Bob Motzko turned 57 on Tuesday, the day he is expected to be announced as Minnesota's new Gophers men's hockey coach, according to sources.
Get to know Bob Motzko, the next Gophers hockey coach
The former St. Cloud State coach is also a former Gophers assistant. Motzko has been around Minnesota hockey for a long time.
March 28, 2018 at 4:06AM
Get to know Bob Motzko:
Age: 57.
Former team: St. Cloud State, for 13 years. He had the Huskies up high this season and they entered the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. However, the Huskies were upset in their first game, a 4-1 stunner vs. Air Force in the West Regional semifinals in Sioux Falls. The Huskies finished with a 25-9-6 record. Motzko has led St. Cloud State to eight NCAA tournament appearances.
Gophers tie: Motzko was a Gophers assistant coach under Don Lucia from 2001 to '05, and Minnesota won NCAA championships in 2002 and '03. The Gophers haven't been national champions since he left.
Contract at St. Cloud: Motzko was signed with St. Cloud State through 2020-21. His new deal with the Gophers has yet to be announced.
Coaching approach: Motzko told the Star Tribune earlier this season: "All we talk about is the next step in front of us. I've always thought college is really just a series of mini playoff series all year long. ... We just concentrate week to week, put our focus into that. We don't have a standings board in our locker room; we've never had one."
One more fun fact: Motzko has coached on the international scene as well. He coached the United States to the gold medal in the 2017 World Junior Championship and the bronze medal this year.
After hundreds of Minnesotans got a head start on finalizing their athletic scholarships in November and December, more can begin choosing their college destination beginning Wednesday.
