On Saturday mornings, a prepubescent Reed Larson would climb into the family station wagon, dad Wes squiring him from south Minneapolis to the Barn, home to University of Minnesota hockey since 1949.
It was the late '60s. Larson would lace up his skates while inhaling the arena's funky broth of stale popcorn, damp wood, and Zamboni exhaust.
He'd spend the next hours tearing up the ice during open skating, leaving only when someone chased him off. Then the future Roosevelt High star would find a place to hide.
"There were lots of nooks and crannies in there," says Larson. "I'd disappear and wait to come out when they started letting people in for the night's Gopher game.... It was those early memories that began my lifelong love for the program."
Larson, who would play for Minnesota and become a three-time all-star for the Detroit Red Wings, was among the blessed. Generations of Minnesota kids could only dream of wearing the iconic maroon and gold "M" jersey.
As former Gopher and Mr. Hockey winner Joe Dziedzic notes, "When I was being recruited, it was like anybody could make an offer, but if Minnesota called.... "
It remains a beautiful dream to this day. Five national championships. Thirty-six NCAA tourney appearances. More than 60 players on U.S. Olympic squads. Gopher hockey is part of Minnesota's cultural quilt like nothing else.
But the likes of Larson and Dziedzic can now be counted among the brokenhearted.
At Mariucci Arena, sold-out crowds have given way to lightly spackled congregations witnessing struggle. Games that once came with almost Biblical guarantee of victory are a thing of the past.
Where the Gophers used to have permanent residence among the nation's top 20, they're no longer even the best in Minnesota, losing 10 of their last 11 games against in-state opponents. And what was once a prideful alumni network has morphed into a full-scale revolt.
That thesis was on display in 2014, when Union College pulled off hockey's greatest upset since the Miracle on Ice.
The Gophers were making their 12th appearance in a NCAA title game. On that evening in Philadelphia, Minnesota was stocked with 14 NHL draft picks. Union consisted of afterthoughts.
But they would humble the Gophers, firing 50 shots and winning 7-4. It was a testament to the old-school clichés: that grit, hustle, and discipline are the coin of the realm in this game.
The loss gnaws to this day, but its lesson resonates more than ever.
Alumni are quick to note that character players still populate every Gopher team. Yet the game remains a defining moment of Lucia's tenure. "The Union game was the most high-profile example of how the program under him falls short," says a pro scout. "Minnesota consistently — and it's only gotten worse with time — doesn't show the discipline required to be an elite program."
The dysfunctional family The turning point came a decade ago with a household name: Zach Parise.
The Shattuck-St. Mary's star was the quintessential Gopher of yesteryear, bringing an ore miner's work ethic to both ends of the ice. He was a Herb Brooks prototype. But Brooks didn't want him playing for Minnesota.
As alumni tell it, the legendary coach believed his former program had devolved into a bejeweled shell, where ice time was promised instead of earned, and names on the back of jerseys meant more than the "M" on the front.
He told Parise his development would take a hit if entrusted to Lucia. Parise chose North Dakota instead.
Other former Gophers were surprised, but not shocked.
"Parise is exactly the kind of character guy you want representing your program," says one alum. "And here you had Herb Brooks telling him he should go to North Dakota. When the godfather of Gopher hockey doesn't trust Donnie Lucia, what does that tell you?"
The article does address the issue of college hockey in general being in disarray from recent attention from the NHL; BUT, like you say, a lot of schools are going through the exact same thing. The issue is twofold. First, one of leadership, and second, an attitude of entitlement. You know what it's like up here kavika, hockey is king and it's young players are royalty. There are just too many punks that think their shit don't stink 'cause they have been stroked their entire lives due to their hockey skills. That is further complicated by parents, teachers and coaches who don't keep those kids grounded.
Exactly right Larry. It sounds just like the pampered shits that play football.
Reminds me of a story when I was playing hockey. This one kid was good, and the coach was giving him all kinds of special treatment, as were the teachers. The kid was becoming a real pain in the ass. One day his dad showed up a hockey practice and wanted to know why the kid hadn't done some chores that he had been assigned at home. The kid smarted off to his dad and the coach backed the kid up...LOL, what a frickin' mistake on their part. Dad grabbed the kid and pulled him right over the boards and in no uncertain language told him that he was no one special and the next time he decided not to do his chores he'd be living in the barn. Than told the coach never again to try to interfere in family business or he'd give him a royal ass kicking....
That kid came back down to earth in a hot minute. The coach didn't give him any special treatment, nor did the teachers when they heard what happened.
In the ''old days'', up north you didn't screw around with a miner, lumberjack or farmer...Sadly times have changed, now these kids are spoiled, pampered brats, along with their families.
That thesis was on display in 2014, when Union College pulled off hockey's greatest upset since the Miracle on Ice.
The Gophers were making their 12th appearance in a NCAA title game. On that evening in Philadelphia, Minnesota was stocked with 14 NHL draft picks. Union consisted of afterthoughts.
But they would humble the Gophers, firing 50 shots and winning 7-4. It was a testament to the old-school clichés: that grit, hustle, and discipline are the coin of the realm in this game.
The loss gnaws to this day, but its lesson resonates more than ever.
Alumni are quick to note that character players still populate every Gopher team. Yet the game remains a defining moment of Lucia's tenure.
"The Union game was the most high-profile example of how the program under him falls short," says a pro scout. "Minnesota consistently — and it's only gotten worse with time — doesn't show the discipline required to be an elite program."
The dysfunctional family
The turning point came a decade ago with a household name: Zach Parise.
The Shattuck-St. Mary's star was the quintessential Gopher of yesteryear, bringing an ore miner's work ethic to both ends of the ice. He was a Herb Brooks prototype. But Brooks didn't want him playing for Minnesota.
As alumni tell it, the legendary coach believed his former program had devolved into a bejeweled shell, where ice time was promised instead of earned, and names on the back of jerseys meant more than the "M" on the front.
He told Parise his development would take a hit if entrusted to Lucia. Parise chose North Dakota instead.
Other former Gophers were surprised, but not shocked.
"Parise is exactly the kind of character guy you want representing your program," says one alum. "And here you had Herb Brooks telling him he should go to North Dakota. When the godfather of Gopher hockey doesn't trust Donnie Lucia, what does that tell you?"
I don't buy the excuse that the players are going to the pro's. Think NFL here, they have the same situation, and many schools still seem to excel.
BTW, high school teams from Warroad, Hibbing, Grand Rapids, Intl Falls could beat the Gophers.
No neither do I.
The article does address the issue of college hockey in general being in disarray from recent attention from the NHL; BUT, like you say, a lot of schools are going through the exact same thing. The issue is twofold. First, one of leadership, and second, an attitude of entitlement. You know what it's like up here kavika, hockey is king and it's young players are royalty. There are just too many punks that think their shit don't stink 'cause they have been stroked their entire lives due to their hockey skills. That is further complicated by parents, teachers and coaches who don't keep those kids grounded.
Exactly right Larry. It sounds just like the pampered shits that play football.
Reminds me of a story when I was playing hockey. This one kid was good, and the coach was giving him all kinds of special treatment, as were the teachers. The kid was becoming a real pain in the ass. One day his dad showed up a hockey practice and wanted to know why the kid hadn't done some chores that he had been assigned at home. The kid smarted off to his dad and the coach backed the kid up...LOL, what a frickin' mistake on their part. Dad grabbed the kid and pulled him right over the boards and in no uncertain language told him that he was no one special and the next time he decided not to do his chores he'd be living in the barn. Than told the coach never again to try to interfere in family business or he'd give him a royal ass kicking....
That kid came back down to earth in a hot minute. The coach didn't give him any special treatment, nor did the teachers when they heard what happened.
In the ''old days'', up north you didn't screw around with a miner, lumberjack or farmer...Sadly times have changed, now these kids are spoiled, pampered brats, along with their families.