Скачать или смотреть George Roll reflects on career, plans to retire at season's end

Nazareth men's ice hockey is the house that George Roll built. The team's first and only ever head coach. But at the end of the 2024 and 2025 campaigns, Roll will hang up the skates and put a bow on a 37-year coaching career.

"Yeah, it's all about me," Roll joked.

The first thing you might notice about George Roll is his laugh, then his glasses and then that.

"I'm sorry, have you met George," Roll said to me, introducing his coach-in-waiting, James McDonald.

He's not a "me" guy.

"Thoughtful, caring," said senior Jeremy Swartz. "He's a good guy who wants to make sure everyone is doing their job."

And it's really always been that way for George.

"And the biggest thing we were looking for was quality guys," Roll said in a 2012 interview with WHEC ahead of Nazareth's first season.

Wherever and whenever you ask George Rolle, his priority will always be his players.

"There's a lot of game highlights that I can look back at, but again, it's it's more about the relationships and the people," Roll said. "Guys that I coached 30 years ago, I still keep in contact, so that that means a lot to me."

That's not to say that there hasn't been a lot of winning, however, Roll led Division I Clarkson to back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids in the mid-2000s and was the head coach for Oswego's 2003 DIII runner-up finish. Roll has also, of course, been the head coach for every Nazareth men's ice hockey win.

"You talk to them any time. It's not about wins and losses for him. It's about the people. So, obviously you want to win all the games you can, but for him, just just the people that he brings in." McDonald said.

So was it ever a question that the second head coach in program history would be one of his players?

"It's been good to have a year or two to for both of us," McDonald said. "For him to kind of let me take over some things maybe, and have some experiences that will hopefully help me in, in the future here."

As the program turns its pages for the first time ever, wins or losses, the story of Naz hockey will always start with George Roll.

"I feel good about the impact I've made with the young kids that have played for me. I'm going to miss it. I know that, but it's it's the right time," Roll said.

Roll's final home game with Nazareth will be Saturday, February 22nd against SUNY Geneseo.