The Wisconsin men’s hockey team has hired former Badger Matt Walsh as an interim assistant coach to replace Bill Butters after his departure from the team earlier this month.
“We are really excited to have Matt come aboard,” Eaves said to the UW athletic department. “He is an alumni and a disciple of Grant Standbrook. He comes in as a defense-minded coach, having played that position as a Badger.
The Madison native was a freshman defenseman on UW’s 1983 championship team and played for the Badgers from 1982-86. In his senior season, Walsh won the WHA-TV Jim Santulli 7th-Man Award.
“This has been a process,” Eaves said. “It was not done overnight. We had a lot of phone calls. We had a lot of emails. We went through our entire list, scoping it down to a group and then talking in person, or via Skype or travelling somewhat and meeting with the people we thought would be serious candidates. Once doing that, we had to go through a background check and get it approved by the administration up on the hill.”
Walsh’s contract runs through this April, at which time the position will be reopened on a national scale in order to find a permanent assistant.
UWBadgers.com contributed to this report.
