Bob O’Connor, former national coach-in-chief of USA Hockey, passed away this morning in Edina, Minn.

O’Connor received the USA Hockey Builders Award in December of 2014, recognizing an individual who has made lasting contributions to the long-term growth and success of USA Hockey. He was just the seventh person to be honored with that honor and is the only individual to earn three of USA Hockey’s major awards (Wm. Thayer Tutt, Walter Yaciuk).

O’Connor had a long history of involvement with USA Hockey, including serving as Coach-in-Chief of USA Hockey’s Minnesota affiliate for 14 years (1980-94); as director of USA Hockey’s Coaches Section for 10 years (1994-2004) and as USA Hockey’s National Coach-in-Chief for two campaigns (2004-06). He also was a member of USA Hockey’s Youth Council for eight years (1996-2004) and was voted director emeritus in 2004.

A lifelong coach, O’Connor helped guide many U.S. teams in his career. Perhaps most notably, he was as an assistant coach for the 1984 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team that competed in the Olympic Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.

O’Connor also served as an assistant coach for both the 1991 and 1992 U.S. National Junior Teams that competed in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship. In addition, the Rhode Island native, who raised his family in the Minneapolis/St. Paul suburb of Edina, also served as either head coach or assistant coach for seven U.S. select teams.

Throughout the years, O’Connor has been engaged coaching youth hockey at all levels and was also widely involved in high school hockey, having spent 18 years as a coach for Edina High School and one year with Eden Prairie High School. O’Connor also served two years as an assistant coach at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn.

As a player, O’Connor grew up playing hockey in Providence. He earned all-state honors in high school and went on to play collegiately at Providence College.

In 1990, USA Hockey recognized O’Connor for his selfless dedication to enhance the sport of ice hockey in the United States at the grassroots level, awarding him the prestigious Wm. Thayer Tutt Award. He was also the 1997 recipient of the Walter Yaciuk Award, given annually to an individual that demonstrates a consistent commitment and contribution to coaching education and the development of USA Hockey coaches.

O’Connor possessed a vast collection of hockey materials and in recent years joined with USA Hockey to preserve those items by creating the USA Hockey Bob O’Connor International Resource Center, which is located at USA Hockey’s national headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Bob is survived by his wife Alice, and two grown children, Mike and Paul. A visitation is scheduled for Wednesday at 10 a.m. with a service at 11 a.m. at the Church of St. Patrick of Edina (6820 St. Patrick's Lane, Edina MN, 55349).

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