Normand M. Bazin (born January 18, 1971) is the current head coach of the

University of Massachusetts Lowell The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell and UML) is a public research university in Lowell, Massachusetts, with a satellite campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It is the northernmost member of the University of Massachusetts public u ...

River Hawks men's

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team. In 2013 he led the team to their first Hockey East Championship and their first appearance in the

Frozen Four The annual NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament is a college ice hockey tournament held in the United States by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to determine the top men's team in Division I. Like other Division I cham ...

Career

Bazin played

left wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

for the University of Massachusetts Lowell from 1990 (as the University of Lowell) until he graduated in 1994, where he played alongside future NHL goaltender

Dwayne Roloson Albert Dwayne Roloson (born October 12, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and former goaltending coach of the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is currently the Goaltending Coach and Director of Pla ...

. He played one season with the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

Birmingham Bulls, before returning to Lowell to serve as an assistant coach under Tim Whitehead. After three years in Lowell he moved to an assistant position at

Colorado College Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its campus. The college offer ...

. During his tenure the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

won their regular season three times, made six appearances in the NCAA tournament and progressed to the Frozen Four in 2005. The team had a combined record of 205–103–22 between 2000 and 2008 with Bazin as assistant coach. In 2008 he left the school to accept a head coaching position at Hamilton College in New York, where he coached the team to a regular season conference championship in 2011. That year Bazin was hired as head coach at UMass Lowell when Blaise MacDonald was fired at the end of a 5–24–4 season (a program low for Lowell since it entered Division I in 1984).(2011-05-02
Bazin hired as UML's hockey coach
The Lowell Sun. Retrieved 2013-07-30 Under Bazin's guidance, the River Hawks made two consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division I Ice Hockey Tournament, and won both the

Hockey East The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for ...

regular season and the league tournament in 2013 (both program firsts).

Car Accident

In 2003 Bazin, then an assistant coach at Colorado College, was driving on

U.S. Route 395 U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canada–US border near Laurier, where the road ...

during a recruiting trip when his car was struck by a drunk driver. Rescuers needed over an hour to free Bazin from the wreckage, and he was rushed to

Deaconess Medical Center MultiCare Deaconess Hospital—more commonly known as Deaconess Hospital and formerly known as Deaconess Medical Center—is a 388-bed non-profit general medical and surgical hospital in the northwest United States, located in Spokane, Washingto ...

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, with severe injuries that included a severed aorta. Bazin was given a 10% chance of survival, and was so close to death when he first arrived that a priest performed

last rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. They may be administered to those awaiting execution, mortall ...

.(2014-01-17
Norm Bazin survives crash, helps hockey team succeed
The National (TV, CBC). Retrieved 2014-03-01 After 12 hours of surgery and 8 days in a medically induced coma, Bazin awoke but lingering injuries included a broken jaw, arms, shoulders, ribs, pelvis and legs, as well as bruising to his lungs and spleen.(2012-03-21
After horrific car crash, Norm Bazin reassembles his life and a hockey team
The Globe And Mail. Retrieved 2014-03-01 After months of physical therapy confined to a wheelchair, Bazin fully recovered with no lasting health effects "worth mentioning". The story of his injury, recovery and subsequent success as head coach at his alma mater has been covered by several media outlets, including ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', which quoted the coach as saying that since the accident “I never have a bad day”. Bazin's second son Coleston is named for Dr. Daniel Coulston, the critical care physician who Bazin credits with saving his life.(2012-03-22
Coach Surmounts Injury and Team Beats Odds
''The New York Times''. Retrieved 2014-03-01

Head coaching record

References

External links

Official biography, UMass Lowell River Hawks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bazin, Norm 1971 births Living people American ice hockey coaches Buffalo Stampede players Colorado College Tigers men's ice hockey coaches UMass Lowell River Hawks men's ice hockey coaches UMass Lowell River Hawks men's ice hockey players Ice hockey people from Manitoba People from Central Plains Region, Manitoba