Another outstanding memorial for an outstanding man.

Press release:

Inaugural Tim Taylor Cup To be Presented Saturday After Harvard-Yale Hockey Game
Most Outstanding Player of Annual Contest To Receive Award In Memory of Revered Coach
Friends and peers of the late Tim Taylor have created an award that honors the former Harvard, Yale and USA Hockey coach. The Tim Taylor Cup will be presented to the most outstanding player of the annual Harvard-Yale men’s hockey game played in Boston. The first presentation takes place this Saturday at the conclusion of the game at Harvard’s Bright-Landry Center. Game time is 7:00 p.m.

“Timmy was a very special person to so many of us in the hockey community,” said Joe Bertagna, a former Harvard goaltender who played for and coached with Taylor. “He was a teacher who always had time for fellow coaches and so many players along the way. Given his association with both institutions, we felt that this was a proper way to honor his contributions to our game.”

Taylor was a member of the Harvard Class of 1963, serving as captain of the 1962-63 squad that captured the ECAC Championship. He later returned to his alma mater as freshman coach and assistant varsity coach to Bill Cleary. He was named Yale’s head coach in 1978 and enjoyed a remarkable 28-year run in New Haven, winning 337 games for the Bulldogs.

In addition to his work at the college level, Tim was active with USA Hockey in a number of roles. He was an assistant coach to Lou Vairo for the 1984 Olympic Games. In 1991, he served as acting head coach for Team USA in the Canada Cup Tournament, leading the team to a silver medal when head coach Bob Johnson suffered a stroke just prior to the start of the tournament. In 1994, he served as head coach and general manager of the U.S. Olympic Team in Lillehammer, Norway. As recently as 2013, he was a key advisor to the U.S. Junior National Team that won gold at the World Championships at Ufa, Russia.

“Timmy was passionate about the game his entire life,” added Ben Smith, who, played at Harvard, coached with Taylor at Yale and also works for USA Hockey. “He never tired of watching and studying the game and sharing his observations with others. He was very generous with his time and only had the best interests in growing the game both at home and on the international stage.”

Tim Taylor passed away on April 27, 2013, after a courageous four-year battle with cancer. Some 700 friends and colleagues filled Harvard’s Memorial Church on June 1 of that year to pay their respects. In addition to this award, the ECAC has named its Coach of the Year award after Tim and the Hockey Commissioners Association named its national Rookie of the Year award in his honor as well.

The first Tim Taylor Cup will be presented by a member of Tim’s family at the conclusion of this Saturday night’s game, the recipient to be chosen by representatives from the schools and the media attending the game.