One of Wisconsin’s greatest goalie coaches

Sometimes a chance meeting can alter the direction of one’s life. In the fall of 1974 Mark Greenhalgh (Greenie) was like most freshmen at UW Madison. It was the first day of communications class and he needed to find a seat.

Greenie entered his communications class and randomly selected a place to sit. Greenie and the person sitting next to him, a fellow freshman named Mike, struck up a conversation. Greenie is a master conversationalist, so he can effortlessly convert any stranger into a friend.

It turned out Mike and Greenie had a common interest in hockey. Mike’s last name was Eaves. Mike Eaves was a freshman and top recruit for Bob Johnson’s Badgers. Eaves talked to Greenie about trying out for the hockey team.

Greenie had no plans to play hockey in college. Greenie, the freshman from Janesville Parker, did not believe he had any business getting on the ice with a team that won the NCAA championship a year prior. But all day he thought about what Eaves told him.

After thinking it over, Greenie got on his Schwinn one speed bicycle and pedaled over to the UW Athletic Department. He found the Badgers hockey office, walked in and asked Coach Bob Johnson if he could try out for the hockey team.

Bob Johnson looked at Greenie and rubbed his chin for a minute. The moment of silence felt like an eternity to Greenie. Coach Johnson finally pointed at Laura, the office administrator, and said she has the paperwork you need to fill out and the time to be at the Shell (former on-campus practice rink).

Greenie completed the paperwork and got on ice with a Badgers team loaded with talented goalies. Greenie’s hard work and determination enabled him to secure a spot in the Badgers program. He spent two seasons on the JV team. Following his two seasons with the Badgers, he played two seasons with the Madison Blues in the Continental Hockey League.

Greenie’s path into coaching likely began in 1974 with the relationships and experiences he gained during his tenure at UW Madison. Greenie has coached for more than four decades. He has won six NCAA Championships during his 18 seasons as a goalie coach for the UW Badgers Women.

During Greenie’s tenure with the Badgers, at least one, sometimes two, of his goalies have competed in each Winter Olympics, plus two of his goalies have won the Patty Kazmaier Award! The Patty Kazmaier Award is presented annually to the most outstanding player in NCAA D-1 women’s hockey.

Jessie Vetter won the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2009 and a silver medal in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics with Team USA. Ann-Renee Desbiens won the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2017 and a silver medal in the 2018 Olympics with Team Canada. In the 2018 Olympics Alex Rigsby won a gold medal when Team USA defeated Ann-Renee Desbiens’ Team Canada. Kristen Campbell won a gold medal with Team Canada and Alex Rigsby won a silver medal with Team USA in the 2022 Olympics. Truly remarkable!

Greenie is in an exclusive category of elite goalie coaches. What makes him so special? He has a unique ability to ease the emotions of his goalies. His positivity and humor radiate and are contagious. It allows each goalie to stay relaxed, focused, and at their very best, even in pressure-filled situations where most become unraveled. This is the essence of Greenie’s brilliance as a coach. Few can do it. None can do it as well as Greenie.

Prior to coaching the Badgers, Greenie was goalie coach at Madison Memorial for 13 seasons, winning two WIAA state championships, and developing three all-state goalies. He also spent a decade coaching Team Wisconsin in the Chicago Showcase, and seven seasons coaching at UW Whitewater under Dave Lohrei and then Brian Campbell.

“He is the best guy. He is one of those people that you gravitate towards. He makes you smile and laugh, and he gets the best out of you. He knows how to handle situations to keep the goalies focused and confident. I always appreciated that. Our relationship has stayed strong over all these years. It is a testament to the kind of person he is. I am thankful. He always contacted me and stayed in touch even after I left Wisconsin and played for the national team. He was part of my support group. He is one of those people that was always there. It is notable how many goalies he has moved on to the national program. He has four Olympians. He always made the goalies stay sharp.” Alex Rigsby Cavallini, UW 2010-2014, Two-time Olympian, Gold Medal 2018, Silver Medal 2022.

Let’s hear from Greenie!

Congratulations on winning the 2025 NCAA championship. Thank you very much. I feel blessed. It never gets old.

How many NCAA championships have you won? This is my sixth!

How many years have you been on the coaching staff? I just completed my 18th season. Coach Johnson asked me a couple years before that, but the timing wasn’t right.

You originally turned down an offer to join Mark Johnson’s coaching staff? Yeah, my mom was sick, so the timing wasn’t right. I was alone in my truck when he (Mark Johnson) called, and I was honored. I hung up and I wept thinking I would never get that opportunity again. Fortunately, two years later he (Mark Johnson) contacted me. I asked him what the expectations were because I had a full-time job. I talked with my wife, and she endorsed it. If she wasn’t behind me, it wouldn’t be possible.

Where did you coach prior to the Badgers Women? Madison Memorial for 13 years, UW Whitewater for 7 years. I also coached Team Wisconsin in the Chicago Showcase for a decade. I have been doing it a long time…about 40 years. My first coaching job was Burbank bantams in LA in 1978.

You first started coaching in Los Angeles? Yeah, Burbank bantams.

How did you end up coaching hockey in California? I took a semester off. I was almost done with school. Iowa was the most west I’d been, so I took off to California! I played with Clarke Blizzard in Madison. I got to LA and called Milo Blizzard. Milo asked me to coach.

Is Mark Johnson the Vince Lombardi of women’s college hockey? Pretty much. Another analogy is John Wooden. Not many have accomplished what Mark has as a coach.

What is Mark Johnson’s secret to success? He is such a solid human being. It’s how he runs things. The type of players he pursues. Mark’s players are good people above and beyond hockey players. And obviously his hockey IQ is high...he knows the game.

Where did you grow up? Janesville, Wisconsin. Then I came to college at UW Madison.

What sports did you play growing up? Everything! I played basketball and wrestled. In high school I played football, hockey, and baseball. As a freshman I ran track because 9th grade baseball was in summer. We made State in baseball my senior year.

When did you start playing hockey? I was about 10. I skated outdoors before that but never played organized. Janesville had a youth program but not an indoor rink. Our home rink was the Wagon Wheel in Rockford. Back then 9th grade could not play high school, the HS coach petitioned the WIAA but was denied so I played Bantam.

How did you become a goalie? They needed a goalie. I started playing and enjoyed it.

Does playing multiple sports help a hockey player? I certainly believe so. Unfortunately, specialization comes too soon today.

What are the benefits of playing other sports? From football you get explosiveness, quick feet. In baseball the hand eye coordination from batting, the sprints to base. Track helps every sport. It helps prevent overuse injuries and it keeps you fresh and less likely to get burned out. When I was in Burbank, I told the kids to play one-on-one hoops because it will develop coordination, timing, angles, and how to defend.

What was your dream job as a kid? I always liked being active on a farm and caddying. In 10th grade I baled hay. Staying inside at a desk wasn’t my cup of tea. Getting outside is what I enjoy. In high school I was interested in architecture. When I started college, I considered civil engineering. When I was coaching at Whitewater I got a master’s degree in occupational safety. Now I work for a bridge builder.

What are the key attributes to a successful goalie? Quickness, agility, athleticism, fitness level. Learn fundamentals of edges, skating, positioning, angles, depth, technique, good eyes. The longer I coach I see a higher premium in temperament. Can they maintain composure. If you get scored on do you get rattled. The position and sport evolve so you need to be open to try new things.

Who were your hockey mentors? When I started there weren’t goalie coaches. Harry Van Brocklin was the dad of kids I played with. He didn’t play but gave me good suggestions. I watched games on tv and studied the goalies. Emulate and experiment! Gary ‘Red’ Engberg was probably the first Badgers goalie coach. Bob Johnson.

Bob Johnson coached goalies? Yeah, I remember being told Coach Johnson wants to see me. I was nervous. I thought I was going to get cut. I go up and see him and he tells me to get my gear, put it in the trunk of his Skylark. It was a blue Buick Skylark with a white roof! We drive out together. I get in net, and he fires pucks at me. He is yelling “You’re going down too much, stay up.” He then tells me, “Get set like a third baseman.” That really stuck. It made sense. Where to keep my hands and how to move left and right.

What was it like as a walk on at UW? I remember getting my equipment as a freshman. The equipment manager Harold Anacker wouldn’t give it to me at first. Heck, you know you’re in trouble when even the equipment manager thinks you are out of your league. But he gave it to me finally. I was so nervous I couldn’t do the paddle lock. Dan McClimon and Al Dockery could see I was nervous and struggling. They reassured me I would be okay. That meant a lot to me.

What other UW hockey memories do you have? I remember a scrimmage when I just started. I was on the bench. Perkins is in the net on my end. McNab and Dibble are on the other end. Ninety seconds in, Perkins and Steve Alley get into a fight. They are throwing hay makers and going at it good. Perkins gets kicked out. Rothwell (Assistant Coach) is up above and yells in his accent, “goalie get in.” I had no idea who he was talking about. Guys on the bench look at me and say get in the net. I get in, made some saves and they say see you tomorrow. I wasn’t cut. We started with nine goalies. They kept three on JV. I was bottom to start but worked my way up by Christmas.

What are your favorite hockey memories? The friendships I have made. People don’t realize it while they’re doing it, but later you do. All the great people I have met. I truly feel blessed. It plugs me into a network of great people.

What advice do you have for kids that want to play after high school? Keep playing because it taps you into a circle you might not have met. Business wise or just friendship. Play as long as you can. Plus, it’s a form of exercise. Who knows, you may take up officiating, or coaching. It’s a great game...stick with it.

Mark Greenhalgh resides in Madison with his wife, Amy, and they have three daughters, Drew, Ella, and Maria. He was inducted into the Janesville Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

Greenie’s decades of coaching and mentoring young coaches is sincerely appreciated!

Yours for hockey, Matt Carey

Article 6 of The Influencers