By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
Joe Crozier, the coach and architect of the Rochester Americans first three championship teams and an iconic member of one of the American Hockey League’s cornerstone franchises, died on Tuesday. He was 93.
He devoted his life to hockey and his family, and while he hadn’t coached in more than three decades, he loved the game and continued to fill various front-office roles with the Buffalo Sabres until 2012.
His health had declined significantly in recent years as he battled dementia while living at his home in Amherst with Bonnie, his wife of 48 years.
As a coach, Mr. Crozier was a master motivator and a creative tactician, understanding what it took to get the most out of players while designing drills that are still used by coaches today.
He guided the Amerks to Calder Cup titles in 1964-65, 1965-66 and 1967-68. He then moved on to Vancouver of the Western Hockey League where he won a league championship in 1968-69 before returning to Western New York as interim coach of the Buffalo Sabres midway through the 1971-72 season.
It was Mr. Crozier who thought putting Gilbert Perreault, Richard Martin and Rene Robert together on the same line might create some offense. The French Connection remains the most storied line in Sabres history.
“The Crow,” as he was affectionately known, returned to coach the Amerks in 1983-84, guiding the team to the Calder Cup finals. That would be his final season behind the bench, but he did win one more ring, not as a coach but as the trusted and invaluable mentor to coach John Van Boxmeer throughout the championship season of 1986-87.
His official title was liaison between the Sabres and Amerks. But since there was little Mr. Crozier hadn’t seen or hadn’t dealt with during his 12 professional seasons as a defenseman or his 20 as a coach, he became the perfect tutor for Van Boxmeer.
Mr. Crozier played or coached in 16 cities, but always referred to Rochester as “My town.” And why not? He was a big reason the first three Calder Cup banners were lowered from the rafters of the War Memorial.
During the run to the Calder Cup playoffs in the spring of 1984, he would point to the Calder Cup banners after every game as he exited the ice.
Professional hockey is, after all, entertainment, and Mr. Crozier was ever the showman. And ever driven to win.
When he returned to Vancouver to coach the Blazers of the World Hockey Association in 1974-75, he said, “I didn’t come back to renew old acquaintances, I came to win.”
He expected the same from his players. And when they didn’t perform up to expectations, he had a way of getting his point across at practice the next day. He would sit in a folding chair at center ice and, while sipping on a cup of coffee, put his players through strenuous skating drills.
Before Game 7 of the Calder Cup finals in Sherbrooke in 1987, two game sweaters were stolen from the Amerks dressing room, the 31 of goalie Daren Puppa and the 25 of center Jeff Parker. Wearing a spare sweater with a makeshift nameplate (the leg of an R was lopped off to create a P), Puppa played his best game of the series as the Amerks defeated Sherbrooke 4-2.
In the hours and days that followed, legend grew that Mr. Crozier had been the thief, and he did everything possible to ensure that the tale grew. At the public Calder Cup celebration later that week, The Crow danced onto the stage wearing a No. 31 Puppa sweater and 3,000 fans went wild.
“My town,” Mr. Crozier said whenever he had the chance. Longtime Amerks fans still refer to the balcony at the Court Street end of the arena as “The Crow’s Nest.”
Mr. Crozier was a named NHL coach of the year in 1972-73 by The Hockey News (the league didn’t officially name a coach of the year until the following season), was a member of the inaugural class of the Amerks Hall of Fame in 1986, and was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2012.
During the AHL ceremonies, former Amerks defenseman and coach Don Cherry said he wouldn’t be where he is today if it wasn’t for Mr. Crozier. The Amerks franchise might not be, either.
I was a teen during the Amerks first 3 Calder Cups and Joe Crozier and Calder Cup went together like a hand in glove back then. He was our local hero. Crazy though that he broke our hearts after our final Cup when he bolted to Vancouver (the year before it was admitted to the NHL) and took most of the Amerk team with him. Say it ain’t so Joe!! That began perhaps the 4 most disastrous years in Amerk history, before Don Cherry rode in on his white horse and pulled the franchise out of the fire.
However the narrative ended well, when Joe returned to Rochester, guided the team to the Finals and then helped Boxie win one a few years later, highlighted by the aforementioned ‘sweater steal’!
All was forgiven clearly and The Crow reclaimed icon status in Rochester. Well deserved. Anyone who remembers those tremendous teams of the mid 60’s can attest that its hard to envision a more exciting time for Rochester hockey. I recall that Punch Imlach once refused to have his Leafs play the Amerks in a pre-season game for fear his team would be embarrassed. They were THAT good. And one by one, they are all passing from the scene.
And who can forget that incredible 6-for-2 trade that was engineered at Xmas time during our 3rd Calder Cup win run. Amerks were in last place as the new year approached. Joe fixed that and the rest was history…legend actually.
Rest in peace Joe. He was one in a million. I hope the Amerks honor him Friday with a moment of silence.
I was 10 years old when I first met Mr Crozier at my father’s hotel were the Rochester Americans hockey team stayed.
My father was also a shareholder in the amerks hockey team so we had front row seats got jackets and like I said The Calder Cup Championship party was at my father’s hotel.