歪歪漫画

MINNEAPOLIS -- Don Lucia has stepped down as head coach of the University of Minnesota men鈥檚 hockey program after 19 years at the helm.
A coaching run which began in 1999 and saw it all from back-to-back NCAA national championships in 2002 and 2003 to missed NCAA tournaments in five of the last 10 years, ended on Lucia鈥檚 terms, he said at a press conference Tuesday, March 20.
Lucia, cracking jokes at times and tearing up when mentioning his family, said: 鈥淚 was never one to say I鈥檓 going to coach until I鈥檓 65 or 70. I鈥檝e always felt that this is a great job. Somebody else should have an opportunity.鈥�
Lucia will stay on staff as a special advisor to athletic director Mark Coyle through next season, when his contract ends.
Lucia鈥檚 retirement is the latest in a run of them among legendary coaches in the college hockey world.
In the last four years, college hockey has said goodbye to Boston University鈥檚 Jack Parker, Michigan鈥檚 Red Berenson, UND and Omaha鈥檚 Dean Blais, Denver鈥檚 George Gwozdecky and New Hampshire鈥檚 Dick Umile.
Among possible replacements for Lucia could be Grand Forks native Grant Potulny, a former Gopher player and assistant coach who led Northern Michigan University to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association championship in his first year at the helm this season.
Other potential candidates are Gopher assistants Mike Guentzel and Scott Bell, former Shattuck-St. Mary鈥檚 coach and current Buffalo Sabres assistant Tom Ward, St. Cloud State head coach Bob Motzko and MSU-Mankato head coach Mike Hastings.
鈥淭here is a time to come and a time to go,鈥� Lucia said. 鈥淭his is the right time for me to leave coaching and move on to the next phase of my life.鈥�
Prior to arriving at Minnesota in 1999, Lucia also spent time as the head coach at Alaska Fairbanks and Colorado College.
He had his most success early in his career at Minnesota with the back-to-back national championships. Lucia also led the Gophers to Big Ten titles in the first four years of the league鈥檚 existence.
They haven鈥檛 won an NCAA tournament game since 2014, though, and missed the tournament for the second time in three years Sunday.
鈥淕opher Hockey is not just a college hockey program, it鈥檚 a cultural institution in the state of Minnesota, built on more than 90 years of success and tradition,鈥� Coyle said. 鈥淔ew have contributed as much to that legacy as Don. He knows how much I appreciate everything he has accomplished in his 19 years as head coach, but he and I also agree that it鈥檚 time for someone else to lead our program. From his program鈥檚 commitment to academic excellence to the banners his teams raised into in our rafters, I can鈥檛 thank him enough for what he鈥檚 contributed to the success of Gopher Hockey.鈥�
Lucia is Minnesota鈥檚 all-time leader in wins with 457. In all, he has racked up 736 wins, sixth-most in all of college hockey.
He only sits behind Boston College鈥檚 Jerry York, Ron Mason (Lake Superior State, Bowling Green, Michigan State), Parker, Berenson and Rick Comley (Lake Superior, Northern Michigan, Michigan State).