Former St. Louis Blues player Rick Zombo has been named the head coach of the Lindenwood men's ice hockey team. Zombo was the top assistant coach for the Lions for the past two seasons and he helped the program capture two straight ACHA Division I National Championships.

“For the past two seasons, I am proud of the fact that I contributed to the success of our organization winning two national championships,” said Zombo. “With the increase in responsibility as head coach, my ambition is to make the program even stronger. We have a tremendous core of returning players that understand the difficulty of winning a title, but will cherish the process of continued success.

“I appreciate the opportunity to continue the winning direction that the men's program has established. Recruiting special student- athletes that we at the university can be proud to say they are hockey players with a resilient work ethic and insatiable need to succeed will be our guidelines in recruiting and implementing our winning ways with the hockey program.”

Zombo brings success and experience at all different levels to the Lindenwood hockey program.

At Lindenwood, Zombo was the assistant coach under former head coach Derek Schaub. He was instrumental in defensive play and the recruiting process for the Lions. During his two seasons the Lions won the CSCHL regular season and post season title once and two ACHA national championships.

Before Lindenwood, Zombo spent one season as the head coach and general manager of the Heartland Eagles in the USHL and three seasons with the St. Louis Sting in the NAHL. He also coached Marquette High School in St. Louis for three seasons and headed up Team Missouri at the Chicago Showcase.

Before his coaching career, Zombo spent 12 seasons in the NHL, including four years with the St. Louis Blues. He was selected 149th overall in the eighth round of the 1981 NHL entry draft by the Detroit Red Wings. He played for the Red Wings for eight seasons before being traded to the Blues early in the 1991-92 season. His final year in the NHL was in 1995-96 when he wore the Boston Bruins sweater. Zombo also spent parts of his first three professional seasons with the Adirondack Red Wings and won a Calder Cup with them in the 1985-86 season.

Zombo finished his NHL career with 652 regular season games played, 24 career goals and 130 career assists. He also played in 60 playoff games where he recorded one goal and 11 assists.

Prior to his professional career, he was a three-year letterwinner on defense with North Dakota from 1981-84. Zombo won a NCAA national championship in his freshman season at North Dakota. He recorded 63 points in three seasons and served as captain of the Fighting Sioux in his junior season. During his sophomore season, Zombo earned a spot on the United States National Team at the World Junior Hockey Championships.

Zombo takes over a Lindenwood team that went 42-5 last season and captured its second straight national title with a 2-0 win over Iowa State University.