Ronn Tomassoni

Ronn Tomassoni is a retired American ice hockey player and coach. Tomassoni was part of the coaching staff at Harvard for 17 years in various capacities and helped the team with its only national title in 1989.

Ronn Tomassoni
Biographical details
BornMarch 1958
Eveleth, MN, US
Playing career
1976–1980Rensselaer
Position(s)Right Wing
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1982–1990Harvard (assistant)
1990–1999Harvard
Head coaching record
Overall145-115-24 (.553)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1992 ECAC Hockey Champion
1993 ECAC Hockey Champion
1994 ECAC Hockey Champion
1994 ECAC Hockey Tournament Champion

Career

Ronn Tomassoni played for Rensselaer in the late 1970s, posting average numbers over four seasons. After graduating in 1980 Tomassoni continued his involvement with hockey by becoming an assistant coach for Bill Cleary at Harvard in 1982.[1] Tomassoni's arrival coincided with the Crimson's return to prominence as they began to make the NCAA Tournament annually. As time went on Cleary began to rely on Tomassoni more heavily, promoting him to associate status and effectively turning over the recruiting responsibilities to him.[2] Tomassoni was part of Harvard's national title team in 1989 and was named as head coach when Cleary became athletic director after the 1989-90 season.[3]

The early years under Tomassoni were very good in Cambridge as Harvard won three consecutive regular season titles, an ECAC title and made it to the 1994 Frozen Four. After 1994, however, Tomassoni could not get Harvard to produce a winning season. He shared Bill Cleary's disdain for developing NHL players, a fact which cost the Crimson many elite recruits, such as Chris Drury. Tomassoni exalted "poise" in players on opposing teams, even as he made his own players walk on eggshells. He went so far as to place a 1st team All-American on the 4th line in 1995. The extent of his coaching was to demoralize many of his players, and shuffle lines. In general, his players hated playing for him. During his tenure, "Harvard hockey" felt like it was a bunch of chickens running around at full speed with their heads cut off. He did little to develop any player who went there with the exception of one player from British Columbia who went on to be mediocre in the East Coast Hockey League. He even seemed to celebrate little failures of the players he did not like, and would use those failures, even if minor, to justify their lack of opportunity. It is inconceivable that this man actually coached hockey at the college level. See the notated stories below: he got the job through a phone call alone. He had a number of potential weapons in his toolshed; however, he simply did not coach players at all. He strategized poorly. He did not coach. Players got worse by coming to Harvard. They continued to come for the school, and in spite of him, which is a tragedy, and has to be considered the fault of Bill Cleary who allowed him the job. Since Cleary was athletic director, Tomassoni held onto the job for five seasons before "deciding to resign" after the 1998–99 season. Tomassoni returned to his native Minnesota afterwards, settling in Duluth.[4]

Career statistics[5]
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1976–77 Rensselaer ECAC Hockey 24371012—————
1977–78 Rensselaer ECAC Hockey 27711188—————
1978–79 Rensselaer ECAC Hockey 13461012—————
1979–80 Rensselaer ECAC Hockey 2737108—————
NCAA totals 84 17 31 48 40 — — — — —

Head coaching record
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Harvard Crimson (ECAC Hockey) (1990-91–1998-99)
1990-91 Harvard 19-12-114-8-03rdECAC Semifinals
1991-92 Harvard 14-7-613-3-61stECAC Quarterfinals
1992-93 Harvard 22-6-316-3-31stNCAA East Regional Quarterfinals
1993-94 Harvard 24-5-416-2-41stNCAA Frozen Four
1994-95 Harvard 14-14-212-9-1t-3rdECAC Quarterfinals
1995-96 Harvard 13-20-19-12-16thECAC Runner-Up
1996-97 Harvard 11-18-39-11-27thECAC Quarterfinals
1997-98 Harvard 14-17-210-11-15thECAC Third Place Game (Win)
1998-99 Harvard 14-16-28-12-28thECAC First Round
Harvard: 145-115-24107-71-20
Total:145-115-24

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

[6]

gollark: Is unlink not available to moderators anyway?
gollark: hd!histohist -1
gollark: .
gollark: I assume histohist is just wrong/
gollark: <@319753218592866315> Fix robot.

References
  1. "Tomassoni Resigns Harvard Post". USCHO.com. 1999-05-15. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
  2. "Tomassoni Resigns as Men's Hockey Head Coach". The Harvard University Gazette. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
  3. "Harvard Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  4. "Denfeld's Tomassoni gets coaching at all levels". Denfeld Academy. 2010-02-12. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  5. "Ronn Tomassoni". Hockey DB. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  6. "2008-09 Harvard Crimson Media Guide" (PDF). Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
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