Russ Herrington was named the head coach of the Lions men’s hockey team in 2017 after two seasons as an assistant with the program. The 2025-26 campaign will mark Herrington's ninth behind the York bench
Upon puck drop of the 2024-25 season opener, Herrington became the second-longest tenured head coach in program history. He will pass the legendary Bill Purcell, who led the Lions for seven seasons from 1965-66 through 1971-72. The 2024-25 season was a step forward for the program, as they more than doubled their win total year-over-year and surrendered 27 fewer goals. Four of their seven wins came against playoff teams: Windsor, Ontario Tech, Waterloo, UQTR
Herrington is also the head coach of the Canadian national para hockey team, a role he has held since September 2022, after joining the team as an assistant in 2017. He has won four medals in as many World Para Hockey Championships on the Canadian staff. He won a gold in 2017 as an assistant and earned a pair of silver medals in 2019 and 2021. Herrington grabbed his first gold medal as head coach in 2024 in Calgary. Just prior to being named head coach, he served as an assistant for Canada at the 2022 Winter Paralymic Games in Beijing, China, where he won a silver medal.
Prior to joining the Lions coaching staff, Herrington spent 12 seasons as a junior A head coach in Thornhill, Markham and Streetsville. He won more than 300 games in that span, was a two-time all-star coach and the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) coach of the year in 2003. He guided the Markham Waxers to the 2003 OJHL South Division championship, the team’s first division title in 20 years, and reached the 2006 RBC Cup with the Streetsville Derbys.
He was also an AAA head coach for eight years with the York Simcoe Express and the South Central Coyotes, and throughout his coaching career has seen more than 100 players graduate to the OHL, CIS, NCAA and professional ranks.
As a player, Herrington spent four seasons with the Western Mustangs (1990-93) and went on to a free agent tryout with the Toronto Maple Leafs and one season with the South Carolina Stingrays in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).
He and his wife, Janice, have two children. Daughter, Regan, spent four seasons with the Acadia Axewomen women’s volleyball team and was a four-time academic all-Canadian and two-time AUS conference and championship all-star. His son, Griffin, also attended Acadia.
