Neil Celley
| Sport(s) | ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born | Eveleth, MN, USA |
| Alma mater | Michigan |
| Playing career | |
| 1945–1946 | Michigan |
| 1948 | US Olympic Team |
| 1948–1951 | Michigan |
| Position(s) | Left Wing |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1951–1956 | Denver |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 81-43-6 (.646) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1951 National Championship | |
Neil 'The Seal' Celley is a former American ice hockey coach and player who was a member of the US national team at the 1948 Winter Olympics.[1]
Career
Neil Celley joined the Michigan ice hockey team after winning a State Championship in 1945. He left the program a year later to take part in first Winter Olympics since 1936 (due to World War II) and was chosen as a member of the USOC's squad. A competing USA team was also sent to St. Moritz that year, one representing the Amateur Hockey Association that openly allowed professional players in their lineup. After tense negotiations the AHA team was allowed to play in the games but only in an unofficial capacity (they would be ineligible for a medal).[2] The USOC team was allowed to march in the opening ceremony which would be the extent to which Celley could contribute to the team.
Celley returned to Ann Arbor the following fall and finished out his college career without further interruption. He played in 3 consecutive NCAA tournaments finally winning one in his senior season. Celley was named to the All tournament team[3] and recorded a team record 37 goals and 37 assists (later broken by Red Berenson).[4]
After graduating from the School of Education in 1951 Celley immediately began his coaching career at Denver, taking over the two-year-old program from Vern Turner.[5] While receiving his Master of Arts in 1952 Celley led the Pioneers to a second-place finish (tied) in the newly created MCHL, unfortunately his alma mater Michigan (with whom his team had tied) was selected for the 1952 tournament instead. Celley's teams would finish with a winning record every year but were never selected for the postseason tournament and in 1956 he stepped down as coach in favor of Murray Armstrong.[6]
College Head Coaching record[7]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Pioneers (MCHL) (1951-52–1952-53) | |||||||||
| 1951–52 | Denver | 18-6-1 | 9-3-0 | t-2nd | |||||
| 1952–53 | Denver | 17-6-1 | 10-6-0 | 4th | |||||
| Denver: | 35-12-2 | 19-9-0 | |||||||
| Denver Pioneers (WIHL) (1953-54–1955-56) | |||||||||
| 1953–54 | Denver | 16-9-0 | 7-7-0 | 4th | |||||
| 1954–55 | Denver | 18-11-1 | 8-9-1 | 5th | |||||
| 1955–56 | Denver | 12-11-3 | 6-8-1 | 6th | |||||
| Denver: | 46-31-4 | 21-24-2 | |||||||
| Total: | 81-43-6 | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-NCAA All-Tournament First Team | 1951 | [8] |
References
- ↑ "Michigan the Olympics". University of Michigan. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- ↑ "1948 - Winter Olympics V (St. Moritz, Switzerland)". TSN. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- ↑ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Archived from the original on 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
- ↑ "Neil Celley". University of Michigan. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- ↑ "Denver Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- ↑ "Neil Celley Year-by-Year Coaching Record". USCHO.com. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- ↑ "2015-16 DU Hockey Media Guide" (PDF). Denver Pioneers. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- ↑ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
External links
- Neil Celley's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
- Neil Celley's career statistics at EliteProspects.com