(left) Shawn Kurulak played at DU from 1996-99From: Troy Record
by Ed Weaver
The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s hockey family has lost a key member, as assistant coach Shawn Kurulak has resigned.
The former University of Denver defenseman and assistant coach is returning to the Denver area to spend more time with his family.
While that clichéd phrase is often a catch-all excuse to cover the true reason(s) a coach or player leaves a program, it’s totally accurate for Kurulak.
“It’s strictly a family decision,” he said on Wednesday. “I need to be with them more than I have been. I love this place and it’s been a great three years of my life but this is just something I need to do for my family.”
“Our profession keeps us away from home a lot,” RPI head coach and former DU assistant coach Seth Appert said. “Shawn wants to put his young family first.
“We will miss him,” Appert said of Kurulak. “He’s done a very good job here and I appreciate everything he’s done for RPI hockey.”
Appert said RPI players will miss Kurulak a great deal.
“He had a good balance of being tough on them and still being their buddy,” he said.
“Obviously, it was very difficult to tell the guys,” he said. “It was very emotional.”
Rensselaer has not officially announced Kurulak’s resignation and Appert said there are dozens of applicants for the vacated position.
“We wanted to tell all our upperclassmen, all our incoming freshman and all our recruits personally before it was on the internet,” Appert said.
And coaching changes, even among assistants, can often cause players currently being recruited to feel uneasy.
Kurulak and fellow assistant Jim Montgomery played big parts in RPI’s recruitment of players in all four current classes.
Kurulak’s immediate plans include hockey only at the youth level in the Denver area.
“I don’t want to say I’m out of (college) hockey for good,” he said. “I just need to do something else right now.”
by Ed Weaver
The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s hockey family has lost a key member, as assistant coach Shawn Kurulak has resigned.
The former University of Denver defenseman and assistant coach is returning to the Denver area to spend more time with his family.
While that clichéd phrase is often a catch-all excuse to cover the true reason(s) a coach or player leaves a program, it’s totally accurate for Kurulak.
“It’s strictly a family decision,” he said on Wednesday. “I need to be with them more than I have been. I love this place and it’s been a great three years of my life but this is just something I need to do for my family.”
“Our profession keeps us away from home a lot,” RPI head coach and former DU assistant coach Seth Appert said. “Shawn wants to put his young family first.
“We will miss him,” Appert said of Kurulak. “He’s done a very good job here and I appreciate everything he’s done for RPI hockey.”
Appert said RPI players will miss Kurulak a great deal.
“He had a good balance of being tough on them and still being their buddy,” he said.
“Obviously, it was very difficult to tell the guys,” he said. “It was very emotional.”
Rensselaer has not officially announced Kurulak’s resignation and Appert said there are dozens of applicants for the vacated position.
“We wanted to tell all our upperclassmen, all our incoming freshman and all our recruits personally before it was on the internet,” Appert said.
And coaching changes, even among assistants, can often cause players currently being recruited to feel uneasy.
Kurulak and fellow assistant Jim Montgomery played big parts in RPI’s recruitment of players in all four current classes.
Kurulak’s immediate plans include hockey only at the youth level in the Denver area.
“I don’t want to say I’m out of (college) hockey for good,” he said. “I just need to do something else right now.”
A four-year letterwinner on the blueline for the Pioneers, Kurulak wore the alternate captain's "A" for three seasons. A three-time WCHA All-Academic selection, he helped the team to the league championship as a senior. In 131 career games, he had 41 points (7 goals, 34 assists) and 268 penalty minutes. He also represented the WCHA on an all-star team that traveled to Switzerland for an international tournament in 1998.
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