moffat says he’s thankful for the rivalry game but will never forget those pregame and off-the-ice memories.

“I will miss our talks before the game, the pregame hug, and the laughs. Fortunately, we still get to compete against Oswego.” Moffat said.

They all loved facing Oswego, feeling it was a way to get better. Between the Whiteout games and the nationally ranked battles, it was hard for coaches to pick a game they lost to Gosek as their favorite, but one conceded.

“I absolutely love facing Oswego teams. When I first broke into the league, we got our butts kicked routinely by Ed.  It made me better.” Schultz said, “We’ve had the better of Oswego in the last 10 years, but the first 10 weren’t exactly pretty for us.  He, undoubtedly, made me a better coach.”

“Oswego and Utica have two of the best fan bases in D3 hockey. The games always have huge national implications.” Heenan said, “With that, our games have always been close – very competitive.”

Schultz concedes his favorite game is one in which he was on the losing end, but he will forever remember.

“The wildest game I’ve ever been a part of was the 2014 (SUNYAC) final. It was a wild affair.  They jumped ahead 5-1, we came back to tie, and they scored the game-winner with a minute left. It was by far the biggest roller coaster of emotion I’ve ever been a part of.  One thing I will look back on with regret is not being able to play a conference final in Oswego. I think that would have been awesome.“

Heenan referenced a game from 2016 as his favorite, a duel of the goalies in Utica, which ended in a 0-0 tie, even though the score sheet was bone dry. He categorized it as not boring and very competitive.

When asked why Oswego teams under Gosek were hard to prepare and play against, every coach said both players and coaches were prepared, but also that the players were always fast, disciplined, talented, and had good size.

“Oswego was always very talented, and they played the game hard. You knew you were in for a big boy game when you played them. Moffat said.

“There’s no BS with his teams; they have discipline. Games are never a gong show. Teams are always well prepared.” Heenan added.

Not only was the brand of hockey exciting, with it being wide open, stretching the ice, fast-paced, in-your-face offensive forecheck, but the unique bench setup in the Lakers’ home arena was a key to a good transition game.

“Everything is done quickly. In twenty years, I’ve never said they’re not very good this year. They are consistently a threat with their speed and tenacity.” Schultz said, “They are especially good in transition in their building, and Ed utilized the two-period-long changes with their unique bench arrangements to their advantage.”

Many echoed the mentorship Gosek provided them early in their careers, as well as the lessons learned from his teams, conversations with him, and his broader impact on the youth hockey community.

“He was always available to listen and help mentor all of us.” Moffat said, “Ed has a very calm demeanor when things sometimes go sideways, and I always admired that about him. He could keep his cool under pressure.”

“Being in a great hockey community, Ed has done a great job not only developing NY hockey, but also NY coaches.” Schultz said, “He has done great work with USA hockey, giving young coaches to come in and coach those programs.”

Gosek and the Laker hockey program have hosted USA Hockey summer development camps at the SUNY Oswego campus for over a decade; some coaches felt that his contribution to the youth player game and development was more than his contribution to younger coaches.

“Anytime a player can get in front of a Coach like Ed, they are going to learn something about hockey or life,” Moffat added.

After class, respect, camaraderie, recruiting, and skill, Schultz raved about Ed and Mary Gosek’s grace.

“The biggest thing I learned from Ed is grace,” Schultz said, “When Mary passed away, I was really upset for Ed and the community.  Mary and I shared a special moment when she was ill down in Naples at our convention that I will never forget.  The grace they showed others during their struggles is by far what I will remember most about Ed and Mary.”

Mary, Ed’s wife, passed away from Ovarian Cancer in 2017. SUNY Oswego, the Oswego County community, and Ed Gosek have hosted multiple events to raise money and awareness for Ovarian Cancer.

Gosek, 64, took over the Oswego program in 2003 and led the Lakers to their first and only NCAA Division III national championship in 2007. He hangs up the skates with 427 career wins and five SUNYAC titles in his back pocket and a notable playing career for the Lakers.

Steve Moffat of Plattsburgh, Oswego’s biggest rival, put it best.

“Ed’s success on the ice speaks for itself, but as I mentioned before, it was how he treated everyone that I feel we will all miss as coaches. Life comes first, and he always knew that and lived it. Ed Gosek, DIII Hockey, and Oswego hockey will always be linked together. He left the Lakers in a great spot!”