April 15, 2006
Yale Turns Over Coaching Reins to Allain

Former Yale goaltender and longtime NHL assistant Keith Allain was named head coach at his alma mater Saturday. Allain, who has been the St. Louis Blues' goaltending coach since 1998, replaces Tim Taylor, who last month was asked to resign after 28 seasons behind the Bulldog bench.

“It is a tremendous honor and a great responsibility to follow in Tim Taylor's footsteps as head hockey coach at Yale," said Allain, who played for his predecessor from 1976-80, in a statement. "His impact on Yale, Yale hockey, and me personally has been profound. I enthusiastically embrace the challenge of building upon his legacy while taking the Yale hockey program to the next level.”

In addition to working with the Blues, Allain was an assistant coach with the Washington Capitals from 1993-97 and spent the 1997-98 season as a Nashville Predators scout. The Worcester, Mass., native also boasts an extensive resume as an assistant coach within the USA Hockey ranks. He was an assistant for the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team that competed in Italy earlier this year, and held a similar role with the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team. He was also an assistant with the 1996 U.S. Women's Olympic Team that won the gold medal in Nagano, Japan, and assisted with the U.S. entries into the World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and 2004. He served as head coach of the U.S. teams that competed at the World Junior Championships in 2001 and 2002.

Allain is the 11th head coach in the history of the Bulldog program, and just the second Yale alum to guide the team. He ranks second among Elis goaltenders in career wins (31), and stands third on the school's all-time list with 2,337 career saves.