INDIANAPOLIS--The NCAA announced that John Harrington, a respected coach and former member of the Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey Rules Committee, has accepted the position of secretary-rules editor on the committee.

“We are very pleased to make this announcement,” said Col. James Knowlton, an administrator at the United States Military Academy and chair of the selection committee. “John is highly-respected in the ice hockey community and developed a passion for rules writing while he was on the committee. His overall mix of experiences as a student-athlete, Olympic athlete, coach and administrator were the right fit for this position.”

The selection committee consisted of representatives from all levels of NCAA ice hockey (Division I and III, men’s and women’s). The group’s recommendation was recently approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel.

The secretary-editor is the official rules interpreter for the NCAA playing rules committees. Playing rules deal with what occurs on the field during competition when an official and an opponent are present. These rules apply to regular- and post-season competition.

Harrington is currently the head men’s ice hockey coach at St. John’s (Minnesota) University and has led the program since 1993. As a student-athlete, Harrington competed for the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and was a member of the 1980 and 1984 United States Olympic teams. Harrington graduated from Minnesota-Duluth in 1979, receiving a bachelor of applied science degree. A leader in the coaching community, Harrington is a member of the American Hockey Coaches Association and served on the group’s board of directors from 1997-2000, including a term as president.