The Lindenwood ice hockey program has announced that Ted Sator will join the staff as their new assistant coach. Sator brings over 30 years of experience to the Lions having coached in the National Hockey League (NHL) and at the international level.
“Lindenwood is great fit for me and where I am with the game of hockey, Sator said. “My relationship with Rick (Coach Zombo) makes this a real easy transition and I look forward to working with the tremendous student-athletes involved with the already successful Lindenwood hockey program.”
Sator's 12 seasons as a coach in the NHL include two years as an assistant for the St. Louis Blues where he coached
current Lindenwood head coach Rick Zombo. He spent two seasons as the head coach of the New York Rangers and two seasons as head coach of the Buffalo Sabres. He also spent five seasons as the head coach of the New Orleans Brass in the ECHL.
Sator's international experience includes serving as an assistant coach for Team USA in the 1984 and 1987 Canada Cup and the 1996 World Championships. He spent nine seasons coaching in the Finnish and Swedish Elite leagues and also served as the head coach of the Slovenian and Hungarian national teams.
“Ted brings a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge that will be an invaluable asset to our hockey program,” said Lindenwood head coach Rick Zombo. “He brings instant respect and attention based on his knowledge of the culture of hockey players and the quality of the game.”
Before coaching, Sator played his college hockey at Bowling Green University and he played one year of professional hockey before a knee injury ended his playing career.
Sator will be behind the bench as the Lions resume Central States Collegiate Hockey League (CSCHL) play this weekend with a two game series against conference rival Ohio at the Lindenwood Ice Arena January 20-21. The Bobcats are currently ranked fifth in the latest ACHA poll while the Lions are fourth. Lindenwood swept the series last season, but fell to Ohio in the conference tournament. The Lions are currently 8-0 in the CSCHL and 19-4 overall. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. Friday evening and at 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
