[
THE SCOOP] lifestyles
Blades of Steel
Former New Hampshire laxer Katey Stone has ice in veins
T
he fi rst woman in history to coach the U.S. Olympic hockey team and
the winningest coach in NCAA Division I women’s hockey history also played lacrosse in college.
Katey Stone, who led the U.S. this past winter in Sochi, Russia, was a two-sport athlete and helped New Hampshire win its only NCAA championship — in lacrosse or any other sport — in 1985. Stone has 402 wins in 19 seasons as the hockey coach at Harvard, leading the Crimson to fi ve Frozen Fours, but she hasn’t stopped following her other stick sport.
How was your experience coaching in the Olympics?
It was great and devastating all at once. (In the gold medal game, the U.S. squandered a 2-0 lead and lost to Canada 3-2 in overtime.) I was proud to
Stone played for UNH’s
NCAA champion lacrosse team in 1985.
22 LACROSSE MAGAZINE June 2014>>
represent our country and coach a magnifi cent group of women. We had a great team. I felt we were prepared. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we wanted. But it doesn’t detract from those that were involved in the program and what it was to be a part of it. Off the ice, the coolest part about the experience was going to some of the other events, being a part of the whole experience and meeting other athletes from other countries. It was great seeing how the Russian people supported the Olympics and did such a tremendous job hosting the event.
How did you start coaching hockey? I was coaching after college at a prep school (Tabor Academy in Marion, Mass.). The Harvard job came open. I decided to apply for the job and was fortunate to get it. It’s hard to say no to Harvard. I coached both hockey and lacrosse in high school. I love hockey. When you get a job at Harvard at 28 years old, it’s tough to pass up.
What is a typical in-season day for you at Harvard?
Usually we have practice in the afternoon. I work out in the morning and head into the offi ce. I work on recruiting and meetings with my staff
and plan practice. The
best time is practice and spending time with my players pre- and post- practice.
What does it mean to you to be the winningest coach in NCAA Division I women’s hockey? I’m really proud of that. There’s been a lot of hard work and a lot of great players that have gone into that. It’s not something you just become one day. You have to be consistent every day. That’s been a goal of mine, to be consistent and do as well as you can.
How are you able to relate your lacrosse-playing career to your coaching career?
Lacrosse is a fantastic game. You can learn so much. Strategically, there are so many pieces of a lacrosse game that are relevant to hockey. I had great coaches. Some of the biggest lessons I learned are that you can work your tail off and enjoy yourself at the same time, and you’ll probably have a better product if you have both. It’s OK to have high standards, but it’s important to have balance in what you’re doing.
When did you start playing lacrosse? I didn’t start until I went to high school. They didn’t have it as a youth sport growing up. I went to a private
A Publication of US Lacrosse
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