The Bob Kullen Coach of the Year Award is an annual award given out at the conclusion of the Hockey East regular season to the best coach in the conference as voted by the head coaches of each Hockey East team. The award was renamed in honor of Bob Kullen who served as head coach of New Hampshire in the late-80's before heart disease forced him to receive a heart transplant and subsequently retire shortly before his death in 1990. The Coach of the Year was first awarded in 1985 and every year thereafter.