Said former Notre Dame hockey coach Lefty Smith, "I have always been extremely impressed with Mike Collins and his accomplishments throughout his career. He was at Notre Dame when I arrived in 1968 and played two seasons for us when we were starting the program. His drive and work ethic were always what stood out to me and played a major role in his successful career. He's an outstanding orthopedic surgeon; he's written two books and he and his wife have raised a wonderful family with 12 kids. Mike has lived an absolutely amazing life. That's why I thought he was so deserving of the Lou Lamoriello Award."

Michael Collins is the oldest of eight sons. He was born on the West Side of Chicago where his mother, father, grandfather and great-grandfather were born. He attended Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois (where he was hockey captain and a Chicago Catholic League All-Star) and then went on to the University of Notre Dame where he graduated in three and a half years. While attending Notre Dame he played on the varsity hockey team and shoveled furnaces at the South Bend Foundry.

Mike Collins scored 14 points in 44 games as a Notre Dame defenseman.

Upon graduation from Notre Dame, Mike spent several years driving a cab, and working construction before finally deciding upon medicine as a career. After returning to college for two extra years to take pre-med courses, he attended the Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine followed by five years at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Mike is a full-time, board-certified orthopedic surgeon practicing with Hinsdale Orthopedic Associates in Hinsdale, Illinois. He and his wife, Patti, have been married for thirty-four years, and are the parents of twelve children.

In addition to practicing orthopedics, Mike has also been writing professionally for more than thirty years. His first book, Hot Lights, Cold Steel, was published by St. Martin's Press in 2005 and continues to be a best-seller in the medical memoir field. His second book, Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, about his days as a construction worker and cab driver trying to get into medical school, was published in 2009.

Since the publication of Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Mike has lectured extensively on topics relating to medicine and writing. He still plays hockey a couple times a week with his brothers and assorted other old friends who are also in denial about their age.

The Lamoriello Award will be presented to Collins on Friday, January 28, prior to the home game against Miami University. Game time is 7:35 p.m.