To a Generation, Doug Woog was Minnesota's Pride on Ice

Doug Woog once gave me directions.

In one of my first trips to Mariucci, I got lost. It happens. Beyond the ice, hockey rinks can be mazes to figure out where to enter and where you should be. Once you know the way, it can be easy. Early on, it's easy to not know where you need to go.

And Doug Woog of all people got me to where I needed.

Woog, who passed away Saturday at the age of 75 from complications to Parkinson's Disease, was around far after his coaching days at Minnesota ended in 1999. The South St. Paul native served as a commentator, an ambassador to the game and the University. Prior to that, he was a South St. Paul and Gopher player, an assistant coach at the 1984 Olympics before a 15-year career behind the Minnesota bench.

When he passed, I wrote that Minnesota hockey had lost a legend. The more I think about it, the more it undersells what Woog meant to hockey in Minnesota. For a certain generation, Doug Woog embodied hockey in Minnesota.

****

This isn't going to be full of firsthand stories. I didn't cover Woog as a coach. Plenty of people who played for him, or grew up in the South St. Paul system, or worked with Woog at Fox Sports North can do it far better than me. I don't have more than a couple dozen interactions with Woog over the years.

If that is what you're looking for, you can stop reading now and go search for those.

At the same time, it's hard to go two feet in Minnesota hockey without running into someone who has their own Doug Woog story or six. That's the impact he has made, whether it's through leading a practice, a chance meeting, annually contending for an NCAA title or being the goofy commentator during Gopher games.

Through firsthand interactions and being Minnesota's Don Cherry equivalent during the 2000s, it's tough to be a Minnesota hockey fan and not feel like you knew Doug Woog. Even if you didn't.

****

Minnesota hockey loves hockey in Minnesota. From the community aspect to the outdoor rinks to watching local players take their journey one step at a time, it's part of the fabric of the state.

The term "Minnesota's Pride on Ice" carries a dual meaning for both the past and present. On one hand, it stands for the players on the ice representing the University of Minnesota to the highest level. On the other hand, historically it stands for the journey these local players, whose game was forged on those outdoor community rinks, took dating back to the days of John Mariucci and John Mayasich.

A group of Minnesotans playing for the University of Minnesota was something Woog kept during most of his coaching tenure. At a time where the NHL had left and Gopher hockey was the highest-profile game in town, Minnesota continued to take pride in its own players.

It's the age I grew up. In hindsight, it was needed. It wouldn't - and doesn't - work today, but the 1980s and 1990s was an era when a competitive college hockey team could be made up of all-Minnesota players. (It's also not surprising Minnesota also broke through its NCAA Tournament title drought when going outside Minnesota.) A Minnesota alum coaching the Gophers to success with Minnesota players. Year-in and year-out the team came close before a pipe or a highlight-reel goal ended the run.

To that generation who grew up needing to understand Minnesota hockey at the highest level without the NHL, Woog was there. He was there for them too as a commentator.

****

The last time I saw Doug Woog, it was for Bob Motzko's introductory press conference. The disease had certainly taken a toll. Fittingly, South St. Paul had already named their community rink after Woog as an honor. Still, three generations of Minnesota head coaches were there, as both Woog and Don Lucia, nearly 850 wins with the Gophers between them, sat down to watch their successor take over.

This day the directions were for a new era of Minnesota hockey. However, the fact he was there is a reminder the job is never over.

What Woog did for Minnesota - continuing what Mariucci and Maysich accomplished, what Herb Brooks added and helped grow, what continues today throughout the state - cannot be understated. In various roles, the impact Doug Woog had on Minnesota hockey should be mentioned among those.

Thanks to Woog, a generation exists of hockey people who now know where to go.

--
If you enjoyed this blog, you can follow Nate on Twitter and like/subscribe to his Facebook page. Thanks!