Teams have rivalry, coaches have friendship
Oswego State men’s hockey head coach Ed Gosek and Plattsburgh State men’s hockey head coach Bob Emery have faced each other 45 times since Gosek’s first season as head coach in 2003-2004.
Emery has a 25-16-4 record over Gosek since that same season. Overall, Plattsburgh State has a 78-39-8 edge on Oswego State. Out of the 98 recorded teams the Lakers have played against, the Cardinals are one of 28 teams to have a winning record against Oswego State.
For the 13th annual Whiteout Weekend, it will also be the 46th meeting between the two coaches. While the rivalry is intense between fans and players on the ice, Gosek and Emery have a strong friendship that extends off the ice.
“After the game’s over, we’re just college hockey coaches and friends,” Emery said.
A friendship between the two coaches started before Gosek was head coach of Oswego State. During Gosek’s first year as an assistant coach, it was also Emery’s first year at the reigns of Plattsburgh State. From there, Gosek said a mutual respect started to form.
“He always made sure to say ‘hello’ to you on the road. He’d ask how I was doing, how my kids were, how my wife was,” Gosek said. “He was a big advocate for me to have an opportunity, back in 2003, to take over the coach role.”
But for Emery, he said it was Gosek’s personality that has led to such a strong friendship over the years.
“I have a lot of respect for people that work hard. That’s the way I was raised,” Emery said. “He’s worked really hard over the years and, in doing so, has developed a great record for himself.”
Both coaches said they talk to each other about common opponents and talk throughout the offseason either while recruiting or at coach’s conventions. A lot of the time, the conversations are more personal and not hockey related.
“We usually, quite frankly, talk about his kids and my kids, his family, my family,” Gosek said. “It’s more personal talk than hockey talk.”
That personal friendship was key during the 2017-2018 season. When Gosek’s wife, Mary, passed away the summer before the start of the season, it was an emotional one for Gosek. Two of the games he said he remembers most are the TEAL game, the first one without Mary, and the Whiteout game against the Cardinals.
Emery’s team wore white warmup jerseys that had a teal ribbon on the front and said “Mary Gosek” on the back with No. 1 below it. Emery gave the jerseys to Mary’s family, who Gosek said now holds Emery in high regard, to give to close family friends and others involved in the TEAL program at Oswego State. Gosek called it a “great gesture.”
“I just thought it was only the right thing to do, to bring a little bit of respect to Mary,” Emery said. “I love my wife to death and I couldn’t imagine if something had happened to her. I would hope that I would get the same support.”
With the friendship Gosek and Emery have formed, there is also the passion for the same sport: hockey. Both coaches said they share ideas throughout the offseason. While the coaches said they do not have a ton of time to talk during the regular season, Gosek said they will be sure to talk before and after the game on Saturday.
Gosek and Emery both said each other has found a way to be successful in Div. III hockey. Emery has over 600 career wins, while Gosek has over 300 in 16 seasons.
“You learn to appreciate people that do things the right way consistently, and he does that, not taking shortcuts,” Gosek said.
Both said this friendship means a lot. While the teams are bitter rivals during the ice hockey season, Gosek and Emery still have their friendship after the Cardinals get on the bus to go back north after the game.
“The game is played on the ice between the players. It’s not played amongst the coaches,” Emery said. “When the final buzzer’s over, the game’s over. We’re both human beings.”
For Gosek, he thinks to some people, this friendship might seem like it is one of the weirdest things to happen given the climate of the teams. But he said it is all about the passion for the game of hockey and simply doing the right things.
“I don’t know if the average fan gets it, that, how can you be bitter rivals and yet be good friends?” Gosek said. “It’s been an amazing friendship and relationship.”
Cover photo by Emma Leavy | Oswego Athletics
