David Berard (born October 17, 1970) is the former head coach for the Holy Cross Crusaders men's ice hockey team.

Career

Berard started his college career as a goaltender for

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

in 1988. He spent four years as a backup for the Friars, playing in only 5 games before graduating with a degree in

business marketing Business marketing is a marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of c ...

. He remained at the college level by taking an assistant coaching position with Colby, staying with the program for two years before returning to his alma mater. Berard was an assistant for the Friars for two more seasons and accepted a similar post from

Lake Superior State Lake Superior State University (colloquially Lake State, Lake Superior State, Soo Tech, and LSSU) is a public college in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It is enrolls approximately 2,000 students. Due to its proximity to the Canadian border, and the ...

starting in 1996. Two years later he was back in

for a third time but decided to remain with the Friars for an extended period. From 1998 through 2011 he was an assistant coach under

Paul Pooley Paul Robert Pooley (born August 2, 1960 in Exeter, Ontario) is a former professional ice hockey player who played 15 games in the National Hockey League with the Winnipeg Jets. He played his college hockey at Ohio State, where his number 22 has be ...

and

Tim Army Tim Army (born April 26, 1963) is an American former professional ice hockey player who is currently serving as the head coach of the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL). Army was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 9th round (171s ...

, but he also served as the teams recruiting coordinator for seven seasons, was promoted to an associate coach from 2003 through 2005 and was USA Hockey's director of player development for the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

region from 2003 to 2008. When Tim Army was replaced by

Nate Leaman Nate Leaman (born November 27, 1972) is an American ice hockey coach. He is currently the head coach for Providence. He was previously head coach at Union. Career Leaman grew up in Centerville, Ohio, not playing hockey until he was a teenag ...

in 2011, Berard was replaced and he became an assistant with

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. In just over a year, he suddenly found himself as the interim head coach for the Huskies when

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took a medical leave of absence. Berard remained behind the bench for Connecticut for the remainder of the season, compiling a record of 19–10–3 and getting the Huskies into a 3rd place finish in the conference. His efforts were not enough, however, and Connecticut opted to name

Mike Cavanaugh Mike Cavanaugh is an American ice hockey coach and former player. Cavanaugh was an assistant at Boston College for 18 seasons before being named as Bruce Marshall's successor at Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the N ...

as the bench boss for the next season. Berard found himself back with the Friars yet again the next season as the Director of Hockey Operations but after only one year at that post he left to receive his first full-time head coaching post with

Holy Cross Holy Cross or Saint Cross may refer to: * the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus * Christian cross, a frequently used religious symbol of Christianity * True Cross, supposed remnants of the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified * Feast ...

. In his short time with the Crusaders Berard has seen a moderate amount of success, recording three consecutive double-digit win seasons but only one of them was above .500.

Personal life

Berard's son Brett is an ice hockey forward for the

Hartford Wolf Pack The Hartford Wolf Pack are a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of the American Hockey League (AHL), they play their home games at the XL Center. The team was established in 1926 as the Providence Reds. After a ...

of the AHL as a prospect of the for the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its ho ...

. He previously played for the

Providence Friars men's ice hockey The Providence Friars men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Providence College. The Friars are a member of Hockey East. The skating Friars are currently c ...

team. Brett was drafted by the Rangers in the 5th round (134th overall) of the

2020 NHL Entry Draft The 2020 NHL Entry Draft was the 58th NHL Entry Draft, held from October 6–7, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled for June 26–27, 2020, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, but was postponed on March 25, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pan ...

. Brett won a gold medal with the

United States men's national junior ice hockey team The United States men's national junior ice hockey team represents the United States at the IIHF World U20 Championship. The team has won 5 world junior championships (2004, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021). Many talented NHL prospects, such as John Car ...

at the

2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (''2021 WJHC'') were the 45th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. It began on December 25, 2020, and ended with the gold medal game on January 5, 2021. This marked the 16th time that ...

. Berard's youngest son, Brady, is a forward for the US NTDP U-17 team.

Head coaching record

† Berard assumed head coaching duties on November 6, 2012

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berard, David 1970 births Living people American men's ice hockey goaltenders Colby Mules men's ice hockey coaches UConn Huskies men's ice hockey coaches Holy Cross Crusaders men's ice hockey coaches Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey coaches Providence Friars men's ice hockey coaches Providence Friars men's ice hockey players People from West Warwick, Rhode Island Ice hockey coaches from Rhode Island