University of Minnesota Athletics
Beyond Mr. Nice Guy; Gopher Goalie Adam Hauser
11/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Adam is currently number one in games played (121), minutes played (7,078), saves (3,018), and now shutouts (eight). And he's quickly climbing the ranks in goals-against average (currently third), wins (third) and save percentage (fourth). But don't go asking him about all of his records, because you certainly won't find him bragging about his feats. He will say he needs to keep working hard, has more to achieve and will give much of the credit to his teammates and coaches.
Such qualities make Hauser an excellent influence as a leader, and as a senior with two freshman goalies under him, he has been placed in that role, although he chooses to use it in a different way. He would rather let the two senior captains, John Pohl and Jordan Leopold, be the vocal ones while he leads more on the ice. "[Jordan and Johnny] take care of some of the necessities of the leadership position. They are vocal with the team and speak up in the locker room. Being a goalie, it's a different scenario. My job is to go out in practice and make the guys practice hard. If I make it difficult to score, then everyone gets better."
Freshman goalie Travis Weber agrees with Adam's role and finds him a player that he can model himself after. "His attitude is so positive. He comes the rink everyday looking to get better and make others better as well," said Weber about the senior goaltender. "I definitely look up to him as a player. His stats show his ability on the ice. His level of play is something to strive for."
But Hauser sees the two new additions to Golden Gopher goaltending, Weber and fellow freshman Justin Johnson, not as pupils, but as players who are ready and able to contribute immediately. "I really like [Travis and Justin]. They are easy to talk to and they both came for junior hockey programs, which means they come in here with experience. It's not like I have to guide them; we are on a similar level," said Hauser of the new goaltenders.
The impressive play by all three of the Golden Gopher goaltenders, including two shutouts, has been one of the highlights of the 2001-02 edition of Minnesota men's hockey team that has added to the roaring buzz about the team and its talent. It seems that everywhere they turn, people are pointing out to the team that the NCAA Frozen Four Championships are taking place at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center in April. And, even in mid-November, Hauser has thoughts of playing in those games over five months away. "Everyone is excited that the Frozen Four is in town. The team is going out every game and playing hard. We have a lot of team talent, so if we keep working hard we can go a long way."
But right now, Hauser and the team have to take the season one game at a time. Focus on the task at hand every weekend. However, the pressure and attention is bound to build and intensify if their play continues to be even somewhat as stellar. And with that comes the scrutiny of fans and media, even people on the street. So, how does the senior goaltender of a nationally-ranked hockey team deal with the burning spotlight in a state where everyone is a hockey "expert" with an opinion and advice? Well, he simply does not pay attention to it. "If you read the papers, you're going to get hammered. I don't buy either of the papers, which is how I try to deal with it. You never know what's going to be said, so you may as well just stay away from it. The media tend to get opinionated, which is pretty interesting, especially when most of them have never played hockey, never mind trying to play goaltender."
Humility is a difficult trait to maintain while in the spotlight, but there is one thing in Hauser's life that may contribute to how humble he is. Being a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) for many years has kept him down-to-earth and focused on what the more important things in life may be. "FCA has been a stable place where everyone can go, not just the athletes, but people that work in athletics and even fans of athletes. You can talk about different, and sometimes difficult, situations in sports and the people there understand what you're going through. It's a place to talk and share," Hauser commented.
In a sports world filled with egos and plenty of negative role models, it is a breath of fresh air to see a player, with so many achievements on the ice, remain grounded off the ice as well.
So where is Adam Hauser off to when the diploma is in hand and equipment is packed from Mariucci? This past summer, he interned at Xcel Energy Center, learning different areas where he might be able to put his future degree in business management to use. Is he stepping off the ice for good then? Not according to Adam. "My thought is to keep up hockey. I'd like to play as long as I can, whether that be a year, or five years, or whatever. But I also really enjoyed my internship this past summer, so I might put my management degree to use."
Whatever path is chosen, he has plenty of skills for success in many areas. His talents span a wide spectrum, whether on the ice or off. Here are a few interesting things you may not know about Adam Hauser, but should before his time at the University is complete:
- His middle name is Aaron.
- He likes to watch fast-paced sports, like tennis, when not watching hockey. And when not on the ice, he enjoys a nice round of golf.
- One of his pre-game warm up exercises is juggling to get his hand-eye coordination going, and to entertain the boys in the locker room.
- His top five warm up songs are "Live out Loud," "This Day," "See the Glory," "Declaration of Dependence" and "Dive," all by his favorite singer, Steven Curtis Chapman.
- He has been playing the guitar for over a year and has become quite a talented musician, even playing at FCA meetings. He may even take off with John Pohl and run down to Nashville to begin singing careers.
When the skates and pads are packed, and the locker is cleaned out for the last time, how will Adam Hauser be remembered here at the University of Minnesota? As a goaltender, Hauser may be remembered as a highly-skilled player who rewrote the Golden Gopher record book. As a student, he may be remembered as diligent and very bright. As a person, Adam may be remembered by his numerous positive characteristics, including his uplifting attitude and inspiring team spirit. But the way in which Adam Hauser may actually be remembered is probably best put himself: "I would like to be remembered as a very nice kid, someone who worked hard. I want people to remember something about my character. That I was a solid guy all around."
Mission accomplished.
Written by Men's Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant Courtney Walerius
Aaahhh, senior year. A time to finish those last required classes, count credits, get the diploma and head out into the "real world." A time to pause and reflect, maybe take things a little easy. Senior goaltender Adam Hauser is doing all that, but working harder than ever. A testament to that would be his two home appearances thus far into the 2001-02 season. A week after having a shutout taken from within his grasp with 5:13 remaining in the third period against Bemidji State, Hauser completed his school record-setting eighth career shutout versus Colgate University. The name "Adam Hauser" is on the top of yet another University of Minnesota goaltending record.
Adam is currently number one in games played (121), minutes played (7,078), saves (3,018), and now shutouts (eight). And he's quickly climbing the ranks in goals-against average (currently third), wins (third) and save percentage (fourth). But don't go asking him about all of his records, because you certainly won't find him bragging about his feats. He will say he needs to keep working hard, has more to achieve and will give much of the credit to his teammates and coaches.
Such qualities make Hauser an excellent influence as a leader, and as a senior with two freshman goalies under him, he has been placed in that role, although he chooses to use it in a different way. He would rather let the two senior captains, John Pohl and Jordan Leopold, be the vocal ones while he leads more on the ice. "[Jordan and Johnny] take care of some of the necessities of the leadership position. They are vocal with the team and speak up in the locker room. Being a goalie, it's a different scenario. My job is to go out in practice and make the guys practice hard. If I make it difficult to score, then everyone gets better."
Freshman goalie Travis Weber agrees with Adam's role and finds him a player that he can model himself after. "His attitude is so positive. He comes the rink everyday looking to get better and make others better as well," said Weber about the senior goaltender. "I definitely look up to him as a player. His stats show his ability on the ice. His level of play is something to strive for."
But Hauser sees the two new additions to Golden Gopher goaltending, Weber and fellow freshman Justin Johnson, not as pupils, but as players who are ready and able to contribute immediately. "I really like [Travis and Justin]. They are easy to talk to and they both came for junior hockey programs, which means they come in here with experience. It's not like I have to guide them; we are on a similar level," said Hauser of the new goaltenders.
The impressive play by all three of the Golden Gopher goaltenders, including two shutouts, has been one of the highlights of the 2001-02 edition of Minnesota men's hockey team that has added to the roaring buzz about the team and its talent. It seems that everywhere they turn, people are pointing out to the team that the NCAA Frozen Four Championships are taking place at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center in April. And, even in mid-November, Hauser has thoughts of playing in those games over five months away. "Everyone is excited that the Frozen Four is in town. The team is going out every game and playing hard. We have a lot of team talent, so if we keep working hard we can go a long way."
But right now, Hauser and the team have to take the season one game at a time. Focus on the task at hand every weekend. However, the pressure and attention is bound to build and intensify if their play continues to be even somewhat as stellar. And with that comes the scrutiny of fans and media, even people on the street. So, how does the senior goaltender of a nationally-ranked hockey team deal with the burning spotlight in a state where everyone is a hockey "expert" with an opinion and advice? Well, he simply does not pay attention to it. "If you read the papers, you're going to get hammered. I don't buy either of the papers, which is how I try to deal with it. You never know what's going to be said, so you may as well just stay away from it. The media tend to get opinionated, which is pretty interesting, especially when most of them have never played hockey, never mind trying to play goaltender."
Humility is a difficult trait to maintain while in the spotlight, but there is one thing in Hauser's life that may contribute to how humble he is. Being a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) for many years has kept him down-to-earth and focused on what the more important things in life may be. "FCA has been a stable place where everyone can go, not just the athletes, but people that work in athletics and even fans of athletes. You can talk about different, and sometimes difficult, situations in sports and the people there understand what you're going through. It's a place to talk and share," Hauser commented.
In a sports world filled with egos and plenty of negative role models, it is a breath of fresh air to see a player, with so many achievements on the ice, remain grounded off the ice as well.
So where is Adam Hauser off to when the diploma is in hand and equipment is packed from Mariucci? This past summer, he interned at Xcel Energy Center, learning different areas where he might be able to put his future degree in business management to use. Is he stepping off the ice for good then? Not according to Adam. "My thought is to keep up hockey. I'd like to play as long as I can, whether that be a year, or five years, or whatever. But I also really enjoyed my internship this past summer, so I might put my management degree to use."
Whatever path is chosen, he has plenty of skills for success in many areas. His talents span a wide spectrum, whether on the ice or off. Here are a few interesting things you may not know about Adam Hauser, but should before his time at the University is complete:
- His middle name is Aaron.
- He likes to watch fast-paced sports, like tennis, when not watching hockey. And when not on the ice, he enjoys a nice round of golf.
- One of his pre-game warm up exercises is juggling to get his hand-eye coordination going, and to entertain the boys in the locker room.
- His top five warm up songs are "Live out Loud," "This Day," "See the Glory," "Declaration of Dependence" and "Dive," all by his favorite singer, Steven Curtis Chapman.
- He has been playing the guitar for over a year and has become quite a talented musician, even playing at FCA meetings. He may even take off with John Pohl and run down to Nashville to begin singing careers.
When the skates and pads are packed, and the locker is cleaned out for the last time, how will Adam Hauser be remembered here at the University of Minnesota? As a goaltender, Hauser may be remembered as a highly-skilled player who rewrote the Golden Gopher record book. As a student, he may be remembered as diligent and very bright. As a person, Adam may be remembered by his numerous positive characteristics, including his uplifting attitude and inspiring team spirit. But the way in which Adam Hauser may actually be remembered is probably best put himself: "I would like to be remembered as a very nice kid, someone who worked hard. I want people to remember something about my character. That I was a solid guy all around."
Mission accomplished.
Written by Men's Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant Courtney Walerius
