Mike Eaves Mike Gordon Eaves ( born June 10 , 1956 in Denver , Colorado and raised in Windsor , Ontario ) is an American former NHL player and current college head coach . Eaves appeared in 324 NHL regular season games between 1978 and 1985 , and has coached since 1985 . His father , Cecil Eaves , is a former Denver University ice hockey and football player who became a professor and hockey coach at Ohio State and the University of Windsor . Eaves is also the father of current Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Eaves and brother of former NHL player Murray Eaves . Playing career . Amateur . Eaves grew up in Ontario where he played junior hockey for the Nepean Raiders . From 1974 to 1978 he played in the NCAA for the University of Wisconsin – Madison hockey team . He was also a member of the United States national team at the 1976 and 1978 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments . He was selected 13th overall in the 1976 NHL Entry Draft by St . Louis , who traded his rights to the Cleveland Barons for Len Frig in 1977 . Eaves ended up on the Minnesota North Stars roster after the Barons and North Stars were merged in 1978 . NHL years . Eaves turned professional following the 1977 – 78 season , initially joining the CHL Oklahoma City Stars , and also played 3 games with the North Stars during the year . The following year he moved up to be an NHL regular for 56 games . He then played three more consecutive seasons with Minnesota ( he was also a member of Team USA at the 1981 Canada Cup tournament ) , before being dealt to the Calgary Flames with Keith Hanson for Steve Christoff . Eaves played for the Flames from 1983 to 1985 , deciding to end his career at the age of 28 after sustaining a head injury at the hands of Quebec Nordiques defenceman Pat Price . Eaves was appointed to an assistant coach position with the Flames , joining Bob Johnson , his former head coach at the University of Wisconsin , behind the bench . However , this was not the end of his playing career . In the midst of the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs Flames forward Carey Wilson sustained an injury , forcing him out of the lineup . Eaves was persuaded to end his retirement in order to shore up the Flames ' player roster . With his family ' s permission he rejoined the Flames , playing 8 of their final 11 games in the playoffs . After the Flames lost in the Stanley Cup finals he ended his playing career permanently . Coaching career . Eaves took a head coaching position at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire in 1986 , a position he held for one season . The following season he was an assistant coach with St . Cloud State University . He joined the Philadelphia Flyers as an assistant coach in 1988 , and was named head coach of the Flyers ' American Hockey League affiliate Hershey Bears in 1990 . He held the position for three years until the 1993 – 94 season , when he rejoined the Flyers as an assistant coach . He took the head coach position at HIFK in the Finnish SM - Liiga in 1996 and coached there for the following season . He quit and joined the Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant coach from 1997 to 2000 . The following year he was named head coach of the United States National Junior Team . In the 2002 – 2003 season Eaves joined his old college team , the Wisconsin Badgers , as their head coach and led them to the NCAA national championship in the 2005 – 2006 season . He was the head coach of the 2004 United States National Junior Team which won the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship . While at Wisconsin , Eaves was submerged with controversy . In his first year as coach , Eaves assaulted a player in a hotel room and was subsequently sued . The matter was settled out of court and the record was sealed . Eaves was reprimanded by then Athletic Director Pat Richter .