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Tom Anastos (born July 5, 1963) is the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team. He was appointed to the post on March 23, 2011, succeeding coach Rick Comley who had announced his resignation earlier that year. Anastos is the 6th head coach in the history of Michigan State's (MSU's) hockey.
Anastos attended Fordson High School in Dearborn, Michigan. A 2000 inductee into the Dearborn Sports Hall of Fame, Anastos played junior hockey for the Paddock Pool Saints of the NAHL and was the first player ever drafted from the league by an NHL team when the Montreal Canadiens selected him in 1981.[1]
He was a four-year letter-winner as an MSU hockey player under coach Ron Mason from 1981-1985. “Anastos skated in 151 games, scored 70 goals and recorded 73 assists for 153 points, and amassed 102 penalty minutes. He still holds the MSU record for short-handed goals in a season (7, scored in 1983-84), and ranks in a tie for fourth in the MSU annals with 10 career short-handed markers”.[2]
As a senior, he earned second-team all-conference honors and was named to the all-tournament teams at the CCHA Tournament and Great Lakes Invitational.
Anastos earned a bachelors degree in construction management at MSU in 1987.
Anastos served as head coach of the University of Michigan-Dearborn hockey team from 1987-90, achieving a 68-37-7 record. He served as an assistant coach at MSU under Mason from 1990-92.
Anastos was Commissioner of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) from 1998-2011.[3] While Commissioner of the CCHA, Anastos was recognized by The Hockey News for his last five years on the list of the 100 most influential and powerful people in the sport.[4] He also served as President of the Hockey Commissioner’s Association (HCA), a group composed of the five commissioners from NCAA Division I Hockey. In 2010, “he was key in the procuring of a grant from the National Hockey League through USA Hockey. The funding was used . . . to create College Hockey Inc., an educational and promotional entity charged with raising the profile and help foster the growth of college hockey”.[5]
Before taking the head coaching job in East Lansing, Anastos lived in Farmington Hills, Michigan with his wife, Lisa. They have five children — daughters Lauren, Jenna, Alyssa, and Andrea, and son Drew.[6]
| Preceded by Rick Comley |
Michigan State Head Ice Hockey Coach 2011-2012 |
Succeeded by {{{after}}} |