PLATTSBURGH — Bob Emery isn't really impressed by the number 500.
It's a much smaller one — 0.742 — that's more significant to him.
With a career record of 498-156-53, the Plattsburgh State men's hockey coach is on the verge of a milestone win. Plattsburgh (13-2-4) hosts Fredonia tonight and Buffalo State tomorrow in a pair of SUNY Athletic Conference games, and Emery could potentially hit the 500 mark Saturday.
"I've never been a numbers guy. I'm not really a personal accolades guy — I was a defensive defenseman," Emery said. "So it's going to happen. When it happens, who knows? Who cares?
"If you're thinking about numbers, the only numbers that matter to me are the numbers that we've accomplished over the years, and that is almost 75 percent of wins."
Emery's career winning percentage is currently 0.742, putting him in the top five all-time among NCAA hockey coaches — Division I and Division III. A 500th win would put him in elite company as well.
Nineteen coaches have reached that plateau, including just five in Division III. Norwich's Mike McShane leads Division III coaches with 601 (244 of those came while he was coaching in Division I), and Bill Beaney of Middlebury has 561.
The other Division III coaches with at least 500 are Don Roberts (Gustavus Adolphus), John Rolli (UMass Dartmouth) and Ed Saugestad (Augsburg).
Plattsburgh assistant coach Steve Moffat said winning that many games requires consistency throughout a career.
"(Emery's) teams have always been successful," Moffat said. "He's set certainly a high precedent at Plattsburgh State. That's a testament to how he coaches, the discipline he instills in the team and just the hard work he puts into Plattsburgh.
"He certainly bleeds red and white."
Emery said he hasn't thought about the approaching milestone much, except when friends have brought it up. And even then, he said he has tried to change the subject.
He said he remembers his first win — it was an 11-2 decision at Fredonia on Oct. 27, 1989 — but not many others, adding that the focus is always on championships. He has won two national titles and 13 SUNYAC crowns at Plattsburgh.
"I think he's so successful because he gets the X's and O's going and he wants us to play our game, stick to our game," senior captain Kyle Kudroch said. "I think he's really tough on the guys, but at the same time he's a great coach. He's good at getting us prepared to play a game."
Moffat said Emery's success also stems from his trademark emphasis on discipline.
Emery played at Boston College before coaching prep hockey and then becoming an assistant at Plattsburgh in 1988. He took over the next year and is now in his 23rd season. He's the program's all-time winningest coach by a wide margin.
Emery said the game has evolved since he started.
"College hockey and hockey in general changes year in and year out, and you've always gotta be up with the times," Emery said. "I'm always studying video and talking to my friends who coach at the pro level and the Division I level and try to get ideas. We've brainstormed, and we've changed a lot of things here over the years."
He added that while he has changed as a coach, his standards haven't budged. His assistant agreed. Moffat played for the Cardinals in the mid-1990s, and he said Emery had a different style back then.
"He's still demanding. He's been demanding since he's been here. That's not going to change, and it shouldn't," said Moffat, who's in his 11th year on Emery's staff. "But he has a different approach to players. He goes about it differently, talks to guys more. He's more player-friendly. Before he might not have said a word to you.
"But he certainly cares about the players. He wants them to do well, and he's willing to help them. And I think that's a big deal for players."
Kudroch said the coach's reputation is one thing players weigh when choosing a school.
"Before coming here you definitely hear of other teams and you hear of teams that win, but you hear Plattsburgh State is a place you want to be," Kudroch said. "(Emery) knows how to win, and Cardinal hockey is all about hard work.
"If you don't have hard work, then this isn't the place for you. But if you have hard work, it's going to be a great place to play and you're definitely going to win a lot of games under him."
Email Courtney Lewis at: clewis@pressrepublican.com
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