Former Fighting Saint, UMD, Olympic star Keith Christiansen dies at 74

Keith "Huffer" Christiansen, an All-America hockey player at Minnesota Duluth and former Minnesota Fighting Saint center, passed away Monday in Duluth. He was 74.

Christiansen had been at St. Luke's Hospital after battling pneumonia, according to his CaringBridge website. He was diagnosed with lung cancer last year.

The 5-foot-6, 150-pounder was born in Fort Frances, Ontario, and played on International Falls' 1962 state championship team before starring at UMD as the Bulldogs made the transition into the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. He was the league's MVP as a senior in 1966-67, and finished his career with school records for goals (75), assists (121) and points (196).

His No. 9 was retired by the Bulldogs in 1988.

An Olympic silver medalist with Team USA at the 1972 Sapporo Games, Christensen played two seasons with the World Hockey Association's Fighting Saints getting 78 points in 138 games.

Following his hockey career, he worked at an auto dealership in Duluth and was elected to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005.