University of Vermont Athletics

Ted Child 1974 - Hockey

An outstanding hockey defenseman on some of the finest UVM teams in the early 1970s, Ted Child, inducted into the UVM Hall of Fame in 1995, was often overlooked because of the cast of great players who surrounded him. But his statistics prove that he was a very important member of teams that won back-to-back ECAC titles in 1972 and 1973. Child finished his three-year career with 17 goals and 53 assists, which at the time were second all-time among the defensemen behind UVM Hall of Famer Ted Yeates.

The team's record during his playing days was 70-18-2 (.789) including a league mark of 50-4-1. Some of his teammates during those years included Hall of Famers Willie MacKinnon, Ted Castle, Tim O'Connell, Steve Eckerson, Ted Yeates, Roger Mallette, John Murphy and John Kiely. He often paired with Brad Cooke to form a formidable blueline power-play duo that was on the ice for 69 goals in the 1972-73 season. In addition to his scoring, Child was also one of the least-penalized defensemen in UVM history averaging only six penalties a season. He also played in 90 games in his career. Coach Jim Cross remembers the impact Child had upon the teams he played on. "Ted was a huge part on three fantastic years of UVM hockey," Cross said.

Along with being a fine hockey player, Child was also a terrific student. He graduated Magna Cum Laude, was a member of the Boulder Society and received the Converse Award as the outstanding student in the Economics department. Following his graduation from UVM, he attended the University of Maine Law School, receiving his JD in 1978. Child returned to the Burlington area and was an exceptional coach at the high school level at Burlington High and Champlain Valley Union High. His son Thomas went on to play for the Catamounts.