Best coach in MN?

[blackpuck22]

who is the best coach in MN. There is a lot of great coaches!

[east hockey]

Quick note, if this devolves into coach bashing, it's gone. Tread with care here.

Lee

[pondpucker13]

I would put Dave Aus of Blaine up there. He has taken his teams to 4 straight state tournaments with 2 top 3 finishes. I would say that they are on their way to a 5th appearance in as many years if they can stay strong down the stretch.

[Goldfishdude]

In all seriousness, I would have to put Bill Lechner from H-M at the top of the list.

In reality, just his selection process might be among the toughest in the state. It is believed that he CUTS more kids than most schools have tryout.

I would think it's probably pretty safe to say that 10-20 of the kids he cuts a year are more than capable of playing HS hockey from their hometowns, and dealing with some of the egos parents have must be tough. Yes, his job is made easier because of the amount of talent, but we all know deciding the final couple roster spots must be tough.

From what I was told, he virtually cut the entire junior class this year. Last year, it was a tough decision to suspend and dismiss the core group of kids he did, although an ulterior motive had been cited. He did it, nonetheless, and we need NO explanation or counter motives cited. Let's just keep this to the positives he offers as a coach.

He appears to surround himself with quality coaches, and just seems to conduct himself with class.

My opinion is strictly from an outsider's perspective, and pointing out the negatives is not welcome.

[Goldfishdude]

Another good call, pondie. I think the aura of programs like H-M and Blaine are a result of the respect these coaches have earned and the players growing up hoping to play for them...

And like him or not for our boys supporting East, from a city boy like me, I respect what Coach Randolph does to keep the program thriving and competitive like he does, and against one of the states perennial toughest schedules.

[east hockey]

Lechner. Absolutely one of the top coaches.

Lee

[karl(east)]

Chalk up another vote for Lechner.

Sure, he has a lot of talent to work with. But the Pioneers weren't expected to get out of the State semifinals 2 years ago, and they won it all, shutting down IMO the greatest team in the past few years in the state final. Then last year, his handling of the incident was superb, and he got his team to regroup, quiet the doubters with two huge OT sections wins, then came ever so close to knocking off the eventual state champs in the first round.

Once Randolph retires, I think Lechner should consider a move to the north.

[breakout]

Willard Ikola ...... can't top COACH.

He set standards that likely won't be touched in the state of Minnesota ........... EVER!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard_Ikola

[keepyourheadup]

Yani is doing a great job in Burnsville

[wblhockeyfan8]

Definitely Lechner and Randolph, they've had good success in their programs and do well in sections.

Not to mention DE plays a pretty hardy schedule, I can't say the same for Hill-Murray.

[Pioneerprideguy]

[quote="karl(east)"]Chalk up another vote for Lechner.

Sure, he has a lot of talent to work with. But the Pioneers weren't expected to get out of the State semifinals 2 years ago, and they won it all, shutting down IMO the greatest team in the past few years in the state final. Then last year, his handling of the incident was superb, and he got his team to regroup, quiet the doubters with two huge OT sections wins, then came ever so close to knocking off the eventual state champs in the first round.

Once Randolph retires, I think Lechner should consider a move to the north. [/quote]

Leave the recruiting to us private schools.

[PoniesDad45]

Willard Ikola ...... can't top COACH.

He set standards that likely won't be touched in the state of Minnesota ........... EVER!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard_Ikola

The guy from Jefferson back in the day--Tom Sagissor? That guy could coach as well.

Willard Ikola will always be the benchmark for me though. If you ever get a chance to watch the Willard Ikola special on FSN, don't miss it. Guys our age, in their late 40's get tears in their eyes talking about how he treated them and how he understood what varsity athletics are all about.

There is so much politics and pressure to win, win, win. Parents living through their kids success on the ice when they should be teaching them how to be human beings in the world, Ikola understood what sports are about and their place in life. He also taught that to the kids who played for him.

From Wikipedia-

As head ice hockey coach at Edina High School and Edina East High School in Edina, Minnesota, Ikola compiled a 616-149-38 record, which is third-best in the nation and the most wins by any coach in the state of Minnesota[4]. During his 33-year career (1958-91), Ikola's teams won 22 Lake Conference championships, 19 section titles and eight state championships. Fifteen of his teams won more than 20 games (out of approximately 25 to 30 games per season), and he had only one losing season; his first year as a coach. During his high school coaching career, Ikola was named Minnesota high school hockey coach of the year six times[5].

Famous for his trademark hounds-tooth hat, Ikola was modest when speaking of his coaching record. "I never scored a goal or prevented one either," he said. "All the credit for our success belongs to the kids."

[wbmd]

Willard Ikola ...... can't top COACH.

He set standards that likely won't be touched in the state of Minnesota ........... EVER!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard_Ikola

The guy from Jefferson back in the day--Tom Sagissor? That guy could coach as well.

Willard Ikola will always be the benchmark for me though. If you ever get a chance to watch the Willard Ikola special on FSN, don't miss it. Guys our age, in their late 40's get tears in their eyes talking about how he treated them and how he understood what varsity athletics are all about.

There is so much politics and pressure to win, win, win. Parents living through their kids success on the ice when they should be teaching them how to be human beings in the world, Ikola understood what sports are about and their place in life. He also taught that to the kids who played for him.

From Wikipedia-

As head ice hockey coach at Edina High School and Edina East High School in Edina, Minnesota, Ikola compiled a 616-149-38 record, which is third-best in the nation and the most wins by any coach in the state of Minnesota[4]. During his 33-year career (1958-91), Ikola's teams won 22 Lake Conference championships, 19 section titles and eight state championships. Fifteen of his teams won more than 20 games (out of approximately 25 to 30 games per season), and he had only one losing season; his first year as a coach. During his high school coaching career, Ikola was named Minnesota high school hockey coach of the year six times[5].

Famous for his trademark hounds-tooth hat, Ikola was modest when speaking of his coaching record. "I never scored a goal or prevented one either," he said. "All the credit for our success belongs to the kids."

Tom Sagissor never coached at Jefferson. He did play at Hastings and the University of Wisconsin.

Tom Saterdalen coached at Jefferson.

[PoniesDad45]

Willard Ikola ...... can't top COACH.

He set standards that likely won't be touched in the state of Minnesota ........... EVER!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard_Ikola

The guy from Jefferson back in the day--Tom Sagissor? That guy could coach as well.

Willard Ikola will always be the benchmark for me though. If you ever get a chance to watch the Willard Ikola special on FSN, don't miss it. Guys our age, in their late 40's get tears in their eyes talking about how he treated them and how he understood what varsity athletics are all about.

There is so much politics and pressure to win, win, win. Parents living through their kids success on the ice when they should be teaching them how to be human beings in the world, Ikola understood what sports are about and their place in life. He also taught that to the kids who played for him.

From Wikipedia-

As head ice hockey coach at Edina High School and Edina East High School in Edina, Minnesota, Ikola compiled a 616-149-38 record, which is third-best in the nation and the most wins by any coach in the state of Minnesota[4]. During his 33-year career (1958-91), Ikola's teams won 22 Lake Conference championships, 19 section titles and eight state championships. Fifteen of his teams won more than 20 games (out of approximately 25 to 30 games per season), and he had only one losing season; his first year as a coach. During his high school coaching career, Ikola was named Minnesota high school hockey coach of the year six times[5].

Famous for his trademark hounds-tooth hat, Ikola was modest when speaking of his coaching record. "I never scored a goal or prevented one either," he said. "All the credit for our success belongs to the kids."

Tom Sagissor never coached at Jefferson. He did play at Hastings and the University of Wisconsin.

Tom Saterdalen coached at Jefferson.

There ya go, thanks.

[muckandgrind]

Lechner. Absolutely one of the top coaches.

Lee

Agree 100%

[tourneytickssince59]

The guy from Jefferson back in the day--Tom Sagissor? That guy could coach as well.

Willard Ikola will always be the benchmark for me though. If you ever get a chance to watch the Willard Ikola special on FSN, don't miss it. Guys our age, in their late 40's get tears in their eyes talking about how he treated them and how he understood what varsity athletics are all about.

There is so much politics and pressure to win, win, win. Parents living through their kids success on the ice when they should be teaching them how to be human beings in the world, Ikola understood what sports are about and their place in life. He also taught that to the kids who played for him.

From Wikipedia-

As head ice hockey coach at Edina High School and Edina East High School in Edina, Minnesota, Ikola compiled a 616-149-38 record, which is third-best in the nation and the most wins by any coach in the state of Minnesota[4]. During his 33-year career (1958-91), Ikola's teams won 22 Lake Conference championships, 19 section titles and eight state championships. Fifteen of his teams won more than 20 games (out of approximately 25 to 30 games per season), and he had only one losing season; his first year as a coach. During his high school coaching career, Ikola was named Minnesota high school hockey coach of the year six times[5].

Famous for his trademark hounds-tooth hat, Ikola was modest when speaking of his coaching record. "I never scored a goal or prevented one either," he said. "All the credit for our success belongs to the kids."

Tom Sagissor never coached at Jefferson. He did play at Hastings and the University of Wisconsin.

Tom Saterdalen coached at Jefferson.

There ya go, thanks.

Sags does coach a mite 3 team in Stillwater, though

[johnnyquest]

part of the criteria for determining "the best coach" must include someone who can extract the most production out of what is given him as far as a pool of players.

Goldfish mentioned the number of quality players cut from Hill and I am sure Edina & E.P. have the same luxury. These coaches are handed an "A" list year in and year out and expected not to screw things up. How about a high school coach that has a much smaller talent pool to work with and produces winning teams time and again ?

[east hockey]

part of the criteria for determining "the best coach" must include someone who can extract the most production out of what is given him as far as a pool of players.

Goldfish mentioned the number of quality players cut from Hill and I am sure Edina & E.P. have the same luxury. These coaches are handed an "A" list year in and year out and expected not to screw things up. How about a high school coach that has a much smaller talent pool to work with and produces winning teams time and again ?

Then you'd be talking about guys like Esse from Cloquet (until recently) and LaRoque from Grand Rapids.

Lee

[heresaymatters]

How about a high school coach that has a much smaller talent pool to work with and produces winning teams time and again ?

I'd put Hal Tearse of Providence Academy in this category. No track record of sustained success yet, but he does know how to extract the most out of the available talent, and is very good at coaching game situations.

[Just_Another_Fan]

Even though they aren't having the best year they could have i'd go with Wes Bolin from Woodbury. The man single handedly turned that program into a contender and the things he does with the youth level is great. It will be interesting what will happen next year when he doesn't have the talent he has had.

[Pioneerprideguy]

I'll throw out Moose Younhans @ Johnson. The guy has done a lot for the kids on the eastside of St. Paul for decades. At a school where basketball is king right now, he still competes with what he gets. The numbers have dwindled in hockey in St. Paul for years, yet Moose just keep pluggin away. I hope the move to Class A will be a positive experience for their program. I also wanna say thanks to the Govies for providing me with a wonderful 2 hour enjoyment of watching them beat #1 seeded Tartan last year. I still laugh.

[Goldfishdude]

I'll throw out Moose Younhans @ Johnson. The guy has done a lot for the kids on the eastside of St. Paul for decades. At a school where basketball is king right now, he still competes with what he gets. The numbers have dwindled in hockey in St. Paul for years, yet Moose just keep pluggin away. I hope the move to Class A will be a positive experience for their program. I also wanna say thanks to the Govies for providing me with a wonderful 2 hour enjoyment of watching them beat #1 seeded Tartan last year. I still laugh.

PPG, great toss about Moose!! Not only is he well respected in the business world as the face of Strauss Bike and Skate in Maplewood/St. Paul, but, he is SOOOOOOOOOO dedicated to the sport of hockey, he doesn't just coach Johnson HS, but he also is head coach of the Johnson Area A Bantam team!! When you say YEARS, the guy is late 40sish (??) early 50s, and I think he told me he has been coaching in Johnson Area for 30 years.

[Pioneerprideguy]

It all started on the playgrounds for Moose and many of us who grew-up on the eastside. I've known him since we were kids & he's a good one. Many changes to the old neighborhood, but Moose has hung in & stayed true to who he is.

[BodyShots]

Even though they aren't having the best year they could have i'd go with Wes Bolin from Woodbury. The man single handedly turned that program into a contender and the things he does with the youth level is great. It will be interesting what will happen next year when he doesn't have the talent he has had.

I am amazed it took this long for the first Wes Bolin shout out.

[BodyShots]

If we are talking best coach this year, then I vote for the skipper of the Skippers.

If we are talking all time, then I vote for "Ike" or Gordy Genz.