Dorian Hargrove
| Dorian Hargrove | |
|---|---|
| No. 26 | |
| Position | Manager Left wing (as a player) |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 8th, 1960 Amherst, Massachusetts, Valoria |
| Career history | |
As a player:
As a manager:
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| Career hightlights and awards | |
As a manager:
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Dorian Hargrove (born June 8th, 1960) is a Valorian professional ice hockey coach who has served as manager of the Newfoundland Sailors since 2009. Prior to managing the Sailors, Hargrove led the Acadia Rage, the Connecticut Bandits, and the Springfield Bullets. Before coaching, Hargrove played for the Bullets as a left winger.
As a manager, Hargrove has won 17 trophies: 6 league titles, 6 Earle Trophies, 4 Coupes Balbuzard, and a Double. He is also credited with the Sailors' second star. His trophy cabinet makes him the third most decorated manager in VHL history, and he generally considered one of the greatest to ever manage an ice hockey team.
Playing Career (1983–1994)[edit | edit source]
Hargrove first joined the Bullets for the 1984 season, playing as a left winger. Hargrove was generally used as a backup player, circling around in the Bullets' regular rotation.
Across the 1990 and 1991 season, the Bullets finished last in the standings twice consecutively.
Early Managing Career (2001–2009)[edit | edit source]
Springfield Bullets (2001–2003)[edit | edit source]
Hargrove began his VHL coaching career in 2001, taking charge of his former club.
Connecticut Bandits (2003–2006)[edit | edit source]
Acadia Rage (2006–2009)[edit | edit source]
Newfoundland Sailors (2009–present)[edit | edit source]
Hargrove took charge of the Sailors ahead of the 2010 campaign. Upon first taking the job, Hargrove made a number of comments underlining the significance of the job for him, especially as he followed in the footsteps of Alex Kaufman, a coach whom he had once played for and against:
"I remember, all the way back in the '80s, playing under Alex. He was so different from the other guys, so passionate. I remember the day he announced he was moving here, everyone was scared about coming here if he was in charge. When we lost him it left a big mark on all of us—it's part of why I left [the VHL] for a while. When I came back, they had just renamed this arena, and I remember coming here for matches as the coach of the team he used to manage [the Bullets], and thinking how special it was, following in his footsteps. And I'm still doing that. Now I'm gonna be managing his team, coaching in his arena. It's an indescribable feeling, you know. It's an honor."
Hargrove inherited a Sailors that had struggled during the past few years. The team had finished 11th twice in a row in the past two seasons, the only noteworthy performance being a rather lucky semi-finals appearance in the Coupe Balbuzard. Determined to bring the Sailors back to their former glory for the 2010 campaign, Hargrove made a number of radical structural changes to the team. He made a number of drastic rearrangements to the team's roster, breaking the records for most money grossed in both player sales and purchases in the same off-season.
Hargrove's reconstruction of the Sailors helped them improve on their recent performances, but he didn't manage to complete his goal of qualifying, ending the season in 7th. His Coupe Balbuzard campaign was ended in the semi-finals by his old club, the Acadia Rage.
Hargrove focused on improving the team's cohesion ahead of his second campaign. The Sailors' Coupe Balbuzard performance was forgettable; they were eliminated in the Round of 16 by the Providence Doves. In the league, however, his work paid off, as the Sailors qualified once more after missing out on the playoffs for the past four seasons. It was Hargrove's sixth campaign to go into the playoffs. In the semi-finals, he completed a gentleman's sweep against the Doves (whom had beaten him in the Coupe Balbuzard), meeting the Spirits in his second finals appearance. Hargrove's Sailors swept the Spirits to win their sixth title, and Hargrove's first.
Thanks to a championship-winning second campaign, Hargrove negotiated a four-year contract extension with the Sailors, securing his tenure until at least the end of 2015. His 2012 campaign saw him finish 3rd once more, however he met his fate against a charging Doves in the semi-final. He was defeated by the same Doves in the finals of the Coupe Balbuzard.
The Sailors improved to 2nd in the league in 2013, sweeping Vermont in the semi-finals, but in turn swept by the Spirits in the finals. They were also defeated by the Spirits in the quarter-finals of the Coupe Balbuzard.
The 2014 campaign was far more memorable for Hargrove. He topped the league for the first time in his career, and defeated the Providence Doves to reach the finals for the fourth time. There, he defeated the Mainers [3 - 1] to take home a second championship title. His Double aspirations were brought down by former club Acadia in the semi-finals of the Balbuzard.
Hargrove continued his success into 2015, once again topping the league and once again defeating the Doves in the semi-finals. He swept the Spirits for the second time, winning the title once more. The Sailors were, however, shocked by a 1 - 6 thrashing at the hands of the Salem Loggers in the quarter-finals of the Coupe Balbuzard.
2016 proved to be Hargrove's most successful season to date, as he topped the league, swept EH Bas-Canada, and then defeated the Doves [3 - 1] to complete his fourth league title. In the Coupe Balbuzard, Hargrove disposed of the Fishermen, the Doves, and the Mainers to meet Halifax in the finals. A 3 - 2 victory gave Hargrove his second Coupe Balbuzard, and gave him and the Sailors their first ever Double. He became the third manager to complete the Double, following in the footsteps of Emmanuel Bernardi and Charley Milner. That year, he also signed a three-year contract extension, allowing him to finish out the decade with the Sailors.
The Sailors' Coupe Balbuzard performance dipped significantly in 2017, as they were eliminated in the Round of 16 by an upset 1 - 4 loss to the Bandits. Their league form, however, continued in 2017, as Hargrove topped the league for the fourth season in a row. He comfortably beat Charlottetown in the semi-finals to meet the Loggers in the finals. He took the first two games at home in dominant fashion, however the Loggers were able to complete the reverse sweep to halt the Sailors' dominance.
Hargrove fared better in 2018, topping the league for the fifth time in a row, and breezing past the Doves to once again meet the Loggers in the finals series. This time, he was able to beat them, taking the Sailors' tenth league title, and his fifth. He found less success in the Coupe Balbuzard, only making it to the quarter-finals.
In the final season of the decade, the Sailors were unable to repeat their league-topping form, finishing 3rd. He faced the Loggers in the semi-finals, defeating them [3 - 1] to go on to the finals for the seventh time in a row. There, they faced Halifax, losing the series in a 1 - 2 loss in game five. In the Coupe Balbuzard, the Sailors met their fate to the Doves in the semi-finals.
Thanks to their five championships, Coupe Balbuzard title, five league shields, and Double, the Sailors were awarded the decade's star with little contest in 2019. Having managed the team since the very start of the decade, Hargrove became the first head coach to win a star while managing a team throughout every season of the decade. After winning the star, he signed a record-breaking $71 million six-year contract with the Sailors, securing his tenure until the end of 2026.
Hargrove returned to the new decade with another dominant performance, topping the league with 49 points, and sweeping both Bas-Canada in the semi-final, and the Spirits in the final to win a sixth championship. In bringing the Sailors to the finals for the eighth campaign in a row, Hargrove broke the record for most consecutive finals for both a team and a head coach. He also drew level with Spirits legends Quentin Bethea and Charley Milner for joint-second most titles won by a head coach, and inched closer to Emmanuel Bernardi's record of seven. Hargrove's Coupe Balbuzard campaign ended at the hands of Halifax (whom he had lost the championship to the previous season) in the semi-final.
In 2022, the Sailors dropped to 3rd in the league, meeting the Mainers in the semi-final. The series drew close, with the Mainers eventually edging out Hargrove's Sailors. In the Balbuzard, however, Hargrove defeated the Mainers 3 - 1 to take home his third cup, and tenth trophy overall.
Hargrove's fared quite similar in 2023, finishing 3rd once more, and losing once more to the Mainers in the semi-finals (although this time he was swept). He once again found far more success in the Coupe Balbuzard, meeting his former club the Rage in the finals, and defeating them to claim his fourth Balbuzard title, and eleventh trophy overall. This trophy put him ahead of Charley Milner to become the second-most decorated head coach in VHF history.
Reputation and Legacy[edit | edit source]
Hargrove is seen by many as one of the greatest managers in VHF history. With 17 trophies to his name, he is the third most decorated head coach in history. He was also the first manager to have led a team throughout every season of a star-winning decade. He is also estimated to be the second-wealthiest manager in VHL history, with a net worth of approximately $150 million.
Hargrove's playing career, which lasted eleven seasons from 1983 to 1994, has been largely forgotten, both because it was, according to Hargrove himself, "nothing to take note of," and because it has been overshadowed by his far more illustrious coaching career.
Hargrove has made few remarks regarding his eventual retirement. At the end of the 2022 season, as Hargrove celebrated his fortieth year since first starting as a player in the VHF, he joked he would "wait until fifty" before thinking about retirement. He has also made several comments hinting that he wishes to remain with the Sailors until at least the end of 2029, hoping to guide them to a second star, and hinting at his desire to surpass Emmanuel Bernardi's records in coaching.