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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.)

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50 Greatest Ideas I Stole or Plagiarized From Others

Craig Sarner is back writing for Minnesota Hockey Magazine.  In this version of Craig’s Corner, he recalls players and coaches from his playing days and pens some things he strongly believes in.

From our December special print/digital issue on Duluth Area Hockey.

Enjoy!

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UMD-Gophers men’s and women’s doubleheader could be annual highlight

One of the neatest stories during the transition year from the U.S. women’s hockey gold medal in South Korea was that center Kelly Pannek and goaltender Maddie Rooney became close friends as roommates on Team USA. Both were outstanding as Team USA beat Canada in the gold medal final, thanks to Rooney’s dramatic saves in the shootout after the teams tied.

The games are now history, and the players have returned to their teams — including Pannek, back as top-line or senior center for Minnesota and Rooney as junior goaltender for UMD. The fact that they’ve continued to heckle each other about whether Pannek could score on Rooney, or Rooney could stop Pannek’s best shot, continued in a good-natured vein when their teams met for a WCHA season-opening series at Duluth’s AMSOIL Arena.

Favored Minnesota beat UMD 5-2 in the first game, spotting the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead when freshman Gabbie Hughes scored after only 1:07, then the Gophers scored four straight goals in a 4-2 first period en route to a 5-2 victory. Rooney said later she was a bit off her game, and while all five goals came on rebounds, at least Pannek didn’t score any of them.

UMD goaltender Maddie Rooney

“She’s such a great goaltender that our strategy was to shoot low, through congestion, hoping to take her eyes away, and leave us some chances on rebounds,” said Gophers coach Brad Frost. “If you noticed she didn’t make many glove saves because we didn’t shoot high enough for her to catch any. She’s so good that if she can see it, she’ll stop it.”

The next day was Saturday, October 6, and if you love hockey, AMSOIL Arena was the place to be, because the Gophers and Bulldogs would stage their rematch at 3 p.m., followed by the season-opening battle between the Minnesota men and defending NCAA champion UMD.

After about six hours of hockey, both teams in both games played tenacious, tense hockey, and both games wound up in ties. Therein lies an interesting difference, because the women’s 2-2 tie had as dramatic a conclusion after an overtime as any storybook writer could concoct, while the men’s 1-1 tie left an announced 7,382 fans silently waiting for something more in an anticlimactic ending.

More on that later. First, we all know that the women play at a high level these days, but they’ve never generated the strong fan support of the men. Maybe now, in the “MeToo” era, with a new women’s pro hockey team, the Minnesota Whitecaps, playing their first season, things might improve. Especially if UMD can rise to its previous level and compete with the likes of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The caliber of play between the two has been irregular in recent years, since UMD began hockey 20 years ago and won the first year of WCHA women’s hockey. The Bulldogs went on, under Shannon Miller, to capture the first three NCAA women’s tournament championships, and later added two more.

The Saturday game on the league’s opening weekend showed promise for both teams, although it was overshadowed by constant stories about the two roommates from the Olympics going head-to-head.

Freshman Gabbie Hughes from Centennial again scored the game’s first goal, on a second-period power play, and this time Anna Klein added another power play goal for a 2-0 UMD lead. Minnesota came back in the third, when Nicole Schammell knocked a rebound past Rooney at 6:09 of the third, and two minutes later, when the Gophers got a 5-minute major power play, Pannek seemed to mis-hit a shot from the right circle that found its way through congestion and into the left edge, tying the game 2-2.

It stayed 2-2 through the end of the third period, and through a scoreless 5-minute overtime. Next up, each team selected three players for a shootout to decide the game. UMD coach Maura Crowell, a quick-learner herself, sent Hughes out first and the freshman scored on Gopher goalie Sydney Scobee. Minnesota coach Brad Frost sent out Amy Potomak, the freshman half of the British Columbia first-line sisters with junior Sarah Potomak. Amy rushed in and was just about to make her move when Rooney, cat-quick, dived out and poke-checked the puck away from Potomak’s stick.

Next up was UMD’s Ryleigh Houston, and she also scored. That meant the Gophers No. 2 shooter would have to score or the shootout would be over and give UMD the extra point after the tie. The second Gopher shooter was none other than Kelly Pannek.

If they were still roommates, this one could have been for who would have to do the dishes or something. Instead, it was for that important WCHA point — and bragging rights between the two forever more.

Pannek skated in swiftly, made her move, and — as recollections of Rooney’s gold-medal-winning save against Canada were regenerated — Rooney came up with the save. The game is officially a tie in NCAA records, but UMD owns a 3-2 “unofficial” victory in WCHA points.

“Oh yeah, we had a little joust at the end,” said Rooney, flashing her trademark smile because she knows she’ll be running into her old roomie again this season.

UMD Men’s coach Scott Sandelin on opening weekend

After a quick dinner break, the AMSOIL Arena ice was set up for the men’s game, which was preceded by the raising of the NCAA championship banner. It was also the first game as Gophers coach for Bob Motzko, who left after building St. Cloud State into an NCHC powerhouse to take the Minnesota job. It was a fast, tense game, with scoring chances at a premium.

Sampo Ranta, a Gophers freshman from Finland, scored with a quick shot off a pass to the slot by Tommy Novak at 12:07 of the first period. The Gophers held the Bulldogs off the scoreboard through the second period, and early in the third, Kobe Roth shot off a great pass across the slot from Riley Tufte, and when Mat Robson blocked it, Peter Krieger was there to score on a quick rebound.

The two teams finished the third period 1-1, and went into their 5-minute overtime. Now, while the WCHA has a rule for a 5-minute overtime and then a shootout to decide remaining ties, the Big Ten has followed the NCHC’s lead to use a 5-minute 5-on-5 overtime, then a 5-minute 3-on-3 overtime, and then a shootout, if necessary. But nobody in the building, except the coaches, officials, and maybe a few media types up in the sports-information-filled press box had a clue what would happen in a nonconference game between NCHC and Big Ten teams.

Both the Gophers and UMD had their chances as they raced up and down through the 5 minutes, but it remained 1-1. There followed a very interesting pause, as the fans sat there, silently, then rose and stood at their seats, still in silence. It wasn’t until the teams started to troop off the ice that the fans realized it was over. No second overtime, no shootout, no winner or loser even if only to satisfy the everlasting fans urge to see an outcome.

Which was more dramatic? No question. The women ruled.

NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton said, “The best thing would be if we could get all leagues to use our rule, with 5-on-5, 3-on-3, and then the shootout.”

MINNESOTA ICE

We have indeed established Minnesota as the Wild’s “State of Hockey,” and if so, what could be better than to see the five Division 1 hockey schools in Minnesota win three different league championships?

Most all hockey fans are still perturbed that the Gophers split off from the WCHA to help start the Big Ten, and then state teams at UMD and St. Cloud State left to start the NCHC, leaving Minnesota State-Mankato and Bemidji State in the WCHA.

But there’s every chance that MSU-Mankato will repeat as WCHA champion and Bemidji State will rise in its role as contender, and there is every chance that UMD will make a run at the NCHC title, and that St. Cloud State will remain one of the strongest contenders for that crown.

Now, if the Gophers can rise up to challenge Notre Dame for the Big Ten title, the State of Hockey would be paid off with more rich evidence of the excellence here.

That opening night at AMSOIL led to an interesting idea, incidentally. Since any games the Gophers play against in-state rivals are nonconference games, why not stage an annual season-opening extravaganza between the Gophers and Bulldogs men and women? The women would play at one site at 3 p.m. and the men at 7, then the teams would all head to the other city for the next night’s rematches. It was a great show in Duluth this season, so why can’t we make it an annual happening?  

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Lucia, 59, had one season remaining on a contract that was scheduled to pay him $612,500 next season.

A native of Grand Rapids, Minn., who played hockey at Notre Dame University, Lucia has overseen a program with declining success both in wins-losses and gate receipts over  the past few years.

Home attendance was announced at 8,724 per game this season — more than 1,200 short of a sellout — and crowds frequently numbered fewer than that because of no-shows.

Lucia’s teams won NCAA championships in 2003 and 2004 and he posted a record of 457-248-73 at Minnesota, including 11 regular-season conference titles, four league playoff titles and five appearances in the NCAA Frozen Four.

The 457 wins rank first in Gophers’ history.

This season, however, his team went 19-17-2, lost its final four Big Ten games to Penn State and was knocked out of the NCAA field because of the success of other teams after that.

Lucia issued the following statement through the University of Minnesota: 

“I am proud of the 14 banners that have been added to the rafters of 3M Arena at Mariucci. I am forever grateful to all the coaches, staff and most importantly the players who have worked so hard to accomplish this over the years.

“Most importantly to me, we did it the right way. Our players all graduate and have always represented themselves to the high standards of Gopher hockey on and off the ice. It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to be the head hockey coach at the University of Minnesota.”

The big question is who will follow Lucia to try to resurrect a program that formerly was considered one of the best — if not the best — men’s hockey programs in the United States. Among the expected candidates will be Gophers assistants Mike Guentzel and Scott Bell and Northern Michigan coach Grant Potulny, all former players in the system.

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Minnesota finally gets the best of St. Cloud State

It had been awhile since the Gopher men’s hockey team bested their inner-state rival the St. Cloud State Huskies.

No. 10 Minnesota manufactured a split against No. 1 St. Cloud after a 2-0 win on Jan. 7. It was their first win over SCSU since Nov. 1 2014; snapping a five-game losing streak.

“In the time that I’ve been here, we haven’t been too great in our state,” Gophers sophomore Darian Romanko said after Sunday’s win. “So it feels good to get a Minnesota win.”

Minnesota coach Don Lucia called the Huskies the best team they’ve faced all year following the series-opening 5-2 loss the evening before. Lucia’s not the only one who shares that opinion, as the Huskies entered the weekend as the No. 1 team in the nation, according to USCHO.com, and has been on top, or near the top of the polls for the majority of the season.

Traditionally, college hockey games are played on Friday and Saturday, but both teams accommodated one another in the preseason to switch the games to Saturday-Sunday series, as each had ties to the World Junior Championships in Buffalo, New York. Team USA was coached by St. Cloud State bench boss Bob Motzko while SCSU’s Ryan Poehling and Minnesota’s Ryan Lindgren and Casey Mittelstadt were also on the team.

As Team USA captured the bronze medal at the tournament on Jan. 5, both Mittelstadt and Lindgren’s equipment was lost on the flight back, which meant the Gophers were without both players for Saturday’s game. Despite the Gophers netting the first goal in the series opener, their lead didn’t last long as St. Cloud State junior Mikey Eyssimont scored twice and Jeff Smith made 21 saves in a 5-2 win.

However both teams made changes in net for the Sunday’s game. Usual Gopher mainstay, Eric Schierhorn, sat on the bench, as sophomore Mat Robson made his fourth start of the season. Meanwhile, freshman David Hrenak got the call for St. Cloud State. The Huskies have rotated both Smith and Hrenak for the majority of the season. Despite two power plays in the first twenty minutes, the U of M could not convert on the man advantage, adding to their special team woes. Over their last five games, Minnesota is a shocking 0-27 on the power play. By the end of the first period, neither team lit the lamp.

It was another slow start in the second period and as the game reached its halfway point, neither team was on the scoreboard. And towards the end of the period, there was some controversy as it appeared Eyssimont scored his third goal of the series for St. Cloud.

There was an official review for a man in the crease, but the goal still stood. Lucia then challenged that St. Cloud State had too many men on the ice and another review ensued which confirmed Lucia’s assertion and the goal was overturned. Coach’s challenges are now allowed in the regular season, outside of the last two minutes of the regulation, to determine if a play that led to a goal was offsides or if the attacking team had too many men on the ice.

“We had too many men,” Motzko said. “You know my guys were mad. I said, ‘Hey I don’t want to lose a game at the end of the year on that play,’ so I’m ok with the call. I don’t know if they got to it the right way, but I don’t want to lose a game like that late. That’s a good call.”

The Gophers netted the game’s first goal on Romanko’s second of the season 3:10 into the final period. The goal was unassisted, but you could give an unofficial assist to St. Cloud freshman Luke Jaycox, who thought he was clearing the zone, but he put the rubber right on the tape of Romanko’s stick.

St. Cloud had their chances though as they drew a power play with seven-minutes remaining and put on 15 shots in the final period. They also outshot their opponent 25-11 over the final two periods. But even with the extra-attacker on the ice, the Huskies weren’t able to convert and Gophers senior Mike Szmatula iced the game with an empty-net goal.

“I’m happy with the response,” Lucia said. “We were disappointed in some of the aspects of our game. But you’re still going to be playing a really good team, so they can expose you at times. But I thought our energy, our battle level and our wall play was much better tonight.”

The win was big for the Gophers, and will definitely help them out in the Pairwise ranking for getting into the NCAA Tournament in March. Now the team will close out their regular season against conference opponents in the Big Ten. They’ll also have to be a much better team on the road as the Gophers have just one win in 10 road games this season.

Up next for the U of M is the Michigan Wolverines on Jan. 12 and both games will be played at 3M Arena at Mariucci, where Minnesota is 11-2 on the season.

On the flip side, St. Cloud State will host Western Michigan University next weekend.

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