Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey

According to records, the first intercollegiate hockey team at the University of Minnesota was organized in 1895 by Dr. H. A. Parkyn,[10] a Toronto native who also played on the school's football team.[11] An early Minnesota team played the Winnipeg Seven at the now demolished Athletic Park in downtown Minneapolis. They lost 11–3.[10]

In 1900 George Northrup, Paul Joslyn, and A.R. Gibbons headed a committee to create an official varsity hockey club at the U. Although there was some effort to get Northrop Field flooded, it was ultimately decided to play on Como Lake in St. Paul. Although the 1903 season saw the first scheduled organized competitions for Minnesota hockey, ultimately this season would be the last organized hockey season for almost two decades. In 1910 efforts were made to revive competition and outreach to the University of Chicago and University of Wisconsin, other members of the Big Ten Conference, but these plans never materialized.

In January 1914 the Minnesota Board of Regents voted to fund a hockey team. However the University Athletic Board did not officially recognize this team as a varsity team. At this time, a number of fraternity squads existed and other intramural ice hockey competitions were taking place. Professor OS Zelner worked to organize some of this competition. There was also some interest in women's hockey competition.[10]

In 1920–1921, a hockey team again skated representing the University of Minnesota. W. Beaupre Eldredge of St. Paul, a student and club player at the time, was very instrumental in organizing the team, promoting the team to the University Board of Regents to become an official varsity sport. For 1921–1922 season the University Athletic Board of Control decided to finally give ice hockey varsity status on January 9, 1922, answering a petition organized by Merle "Frenchy" DeForest, the president of a new booster organization for the sport, which itself grew out of enthusiasm for hockey among the interfraternal league. During this season, the team finished with a 7–3 record, led by head coach I.D. MacDonald and captain Chester “Chet” Bros. Other members of the 1921–22 team include center Paul Swanson and wingman Frank R. Pond, who were named captains for the following seasons, Swanson in 1922–23 and Pond in 1923–24. DeForest, Swanson and Pond were all members of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity, while Bros was a member of Delta Tau Delta.[12]

For the 1923–1924 season Danish Canadian Emil Iverson assumed the role as head coach. During Iverson's first season as coach the team attained a record of 13–1–0. The team played their games at Minneapolis Arena starting in 1924–1925 season. Such players as Chuck McCabe, Joel Brown, John H. Peterson were accorded All-American honors during this era. Iverson's coaching tenure culminated in Minnesota sharing the National Intercollegiate Athletic Association hockey championship with Yale. Following the 1929–1930 season Emil Iverson accepted a position as coach of the Chicago Blackhawks

Frank Pond, former team captain, became coach in 1930 after the departure of Emil Iverson. The team's Rookie of the Year award is named in his honor.

During Romnes's second year, the NCAA sponsored the first Division I Men's hockey tournament. Minnesota did not qualify for the four team playoff during his coaching tenure.

In the 1952 season, John Mariucci led the Gophers to the National Championship game, with a 23–6 record, after going 13–13 the year before.

Mariucci was a driving force behind the philosophy of stacking the team with Minnesota talent. Even while other programs brought in older and bigger Canadian prospects, Mariucci thoroughly believed in growing the game in Minnesota, from the ground up. He held coaching clinics, and opened ice rinks in numerous Minnesota towns. This, combined with a sense of pride that the Gophers' roster was stacked with Minnesota talent, was monumental for Minnesota taking a real step forward in producing hockey talent.[13]

George Nagobads was hired as the team's physician in 1958, and remained with the team until 1992.[14]

After coaching one season at Ohio State, Glen Sonmor became the head coach of the Gophers in 1966. Sonmor's Gophers started off slowly, finishing 8th, 5th, and 5th in the WCHA during Sonmor's first 3 seasons behind the bench. Things turned around for the Gophers in the 1969–70 season, as Sonmor led the team to its first WCHA Championship in 16 seasons, finishing with a 21–12–0 record. In the process, Sonmor was named the WCHA Coach of the Year.

The following season, the Gophers ended a 10-year NCAA Tournament drought, along with capturing a WCHA Tournament Championship. Sonmor led the Gophers to the NCAA Championship game, beating Harvard 6–5 in the first round. The Gophers lost to Boston University in the Championship game, by a score of 4–2.

During Sonmor's rather short tenure as Minnesota's head coach, the team saw attendance rise 60 percent. Sonmor finished his career with a 78–80–6 record, and coached 3 All Americans: Gary Gambucci (1968), Murray McLachlan (1970), and Wally Olds (1970). Sonmor left the Gophers after the 1971 season, to coach the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Association. Sonmor returned later to be the radio analyst for the Gophers on WCCO-AM.

Brad Buetow was head coach from 1979 to 1985.[15] At the start of the 1984–85 season, he hired Thomas "Chico" Adrahtas as an assistant coach.[15] The team won 31 games, came in second in the WCHA, and made the NCAA tournament.[15] Adrahtas has been accused by a number of former players of coercing them into oral sex.[15] The United States Center for SafeSport investigated, and issued its decision declaring that Adrahtas was permanently ineligible "from participating, in any capacity, in any event, program, activity, or competition authorized by, organized by, or under the auspices of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the National Governing Bodies recognized by the USOPC, a Local Affiliated Organization as defined by the Code, or any High Performance Management Organization (HPMO), or at a facility under the jurisdiction of the same."[16]

Runners-up in 1953, 1954, 1971, 1975, 1981, 1989, 2014, and 2023.

Big Ten Regular Season Championship Trophy:

• 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2021–22, 2022–23

Big Ten Tournament Championship Trophy:

• 2015, 2021

MacNaughton Cup 13 times as WCHA regular season champions:

• 1952–53, 1953–54, 1969–70, 1974–75, 1980–81, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1991–92, 1996–97, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2011–12, 2012–13

Broadmoor Trophy once as WCHA regular season champions (1983) and six times as the WCHA Tournament champions:

• 1983, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2007

North Star College Cup, the annual intrastate tournament vs. Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota State, St. Cloud State, and Bemidji State:

• 2014

Mariucci Classic Champions 14 times:

• 1991, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2016

Ice Breaker Invitational Champions three times:

• 2007, 2013, 2014

Mariucci-Bessone Coaches Trophy for series vs. Michigan State, started in 1993 (Minnesota leads series 13–5–5):

• 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16

Mariucci-Renfrew Coaches Trophy for series vs. Michigan, started in 1993 (Minnesota leads series: 10–9–2):

• 1994, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2013-14

From 1959 to 1981, an annual Big Ten champion was crowned for the best record in regular season games among active Big Ten members, 10 times:

• 1959–60, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81

As of August 30, 2023.[21]

No.	S/P/C	Player	Class	Pos	Height	Weight	DoB	Hometown	Previous team	NHL rights
1		Justen Close	Graduate	G	5' 10" (1.78 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	1998-05-20	Kindersley, Saskatchewan	Kindersley (SJHL)	—
4		Mike Koster (C)	Senior	D	5' 10" (1.78 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	2001-04-13	Chaska, Minnesota	Tri-City (USHL)	TOR, 146th overall 2019
5		Sam Rinzel	Freshman	D	6' 4" (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2004-06-25	Chanhassen, Minnesota	Waterloo (USHL)	CHI, 25th overall 2022
6		Cal Thomas	Sophomore	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2003-05-08	Maple Grove, Minnesota	Chicago (USHL)	ARI, 171st overall 2021
7		Aaron Huglen	Junior	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	2001-03-06	Roseau, Minnesota	Fargo (USHL)	BUF, 102nd overall 2019
9		Nick Michel	Graduate	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1999-03-16	Waconia, Minnesota	Saint John's (MIAC)	—
10		Connor Kurth	Sophomore	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	2003-07-30	Lindstrom, Minnesota	Dubuque (USHL)	TBL, 190th overall 2022
11		Oliver Moore	Freshman	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2005-01-22	Mounds View, Minnesota	NTDP (USHL)	CHI, 19th overall 2023
13		Garrett Pinoniemi	Sophomore	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	2001-07-15	Mound, Minnesota	Sioux Falls (USHL)	—
15		Max Rud	Freshman	D	6' 3" (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2003-09-17	St. Cloud, Minnesota	Sioux Falls (USHL)	—
17		Brody Lamb	Sophomore	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	2003-08-30	Byron, Minnesota	Green Bay (USHL)	NYR, 104th overall 2021
18		Mason Nevers (A)	Senior	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	2001-04-03	Edina, Minnesota	Des Moines (USHL)	—
19		John Mittelstadt	Sophomore	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	2001-10-27	Eden Prairie, Minnesota	Green Bay (USHL)	—
20		Luke Mittelstadt	Sophomore	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	2003-01-22	Eden Prairie, Minnesota	Madison (USHL)	MTL, 197th overall 2023
22		Bryce Brodzinski (A)	Graduate	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	2000-08-09	Blaine, Minnesota	Blaine (USHS–MN)	PHI, 196th overall 2019
23		Jimmy Clark	Freshman	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	2004-09-24	Edina, Minnesota	Green Bay (USHL)	MIN, 213th overall 2023
24		Jaxon Nelson (C)	Graduate	F	6' 4" (1.93 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	2000-03-30	Magnolia, Minnesota	Omaha (USHL)	—
26		Carl Fish	Senior	D	6' 3" (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1999-11-09	Saint Paul, Minnesota	Bismarck (NAHL)	—
27		Charlie Strobel	Sophomore	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2001-07-09	Stillwater, Minnesota	Trail (BCHL)	—
29		Nathan Airey	Freshman	G	6' 3" (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2003-04-24	Cochrane, Alberta	Cranbrook (BCHL)	—
30		Zach Wiese	Sophomore	G	5' 10" (1.78 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	2002-01-02	Owatonna, Minnesota	Rochester (NA3HL)	—
33		Axel Begley	Freshman	D	6' 2" (1.88 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	2003-12-16	Mahtomedi, Minnesota	Wisconsin (NAHL)	—
71		Ryan Chesley	Sophomore	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	2004-02-27	Mahtomedi, Minnesota	NTDP (USHL)	WSH, 37th overall 2022
77		Rhett Pitlick	Junior	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	2001-02-07	Plymouth, Minnesota	Tri-City (USHL)	MTL, 131st overall 2019
81		Jimmy Snuggerud	Sophomore	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2004-06-01	Chaska, Minnesota	NTDP (USHL)	STL, 23rd overall 2022

This is a list of Minnesota alumni were a part of an Olympic team.

Name	Position	Minnesota Tenure	Team	Year	Finish
Philip LaBatte	Defenseman	1931–1934	USA	1936	Bronze
Allan Opsahl	Defenseman	1943–1947	USA	1948	DQ†
Allen Van	Defenseman	1944–1945	USA	1952	Silver
Rube Bjorkman	Forward	1948–1951	USA	1952	Silver
Jim Sedin	Defenseman	1948–1951	USA	1952	Silver
Ken Yackel	Right Wing	1951–1956	USA	1952	Silver
Wendell R. Anderson	Defenseman	1951–1954	USA	1956	Silver
Gene Campbell	Center	1951–1954	USA	1956	Silver
Richard Dougherty	Forward	1951–1954	USA	1956	Silver
John Petroske	Defenseman	1953–1957	USA	1956	Silver
Richard Meredith	Forward	1951–1954	USA	1956, 1960	Silver,  Gold
John Mayasich	Center/Defenseman	1951–1955	USA	1956, 1960	Silver,  Gold
Jack McCartan	Goaltender	1955–1958	USA	1960	Gold
Bill Christian	Forward	1956–1957	USA	1960, 1964	Gold, 5th
Wayne Meredith	Defenseman	1958–1962	USA	1964	5th
David Brooks	Center	1960–1963	USA	1964	5th
Jake McCoy	Defenseman	1961–1963	USA	1964	5th
Gary Schmalzbauer	Left Wing	1960–1963	USA	1964	5th
Jim Westby	Defenseman	1957–1958, 1961–1963	USA	1964	5th
Herb Brooks	Forward/Defenseman	1956–1959	USA	1964, 1968	5th, 6th
Len Lilyholm	Center	1956–1959	USA	1968	6th
Lou Nanne	Defenseman	1960–1963	USA	1968	6th
Larry Stordahl	Forward	1961–1965	USA	1968	6th
Craig Falkman	Right Wing	1962–1965	USA	1968	6th
Jack Dale	Center	1964–1967	USA	1968	6th
Bruce McIntosh	Defenseman	1968–1971	USA	1972	Silver
Wally Olds	Defenseman	1968–1971	USA	1972	Silver
Frank Sanders	Defenseman	1968–1971	USA	1972	Silver
Craig Sarner	Center/Left Wing	1968–1971	USA	1972	Silver
Rob Harris	Forward	1971–1975	USA	1976	5th
Buzz Schneider	Center/Left Wing	1972–1975	USA	1976, 1980	5th,  Gold
Bill Baker	Defenseman	1975–1979	USA	1980	Gold
Steve Janaszak	Goaltender	1975–1979	USA	1980	Gold
Steve Christoff	Center	1976–1979	USA	1980	Gold
Rob McClanahan	Left Wing	1976–1979	USA	1980	Gold
Eric Strobel	Right Wing	1976–1979	USA	1980	Gold
Mike Ramsey	Defenseman	1978–1979	USA	1980	Gold
Neal Broten	Center	1978–1979, 1980–1981	USA	1980	Gold
Phil Verchota	Left Wing	1975–1979	USA	1980, 1984	Gold, 7th
Scott Bjugstad	Right Wing	1979–1983	USA	1984	7th
Steve Griffith	Left Wing	1979–1983	USA	1984	7th
Dave Jensen	Defenseman	1979–1983	USA	1984	7th
Tom Hirsch	Defenseman	1981–1983	USA	1984	7th
Corey Millen	Center	1982–1983, 1984–1987	USA	1984, 1988	7th, 7th
Todd Okerlund	Right Wing	1983–1987	USA	1988	7th
Dave Snuggerud	Right Wing	1985–1987, 1988–1989	USA	1988	7th
Craig Johnson	Left Wing	1990–1993	USA	1994	8th
Travis Richards	Defenseman	1989–1993	USA	1994	8th
Darby Hendrickson	Center	1991–1993	USA	1994	8th
Erik Johnson	Defenseman	2006–2007	USA	2010	Silver
Phil Kessel	Center/Right Wing	2005–2006	USA	2010, 2014	Silver, 4th
Paul Martin	Defenseman	2000–2003	USA	2014	4th
Thomas Vanek	Left Wing	2002–2004	Austria	2014	10th
Blake Wheeler	Center/Right Wing	2005–2008	USA	2014	4th
Ryan Stoa	Center/Left Wing	2005–2009	USA	2018	7th
Aaron Ness	Defenseman	2008–2011	USA	2022	5th
Ben Meyers	Left Wing	2019–Present	USA	2022	5th
Brock Faber	Defenseman	2020–Present	USA	2022	5th
Matthew Knies	Left Wing	2021–Present	USA	2022	5th

† Were members of the AHA team that was allowed to play in the Olympics but disqualified from medal contention.[22]

Retired Numbers

The Gophers have retired only one number. On November 15, 1998, the team retired John Mayasich's number 8. Mayasich, a two-time All-American, played four seasons with the Gophers (1951–1955) and holds team records for goals and points scored both in a game and for a career. Although he was a member of the silver medal 1956 and gold medal 1960 Winter Olympic U.S. hockey teams, he only played professionally briefly, in minor league hockey.[23]

Hobey Baker Award

Four players from the University of Minnesota have won the Hobey Baker Award, awarded annually to "the outstanding collegiate hockey player in the United States." Neal Broten (1978–1981) became the award's first recipient in 1981. Robb Stauber (1986–1989) won the award as a sophomore in 1988, becoming the first goaltender to be so honored. Brian Bonin (1992–1996) won the award in 1996 after nearly winning it the previous season. In 2002, Jordan Leopold (1998–2002) became the first University of Minnesota player to win both the Hobey Baker Award and an NCAA Championship in the same season.

Golden Gophers players drafted in the first round of the NHL entry draft

Erik Johnson, Phil Kessel, Thomas Vanek, Blake Wheeler, Kyle Okposo, Erik Rasmussen, Douglas Zmolek, Keith Ballard, Michael Ramsey, Tom Chorske, Nick Leddy, Nick Bjugstad, David Fischer, Jordan Schroeder, Kris Chucko, Patrick White, Brady Skjei, James O'Brien, Jeff Taffe, Ryan Johnson, Chaz Lucius, Logan Cooley, Jimmy Snuggerud.

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Minimum 40 games

Statistics current through the end of the 2022–23 season.

As of the end of the 2022–23 season[17]

* former Gophers player

Source:[18]

• Most goals in a career: John Mayasich, 144 (1951–55)
• Most assists in a career: Larry Olimb, 159 (1988–92)
• Most points in a career: John Mayasich, 298 (1951–55)
• Most penalty minutes in a career: Matt DeMarchi, 473 (1999–2003)
• Most points in a career, defenseman: Todd Richards, 158 (1985–89)
• Most wins in a career, Kellen Briggs, 84 (2003–07)
• Most shutouts in a career, Kellen Briggs, 13 (2003–07); Adam Wilcox, 13 (2012–15)

Several players also were members of WHA teams.

Source:[30]

• "2017-2018 Hockey Media Guide" (PDF). University of Minnesota.