Neil Celley joined the
Michigan ice hockey team after winning a state championship in
1945. He left the program a year later to take part in first
Winter Olympics since
1936 (due to
World War II) and was chosen as a member of the
USOC's squad. A competing USA team was also sent to
St. Moritz that year, one representing the
Amateur Hockey Association that openly allowed professional players in their lineup. After tense negotiations the AHA team was allowed to play in the games but only in an unofficial capacity (they would be ineligible for a medal). The USOC team was allowed to march in the
opening ceremony which would be the extent to which Celley could contribute to the team. Celley returned to
Ann Arbor the following fall and finished out his college career without further interruption. He played in 3 consecutive
NCAA tournaments finally winning one in his
senior season. Celley was named to the
All tournament team and recorded a team record 37 goals and 37 assists in the regular season (later broken by
Red Berenson). After graduating from the
School of Education in 1951 Celley immediately began his coaching career at
Denver, taking over the two-year-old program from
Vern Turner. While receiving his
Master of Arts in 1952 Celley led the Pioneers to a second-place finish (tied) in the newly created
MCHL, unfortunately his
alma mater Michigan (with whom his team had tied) was selected for the
1952 tournament instead. Celley's teams would finish with a winning record every year but were never selected for the postseason tournament. In 1956, after kicking four players off the squad for violating team rules, Celley stepped down mid-season and ended his coaching career. ==Head coaching record==