Dennis ‘Red’ Gendron has been named assistant coach at Massachusetts. Gendron joins assistant coach Len Quesnelle and goaltending coach Jim Stewart on Don ‘Toot’ Cahoon’s staff. Gendron replaces Mark Dennehy, who was named Merrimack’s head coach in June.
Gendron has spent the past 12 years coaching at the collegiate, U.S. National Development, junior and pro levels. He spent the 2004-05 season as the Head Coach of the Indiana Ice (USHL) after having spent the previous 11 seasons with the New Jersey Devils’ organization. Gendron was a scout and assistant coach with the Devils, who won the Stanley Cup in 1995, 2000 and 2003.
He also served as the Head Coach of the Devils’ AHL affiliate, the Albany River Rats, for the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons.
“We are delighted to have Red join our staff,” said Cahoon. “This completes the reorganization of our office as we go into the next generation of the `Mass Attack’. His background speaks for itself and his qualifications will allow our team to grow and compete at its highest level ever.”
This will be Gendron’s second stint within Hockey East, having been an assistant coach at Maine during the 1992-93 season. He has also been an assistant coach during the 1993, 2001 and 2002 World Junior Championships and served on the staff of several U.S. Select-16 and 17 teams.
“I am extremely excited to be here at the University of Massachusetts and consider it an honor to be working with Toot,” said Gendron. “It’s an exciting time to be a part of the UMass hockey program and I look forward to being a part of it.”
