Ron DeGregorio
Induction Year: 2015
Birthday: September 3, 1946
City/Town: East Boston, MA
For 12 years, Ron DeGregorio’s leadership helped USA Hockey evolve into one of the world’s most respected hockey federations.
A resident of Salem for the past three decades, DeGregorio has been involved with the sport for more than 40 years as a player, coach and administrator, whose work and forward-thinking has resulted in notable improvements to the success, popularity and safety of hockey in the United States.
DeGregorio’s first appointment with USA Hockey came in 1973 when he was named registrar for the New England District, where he oversaw the reorganization of the district into several smaller, more manageable affiliates.
DeGregorio was first elected to the USA Hockey board of directors in 1975 and was the organization’s first vice president of youth hockey. In the 1980s, he served as treasurer of USA Hockey.
He has represented the U.S. at countless events during his tenure with USA Hockey. His first official role came as team leader of Team East at the 1979 U.S. Olympic Festival, from which the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” Olympic hockey team was chosen.
DeGregorio also served as team leader for the 1994 U.S. Olympic hockey team that competed in Lillehammer, Norway. DeGregorio has represented the USA at the 1998, 2002, ’06, ’10 and ’14 Olympic Winter Games and at numerous International Ice Hockey Federation championships.
He was elected president of USA Hockey on June 14, 2003, and unanimously re-elected to his fourth term on June 10, 2012. He stepped down from the position in June.
He was one of the architects of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, a two-year residency program for the top 16- and 17-year-old players in the United States. The program has greatly influenced U.S. success in international competition.
In January 2009, the organization launched the American Development Model, which, for the first time ever, provided associations nationwide with a blueprint for optimal athlete development. USA Hockey furthered the enhancement of those efforts by advancing the USA Hockey SafeSport Program in June 2012.
The former Boston Latin and Middlebury College goaltender is also known throughout the region as the originator of “Mini One-on-One,” a youth hockey competition that is broadcast through the Boston Bruins’ television network.