Longtime Gophers coach Don Lucia named Legend of College Hockey

Former University of Minnesota coach Don Lucia has been named the 2024 Legend of College Hockey recipient by the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation.

Lucia, a former Notre Dame defenseman who was drafted by Philadelphia in the NHL in 1978, first got into coaching as an assistant at Alaska Fairbanks in 1981. He moved to Alaska Anchorage in 1985 but returned as Alaska Fairbanks’ head coach for six seasons starting in 1987.

He led the Nanooks to a conference championship in his first season as head coach, then went to Colorado College in 1993 and led the program to three consecutive regular-season WCHA titles.

Then, in 1999, Lucia came to the University of Minnesota, the start of a 19-year run that included two national titles (2002 and 2003), four MacNaughton Cups, three Broadmoor trophies and a Big Ten regular-season championship in each of the league’s first four seasons.

Over his 31 years as a collegiate head coach, Lucia’s teams went 736-403-102, including a program-record 457 wins for the Gophers. That makes him one of just 10 coaches to have at least 600 NCAA men’s hockey wins and only five others have won national titles in back-to-back seasons. He’s also got 22 NCAA tournament victories and joins Jerry York as the only coaches to lead two different schools to at least five NCAA tournament appearances.

During his career, Lucia coached 12 Hobey Baker Award finalists, including winner Jordan Leopold (2001-02), plus 19 First Team All-Americans, 73 all-conference players, nine conference defensive players of the year, and three conference rookies of the year.

He remains active in collegiate hockey, serving as the current commissioner of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA).

Lucia will be honored during this year’s annual Hobey Baker Award Banquet and golf outing this summer in St. Paul.