Men's Ice Hockey

Chris Davidson
first season


Chris Davidson enters his ninth season in collegiate hockey and his first as the Head Coach for the Purple Knights. In eight consecutive years at Saint Michael's, Davidson served as an assistant to long time coach Lou DiMasi for seven years before being named Head Coach. A Clinton, New York-native, Davidson graduated from Saint Michael's in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in English Literature and a Master's degree in Business in 2006.

Davidson has been instrumental in delivering a number of talented players to Saint Michael's over his tenure. During this time, one Purple Knight was named an All-American, 19 have earned All-ECAC accolades and 12 have received Northeast-10 honors. He has recruited two 'Players of the Year', and one 'Goaltender of the Year'. Four of Davidson's recruits have signed professional contracts, while another has represented Canada at the Maccabiah Olympic Games.

The 31-year-old Davidson returned to Saint Michael's before the start of the 2000-01 season, after serving as the top assistant for one year at Manhattanville College of the ECAC West. At Manhattanville, Davidson's primary duty was as the recruiting coordinator. After a successful year, Davidson returned to his alma mater to serve as the top assistant to Coach DiMasi. He helped guide the Purple Knights to three consecutive Division-II Championships (2002-04). In his eight years at Saint Michael's, the Purple Knights have qualified for the playoffs each year.

In addition to his work at the collegiate level, Davidson has worked at various USA Hockey Select Regional Camps. Since 2002, Davidson has been a member of the Player Development and Select Coaching Staff for the New England District. In the summer of 2007, Davidson served as a coach for the USA Under-17 Select Festival in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. In April of 2007, Davidson was elected to the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) Board of Governors.

A former forward for the Saint Michael's, Davidson was a four year letter winner and voted captain of the 1998-99 team that captured the NCAA Division II National Championship by defeating New Hampshire College (now Southern New Hampshire University). In Saint Michael's only national championship in school history, Davidson was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team for scoring a goal and an assist in the Championship game. As a member of one of the most successful teams to ever wear the Purple Knight uniform, Davidson and his classmates amassed a total of 65 wins over their career. Davidson and his classmates were members of four teams that reached the ECAC Championships during their time. In recent years, Davidson has been a call up in the Southern Professional Hockey League for Macon (GA) and Pee Dee (SC).

Davidson has also completed his fourth season as the Saint Michael's golf coach.