Dean Blais
Dean Charles Blais[1] (born January 18, 1951) is an American ice hockey coach. He was the head coach of the Omaha Mavericks, the men's team of the University of Nebraska Omaha, and also head coach of the United States men's national junior ice hockey team. He led Team USA to a gold medal in the IIHF 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Saskatoon, Canada, held in late December 2009 through early January 2010.[2]
Dean Blais | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
International Falls, Minnesota, U.S. | January 18, 1951||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
Position | Forward | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for | Dallas Black Hawks (CHL) | ||
NHL Draft |
68th overall, 1971 Chicago Blackhawks | ||
Playing career | 1973–1976 |
He is the former associate coach of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets. He led the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux (now Fighting Hawks) men's hockey team to NCAA Division I championships in 1997 and 2000. Blais also has two other appearances in the Frozen Four, the semifinal round of the NCAA tournament—with North Dakota in 2001 (losing in the championship game) and Omaha in 2015 (losing in the semifinals). Blais also led the 1990 Roseau Rams to a Minnesota State High School Hockey Championship.
Playing career
A native of International Falls, Minnesota, Blais played college hockey at the University of Minnesota from 1970 to 1973. He was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 5th round (68th overall) of the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft, and played three seasons of pro hockey with the Chicago Blackhawks’ development team in Dallas.[3] He also played for the United States national team at the 1973 ice hockey world championship pool B tournament.[4]
In popular culture
On March 10, 2009 and May 14, 2010, a photograph of Blais was shown on the Late Show with David Letterman for a segment called, "Guys who look like Dave."[5]
Career
- 1976–1977 – University of Minnesota – Assistant Coach
- 1977–1980 – Minot High School (Minot, North Dakota) – Head Coach
- 1980–1989 – University of North Dakota – Assistant Coach
- 1990–1991 – Roseau High School (Roseau, Minnesota) – Head Coach
- 1991-1992 - Assistant coach Olympic men’s ice hockey team
- 1991–1994 – International Falls High School (International Falls, Minnesota) – Head Coach
- 1994–2004 – University of North Dakota – Head Coach
- 2004–2006 – Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) – Associate Coach
- 2006–2007 – Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) – Player Development
- 2007–2009 – Fargo Force (USHL) – General Manager/Head Coach
- 2009–2010 – Team USA U20 – Head Coach
- 2009–2017 – University of Nebraska Omaha – Head Coach
- 2011-2012– Team USA U20 – Head Coach
Head coaching record
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North Dakota Fighting Sioux (WCHA) (1994–2004) | |||||||||
1994–95 | North Dakota | 18–18–3 | 14–15–3 | t-5th | WCHA Quarterfinal | ||||
1995–96 | North Dakota | 19–18–1 | 16–15–1 | 1-4th | WCHA first round | ||||
1996–97 | North Dakota | 31–10–2 | 21–10–1 | t-1st | NCAA national champion | ||||
1997–98 | North Dakota | 30–8–1 | 21–6–1 | 1st | NCAA West Regional semifinals | ||||
1998–99 | North Dakota | 32–6–2 | 24–2–2 | 1st | NCAA West Regional semifinals | ||||
1999–00 | North Dakota | 31–8–5 | 17–6–5 | 2nd | NCAA national champion | ||||
2000–01 | North Dakota | 29–8–9 | 18–4–6 | 1st | NCAA runner-up | ||||
2001–02 | North Dakota | 16–19–2 | 11–15–2 | t-6th | WCHA first round | ||||
2002–03 | North Dakota | 26–12–5 | 14–9–5 | 4th | NCAA West Regional semifinals | ||||
2003–04 | North Dakota | 30–8–3 | 20–5–3 | 1st | NCAA West Regional Final | ||||
North Dakota: | 262–115–33 | ||||||||
Nebraska–Omaha Mavericks (CCHA) (2009–2010) | |||||||||
2009–10 | Nebraska–Omaha | 20–16–6 | 13–12–3–2 | 6th | CCHA quarterfinals | ||||
Nebraska–Omaha Mavericks (WCHA) (2010–2013) | |||||||||
2010–11 | Nebraska–Omaha | 21–16–2 | 17–9–2 | 3rd | NCAA West Regional semifinals | ||||
2011–12 | Nebraska–Omaha | 14–18–6 | 11–12–5 | 9th | WCHA first round | ||||
2012–13 | Nebraska–Omaha | 19–18–2 | 14–12–2 | 7th | WCHA first round | ||||
Omaha Mavericks (NCHC) (2013–2017) | |||||||||
2013–14 | Omaha | 17–18–2 | 13–9–2–1 | 3rd | NCHC semifinals | ||||
2014–15 | Omaha | 20–13–6 | 12–8–4–3 | 3rd | NCAA Frozen Four | ||||
2015–16 | Omaha | 18–17–1 | 8–15–1–0 | 6th | NCHC quarterfinals | ||||
2016–17 | Omaha | 17–17–5 | 9–13–2–0 | 6th | NCHC quarterfinals | ||||
Omaha: | 146–133–30 | ||||||||
Total: | 408–248–63 | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
Awards and honors
Award | Year | |
---|---|---|
All-NCAA All-Tournament team | 1971 | [6] |
References
- "Dean Blais". HockeyDraftCentral.com.
- Blais to coach U.S. juniors
- UNO Mavericks ice hockey – accessed 2009-09-09
- "All-Time Roster". Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
- Late Show with David Letterman. March 10, 2009. CBS.
- "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database