MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota introduced its new men's hockey head coach Bob Motzko on Thursday.
Motzko is the 15th head coach of the program. He left St. Cloud State and replaces Don Lucia, who retired last week.
Motzko, a former Gophers assistant under Lucia, spent 13 years building the Huskies into a national power that spent much of the 2017-2018 season as the number one ranked team in the country.
"I fully understand what's in front of me," Motzko told the press on Thursday. "The history and tradition of Gopher Hockey is one of the greatest in the country. It's part of the culture and fabric of this state."
Motzko added he was "blown away" by the messages of support alumni have offered since Tuesday when Athletics Director Mark Coyle announced the hire.
"The only thing I can really promise you right now is that we're going to play the game the right way," Motzko said. "We are going to be strong in the classroom, we are going to strive to be outstanding citizens and we're going to play the game the right way. We are going to be fast, we're going to be skilled and we're going add a whole lot of toughness to the way we play this sport."
Motzko was an assistant at Minnesota from 2001 to 2005, a chapter in which the Gophers captured back to back national titles. He worked with Hobey Baker Award winner Jordan Leopold, as well as six All-Americans while at the U of M. Motzko has also coached with Miami of Ohio, Denver University, and assisted Herb Brooks at St. Cloud for one season after he graduated as a Husky.
