Don Lucia after 600th win tonight in Michigan
By Ashley Bray
Apr 5, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Minnesota Gophers left wing Nate Condon (16) skates with the puck as Boston College Eagles defensive man Brian Dumoulin (2) defends in the third period during the semifinals of the 2012 Frozen Four at Tampa Bay Times Forum. Boston College won 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE
As the Gopher’s look to add two more notches to the win column this weekend against Michigan Tech, head coach Don Lucia is also on his way to nabbing another big personal achievement tonight: his 600th win.
Lucia, who’s going into tonight’s game with an all-time record of 599-328-83 would become only the 10th college hockey coach to make 600. Furthermore, he would be only the ninth Division I coach to achieve as much.
As per the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Lucia once had no plans of making coaching his permanent career choice when he started as an assistant at Alaska Anchorage in 1981.
Lucia had previously been a top-ranked defenseman at Notre Dame, with a degree in finance that he later almost used to land him a job as a stock-broker.
Shortly after his arrival in Anchorage, Lucia landed a head-coaching spot in Fairbanks. He ran the program for six seasons until he moved to Colorado to head the Colorado College program, where he won three back-to-back WCHA titles.
In 1999 he arrived in Minneapolis to lead to Gophers.
Lucia’s time in Minneapolis has certainly been filled with ups and downs; any long-time fan knows that without having to read his comments about it.
Here, he’s won two NCAA championships, followed by a low-period in which many questioned his ability to lead the program any further.
Even so, athletic director Joel Maturi stuck with him, calling him a “championship-caliber coach” when he extended Lucia’s contract into the 2014-2015 season last October. Now, the Gophers are certainly on the up again, sitting atop the number one spot in all the polls that matter.
Still, it’s been a long road for Lucia.
“It was my intent to [coach] for a few years and then get a job,” he told the Pioneer Press.
Now, 31 years later, as one of the most successful coaches in the history of college hockey, Lucia has a track record of two NCAA championships, six Frozen Four appearances and six WCHA titles and is well on his way to adding another number to those categories this season.