Heather Rule writes about the legendary player and coach, Willard Ikola.

This story was originally published in the 2025 MN State High School Hockey Tournament Guide.

The post Willard Ikola: Humble Giant appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Scott Tiffany writes about his friendship and working relationship with John Gilbert.

This story was originally published in the 2025 MN State High School Hockey Tournament Guide.

The post John Gilbert: Legacy Lives On appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

One thing I recognized early was the tradition of outstanding Eveleth goaltenders.  At the Hippodrome, I saw the big photo of Oscar Almquist, who had been an All-American at St. Mary’s in Winona and later became one of the great high school coaches at Roseau.  At the other end of the rink was a big picture of Mike Karakas, when he was playing for the Chicago Blackhawks.  Then there were the photos of Frankie Brimsek, who was a star for the Boston Bruins and one of the best players in the NHL and Sam LoPresti, who played for the Blackhawks.  We were all aware that both Karakas and Brimsek has been NHL Rookies of the Year.  Can you imagine that Eveleth High School had a ten-year period when their starting goalies were Karakas, Brimsek, and LoPresti from 1926-1935?

Goaltending in my era was so different. It was just about playing the angles.  We never did the V-drop, we had never even heard of it.  If you were a good skater, you could move up and back and keep the best angle.  Despite what a lot of people used to think, you wanted to have one of your better skaters in net because you had to be so good on your edges.  It was weird but a lot of kids around my age played goalie in their boots so I had a big advantage over them.  Once I started playing a lot, the other kids told me I was good and my confidence was strong.

As much as we all liked hockey, we played just about every sport imaginable in our neighborhood.  We had a close-knit group of boys who did everything together and it seemed like just about everybody participated, no matter what their skill level was.  Without all the technology of today and in the midst of a Depression, we were fortunate to just have each other to hang around with and do active things all the time.

Basically, we lived outside with our buddies. Nobody every seemed to be inside – there was radio but no television and let’s face it, there just wasn’t a lot of room in our homes, either.  Our parents gave us a lot of freedom.  We never missed any meals and we had to be home by a certain hour but we were in the safety of other kids and our parents didn’t worry about us.  We not only played at the rinks and playgrounds but on the streets and in the alleys.

Hockey was the favorite sport of most of us but we played a ton of outside basketball on rims attached to garages, playing 21 and four-horses.  We played baseball and football at various places around town.  We just went from activity to the other, improvising as we went.  Bocce ball and horseshoes; you name it, we played it.  It was competitive but not mean-spirited and this was how we climbed the social ladder. You name it and we played it – croquet, softball, golf, tetherball and many others.

Willard Ikola (center front) as an eighth grader on Eveleth’s 1945-46 team.

Eveleth had a good recreation department and one summer, they employed Cliff Thompson, the high school and junior college hockey coach, up at the ballpark. We grew to learn that he was a fantastic baseball coach but as hockey players, when we found out he was going to be up there, we just flocked to the place.  Myself and the others idolized the guy.  On Saturday morning at the Hippodrome, when we would see him up in the stands watching, let me tell you the play would pick up because we wanted to impress him and play for him some day.  Each week someone would whisper, “Hey, Coach Thompson is here” and things really got rolling.  There was no question that we played harder when he was there and he showed up every week. We wondered if he was picking his team for five or six years down the road.

While we had our disagreements when we played our sports and games, we settled our own problems and things would always get back to normal.  I guess that’s how we learned how to manage things.  It was great for teaching us creativity and how to be leaders.  As a kid, everybody seemed to have a nickname and mine wasn’t real original.   It was simply… “IKE”.

With my brother Roy playing at Colorado College, I was already thinking about going to college and playing at that level and becoming a physical education instructor and coach.  It wasn’t a tough decision when I was offered the chance to play with Coach Thompson’s club.  I figured I would have a heckuva better chance getting a hockey scholarship than a band scholarship.

Half of the title team from 1945 was back to defend the state title in 1945-46; guys like Ronnie Martinson, Andy Gambucci, Bice Ventrucci and Milan Begich.  There were only 11 players on the first state title team and we had just 10 players and myself on that year’s squad.  At 5’4″ and 100 pounds, I was not an imposing figure in the net as a 13-year-old and players could shoot over my shoulder and hit the corner.  However, I wasn’t intimidated by the older players because I had played shinny with them for years and knew them well. Plus, they were good about not firing the puck at my head.

Willard Ikola as an Eveleth Golden Bear. (Photo courtesy of Ikola Archives – VintageMinnesotaHockey

As for practices, in those days, it consisted almost entirely of scrimmaging. There was very little drill work or concentration on fundamentals.  Coach Thompson, like most coaches of that era, was never on skates but on the bench with his boots on.  Actually, I never saw Cliff ever skate, not once!  Coach never talked to me about goaltending, not once in the five years I played for him.  I noticed that he would call the forwards or defensemen over for some short words of advice but it was almost always just scrimmaging.

Ronnie Drobnick, of course, was the senior goalie and was expected to play all the games.  He never did give me any special treatment or tutoring, either, but I just watched what he did and tried to emulate him and all the other great goalies I had seen play in Eveleth.  Ronnie got yellow jaundice and was out for about three weeks in the middle of the season and I was thrust in the goal as an 8th-grader.  In those four games, we won three games with ease and tied Roseau 3-3.  Ronnie came back to finish the season and I didn’t even get to go with the team to the state tournament, but it really didn’t bother me.  Most teams didn’t have a backup goalie in those days.  I didn’t even earn a letter for that year.

Dialed to WEVE, our local radio station, I listened to us compete in the state tournament.  We lost to Rochester 2-1 in the semifinals and then beat St. Paul Johnson to take third.  Ron Martinson later told me when we were at Michigan that some of the guys weren’t following training rules and he didn’t think they were serious enough.

Ikola is lifted up by his teammates high above a kneeling John Mayasich as Eveleth coach.

My freshman year, we beat Hibbing 5-3 in the region finals to make it to the 1947 tourney.  It was just the second time I had ever been to the Twin Cities.  To see the big buildings and all the hotels and restaurants, it was an eye-full. The largest building in Eveleth was the Park Hotel and that was three stories. We spent a lot of time just going up and down the elevators at the St. Paul Hotel, which was real close to the St. Paul Auditorium rink.  At that time, they had elevator operators and we drove them crazy with our requests.  One hotel even had an escalator and we would be running up the down escalator and down the up escalator like a bunch of fools. We worried more about how to order off a menu than we did playing the games.  Hockey was in our comfort zone.  One funny thing that happened was a photographer took a picture of me, all 100 pounds, in a dresser drawer in our hotel room with a caption that read…”WEE WILLARD” and it was in the papers the next day.

The St. Paul Auditorium had artificial ice and it was the first time I had played on that surface.  The ice surface was very dark and it was difficult to see the puck.  There were two locker rooms but otherwise, they just had a makeshift set-up with curtains for the teams that were dressing for the next game.  It was pretty “Mickey Mouse”, really.  With smoking permitted in the lobbies and corridors, there was a constant cloud of smoke that permeated the rink, too.

We had just 11 players on that entire 1947 team and our juniors were the key to our club.   We easily downed Willmar 6-0 in my first game at state and my brother Earl scored a goal and had an assist in that game. Next up was Roseau, the pre-tournament favorite, in the semis.  Roseau was led by Rube Bjorkman and they had a good team and had beaten us at Eveleth during the season.  Bjorkman wore those big goggles but he was an outstanding player and, of course, would go on to star with the Gophers and later the U.S. Nationals and Olympic teams.  He also coached at Greenway and then at R.P.I. and North Dakota.

Sure enough, Bjorkman beat me three times to lead the Rams to a 4-1 win. We played pretty well but they were just too much. In the finals, Roseau got upset by St. Paul Johnson.  Prior to the title game, we played Minneapolis West in the third-place game.  John Matchefts, one of my best buddies, scored twice but a guy named Kevin Farley notched a hat trick and we lost 5-3.  It would be the last time Eveleth High School would lose a game until the 1952 season.  Eventually, the winning streak would reach 78 games. That record will likely never be broken, though International Falls in the 1960’s and Bloomington Jefferson in the 1990’s both took a crack at it.

Jim Hoey biography

Jim Hoey was born and raised in Taconite, Minnesota on the west end of the Mesabi Iron Range.  He played forward for three years for Greenway High School in Coleraine and played in three state tournaments with the Raiders – including a state title in 1968.  Hoey played collegiately at St. Mary’s University in Winona and was captain his senior season and later served as head boys coach at both Shakopee and Farmington High Schools.

Hoey resides in Eagan, Minn. with his wife Ann and son Eddie.

Book Availability

Published by Nodin Press out of St. Louis Park, “IKE” and “PUCK  HEAVEN” or any of Hoey’s other books can be purchased at any major bookstore or on Amazon.  Signed and personalized copies of his books can be acquired from the co-author himself.  Please contact Jim Hoey at (651) 994-7870  or at ajehoey@comcast.net to make arrangements to get a copy.

Note to readers: This article was reprinted from a full-featured Minnesota Hockey Magazine digital issue.  Like what you see?  Get a back issue or subscribe today on the PressPad mobile app platform for Minnesota Hockey Magazine via Apple Store, Google Play, and Kindle/Amazon.  Don’t miss out!  Get all 8 issues for this upcoming season sent directly to your email box, buy a single issue or pick up the printed version at many local stores near you.  Thanks.  MHM Staff

The post Legendary player, coach Willard Ikola Passes at 92 appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

It is with great sadness that Len Lilyholm, a local hockey legend, has been killed in a tragic accident in Iowa, along with his wife, Carol, as they were traveling to Palm Beach, FL for the winter this past Saturday, Dec 28, 2024.  This marks a heartbreaking and shocking event in the lives of his family and many friends, hockey related and other, as the news spread rapidly.  Details on the accident are forthcoming and any news on funeral arrangements or memorial sevices are pending.

Lilyholm was always in the limelight, whether he was playing for the USA in some compacity early in his career, pro hockey in Europe, for the WHA Fighting Saints, or for countless local and national adult tournaments into his eighties.  He and his lovely wife, Carol, will be sorely missed by all who knew them.  This is sad news, indeed.

The following article, originally published in 2015, is being republished as a reminder of his hockey background and his efforts to bring new ice-making technology to the US.

(Photo: New REALICE surface shines at Braemar’s main rink in Edina)

Edina Braemar and Blaine Super Rink first to engage in MN

Former USA Olympic and professional hockey player, Len Lilyholm, is bringing new ice-making technology to Minnesota and the U.S.  What Europe, Canada and the Russian KHL professional league have known for several years, the U.S. is just now learning: There is a better and more cost-effective way to make indoor ice.

Enter REALICE technology from Cypress Ltd.

A local hockey legend.  Len Lilyholm hails from Minneapolis and played high school hockey at Robbinsdale where he was all state his senior year.

He went on to play for the Minnesota Gophers in the early 60’s and graduated in 1966 with an architecture degree.

As an amateur, he played five seasons with the U.S. National Team, representing them at the 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971 and 1974 World Championships.  He was the captain and the team’s leading scorer in 1974.

He also was a member of the 1968 U.S. Olympic team that played in Grenoble, France.

He played several years of minor league hockey with the Rochester Mustangs from 1965-68 and 1969-70, and also played parts of a few seasons in Austria, with Salzburg EC and Kitzbühel AC.

1968 US Olympic Team. Back Row L-R: Larry Stordahl, Ron Naslund, Bob Paradise, Bob Gaudreau, Larry Pleau, Doug Vollmer Middle Row L-R: Murray Williamson, Coach/General Manager, Doc Rose, Trainer, Len Lilyholm, Craig Falkman, Paul Hurley, Don Ross, Jack Morrison, Bruce Riutta, Don Niederkorn Front Row L-R: Jim Logue, John Cunniff, Herb Brooks, Lou Nanne, Tom Hurley, Pat Rupp Not Pictured: Jack Dale, Jerry York

Lilyholm played one year in the majors, playing for the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Association in 1972-73, appearing in 77 games.

He finished out his hockey career in 1973-74 with the Suncoast Suns of the Southern Hockey League.

In 1978, he coached the U.S. National Junior U20 team at the World Junior tournament in Montreal.  A powerful Canadian team had the likes of Wayne Gretzky (at only 16 years old) and Bobby Smith, but finished third behind Sweden and Russia.  The U.S. team finished 4-2.

As an architect and builder, he participated in the design of the St. Paul Civic Center completed in 1973 as the home of the Fighting Saints.

Len continues to play into his 70’s, frequently participating in local and national adult hockey tournaments.

He now works for Cypress Ltd as an Energy Advisor professional for the REALICE technology.  Len and his wife, Carol, now reside in Palm Beach, Florida.

Len Lilyholm, Minnesota Fighting Saints, 1972-1973

REALICE is for Real.  Invented in Sweden with a worldwide patent by Watreco AB and now in use in over 300 rinks worldwide, REALICE is a low-cost device that reduces energy used in the ice-making process.  The majority of ice rinks traditionally use heated water to build and resurface refrigerated ice surfaces.  Heating the water removes micro-bubbles, also making it flow more easily.  It also slows the ice freezing process so that the ice surface freezes without ridges or rough patches.

RealIce technology installed at Braemar Arena

The REALICE technology removes the micro-bubbles and changes the viscosity of un-heated water, allowing it to also flow easily and have a better heat transfer while providing clearer and harder ice.  This saves on expensive gas water heating and electric refrigeration costs.  In addition, the compressors do not have to work as hard since the unheated water freezes faster at the cooler water temperature. This also saves on electricity and compressor maintenance. In addition, dehumidification systems do not have to work as hard either.  There are no moving or mechanical parts and no maintenance required.  Payback (ROI) is advertised to be less than two years for a single rink and less than one year for a unit that serves a double rink.  Monthly savings has been documented at between $1200 and $1500 per rink and there usually are rebates from the local gas and electric utility.  The ice is harder, clearer, and faster.

REALICE is a ”green” technology and is now a proven product.  Installed first in Europe in 2008, it is now in its second generation.  Used widely in Europe for several years, it is now being used by the Russian professional league, KHL.  It is endorsed by the Swedish, Finnish and International Ice Hockey Federations.  The NHL has also been using it for their outdoor Winter and Heritage Classic events since 2011.

In December 2010, Cypress, Ltd. conducted the field placement study for Southern California Edison to quantify the energy savings and test the quality of the ice. Recently, a major gas utility in British Columbia, Canada funded a pilot program to test the technology in 10 rinks in cities and towns across the province.  See this news clip out of Prince George, B.C.  Many utilities now provide incentives to install the technology, and the largest U.S. gas utility, Southern California Gas Company, is launching a utility program around the technology.

U.S. Rinks are Warming Up to the Technology.  Per Lilyholm, the U.S. seems late to the game, but it’s tough to get rink managers to change the way they have been doing things for years.  There are, however, signs that it will take off soon.

Iowa State University installed the first unit in North America back in 2010 after the son of a university professor playing hockey in Luxembourg brought the technology back to Iowa.  The professor, Al Murdoch, who was heavily involved in Iowa’s famed club hockey program, installed and performed an extensive study with impressive results.

Lilyholm was aware of this and also had a key contact in Luxembourg that was using the technology.  After studying this and seeing the results first hand, he decided to embrace the challenge of getting rink managers in the U.S. to investigate and pilot the device.

Edina and Blaine lead the way.  It’s no surprise that Edina’s Braemar arena and the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, both progressive hockey operations serving well-known and successful hockey and figure skating programs, were willing to plow new ground and give the technology a try after obtaining detailed energy calculations and utility support.

Edina, with three indoor refrigerated rinks at Braemar, installed a unit serving their two practice rinks in September of 2014.  Susie Miller, the general manager of the facility, told MHM that while the financial analysis has not been completed yet, early results appear to be as advertised.  With energy rebates and promised lower gas and electric costs, she is very optimistic about lowering her operating costs.  She also stressed that while reducing their energy costs was important for a facility as large as theirs, the quality of the new ice was more important to their customers, both their renowned hockey programs at all levels and the figure skating organizations.  So far, so good.  Reports on ice quality have been positive.  Hockey players and coaches, along with the figure skaters, are happy, and on Wednesday, Feb. 4, the technology was also installed at the main Braemar rink.

Lilyholm on hand during installation at Braemar’s main rink

At the National Sports Center Super Rink, the technology was just installed at two of the main Olympic size rinks (rinks 3 & 4) on Friday, Feb 6.  Their engineers plan to analyze the results and determine if/when they will install the REALICE technology in the other rinks.

Lilyholm told MHM that the REALICE technology awareness is gaining momentum.  It is the only resurfacing technology that U.S. gas and electric utilities feel confident enough to pay incentives.  A few operations on the East Coast are in the process of looking closely at installations soon.  He indicated that the results of the Edina and Blaine installs will go a long way to convince arenas across Minnesota and the U.S. to go “green”, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and significantly reduce the costs associated with providing indoor refrigerated ice.

For more info.  For more detailed information on the REALICE technology, you can go to their website here.

Len with wife Carol

Len Lilyholm can be reached at:

Phone: 612-940-4961

E-mail: len@realice.us

About Cypress Ltd.  Cypress Ltd is a MN corporation headquarted in California that has served clients for more than 25 years as an energy advisory firm.  They provide efficiency and demand solutions for electric, gas and water utilities and their customers.  Their primary focus is on what is important to customers who want to realize cost-effective reductions in utility-related operational costs.  They work to demonstrate the advantages of energy efficiency and demand-saving technologies and behaviors.  You can learn more about Cypress Ltd here.

The post Local Hockey Legend Killed appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

So, she was not expecting a call with the news that she’d been selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“Initially, just shocked,” Wendell-Pohl said. “You don’t ever expect that phone call.

“Once it settled in, it was just really cool. Then to hear the news that… Natalie Darwitz was also going in. It made it that much better.”

Wendell-Pohl, along with her friend and teammate Darwitz, will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Nov. 11. The Hall of Fame induction weekend is Nov. 8-11.

Wendell-Pohl, 43, built a hall-of-fame career with eye-popping stats and awards as a high-scoring forward. But it’s not like she was a one-sport athlete as a kid. Whatever sport or game her older brother was playing, Wendell-Pohl wasn’t too far behind him.

“It’s funny, I don’t know what it was about hockey,” Wendell-Pohl said. “I literally grew up playing every sport possible from baseball to tennis to made-up games of hot box in the backyard.”

Her other claim to fame as a youth athlete came on the baseball diamond, becoming the fifth girl to play in the Little League World Series.  

But whatever it was about hockey, it was a sport Wendell-Pohl said she loved right away. She loved being at the rink. Loved skating on outdoor rinks. Loved any chance she could get to put on her gear and skate in a game. The competitiveness, the pace, the skating. She was drawn to it all from a young age.

That passion for the sport carried her through, especially because there initially weren’t many opportunities to look forward to for a future in women’s hockey. Playing in college or the Olympics “wasn’t even really an option.”

“So, for me, it really was just the love of the game and being able to play the sport,” Wendell-Pohl said.

Good timing
Turns out, timing was on her side. She may have been one of the most notable girls’ hockey players in Minnesota, who grew up playing with the boys, but doors started to crack open. It started with the addition of women’s hockey to the Olympics in 1998. That led to more opportunities with women’s college programs popping up.

Wendell-Pohl hadn’t even played on a girls’ hockey team – she was still playing bantams with the boys – before she went to the 1998 Olympic team tryout. But then she came back home and played another year with the boys before two years of girls’ high school hockey with Park Center, leading the team to a state championship in 2000. She also trained and played in the world championships and was part of the U.S. Women’s National Team program from 1998-2007.

She’s a two-time Olympian (2002 and 2006) and competed in six IIHF Women’s World Championships, including in 2005 when she helped the United States win its first-ever gold medal in the event. She led the tournament with nine points that year.

She forged a similar path to Darwitz – playing for the national team before playing college hockey. It’s a path that Darwitz noted is a bit in reverse.

“I feel like I got really, really fortunate with the timing,” Wendell-Pohl said. “There were so many people ahead of me that paved the way and was kind of just the beneficiary behind it just being able to enjoy playing and live in the moment.”

Wendell-Pohl moved to Lake Placid to train with the national team after she graduated from Park Center. With her training, she took nearly a two-year gap between schooling. She started college back home with the University of Minnesota Gophers at age 21.

Her journey left Wendell-Pohl with a new appreciation for coming home and being near her friends and family again.

“For me, it was interesting and unique, for sure, to go play in the Olympics and then almost come back and play college,” Wendell-Pohl said. “I certainly enjoyed and looked forward to coming home, and I absolutely loved my time playing college hockey here.”

She scored 106 goals and 237 points in 101 career games across three seasons (2002-05) with the Gophers. Skating with Darwitz, they helped lead the Gophers to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2004 and 2005. Wendell-Pohl was a Patty Kazmaier Award winner and two-time WCHA Player of the Year.

Similar paths for the Krissy-Natalie duo
Because Wendell-Pohl didn’t start college immediately following high school, it worked out well enough that she and Darwitz, already teammates for Team USA, played on a line together with the Gophers, along with Kelly Stephens. Darwitz is two years younger in age.

It’s fitting that this duo will be inducted in the same Hockey Hall of Fame class; they’re both already members of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. Even though they didn’t play together in their youth, and only faced each other once in high school. They played together for their country and their hometown college.

“I think people obviously look at the stats and say, ‘ok, they’re teammates,’” Darwitz said. “I think it goes way beyond that. Krissy and I, we basically saw each other grow up. We left home at an early age.

“We have a similar track record of playing with the boys and then going into the Olympics, and then doing college after that. … It’s just a really cool story.”

Wendell-Pohl agreed that seeing each other grow up was a good way to describe her and Darwitz.

“I do think that people probably pair us together,” Wendell-Pohl said. “I’ll happily take that pairing. If you’re going to pair me with Natalie, I’m happy to tag along with that, because she’s certainly a leader and a driver for women’s hockey.”

Memories surrounded by family
Looking back on her playing career, Wendell-Pohl has plenty of memorable moments from the various stages of her career. She credits a lot of her later opportunities to the positive experiences she had in her youth hockey days playing with boys, where a community was willing to embrace having a girl on the team.

“I just feel so fortunate that… for me, I got to live out a lot of my dreams,” Wendell-Pohl said. “I got to play in the Olympics, I got to go play and win national championships with some of my best friends that I grew up with here in Minnesota.

“Sometimes I almost have to pinch myself. You have no idea when you’re living in the moment until you look back that you realize how lucky and fortunate you really were.”

Wendell-Pohl will celebrate the Hall of Fame weekend with her family, including her parents, brother and sister. Her husband, Johnny Pohl, and their three daughters will also attend. It’s a chance to spend time all together, taking a break from busy lives.

Krissy and Johnny are longtime hockey coaches and just started their second season behind the bench of Hill-Murray’s girls’ team, now coaching their two older daughters on the varsity squad: Emily (sophomore) and Anna (eighth grade).

“To see where the game is now and have my own daughters grow up and have those kind of experiences and memories, to be able to play on all-girls teams and play in the summer and be able to go to different camps is really cool,” Wendell-Pohl said. “It’s a sport that unifies a lot of people. It’s a small world. But it certainly brings a lot of people together.

“I just feel really fortunate that I was able to have the journey I did.”

The post Hockey Hall Of Fame: Wendell-Pohl appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

“I beelined it for my dad’s and (with) my brother to go to the hockey rink,” said Natalie Darwitz. “I kind of grew up as a rink rat.”

Good choice, young Darwitz.

Her exposure to the rink, and continued requests to play hockey, paid off when her parents granted her wish on her 5th birthday. She was going to play hockey.

“For me, it was my passion,” Darwitz said. “I always had a stick in my hand.

“There were pictures of me in My Little Pony roller skates with a Christian hockey stick in my hand playing in the driveway or trying on my brother’s equipment.”

Natalie Darwitz set numerous state tournament records during her time with the Eagan High School girls’ team. In the 1998 consolation final, a 5-3 Eagan victory over Anoka, Darwitz scored two goals 11 seconds apart, a state tournament record for the least amount of time between goals scored by the same player. (Photo courtesy of Natalie Darwitz)

Jump ahead 30-plus years later, and that rink rat from Eagan, Minn. is getting inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Nov. 11. The Hall of Fame induction weekend is Nov. 8-11. Darwitz, 41, is one of the most successful and notable hockey players to hail from Minnesota, with a lengthy list of hockey accomplishments spanning from her youth to the Olympics.

Not an uncommon story, Darwitz played on boys’ teams until she was in seventh grade. She credits a lot of her success to those early years playing with the boys, who she said were great and treated her like any other teammate.

Topping out at her 5-foot-3 height, she switched to girls’ hockey and played for Eagan High School, coached by her dad, Scott, from seventh grade until her sophomore year, racking up 468 points across four seasons. She led Eagan to three state tournaments where she scored plenty of goals and set a few records.

Skating backward, sort of
Beyond her high school career, Darwitz skated a path somewhat in reverse: She became an Olympian first, and then played college hockey. That’s how things were set up at the time, as momentum for girls and women’s hockey really took off after the 1998 Olympics, the first Olympic Games which included women’s hockey.

Darwitz was the youngest to make the U.S. national team at 15 years old, and she competed at her first Olympics at 18 years old in 2002, winning a silver medal.

Following her first Olympics, Darwitz played three seasons with the University of Minnesota Gophers, winning back-to-back national championships in 2004 and 2005. Darwitz, who racked up scoring records and awards, skated on a line with U.S. national teammate Krissy Wendell-Pohl and Kelly Stephens.

Wendell-Pohl, who is getting inducted into the Hall of Fame with Darwitz, describes her former teammate and friend as a quiet leader with a skillset that speaks for itself, “but her will to win and her will and determination is just unmatched to anybody I ever played with or against.”

“She just had this compete level that she made those players around her that much better,” Wendell-Pohl said. “Even more so just her IQ of being able to break down a team. She was almost like the second coach for me. I would learn from just playing with her and around her.”

Playing for the Gophers was also a full-circle moment for Darwitz. She’d watched plenty of Gophers hockey games over the years before lacing up her skates at the college rink.

“I remember growing up, every Friday, my family would order pizza and we’d watch the men Gopher hockey team play,” Darwitz said. “So, it just kind of was in your blood that that’s what you’re going to do.”

Years later, Darwitz was also behind the bench as an assistant coach for the Gopher women’s program.

Hall of Fame friends
Darwitz, and Wendell-Pohl, are two well-known women’s hockey players, and that reach goes beyond the boundaries of Minnesota. Only two other U.S.-born women are in the Hockey Hall of Fame: Cammi Granato (2010) and Angela Ruggiero (2015). Darwitz and Wendell-Pohl will go into the Hall as the third and fourth on that list, and representing Minnesota makes it that much more special for them.

Krissy Wendell-Pohl and Natalie Darwitz played hockey together for Team USA and the University of Minnesota Gophers. Now, they’re going into the Hall of Fame together. (Photo courtesy of Natalie Darwitz)

“We saw a lot of things together and experienced a lot together,” Darwitz said. “It just makes it more memorable.”

Of the seven members of this year’s Hockey Hall of Fame class, Darwitz and Krissy Wendell-Pohl are the first two women since 2010 to enter the Hall in the same year. They’re already in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, inducted in 2018 (Darwitz) and 2019 (Wendell-Pohl).

While they were teammates on various hockey stages, their connection runs much deeper than sharing a locker room or space on a line. Besides growing up in the Twin Cities metro area, they each left home as teenagers to pursue their Olympic aspirations.

“We kind of got thrown into the fire together,” Darwitz said. “We kind of saw each other grow up.

“So, I think it’s a really unique, fun situation that not only were we teammates, but we really saw each other in the growth phase. We went through stressful situations. Going through an Olympic process isn’t rainbows and butterflies. You’re going through seeing teammates get cut. You’re going through that process, too, yourself. So, we really experienced a lot of memorable moments.”

Being a couple of years apart in age, the first time they played together was at the U.S. national program. Darwitz, the younger of the duo by two years, was a constant, supportive presence for Wendell-Pohl, someone she could lean on. It brought about confidence for Wendell-Pohl, having Darwitz by her side as someone who navigated a similar hockey journey.

Natalie Darwitz is a three-time Olympic medalist, three-time IIHF women’s World Championship gold medalist and five-time IIHF women’s World Championship silver medalist. (Photo courtesy of Natalie Darwitz)

“It would almost feel weird if I was going to this weekend without her,” Wendell-Pohl said. “Just because I do feel like any time I went into battle, whether it was with the U.S. team or college, I always had Natalie.”

As far as memories go, little snippets from each phase of her hockey career stand out to Darwitz, including skating on outdoor rinks with her older brother and his friends, to having her dad coach her in high school. She took pride in playing for her community and seeing the “good luck at the state tournament” wishes around Eagan.

Leaving home to play hockey at such a young age, it also made Darwitz appreciate home a lot more. Home is where her parents are. Every time her mom and dad attended a game – whether in Minnesota or further away – Darwitz always found them in the crowd from her on-ice view after warm-ups and gave them a wave.

“That’s an emotional thing for me,” Darwitz said. “Because they let me play hockey number one, when it wasn’t a norm to have a girl play hockey. So, I have to give them credit for going against the grain and allowing their daughter to follow her passion even though it wasn’t normal at the time.”

Darwitz is grateful for her hockey career, which includes all the people she’s met along the way, too. “Hockey’s funny,” she added, in that she’s receiving an individual award even though it’s a team sport. She credits the great teammates and coaches on her career path, too, whether they helped in a big or small way.

“All walks of life, it’s just coming full circle, and I’m super grateful for all that,” Darwitz said.

The post Hockey Hall Of Fame: Darwitz appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

With a heavy heart, this story is how Henry convinced me to do a special issue on his beloved Warroad community, and the making of one of my all-time favorite special issues featuring Warroad hockey. I also want to share my last in-person visit with Henry as we discussed faith and the spiritual side of life for hours.

Henry’s death on Sept. 18th, 2023 left a void in the hockey world that will never be filled. Henry and his legend was bigger than life. Henry may have passed on, but his legend will always be with us. 

I met Henry more than a decade ago, when we had booths next to one another at the Let’s Play Hockey trade show.  That was fortuitous because wherever Henry went it, he attracted a crowd. By the end of that weekend, Henry and I had developed a friendship that continued up until his passing. 

MHM Photo.

Henry and I had a love of hockey that went beyond the ice. He was always promoting the game and those who played it.  

About seven years ago, I met Henry at the grand opening of the Royal Club in Lake Elmo where he was helping sell real estate. Henry had invited me to the event and said he had something else he wanted to share with me. 

When I got there, Henry started right in with the Warroad hockey idea and told me we really needed to go to Warroad and put together a special issue. I initially liked the idea but told Henry I needed to see if it was even possible to do a whole magazine on such a small town of less than 2,000 people.

I reminded Henry that Warroad is a six-plus-hour drive from the Twin Cities, and I didn’t have a lot of spare time to go and look. I asked, how did he plan on getting me up there?

Henry said he would fly me up, on the Marvin Windows plane that next week, so I could take a look for myself. He also said he would help me get the stories and the sponsors to make this a reality. The next week, I was called by a Warroad Hockey Town USA person, letting me know that I had a seat reserved for early Saturday morning, and to catch the flight in Bloomington at the Signature Aviation terminal.

 I arrived at 5 a.m. for the flight out of the private terminal at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where I was about to hop on a private jet with some of the greatest names in Minnesota hockey. In the terminal were past and present prominent NHL players who were heading up to play in the annual Warroad Celebrity Golf Tournament.

I looked at the scene and thought it would be best if I boarded as the last person on the plane, sitting wherever the open seat was. I boarded the plane and looked to find the open seat that was next to Lou Nanne. I put my briefcase down on the seat next to Nanne, and he politely told me no, that seat was taken by Neal Broten. Nanne then hollered to the back of the plane: “Brot’s get your butt up here.” I looked and saw Broten get up from the rear of the plane, and now figured that would be my seat in back. As I got to the back of the plane, I sat face-to-face across from Ryan Suter, who was sitting next to Tony Hrkac, a previous Hobey Baker winner for the University of North Dakota.

With the seating arrangements now figured out, I was on my way to Warroad for an epic day. I had a few copies of the magazines and gave both Suter and Hrkac copies. They were impressed with the magazine, and we talked about my trip and what it took to make a magazine happen. Suter gave me his cellphone number; he wanted to advertise a product he was bringing to market.

When the plane landed, we all jumped into cars that were waiting for us, and it was onto the course for the day’s festivities. At the Warroad Estates Golf Course,  I met all of the legends of Warroad hockey, as well as many other hockey celebrities.   

By the end of the day, I knew why this town of less than 2,000 people really needed to have a special edition and was accurately called Hockeytown USA. Now it was time to get back with Henry and figure out the details.

I met with Henry that week to discuss the next steps. He said that if I drove him up he would take care of everything else. About a month later, we were both back in Warroad to get down to business to capture the story on what makes Warroad Hockeytown USA. 

I had heard some stories on the wilder side of Henry. He knew when it was time to work, when it was time to kick back and when it was time to have some fun. I saw this while living with him that week. 

We started by settling in for a week at a condo on the Warroad Estates Golf Course. From there, Henry took me around town daily, showing me the rich hockey history and life in Warroad. Henry made the morning calls and had people lined up, opening doors of opportunities for stories or sponsors, and then relaxed in the evenings taking in a grandson’s football or granddaughter’s volleyball game.

True to his word, all of this came true. Henry’s love for his hometown and his presence made it easy to get people on board with content or as an advertiser. We worked hard getting the stories and sponsors. With Henry’s help and persistence, we did in a week what typically takes a team of writers and ad sales people a month or more to do. By the end of the week, we had more than enough content to do a complete magazine, with enough sponsors to create a 100-page magazine.

That Saturday night, it was time to celebrate a successful week. Henry said we needed to go out to one of his friends’ who was having a surprise 50th birthday party. We had a blast. When they gave the birthday grandpa some small sticks of dynamite, it made a lasting memory, hearing the sizzle as the wick burned and then the blast, each time they went off. As the designated driver, we stayed late, then closed down the local bars, and made it back to the condo around 2 a.m. for a late-night steak dinner that Henry had planned earlier in the day.

After this magazine was produced and on the shelves statewide, I got a call from Henry, saying we needed to really promote this. I asked what did he have in mind? A week later, I found myself with Henry on the radio of the north, 100,000-watt WCCO AM and Sports to the Max with Mike Max. Henry glowed as he spoke for 45 minutes on his hometown and the sport he loved. He shared the stories that we covered in the magazine and then about his own career. My time on the air was about three minutes to Henry’s 42, which was appropriate for the show.

I am so thankful for all the time I spent with Henry. Up until very recently, Henry and I met at various events and hockey games and helped each other out where possible. Prior to the Covid mess, I helped him with some of his book signings and he helped me at our charity golf tournament or our banquet to honor lifetime achievers in hockey. We also went to watch some pro and high school hockey games together.

Henry Boucha at his book signing. (MHM Photo)

Henry had a deep spiritual side to him that few knew about. Besides our love for hockey, I think one of the reasons we enjoyed each other was he was a very spiritual person and knew my faith in Christ was real to me. I enjoyed sharing spiritual thoughts with Henry. He loved his Creator and had a reverence for life. I would call Henry on occasion to get his take on something in the wild I had just seen. He always had a spiritual explanation.

The last time I was with Henry was when he invited me over several months ago for a steak lunch. Henry shared that his heart was now in rough shape and the danger of surgery was almost as bad as his condition. The doctors at Mayo Clinic told Henry that they did not want to operate.  

We spoke for hours about life and death and all that was going on in the world.  

I shared my Christian faith with him, we agreed about the Creator, but Henry wasn’t convinced Jesus was the only way. After several hours of a very deep conversation, I told him I had to get going to go to see my mom and dad for dinner. Henry asked if I could call my parents to see if he could go with me.. My parents were thrilled to have Henry over for dinner, where they talked hockey for a few hours. On the way back to his home we continued our discussion on the afterlife.    

The Minnesota Hockey Magazine Warroad Special Edition would not have happened without Henry. He not only introduced me to the stories but also the sponsors, who all jumped on board in making this happen.

The link to the magazine Henry helped bring to life is below. To view the magazine, click on the cover and scroll to flip the pages. By reading this magazine, you will find out what makes Warroad Hockeytown USA and is a go-to source for the locals.

We all have Henry to thank for keeping these stories alive.  

Minnesota Hockey Magazine for Nov. 2017 (volume 6, issue 2)

The post My Friendship with Henry Boucha appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Well-Known Player/Coach Jake McCoy Passes at 79

It is with great sadness that we have lost one of Minnesota’s and Minneapolis’s outstanding hockey figures of our generation.  It was reported yesterday (Friday, Feb 5, 2021) that Thomas “Jake” McCoy passed away.  It was my pleasure and privilege to have spent several hours interviewing Jake for the article below in preparation for his MHM lifetime achievement award presented to him 2 years ago.  RIP Jake McCoy.  Funeral arrangements are pending.

This Article was also Republished for HDM Minneapolis 2020

Jake McCoy

Minnesota Hockey Magazine is proud to announce that its Marv Jorde Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to Jake McCoy at the Dec 22^nd Parker’s Reunion event at Tom Reid’s Hockey City Pub. Jake is well known in the hockey community as a player and longtime coach in Minneapolis and Richfield High School. Festivities begin at noon and is open to all senior hockey players and friends at no cost. Join us!

Jake’s Playing Days.

Thomas James (Jake) McCoy, born in 1942, grew up playing hockey on the local ponds and playgrounds of South Minneapolis. Like many kids from that era, the local outdoor ice was where you learned to have passion and love for the game. It wasn’t clear, however, that hockey was going to be Jake’s sport of choice.

McCoy, center, led DeLaSalle to a state tournament birth in 1959

Most people don’t know, but he was actually a basketball player at first and did not play organized hockey until 1953 as an 11 year old sixth grader. He played basketball in 7th and 8th grade, but continued to spend many hours during the winter skating at Pearl Park, playing pick-up hockey.

In 9th grade, while a freshman at DeLaSalle, Jake finally became a full time hockey player on local Bantam (PeeWee) teams since DeLaSalle did not have a varsity high school team yet. As a senior, he led his DeLaSalle Islander team to its first ever Independent State High School tournament appearance in only its second year of varsity hockey. Remarkably, at the same time, he was playing on a local senior amateur team called the Royal 58 Beer. This team won both the Minnesota State and National Amateur Championships that year.

As a Gopher, back row, 3rd from left

After playing one year at St. John’s University, he transferred to the University of Minnesota as a walk-on. He was not eligible to play varsity his sophomore year, but played on the freshmen team. As a junior and senior in 1962 and 1963 he finished his college playing days for John Mariucci’s Gophers.  

Of his Gopher playing days, Jake says, “I was deeply indebted to John Mariucci for giving me the chance to play varsity hockey. He didn’t play politics and didn’t have to give me a chance, but he did”.

In the fall of 1963, Jake attended open tryouts for the 1964 USA Men’s Olympic Team at Wakota arena in South St. Paul.

Just eight years after giving up basketball for hockey, he made the team as a defensemen while competing for a position against many Olympic veterans, college All-American’s and pros. He competed in the 1964 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. 

About the tryouts, Jake recounts, “Every day new guys were coming and going. You just took it one day at a time.”  

His experience in Innsbruck was memorable,”I’ll never forget. The setting was fabulous, the teams were great. The Russians and Czechs were ferocious when they played. The Canadians were full of WCHA players we had played with and against in college.”

Team USA, 1964 Olympics

After the Olympics in 67/68 he played in the USHL with the Minnesota Nationals, a farm team for the USA National team. In 68/69 he played with another USHL team in Duluth, the Duluth Port Stars, and then the Rochester Mustangs when the Duluth team folded.

He went on to play many years of senior amateur hockey throughout the United States and Canada, first for Steven’s Buick, then with Marv Jorde’s Parkers Hockey Club where he won 8 Minnesota State and 6 National Senior Men’s Championships.

Former teammates have high praise for not only his on-ice talents but also for his dedication to coaching and, in general, his character, friendship and humor off-ice.  

Rich Brown, USHL, IHL and Parker player said, “Jake ranks with Marv Jorde for enthusiasm for the love of the game. He blocked shots as very few could. He was like a rock on defense and moved the puck. He was always a factor in the game he was in.” 

Dave Arundel, a former youth player for Jake, Wisconsin Badger and eventual teammate of Jake’s after playing some pro hockey adds, “Playing with Jake was the most fun I have ever had playing hockey. Jake was a tough, tough D-Man, and very skilled. The BEST passer I ever played with.  Usually played with no helmet and NO ONE blocked more shots than he did. And…he was the most unselfish D partner you could ever have. He was always dishing you the puck with a perfect pass. He made you look GREAT out there.” 

A Coaching Legend.  

Jake started coaching Minneapolis youth hockey teams in 1960. He coached hockey in Richfield at all levels from mites through head hockey coach from 1966-2013 and was also the head hockey coach at Minneapolis Washburn from 1986-1990.

McCoy as youth hockey coach

He continued to coach youth hockey in Richfield and in Eden Prairie for his grandson’s squirt team. In all he spent over 50 consecutive years coaching hockey in Minnesota. He still does some youth coaching today.

Jake coached at a time when Richfield’s many outdoor skating rinks were loaded with kids hoping to someday play high school hockey for the hometown Spartans.  There were several successful years – six appearances in the old one-class state tournament, including a championship game appearance in 1976. With dwindling numbers over the years, the Richfield team fell on hard times until, in November 2016, the decision was made to shut down its program. It was a difficult thing to take for Jake and the community at large. 

Jake commented, “It was a sad day. We just ran out of kids.” Of his Richfield teams he said, “We played in a very tough Lake Conference. The best part of  coaching the Richfield kids was that they were blue collar. They played hard and they worked hard. When we lost, the kids just kept working harder.”  

Richfield started hockey back in 1954-55. Jake added, “It was hard to see that kind of history end.”

Jake, Richfield Hockey Coach

Jake always enjoyed being a coach and learned that the game of hockey is very important to kids’ development at all levels. He believes if you give kids a chance to play in crucial situations, they will have success both on and off the rink.

He commented, “If you give kids a chance, they will surprise you. Today’s win-at-all-cost thinking comes at the expense of the kids. I’m glad I played all the kids. It instills confidence in them and they will give back.”

He was inducted into the Richfield Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Minneapolis Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016.

Dave Arundel said, “He was my bantam coach in 7^th, 8^th and 9^th grades. I was in AWE of him. First of all…I wanted to be like Jake. I wanted to play hockey like him, I wanted to talk like him and I wanted his sense of humor. If I have had ANY success as a hockey player it was due to Jake!”  

Coach Jake McCoy

Arundel summarizes how many of his former players thought of him, “Jake McCoy was, is and will always be my idol and hero. He is one of the top 2 or 3 most influential people in my life. Selfless, encouraging, humorous, understanding and unconditional with his love.” Quite the testimonial.  

You can also add “humble” to the list of adjectives to describe Jake. In discussing his playing and coaching career, Jake very much downplayed the success he has had over the years, “I had a lot of good fortune and think I am one of the luckiest guys in the world. I had a great run. I had fun and success and you can’t beat that.”

Lifetime Achievement Award.

For Jake’s long time playing and coaching achievements and for his significant, generous and caring contributions to youth and high school hockey in Minnesota, Minnesota Hockey Magazine is proud to bestow on Jake McCoy the Marv Jorde Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award.  Now!

Congratulations, Jake!

Jake is dedicating this award to the late Marv Jorde, another person who had a remarkable influence on those he touched.

(Credits: Some information and photos taken from previous web-based articles on Jake McCoy and Richfield hockey history.)

The post A Lifetime of Giving Kids a Chance appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

In our final segment, Phil Housley recalls playing for the US National Teams in World Tournaments starting while still in High School and figured after competing at that level he was ready to play in the NHL.  He did just that,  never a day in the minors and playing on all the top US Teams including playing 20 years later for the US National Team in the Olympics in Salt Lake City for Herb Brooks.  Phil then talks about his induction in the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame.

The post Phil Housley – MHM Exclusive Interview (Segment 8/8) appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Housley lists his all-time favorites with who were the favorite players, coaches and teams in his legendary career and then talks about the intensity of the Stanley Cup playoffs.   Housley is still chasing getting his name on the Cup and is hoping that now happens as a coach.  He says after an 82 game schedule and then win another 16 games to hold the Cup is the hardest championship to win in all sports.

The post Phil Housley – MHM Exclusive Interview (Segment 7/8) appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.