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 ((Photo courtesy of Princeton's Office of Athletic Communications) caption:
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Former Princeton Ice Hockey Star Faust Primed for Role on Tiger Coaching Staff
By Bill Alden
It was a bit of a long shot but Andre Faust has never been afraid to take a chance.
After 12 years of pro hockey, the former Princeton University star Faust heard that his alma mater was bringing a new coaching staff to guide its struggling hockey program.
Believing that he could make a good coach, Faust e-mailed Princeton Athletic Director Gary Walters to inform that he was interested in being part of the new coaching set-up.
After Princeton hired Guy Gadowsky away from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks to be the program's new head coach, the resourceful Faust put in a call to him and got himself an interview.
It didn't take long for Gadowsky to figure out what Faust could bring to the table as a coach at Princeton and he offered him a job in their first meeting.
Sitting outside his coaching office recently in Baker Rink, an upbeat Faust is relishing the challenges ahead.
"I think it's going to be a learning year," said Faust in the French accent of his native Joliette, Quebec.
"Coaching at the college level is not like coaching at the pro level where you run practice, watch videotape, and then go home. There is a lot more involved here. You have to take care of recruiting, admissions, financial aid."
Faust, who grew up speaking mainly French, took his first major chance in hockey when he went to Upper Canada College prep school (UCC) to upgrade his skills on the ice and learn English.
"There was a little bit of an unknown," said Faust, reflecting on his decision to go to UCC. "I didn't know what the hockey was going to be like and I didn't speak that much English. Basically, the ultimate goal was to move on to college and then try to play pro hockey."
Overcoming those challenges, Faust thrived at the UCC, scoring 78 points as junior and then exploding for 125 points as a senior on 66 goals and 59 assists.
After his UCC career, Faust made one visit to Princeton and that put him on another bold path. "I loved it," said Faust, recalling his on-campus visit. "Obviously Princeton has a great reputation. I came in here for a visit and just had a really, really good time. I enjoyed the campus and all the guys on the team were pretty good guys. I just wanted to get in."
Once he got the good news that he had been accepted, Faust spent the summer before college honing his skills in a summer hockey league in Montreal.
It didn't take long for Faust to show that he belonged in Princeton as he scored 39 points as a freshman on 15 goals and 24 assists. His sparkling debut earned him the ECAC Rookie of the Year award, making him just the second Princeton player to take that honor.
Faust finished his Tiger career with 150 points, making him the No. 2 scorer in school history. He is third in career goals (63) and second in assists (87). The productive Faust, who studied economics at Princeton, twice won the Blackwell Trophy as the team's Most Valuable Player.
For Faust, his Princeton years were a time of growth on and off the ice. "I learned about systems, that's for sure," said Faust with a chuckle.
"When you move on and up a level, you can't just dominate; you have to learn to play a system. I had a good time at Princeton. I just can't pinpoint one highlight but if I was I would say it's the friendships I made there."
Faust's exploits ended up attracting the interest of the National Hockey League and he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers after graduating from Princeton in 1992.
Characteristically, Faust was up for the challenge presented by playing at the highest level of the game. "Not a lot of Princeton guys had moved on to the next level but I was confident that I could make it," said Faust. "I think that was probably the difference."
Faust figured to start his pro career with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League but he got called up to Philadelphia on the eve of the season.
Hitting the ice at the Spectrum against the Detroit Red Wings and future Hall-of-Famer Steve Yzerman, Faust didn't wait to make his presence felt as he scored a goal on his second shift in the NHL.
That magical moment stands as one of the highlights of Faust's hockey career. "It was great," asserted Faust with his eyes lighting up. "It was the first time I had played in front of 18,000-19,000 people. It was just amazing, it was an incredible feeling."
Unfortunately for Faust, the rest of his NHL career didn't go quite as smoothly as the center split time between the NHL and the AHL.
He ultimately played 47 games for the Flyers over two seasons, scoring 10 goals and adding seven assists for a career point NHL point total of 17.
"It was hard because I never got settled," said Faust, who is one of six former Tigers to ever play in the NHL. "You're always wondering if you're going to be up there full-time. It's definitely hard to stay up at that level."
After four seasons of pro hockey, Faust made another bold move as he accepted an offer in 1996 to play with the Augsburger Panthers of the German league.
"I didn't know much about Germany," said Faust, reflecting on his move to Europe. "I figured I'd go for a year and see what's it like. I loved it. My eight years in Europe were just a great, great cultural experience."
Things went pretty well on the ice for Faust as he scored 40 points in his debut season in Germany and followed that with 33 points and 37 points in his next two seasons, respectively.
Faust does know a lot about Princeton and he feels that he will be a major asset as he starts his coaching career. "I feel I bring a lot to the program from my experience here," said Faust, who will be living in Moorestown with his wife and their two young sons. "Having played here obviously you know the demands of being a student here."
With his resume as a prolific scorer, Faust will be making demands on the Tiger forwards this winter as the program looks to rebound from a two-season stretch in which they have posted an 8-50-5 combined mark.
"The team is going to be much more offensive-minded than in the past," asserted Faust, noting that Gadowsky's teams in Fairbanks were known for their high-powered attack. "We're going to play more of a pressure game, always in their face and looking to create turnovers. I'll be working with the forwards more than the defenders."
Faust, though, will be looking to pass on a deeper message to his charges. "The great thing about this is that it's really my heart," said Faust with a broad grin in reflecting on being a coach at Princeton. "When you love something, it's easy to convince recruits to come. I'd love the recruits that come here to have as good an experience as I had."
The incoming Tigers will have to be ready to take some chances if they are to approach Faust's impact on the Princeton program
