Gophers to pay hockey coach Bob Motzko $660,000 per year under new contract

Gophers men's hockey coach Bob Motzko will receive a three-year contract extension and a raise to $660,000 per year under terms of a new agreement announced Thursday.

The new deal runs through the 2025-26 hockey season and is pending Board of Regents approval. Motzko's Gophers, who fell one game short of the Frozen Four last spring, open a new season Saturday against Alaska.

"It's an honor to lead this program and to follow in the footsteps of some truly legendary coaches here at the University of Minnesota over the last 100 years," Motzko said in a news release. "... This is a special place to coach because of that passion, and I'm very thankful for everyone at the University of Minnesota for continuing to believe in what we are doing here."

When the Gophers hired Motzko away from St. Cloud State in March 2018, they gave him a five-year contract that averaged $592,000 in annual compensation (base salary plus supplemental retirement). He is 58-37-11 in three seasons at the Gophers' helm and was named the 2020 Big Ten men's hockey coach of the year.

Motzko's compensation this season (base salary plus supplemental retirement) will be $650,000 under terms of the new contract, which the Star Tribune obtained Thursday.

"Coach Motzko has done a tremendous job with our men's hockey program," Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle said in the news release. "He leads with integrity, coaches with passion and cares deeply about his student-athletes. His teams consistently compete at a championship level on and off the ice, and I am excited for him to lead the Gophers for years to come."