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On February 18, 2025, the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life hosted Boston College hockey coach Greg Brown to discuss faith, hockey, and leadership with the center鈥檚 director, Mark Massa, S.J. Massa interviewed Brown for the first half of the event and then opened up the conversation to questions from the audience.

The conversation covered many different topics, including the importance of the hockey team chaplain, Fr. Tony Penna. When asked about the role of faith for the team, Brown pointed to the frequent conversations his players have with Fr. Penna, noting that the players never miss their meetings with him. Brown even called Fr. Penna the team's 鈥渟ecret weapon.鈥� While Brown is not at these spiritual guidance meetings, he observes their grounding impact on his team and the importance of players reflecting and learning to grow as people. Throughout the conversation, Brown referenced the importance of who these players are off the ice and the character he aims to instill in them once they no longer play hockey. One audience member asked what core values he wants his players to have, and Brown answered with 鈥渉umility鈥� and 鈥渆mpathy.鈥� These are two words he lives by currently and in his experience as a former NHL player and former captain of the BC Hockey Team.听

Brown was also asked about how he supports his players, given that so many of them enter the professional league before graduating. He emphasized the importance of being there for his players regardless of their chosen paths. With many players leaving early, Brown said it is essential to have leaders on the team, which includes players who are excited to share their experiences with younger teammates and help the team win. He also talked about the importance of education for his players and the challenges of balancing hockey with academics.听

Another question from the audience regarded how to follow in the footsteps of former BC hockey coach Jerry York, arguably the best hockey coach in college history. Brown鈥檚 answer gave insight into his character; he said he wants to emulate who York was and demonstrate the same integrity that he was known for amongst his players and staff. Though winning is how legacy is often measured, and he knows York鈥檚 numbers are unreachable, what is most important aside from this is being a good leader. When asked about handling tough losses, Brown noted that he tries to remember that his players are kids and not machines. They did well if they did their best. He left us with a few wise words about this: "When you know you did everything you could, you can sleep at night.鈥� This was in response to a question about the loss in the National Championship game last year, but it offers insight into who Coach Brown is beyond hockey.