While he did not make an appearance last week at a Prior Lake golf course, former Gophers men’s hockey coach Bob Motzko’s handiwork could be clearly seen at the program’s annual alumni outing.
Motzko, who was ousted last spring, will most be remembered at Minnesota for hanging a quartet of Big Ten title banners, earning a pair of Frozen Four trips and coming heartbreakingly close to Minnesota’s sixth NCAA title in 2023, when the Gophers lost in overtime of the national championship game.
But another of Motzko’s missions when he arrived on campus in 2018 was to re-involve the sizable Gophers hockey alumni network, the vast majority of which resides in the Twin Cities. Just a few years ago, they would get 75 or 80 players for the golf outing. The 2026 event drew close to 150, which included more than a dozen who will skate for the 2026-27 Gophers.
“Every single year there are more guys showing up — younger guys, older guys,” said Nick Angell, the former Gophers defenseman who is one of the leaders of the alumni organization. “Having the current players out here is really meaningful, because it makes some of the older guys more approachable. It’s important for these guys to know they’re a part of something bigger.”
Foe to friend
For new Gophers coach Brett Larson who, like Motzko, comes to Minnesota after eight seasons at St. Cloud State, it was an important chance to make a first connection with many alumni, some of whom he played against during his time as a defenseman at in-state rival Minnesota Duluth in the 1990s. He admitted getting a little starstruck when shaking hands with Miracle On Ice legends Neal Broten and Rob McClanahan on one of the tee boxes.
“I’m meeting a lot of guys, but also the hockey world is so small that many of these are guys I’ve known for years,” Larson said. “It’s the first time I’ve seen Reed Larson, but I’ve known him forever. I see guys that I played with and against like Larry Olimb and Justin McHugh.
“It’s been fun to see guys I’ve known for years, and it’s been fun to see some guys I tried to recruit and didn’t get,” he added with a grin.
The golf outing came just days after the new coach and his staff grabbed some vital building blocks for a few seasons down the road, getting commitments from coveted White Bear Lake forward Nash Roed and Moorhead forward Joey Cullen, projected by some to be the top overall pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.
As for the coming season, with a re-made defensive corps and a sense that the Gophers are not far away from contending for a Big Ten title despite last season’s 11-22-3 disaster, Larson and Co. looking to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin, last season’s NCAA runner-up.
Getting to know you
Where Motzko arrived with ties to the Gophers, having been an assistant coach on the program’s two most recent NCAA title teams in 2002 and 2003, Larson — who turns 54 this month — is more of an outsider.
He played for the rival Bulldogs in his hometown, held assistant coaching gigs at UMD (including helping recruit two NCAA title teams) and conference rival Ohio State before taking the Huskies to the national title game in his third season at St. Cloud State.
“He’s a real players’ coach. The players really respect him and he respects them. He’s going to be so good for the program going forward,” said AHL forward Grant Cruikshank, who played on Motzko’s 2022 Frozen Four team, then finished his college career with one season under Larson at SCSU, where he fell to the Gophers in the 2023 regional final. “He’s someone you want to go to battle for. Very competitive and very much in the fight with the guys.”
In a state where the hockey community is known for equal parts prowess and provincialism, Larson finding a way to be accepted as “one of us” amid the Gophers crowd is seen as an important job.
“He’s very energetic, and I think he’s going to do a great job,” said McClanahan, who recently retired from coaching after close to a decade at the helm of The Blake School. “The landscape (of college sports) is so different now, you’ve got to be able to adjust. Nothing against the previous coach, Bob, but sometimes change is good.”
The Gophers open the season on Friday, Oct. 2 at Michigan Tech.