Mike Eaves

Mike Gordon Eaves (born June 10, 1956 in Denver, Colorado and raised in Windsor, Ontario) is an American former NHL player and current college head coach. Eaves appeared in 324 NHL regular season games between 1978 and 1985, and has coached since 1985. His father, Cecil Eaves, is a former Denver University ice hockey and football player who became a professor and hockey coach at Ohio State and the University of Windsor. Eaves is also the father of current Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Eaves and brother of former NHL player Murray Eaves.

Amateur
Eaves grew up in Ontario where he played junior hockey for the Nepean Raiders. From 1974 to 1978 he played in the NCAA for the University of Wisconsin–Madison hockey team. He was also a member of the United States national team at the 1976 and 1978 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments. He was selected 13th overall in the 1976 NHL Entry Draft by St. Louis, who traded his rights to the Cleveland Barons for Len Frig in 1977. Eaves ended up on the Minnesota North Stars roster after the Barons and North Stars were merged in 1978.



NHL years
Eaves turned professional following the 1977–78 season, initially joining the CHL Oklahoma City Stars, and also played 3 games with the North Stars during the year. The following year he moved up to be an NHL regular for 56 games. He then played three more consecutive seasons with Minnesota (he was also a member of Team USA at the 1981 Canada Cup tournament), before being dealt to the Calgary Flames with Keith Hanson for Steve Christoff. Eaves played for the Flames from 1983 to 1985, deciding to end his career at the age of 28 after sustaining a head injury at the hands of Quebec Nordiques defenceman Pat Price. Eaves was appointed to an assistant coach position with the Flames, joining Bob Johnson, his former head coach at the University of Wisconsin, behind the bench.

However, this was not the end of his playing career.

In the midst of the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs Flames forward Carey Wilson sustained an injury, forcing him out of the lineup. Eaves was persuaded to end his retirement in order to shore up the Flames' player roster. With his family's permission he rejoined the Flames, playing 8 of their final 11 games in the playoffs. After the Flames lost in the Stanley Cup finals he ended his playing career permanently.

Coaching career
Eaves took a head coaching position at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire in 1986, a position he held for one season. The following season he was an assistant coach with St. Cloud State University. He joined the Philadelphia Flyers as an assistant coach in 1988, and was named head coach of the Flyers' American Hockey League affiliate Hershey Bears in 1990. He held the position for three years until the 1993–94 season, when he rejoined the Flyers as an assistant coach.

He took the head coach position at HIFK in the Finnish SM-Liiga in 1996 and coached there for the following season. He quit and joined the Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant coach from 1997 to 2000. The following year he was named head coach of the United States National Junior Team. In the 2002–2003 season Eaves joined his old college team, the Wisconsin Badgers, as their head coach and led them to the NCAA national championship in the 2005–2006 season. He was the head coach of the 2004 United States National Junior Team which won the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. While at Wisconsin, Eaves was submerged with controversy. In his first year as coach, Eaves assaulted a player in a hotel room and was subsequently sued. The matter was settled out of court and the record was sealed. Eaves was reprimanded by then Athletic Director Pat Richter.

Awards and achievements

 * WCHA Second All-Star Team (1977)
 * NCAA West First All-American Team (1977, 1978)
 * WCHA First All-Star Team (1978)
 * WCHA Most Valuable Player (1978)
 * Central Hockey League Second All-Star Team (1979)
 * Ken McKenzie Trophy (Rookie of the Year - CHL) (1979