The Huskies opened the 2008–09 season expected to contend for home-ice advantage in Hockey East (4th place or better) for the first time since 1997–98.
The Huskies went 23–9–4 in the regular season, leading the conference until the final day when they lost at Boston College 4–1, falling to second place in Hockey East in the process.
On February 18, 2011, Cronin was suspended for six games due to possible recruitment violations but was reinstated before Northeastern's quarterfinal playoff series with Boston University.
Northeastern would win that series, capturing two of three games at Agganis Arena and make it to the Hockey East semifinals for the second time in three years, where they fell to Boston College.
Conference tournament champion † Cronin served as the head coach for Maine during the year-long suspension of Shawn Walsh starting on December 23, 1995 [3][4]