Bill Greene/Globe Staff

Jack Parker is stepping away after 40 years as the head coach of the Boston University men's hockey team.

Barry Chin/Globe staff

Parker is one of the most distinguished coaches in NCAA history, with three national titles to his resume. The most recent, shown here, came in 2009.

Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

Parker had 894 career wins when he announced his departure. That's more than any other coach had with one school in NCAA history.

CHARLES KRUPA/AP

Parker earned berths in the NCAA tournament 24 times before announcing his retirement. He also won 11 conference titles and 21 Beanpot championships.

As a player at BU, Parker (center, with John Cooke and Bill Riley Jr.) was on teams that finished fourth (1966) and second (1967) in the NCAA.

John Blanding/Globe Staff

Parker coached dozens of players who went on to success in the NHL and the Olympics, including four players ( Jim Craig, Mike Eruzione, Jack O'Callahan, Dave Silk, left to right, with Parker) who were on the 1980 gold medal-winning team.

Donald Preston/Globe Staff

Parker, shown on March 9, 1975, won NCAA Coach of the Year honors for his work that year.

Jim Davis/Globe Staff

By 1995, on the verge of his second national title, Parker had joined the ranks of legendary Boston college hockey coaches such as BC's Len Ceglarski, left, Northeastern's Fernie Flaman, second from left, and Harvard's Bill Cleary, right.

Tom Herde/Globe Staff

Then-Governor William Weld welcomed Parker and the BU team to the State House after it won the national title in 1995.

John Bohn/Globe Staff

In late 1995, Parker led the BU team through the on-ice paralysis of freshman Travis Roy. Parker hung Roy's jersey at each of the team's games that year.

GAIL OSKIN/AP

In 1997, Parker considered accepting the Bruins' head coaching position. But he ultimately opted against it and remained at BU, where he would record hundreds of more victories.

John Bohn/Globe Staff

Late in his career, Parker matched wits against BC coach Jerry York. The pair, whose schools shared opposite of Commonwealth Ave, competed often for the same pool of potential players.

Jim Davis/Globe Staff

Parker's final appearance in the Beanpot championship game was a loss to York's BC team in 2012.

Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe

Late in 2012, Parker came under fire after a BU panel found that his team, riddled with off-ice problems, had a "culture of sexual entitlement."

Jim Davis/Globe Staff

Parker led his team to the Hockey East playoffs in 2013 at the time of his retirement announcement. But his final game at the Beanpot, a tournament that may forever be associated with him, was a 7-4 loss to Harvard in the consolation game.