Carl Corazzini played in the National Hockey League in parts of two seasons, first for 12 games with his hometown Boston Bruins in 2003-04, when he scored two goals and was a plus-2.
His second stint came with the Chicago Blackhawks, in 2006-07, when he played seven games, registering two assists and two minutes in penalties.
But those two stops are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his professional career.
Corazzini, who hails from Framingham, Mass., came out of St. Sebastian's School, where he put up 29 goals and 31 assists for 60 points in 25 games as a 17-year-old. And he was largely a goal scorer in his subsequent four years at Boston University, scoring 62 goals (and adding 55 assists) in 150 Hockey East games.
After his college season ended, the Bruins signed the free agent and he worked his way up to that first NHL call, playing in the minors with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League and the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies of the ECHL.
Various stops in the AHL followed, keeping Corazzini employed to play hockey, no small task, until he finished out his career with the Straubing Tigers of the German elite league in 2010-11.
Corazzini, now 40, has been the head coach at St. Mark's prep school in Southborough, Mass., for six years and is also teaching U.S. history and health. His team is having another stellar season, off to a 15-3-1 run and this week breaking into the top 10 of our coaches poll.
"I love it. I mean, St. Seb’s had such an impact on my life, it’s who I am as a person and how far I got as a player," he said. "My day-to-day is not the same every day. I get an opportunity to teach, so I love it."
He answered the phone when we called and is the subject of this installment of our 5 Questions:
1. What is the most important character trait that you look for in a player?
That’s going to be tough. Character trait. We talk a lot about caring here, and that’s really difficult to see on the ice. The culture of our team is, if you care more about the person next to you, they’re going to trust in you. I would say that’s really important for our kids. That’s a selfless attitude, team-first. I guess that’s probably a standard answer for all coaches.
Caring and consistency are really important because that’s going to transfer to everything that you do in your life. The two things that we stress are consistency here and the care for one another, and that will come out in a team-first attitude.
I think the thing that’s difficult for our kids to see is that no matter what walk of life that they choose to embark on, the consistency in your day-to-day, that’s what will get people to the next level in whatever they choose to do.
So, I would say those two things, for sure, for us.
2. What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned after all these years at St. Mark's?
It’s been six years here, so … for a coach the most valuable lesson you can learn is, it has nothing to do with you. If you can stay out of the way, the kids are going to be much better off.
If you get into this job for your ego and to try and win hockey games, then you’re doing the wrong thing, right? You’ve just got to enjoy the everyday.
I’ve had … an opportunity in my life to have lived out some dreams through the Beanpot and the National Hockey League, but I think some of the most fun moments that I’ve had here in the last six years, whether it was the kids winning New Englands or even my 2017-18 (team), when Ian (Moore) was a freshman, (was) one of the most enjoyable years of my life because the kids competed on a day-to-day basis and … not much was expected of them, and the kids made the playoffs and stuff like that. And even though we didn’t win, that was probably by far my favorite hockey year, was ’17-18.
So, I’d say yeah, it’s not about you, stay out of the way, let them grow, and just be there to guide them as they grow and develop into young men and hockey players.
3. What advice would you give to a player who is considering options for his career? Why pick prep school over something else?
I think the No. 1 thing here is, and we always tell the kids is, when you look at how hockey’s changed since I was a kid, there are so many different options.
Hockey uses the kids here, that’s the name of what’s going on. There’s so many different programs during the summer, during the fall, to get out and play for.
So, what we say to our kids is, use hockey to get the best education you can, whether that’s Division 1 level, whether that’s Division 3.
So, I would say to be in a rigorous academic environment and to be able to couple that with high-level hockey and the ability to play in front of your peers, I think that’s why you choose prep school.
4. What is your aspiration in hockey, your long-term goal?
What is my long-term goal? God, I guess that goes to your No. 1 question: stay out of the way, it’s not about me. I think the long-term goal in hockey for me is that for the kids I have here at St. Mark’s through prep hockey, is that I get invited to a lot of weddings.
Here’s what happened for me: So, I went to St. Seb’s, and I was a non-talker, I really wasn’t. And then Steve Dagdigian and Jed Doherty -- Jed is still the assistant coach there and Steve, I think he’s coaching like third soccer over there. But (for the) first time in my life, I had coaches that were really intrigued about my day-to-day life. They had such an impact, like outside of my parents and my sisters, they had such an impact on my life that I just want to do that for the kids that we have here.
I talk to Jed at least on a weekly basis. Long-term goal: continuing to have relationships with kids beyond St. Mark’s.
Do you have coaching aspirations? Do you eventually want to get to the NHL as a coach?
I think everyone that’s a true competitor wants to coach at the highest level they possibly can.
I’ve got a young son who’s two and a half I get an opportunity to see every day, who gets to grow up in this environment and be around kids that look out for him, and (he can) run around the athletic fields and skate on the ice whenever he wants.
Yeah, sure, would I like to be at the National Hockey League level? Yeah, but I’m also really happy where I am.
5. Who’s the team to beat in prep hockey this year? You can’t say St. Mark's.
I haven’t seen Lawrence yet. We saw Dexter and that’s the best team they’ve had in my six years here. They may not have the individual players ... that they’ve had in the past, but lines 1 through 4, I haven’t seen anything quite like that before. I know that they lost twice to Lawrence, but they are really good.
I haven’t seen Salisbury. Kimball Union’s obviously, until someone knocks them off, they’re the team to beat too. They’ve won the last three. Until someone can do that, that’s hard to do.
Paul Grant is an editor and a writer for HockeyJournal.com and Seamans Media. He previously oversaw hockey content at ESPN.com and Sporting News. You can connect with him at [email protected].
