Bobby Jay is in the second season of his secondstint as an assistant coach with the Crimson in 2010-11. He bringsa wealth of hockey experience at the professional level and a trackrecord of success from his college days.
Jay previously served as an assistant from 2004-07, the firstthree years of Ted Donato's head-coaching tenure. During his threeseasons, the Crimson reached two league championship games, winningthe ECAC Hockey League title in 2006. Jay directed the Harvardpenalty kill, which ranked among the top 20 in the nation in2005-06 and 2006-07.
Following the 2006-07 season, Jay left coaching for two seasonsto pursue a family business in Phoenix, Ariz.
Prior to Harvard, Jay served as the general manager of theAmerican Hockey League franchise in San Antonio, the top affiliateof the NHL's Florida Panthers. He was responsible for evaluatingand selecting all talent for the roster and planning and managingthe overall budget for all hockey operations. He also maintaineddirect communication with the parent club regarding the progressand development of players.
He previously served as an assistant coach with the ManchesterMonarchs, the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings. He helped thesquad qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs each of his twoyears.
The Burlington, Mass., native played 10 years professionally,including a year of professional hockey in Sweden. He began hiscareer in 1991 with the Fort Wayne Komets of the InternationalHockey League and started off well, being named the team's bestdefensive player in just his second year.
In his third season, Jay earned selection as an IHL All-Star andhelped the Komets sweep all three rounds of the 1993 IHL postseasonto capture the Turner Cup. He turned in the best statistics of hiscareer--playing 78 games, netting five goals and adding 21assists--and was named the team's best defensive player for thesecond consecutive year.
He moved on to the Phoenix Roadrunners, then the Kings' topaffiliate, in 1993-94. He played in 65 games for Phoenix and earneda brief call-up with the parent club, playing in three games forthe Kings.
In 1994-95, Jay signed with the Detroit Vipers, where he spentseven seasons as a player and assistant coach. He won his secondTurner Cup championship in 1997 and played two more seasons beforemoving behind the bench in 1999-2000 to begin his coachingcareer.
Jay starred at Burlington High School, earning Middlesex Leagueall-star honors, and at the Canterbury School (Conn.) beforeenrolling at Merrimack College for his collegiate career. He walkedonto the team his freshman year and went on to play more than 100games for the Warriors. He shared the Fans' Award as a sophomore in1986 and won the Unsung Hero Award in 1987.
In his senior season, Jay captained the team to a 34-6-0 record,the ECAC East championship and the school's only NCAA Division Itournament appearance. The Warriors advanced to the quarterfinalsbefore falling to the eventual NCAA champion, Lake SuperiorState.
Jay resides in Burlington with his wife, Jennifer, anddaughters, Addison (4) and Ashleigh (1).
