University of Minnesota Athletics
Dreams Do Come True
4/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
-- WCCO Radio's Wally Shaver's call of the final moments of the 2002 National Championship game.
Breathtaking, heart-stopping, tear-jerking, mind-blowing, exciting, amazing, unbelievable, euphoric, awesome, spectacular, outstanding, loud, historic, momentous, emotional, dramatic....
The words used to describe what the University of Minnesota men's hockey team accomplished on Saturday, April 6 are plentiful, but none can adequately explain just what did happen on that magical night in St. Paul, Minn. There may not be a single word in the English language that carries enough resonance to accurately describe what the Maroon and Gold players, coaches, staff and fans felt that night in the raucous Xcel Energy Center.
That being said, however, a plethora of plots and storylines exist that have been batted about since Minnesota's Pride on Ice captured the hearts and dreams of thousands of Golden Gopher fans across the state and nation. With their come-from-behind 4-3 overtime triumph over the University of Maine, the 2001-02 edition of Gold Country hockey did what no Minnesota team had been able to do since 1979 - win the NCAA Championship.
The 2001-02 season will go down as one of the most memorable campaigns in Golden Gopher hockey history for so many reasons. In the Frozen Four alone, there were an incredible amount of storylines that filled the notebooks and laptops of many a reporter or columnist. Beyond the final score of the games were the plots below the surface that made the run to the title all the more fulfilling, exciting and awe-inspiring.
There was the 23-year drought of an NCAA men's hockey title at an institution that is synonymous with national success on the ice. There were the stellar individual performances by Hobey Baker Award-winning defenseman Jordan Leopold, All-American Johnny Pohl, prolific goal scorer Jeff Taffe and an entire cast of supremely-talented skaters that played a major role in leading the Golden Gophers back to the promised land. There was much-maligned senior goaltender Adam Hauser ignoring his misguided critics and becoming a sort of postseason hero in the vein of past title-winning goaltenders Brad Shelstad, Jeff Tscherne/Tom Mohr and Steve Janaszak. There was the extra incentive for Minnesota to return to the Frozen Four because St. Paul's jewel of an arena would be host to the sure-sellout. There was the crowd at the X. There was sophomore Matt Koalska's jump into the Minnesota bench, deemed "The Polish Leap," after scoring the tying goal with 54 seconds remaining. There was the lone non-Minnesotan on the roster, sophomore Grant Potulny, scoring the game- and title-winning goal in typical Potulny style. There was Head Coach Don Lucia making good on a promise to once again make the Golden Gophers a national power on college hockey's biggest stage. There was all that and more.
Below is a look at some of those storylines that defined the run to the national title by Minnesota's Pride on Ice.
The drought
There's an expectation placed on the shoulders of the Minnesota hockey program like that of Notre Dame football or Duke basketball. Like the fans of the Fighting Irish and Blue Devils, devotees of the Golden Gophers expect, nay demand, that their team reach the upper echelon of the sport each and every year. Anything less than a national championship is a disappointment. Clearly, it's an unfair and unrealistic expectation to rest on the backs of 18- to 23-year-olds. Nonetheless, it's an expectation that exists, not only amongst the fans, but with the players and coaches themselves. Lucia expects to be in the NCAA Tournament every year. From two-time All-American Leopold to practice player Chad Roberg, every player who wears the Maroon and Gold expects to be contending for the national crown year in and year out.
It's that expectation that led Lucia and his Golden Gophers to heed the call of `It's our turn. It's our time.' It had been way too long since Minnesota had won a national title. Only one player (junior Nick Anthony) was alive at the time of Gold Country's last NCAA crown in 1979. Since that time, Minnesota appeared in 17 NCAA Tournaments and two championship games with no titles. It was for this reason that Lucia told his players that it was time, their time, for Minnesota to regain the top spot.
"I told our guys from the start of the year that it's been too long since 1979 and that it's time. We believed it was our turn," Lucia said. "I'm so proud of my players. We are all going to remember this day the rest of our lives. It's the most incredible feeling I've ever had. It's time to call us the 2002 national champions."
"Gopher hockey is back being a final four program," Pohl said. "This is what it's been and what it's supposed to be."
`Our turn/our time' was undoubtedly a motivational tool used by this group of Minnesotans (and one North Dakotan) to get back to the place that everyone expects them to be. Clearly, the players bought into it. Led by the outstanding senior class, each Golden Gopher believed in his heart and his mind that it was their turn to be a national champion. Even the North Dakotan fully grasped the mantra.
"This was such a long time coming," Potulny explained. "I can't tell you how great this feels for everyone."
The monkey is officially off their backs - Did you hear it?
It happened only moments after Potulny slipped the puck under Maine goaltender Matt Yeats to win the national championship. You didn't hear it? That's probably because the decibel level at the X reached that of a Metallica concert. But there was something to be heard behind the din of 19,000 screaming Minnesota fans. What was it? Well, by snapping the 23-year title drought, the Golden Gophers and their fans breathed a monstrous sigh of relief. For a brief moment, the supply of oxygen in the North Star State took a hit.
Senior captain Pohl heard it. "Talk about unbelievable," he said. "How about being on the ice when a [23]-year drought was broken."
The memory of the 1989 championship game, played on the same plot of land in St. Paul, was erased. No longer would the name Randy Skarda (the stellar defenseman from the `89 squad who clanged a puck off the post in overtime) be taken in vain. The preeminent memory of Golden Gopher hockey would not be of Minnesota greats Dave Snuggerud, Tom Chorkse and Larry Olimb being moved to tears as Harvard celebrated its only national hockey title. From this point on, it would be the memory of Hauser's spectacular saves, especially the astounding stop of Michigan's Jed Ortmeyer in the semifinal bout. Of Leopold winning the Hobey Baker Award. Of Pohl beating Yeats top shelf with a blistering wrist shot. Of Koalska's tying goal in the final minute. Of Potulny jumping with unadulterated enthusiasm as he saw the puck cross the goal line.
"It's a relief," Leopold said. "We could have gone down in the same fashion [as 1989]. It was quite stressful out there and it wasn't pretty. But we got out reward."
"The journey we've made, the relief we all felt - this is just a good day," Lucia added. "We don't have to listen to `1979' or `Golden Chokers' anymore."
The crowd - Lucia was wrong.
He wasn't even close. Before the Frozen Four, Lucia predicted that the crowd for the Frozen Four would not be as pro-Gopher as Minnesota had enjoyed three weeks prior at the WCHA Final Five. Boy, was he way off. And thank heavens for that. Over 19,000 fans packed Xcel Energy Center for what would become the largest crowd for a single game in Frozen Four history, in hockey history in Minnesota and for an event at the Xcel Energy Center. The best part about it was the fact that most of those fans were donning the Maroon and Gold. After the first semifinal, Lucia admitted his error.
"The crowd was terrific," he said. "To be honest, I was very surprised how many Minnesota fans were in that building tonight. I did not anticipate that kind of crowd. When we scored that first goal, it was electric in there."
To listen to the players, much of the credit for Minnesota's dramatic come-from-behind victory in the title game should go to the boisterous backers of the Golden Gophers.
"When we were down 3-2, that's when they really got behind us," senior Nick Angell said. "They gave us a lift. A lot of us were pretty tired, but we came back on the ice and we got that tingling feeling again."
"We did it for St. Paul," Koalska added. "We did it for the fans. That's why we came here. Give credit to those fans. They were unbelievable."
Many a Minnesota fan went home that night with only a semblance of a voice remaining. This was one of the few places where screaming at the top of your lungs was looked upon, not with disdain, but with appreciation. Even Maine defenseman Michael Schutte appreciated it, despite putting his finger to his lips as if to say, "Ssshhhh" after scoring his first goal of the night.
"That crowd was awesome to play in front of," the Black Bear admitted.
Perhaps the soft-spoken senior Erik Wendell said it best. "The vibrations are still in my chest," he smiled. "I can still feel it. I can't even describe it. Oh my goodness, how absolutely powerful was the roar of that crowd? It was like two Mariuccis."
The way they did it - Does it get any better than this?
Many left the X pondering that very thought. How could it have been any better? Minnesota first downed traditional rival Michigan, 3-2, in the semifinal with more than enough drama for an entire Frozen Four. Then, the Golden Gophers would face Maine, a perennial Eastern power and the team that knocked the Maroon and Gold out of the NCAA Tournament in 2001. It's somewhat ironic that the Black Bears lost to the Golden Gophers in much the same way that they defeated Gold Country in the prior year's tournament. In 2001, Minnesota held a 4-3 lead over Maine before surrendering a goal with three seconds left in regulation. The Bears would go on to win in overtime. But, oh, how the tables turned in 2002. Maine took the lead at 3-2 with just over four minutes remaining, only to see the Golden Gophers tie it up with 54 seconds to go and send the contest into overtime. There, Potulny blew the roof off the X with his lamplighter. The best playwright or screenwriter could not have penned a more dramatic story. It just could not have been any better.
"What better way to ride off into the sunset?" Pohl asked.
"I'm still kind of numb," Lucia said. "It's every bit as great as I thought it would be. I can't imagine it being any better than it was. To see the joy in our players was just incredible."
What it means to wear the `M'
When hockey recruits commit to the University of Minnesota, they always say how much they are looking forward to wearing the `M.' When seniors make their speeches at the awards banquet following the season, they always talk about how lucky they were to be given the chance to wear the `M.' There's something about slipping on that Maroon and Gold sweater with the big `M' that elicits a host of emotions and feelings of pride in Golden Gopher hockey players. Outsiders probably can't understand it, but donning the `M' is an honor held with an amount of reverence unmatched in the college hockey world.
Even Grand Forks, N.D., native Potulny understands what it means to wear the `M.' And he hails from the same city where the rival North Dakota Fighting Sioux reside. It just goes to show the power that the `M' possesses.
"When I came in, the guys didn't even blink an eye," Potulny explained. "From day one here I've been a Gopher and I've got that `M' tattooed on my chest. I'm a Gopher for the rest of my life."
When the kids in White Bear Lake, Edina, Eveleth, Warroad and International Falls play hockey on the frozen lakes and ponds, the vast majority of them them are pretending they're wearing the Minnesota sweater. They're reenacting Pohl's upper corner goal, Koalska's tying marker, Potulny's game-winner, Hauser's sprawling saves and the team's euphoric celebration. With the exception of a few locales, Minnesota kids are imagining themselves scoring the game-winning goal with thousands of Golden Gopher fans cheering in the stands. It's the `M' that brings out these occurrences of hero worship. What does it mean to wear the `M'? It's a question that cannot be answered easily, but one that has powerful undertones. Wearing the `M' is about pride, tradition and success.
"We ask players we recruit, `If you were to win a national title, what jersey would you want to be wearing?' For me as a coach, I feel the same way. It's Minnesota," Lucia said.
For the 27 Golden Gophers on the national championship team, the answer to Lucia's question was obvious. It's Minnesota. It's the `M.'
Minnesota's Pride on Ice
Taffe didn't score 34 goals in 2001-02 for himself. Leopold didn't break school records for scoring by a defenseman for posterity. Hauser didn't stop 3,777 shots to make his mother proud. Koalska didn't tie the game up solely for his teammates. Potulny didn't score that memorable goal to make him more attractive to pro scouts. Lucia didn't mentor the team for career advancement. The Golden Gophers didn't win the 2002 NCAA Championship for themselves. Who did they do it for?
"This is for all those players since 1979 who worked so hard, and for our fans who have been with us all these years," Lucia said.
The players may be having a hard time grasping exactly what they have accomplished. One always hears, "It hasn't sunken in yet." For some of the Golden Gophers, it's difficult to place their name with those that laid the groundwork for all future Minnesota success. Leopold, one of the all-time Minnesota greats, is one of those having some difficulty believing he is now a part of the exclusive national championship fraternity.
"You look at those guys and what they did before us, and I don't think we're anywhere near them," the Golden Valley native said. "In years to come, hopefully people will tell stories about us."
They're already telling stories about you, Leo. And they will for years and years after this. Already, former players are letting the 2002 Golden Gophers know that what they accomplished is highly-significant in the Minnesota hockey world.
"[Ben Hankinson] said, `You guys have no idea what you just did.' He told me we wouldn't understand it for a while, and that we would start to think about that 20 years from now," sophomore Troy Riddle said.
Just as former players feel immense pride in what the Golden Gophers did in 2002, so do the fans of Minnesota hockey. The current players know that their national championship was won, not only for the University of Minnesota, but for the thousands of fans, young and old, that have supported the program through thick and thin.
"A big part of the state's pride is Gopher hockey," Taffe said.
Pride and tradition are as much a part of Golden Gopher hockey as is slapshots and bodychecks. The book on Minnesota hockey tradition now has an extra chapter. It's a chapter that the boys in Maroon and Gold wrote with a fairy tale-like season. It's a chapter that will be read to throngs of Minnesota fans both now and in the future.
"From day one, we've tried to stress to our kids to create their own tradition," Lucia said. "I didn't want kids whose lives were fulfilled because their dream was just to play here. Our kids now understand how hard it is and how much sweat and effort you have to put in. We've got tremendous leaders who bought into it, and I couldn't be more proud."
Back where it belongs
Since 1979, the trophy had spent time in North Dakota (a depressing five times), Wisconsin (a nauseating three times), Bowling Green, Rensselaer, Michigan State, Lake Superior State (three times), Harvard (I wish I didn't need to be bring that up), Northern Michigan, Maine (twice), Boston U., Michigan (twice) and Boston College. With apologies to those schools, the trophy doesn't belong there. To borrow a line from the Minnesota Wild's Anthem, "A big blue line runs around our state, a line that can't be crossed. The day they try to take this game is the day the gloves come off." Minnesota is the State of Hockey. Period. The hockey heritage in this state is unmatched around the nation. That's why the Golden Gophers winning the 2002 NCAA Championship did what needed to be done - bring the trophy back to where it belongs.
"This program means so much to the people of Minnesota," Pohl said. "For us to be a part of a national championship in St. Paul, it couldn't be any better. If I never play hockey again, I don't care. This is the greatest day of my life."
"The fans wanted this as badly as our team," Lucia added. "The state just exploded after what happened. I don't think you'll see anything like that anywhere else because hockey is so much an important fabric of this state. This was an incredible moment."
Don't let sophomore Troy Riddle's age of 20 belie his deep knowledge of what hockey means to the state of Minnesota. He knows. A native of Minneapolis, Riddle is keenly aware of the importance of the sport that has brought bluelines, forechecking and slashing into the state's collective vocabulary. He knows what he's talking about when he says, "This college hockey family is so big. The whole state has a huge smile on its face. Every hockey association, every little kid who plays, they're all excited about this. It almost makes you want to start crying."
Dreams realized
More than anything, Minnesota capturing the 2002 NCAA Championship was a realization of numerous dreams and goals for the players and coaches on the Golden Gopher squad. It was the culmination of years of hard work and unwavering focus on the ultimate goal of becoming a national champion. Although the work toward achieving the dream of winning it all began long ago, the true run to the NCAA title began shortly after Minnesota lost to Maine in the 2001 East Regional. To make their dream possible, the Maroon and Gold would first adhere to a regiment of running, weightlifting and, ultimately, team-building in order to become equipped to earn the program's fourth national crown.
"You have no clue how much we put in," Pohl said. "We came in and lifted and ran four nights a week all summer."
It was that offseason dedication which provided a natural segue to the 2001-02 campaign. Once the season began, the Golden Gophers' sights were set on winning the national championship. They knew that achieving their dream was now within reach.
"If you could write a fairy tale, that's how it would end," Leopold said about winning the national championship.
Growing up, it was their dream. Playing high school hockey, it was their dream. Donning the Maroon and Gold for the first time, it was their dream. Working in the offseason, it was their dream. Opening the season, it was their dream. Stepping onto the ice for the national championship game, it was their dream.
The Golden Gophers realized that dream. And it couldn't be any sweeter.
"It's unbelievable," Koalska said. "You can't get anything better. All year long and right from the get-go, winning the national title has been on our minds. There's never been a better feeling."
"At the start of the year, this was all we talked about. I'm so proud of our players," Lucia added. "Their dream was to hang a banner and they hung the big one tonight."
"I still have chills all over," freshman Judd Stevens said. "This is beyond anything I had ever dreamed about."
"Dreams do come true," Leopold said. "You find that out in a short amount of time."
Midway through the season, Lucia and a local newspaper reporter sat down for a meal at a Chinese restaurant. After lunch, Lucia opened the fortune cookie with a fortune that read, "You're about to go on a thrilling ride." The cookie was right.
And what a ride it was.
"It's time to call us the 2002 national champions.
-- Head Coach Don Lucia
The 2002 NCAA Champions: #1 Adam Hauser, #3 Jordan Leopold, #5 Jon Waibel, #6 Judd Stevens, #9 Johnny Pohl, #10 Paul Martin, #11 Erik Wendell, #12 Jerrid Reinholz, #13 Keith Ballard, #14 Chad Roberg, #15 Mike Erickson, #16 Nick Anthony, #17 Garrett Smaagaard, #18 Grant Potulny, #19 Matt DeMarchi, #20 Joey Martin, #21 Troy Riddle, #22 Jeff Taffe, #23 Dan Welch, #24 Matt Koalska, #25 Pat O'Leary, #26 Nick Angell, #27 Barry Tallackson, #28 Brett MacKinnon, #29 Jake Fleming, #31 Travis Weber, #33 Justin Johnson.
Written by Men's Athletics Media Relations Intern Kevin Kurtt
".Taking the face-off, Tom Reimann who's logged a lot of ice up front for the Maine Black Bears. Gophers win it. Leopold winds and FIRES right on! Taffe now picks up the loose puck on the right wing wall. Back to the blueline for Leopold. Another shot, deflected, it's loose in front. Potulny! HE SCORES!!! THE GOPHERS WIN! THE GOPHERS WIN! THEY WIN! POTULNY, THE CHAMPIONS! YES SIR!"
-- WCCO Radio's Wally Shaver's call of the final moments of the 2002 National Championship game.
Breathtaking, heart-stopping, tear-jerking, mind-blowing, exciting, amazing, unbelievable, euphoric, awesome, spectacular, outstanding, loud, historic, momentous, emotional, dramatic....
The words used to describe what the University of Minnesota men's hockey team accomplished on Saturday, April 6 are plentiful, but none can adequately explain just what did happen on that magical night in St. Paul, Minn. There may not be a single word in the English language that carries enough resonance to accurately describe what the Maroon and Gold players, coaches, staff and fans felt that night in the raucous Xcel Energy Center.
That being said, however, a plethora of plots and storylines exist that have been batted about since Minnesota's Pride on Ice captured the hearts and dreams of thousands of Golden Gopher fans across the state and nation. With their come-from-behind 4-3 overtime triumph over the University of Maine, the 2001-02 edition of Gold Country hockey did what no Minnesota team had been able to do since 1979 - win the NCAA Championship.
The 2001-02 season will go down as one of the most memorable campaigns in Golden Gopher hockey history for so many reasons. In the Frozen Four alone, there were an incredible amount of storylines that filled the notebooks and laptops of many a reporter or columnist. Beyond the final score of the games were the plots below the surface that made the run to the title all the more fulfilling, exciting and awe-inspiring.
There was the 23-year drought of an NCAA men's hockey title at an institution that is synonymous with national success on the ice. There were the stellar individual performances by Hobey Baker Award-winning defenseman Jordan Leopold, All-American Johnny Pohl, prolific goal scorer Jeff Taffe and an entire cast of supremely-talented skaters that played a major role in leading the Golden Gophers back to the promised land. There was much-maligned senior goaltender Adam Hauser ignoring his misguided critics and becoming a sort of postseason hero in the vein of past title-winning goaltenders Brad Shelstad, Jeff Tscherne/Tom Mohr and Steve Janaszak. There was the extra incentive for Minnesota to return to the Frozen Four because St. Paul's jewel of an arena would be host to the sure-sellout. There was the crowd at the X. There was sophomore Matt Koalska's jump into the Minnesota bench, deemed "The Polish Leap," after scoring the tying goal with 54 seconds remaining. There was the lone non-Minnesotan on the roster, sophomore Grant Potulny, scoring the game- and title-winning goal in typical Potulny style. There was Head Coach Don Lucia making good on a promise to once again make the Golden Gophers a national power on college hockey's biggest stage. There was all that and more.
Below is a look at some of those storylines that defined the run to the national title by Minnesota's Pride on Ice.
The drought
There's an expectation placed on the shoulders of the Minnesota hockey program like that of Notre Dame football or Duke basketball. Like the fans of the Fighting Irish and Blue Devils, devotees of the Golden Gophers expect, nay demand, that their team reach the upper echelon of the sport each and every year. Anything less than a national championship is a disappointment. Clearly, it's an unfair and unrealistic expectation to rest on the backs of 18- to 23-year-olds. Nonetheless, it's an expectation that exists, not only amongst the fans, but with the players and coaches themselves. Lucia expects to be in the NCAA Tournament every year. From two-time All-American Leopold to practice player Chad Roberg, every player who wears the Maroon and Gold expects to be contending for the national crown year in and year out.
It's that expectation that led Lucia and his Golden Gophers to heed the call of `It's our turn. It's our time.' It had been way too long since Minnesota had won a national title. Only one player (junior Nick Anthony) was alive at the time of Gold Country's last NCAA crown in 1979. Since that time, Minnesota appeared in 17 NCAA Tournaments and two championship games with no titles. It was for this reason that Lucia told his players that it was time, their time, for Minnesota to regain the top spot.
"I told our guys from the start of the year that it's been too long since 1979 and that it's time. We believed it was our turn," Lucia said. "I'm so proud of my players. We are all going to remember this day the rest of our lives. It's the most incredible feeling I've ever had. It's time to call us the 2002 national champions."
"Gopher hockey is back being a final four program," Pohl said. "This is what it's been and what it's supposed to be."
`Our turn/our time' was undoubtedly a motivational tool used by this group of Minnesotans (and one North Dakotan) to get back to the place that everyone expects them to be. Clearly, the players bought into it. Led by the outstanding senior class, each Golden Gopher believed in his heart and his mind that it was their turn to be a national champion. Even the North Dakotan fully grasped the mantra.
"This was such a long time coming," Potulny explained. "I can't tell you how great this feels for everyone."
The monkey is officially off their backs - Did you hear it?
It happened only moments after Potulny slipped the puck under Maine goaltender Matt Yeats to win the national championship. You didn't hear it? That's probably because the decibel level at the X reached that of a Metallica concert. But there was something to be heard behind the din of 19,000 screaming Minnesota fans. What was it? Well, by snapping the 23-year title drought, the Golden Gophers and their fans breathed a monstrous sigh of relief. For a brief moment, the supply of oxygen in the North Star State took a hit.
Senior captain Pohl heard it. "Talk about unbelievable," he said. "How about being on the ice when a [23]-year drought was broken."
The memory of the 1989 championship game, played on the same plot of land in St. Paul, was erased. No longer would the name Randy Skarda (the stellar defenseman from the `89 squad who clanged a puck off the post in overtime) be taken in vain. The preeminent memory of Golden Gopher hockey would not be of Minnesota greats Dave Snuggerud, Tom Chorkse and Larry Olimb being moved to tears as Harvard celebrated its only national hockey title. From this point on, it would be the memory of Hauser's spectacular saves, especially the astounding stop of Michigan's Jed Ortmeyer in the semifinal bout. Of Leopold winning the Hobey Baker Award. Of Pohl beating Yeats top shelf with a blistering wrist shot. Of Koalska's tying goal in the final minute. Of Potulny jumping with unadulterated enthusiasm as he saw the puck cross the goal line.
"It's a relief," Leopold said. "We could have gone down in the same fashion [as 1989]. It was quite stressful out there and it wasn't pretty. But we got out reward."
"The journey we've made, the relief we all felt - this is just a good day," Lucia added. "We don't have to listen to `1979' or `Golden Chokers' anymore."
The crowd - Lucia was wrong.
He wasn't even close. Before the Frozen Four, Lucia predicted that the crowd for the Frozen Four would not be as pro-Gopher as Minnesota had enjoyed three weeks prior at the WCHA Final Five. Boy, was he way off. And thank heavens for that. Over 19,000 fans packed Xcel Energy Center for what would become the largest crowd for a single game in Frozen Four history, in hockey history in Minnesota and for an event at the Xcel Energy Center. The best part about it was the fact that most of those fans were donning the Maroon and Gold. After the first semifinal, Lucia admitted his error.
"The crowd was terrific," he said. "To be honest, I was very surprised how many Minnesota fans were in that building tonight. I did not anticipate that kind of crowd. When we scored that first goal, it was electric in there."
To listen to the players, much of the credit for Minnesota's dramatic come-from-behind victory in the title game should go to the boisterous backers of the Golden Gophers.
"When we were down 3-2, that's when they really got behind us," senior Nick Angell said. "They gave us a lift. A lot of us were pretty tired, but we came back on the ice and we got that tingling feeling again."
"We did it for St. Paul," Koalska added. "We did it for the fans. That's why we came here. Give credit to those fans. They were unbelievable."
Many a Minnesota fan went home that night with only a semblance of a voice remaining. This was one of the few places where screaming at the top of your lungs was looked upon, not with disdain, but with appreciation. Even Maine defenseman Michael Schutte appreciated it, despite putting his finger to his lips as if to say, "Ssshhhh" after scoring his first goal of the night.
"That crowd was awesome to play in front of," the Black Bear admitted.
Perhaps the soft-spoken senior Erik Wendell said it best. "The vibrations are still in my chest," he smiled. "I can still feel it. I can't even describe it. Oh my goodness, how absolutely powerful was the roar of that crowd? It was like two Mariuccis."
The way they did it - Does it get any better than this?
Many left the X pondering that very thought. How could it have been any better? Minnesota first downed traditional rival Michigan, 3-2, in the semifinal with more than enough drama for an entire Frozen Four. Then, the Golden Gophers would face Maine, a perennial Eastern power and the team that knocked the Maroon and Gold out of the NCAA Tournament in 2001. It's somewhat ironic that the Black Bears lost to the Golden Gophers in much the same way that they defeated Gold Country in the prior year's tournament. In 2001, Minnesota held a 4-3 lead over Maine before surrendering a goal with three seconds left in regulation. The Bears would go on to win in overtime. But, oh, how the tables turned in 2002. Maine took the lead at 3-2 with just over four minutes remaining, only to see the Golden Gophers tie it up with 54 seconds to go and send the contest into overtime. There, Potulny blew the roof off the X with his lamplighter. The best playwright or screenwriter could not have penned a more dramatic story. It just could not have been any better.
"What better way to ride off into the sunset?" Pohl asked.
"I'm still kind of numb," Lucia said. "It's every bit as great as I thought it would be. I can't imagine it being any better than it was. To see the joy in our players was just incredible."
What it means to wear the `M'
When hockey recruits commit to the University of Minnesota, they always say how much they are looking forward to wearing the `M.' When seniors make their speeches at the awards banquet following the season, they always talk about how lucky they were to be given the chance to wear the `M.' There's something about slipping on that Maroon and Gold sweater with the big `M' that elicits a host of emotions and feelings of pride in Golden Gopher hockey players. Outsiders probably can't understand it, but donning the `M' is an honor held with an amount of reverence unmatched in the college hockey world.
Even Grand Forks, N.D., native Potulny understands what it means to wear the `M.' And he hails from the same city where the rival North Dakota Fighting Sioux reside. It just goes to show the power that the `M' possesses.
"When I came in, the guys didn't even blink an eye," Potulny explained. "From day one here I've been a Gopher and I've got that `M' tattooed on my chest. I'm a Gopher for the rest of my life."
When the kids in White Bear Lake, Edina, Eveleth, Warroad and International Falls play hockey on the frozen lakes and ponds, the vast majority of them them are pretending they're wearing the Minnesota sweater. They're reenacting Pohl's upper corner goal, Koalska's tying marker, Potulny's game-winner, Hauser's sprawling saves and the team's euphoric celebration. With the exception of a few locales, Minnesota kids are imagining themselves scoring the game-winning goal with thousands of Golden Gopher fans cheering in the stands. It's the `M' that brings out these occurrences of hero worship. What does it mean to wear the `M'? It's a question that cannot be answered easily, but one that has powerful undertones. Wearing the `M' is about pride, tradition and success.
"We ask players we recruit, `If you were to win a national title, what jersey would you want to be wearing?' For me as a coach, I feel the same way. It's Minnesota," Lucia said.
For the 27 Golden Gophers on the national championship team, the answer to Lucia's question was obvious. It's Minnesota. It's the `M.'
Minnesota's Pride on Ice
Taffe didn't score 34 goals in 2001-02 for himself. Leopold didn't break school records for scoring by a defenseman for posterity. Hauser didn't stop 3,777 shots to make his mother proud. Koalska didn't tie the game up solely for his teammates. Potulny didn't score that memorable goal to make him more attractive to pro scouts. Lucia didn't mentor the team for career advancement. The Golden Gophers didn't win the 2002 NCAA Championship for themselves. Who did they do it for?
"This is for all those players since 1979 who worked so hard, and for our fans who have been with us all these years," Lucia said.
The players may be having a hard time grasping exactly what they have accomplished. One always hears, "It hasn't sunken in yet." For some of the Golden Gophers, it's difficult to place their name with those that laid the groundwork for all future Minnesota success. Leopold, one of the all-time Minnesota greats, is one of those having some difficulty believing he is now a part of the exclusive national championship fraternity.
"You look at those guys and what they did before us, and I don't think we're anywhere near them," the Golden Valley native said. "In years to come, hopefully people will tell stories about us."
They're already telling stories about you, Leo. And they will for years and years after this. Already, former players are letting the 2002 Golden Gophers know that what they accomplished is highly-significant in the Minnesota hockey world.
"[Ben Hankinson] said, `You guys have no idea what you just did.' He told me we wouldn't understand it for a while, and that we would start to think about that 20 years from now," sophomore Troy Riddle said.
Just as former players feel immense pride in what the Golden Gophers did in 2002, so do the fans of Minnesota hockey. The current players know that their national championship was won, not only for the University of Minnesota, but for the thousands of fans, young and old, that have supported the program through thick and thin.
"A big part of the state's pride is Gopher hockey," Taffe said.
Pride and tradition are as much a part of Golden Gopher hockey as is slapshots and bodychecks. The book on Minnesota hockey tradition now has an extra chapter. It's a chapter that the boys in Maroon and Gold wrote with a fairy tale-like season. It's a chapter that will be read to throngs of Minnesota fans both now and in the future.
"From day one, we've tried to stress to our kids to create their own tradition," Lucia said. "I didn't want kids whose lives were fulfilled because their dream was just to play here. Our kids now understand how hard it is and how much sweat and effort you have to put in. We've got tremendous leaders who bought into it, and I couldn't be more proud."
Back where it belongs
Since 1979, the trophy had spent time in North Dakota (a depressing five times), Wisconsin (a nauseating three times), Bowling Green, Rensselaer, Michigan State, Lake Superior State (three times), Harvard (I wish I didn't need to be bring that up), Northern Michigan, Maine (twice), Boston U., Michigan (twice) and Boston College. With apologies to those schools, the trophy doesn't belong there. To borrow a line from the Minnesota Wild's Anthem, "A big blue line runs around our state, a line that can't be crossed. The day they try to take this game is the day the gloves come off." Minnesota is the State of Hockey. Period. The hockey heritage in this state is unmatched around the nation. That's why the Golden Gophers winning the 2002 NCAA Championship did what needed to be done - bring the trophy back to where it belongs.
"This program means so much to the people of Minnesota," Pohl said. "For us to be a part of a national championship in St. Paul, it couldn't be any better. If I never play hockey again, I don't care. This is the greatest day of my life."
"The fans wanted this as badly as our team," Lucia added. "The state just exploded after what happened. I don't think you'll see anything like that anywhere else because hockey is so much an important fabric of this state. This was an incredible moment."
Don't let sophomore Troy Riddle's age of 20 belie his deep knowledge of what hockey means to the state of Minnesota. He knows. A native of Minneapolis, Riddle is keenly aware of the importance of the sport that has brought bluelines, forechecking and slashing into the state's collective vocabulary. He knows what he's talking about when he says, "This college hockey family is so big. The whole state has a huge smile on its face. Every hockey association, every little kid who plays, they're all excited about this. It almost makes you want to start crying."
Dreams realized
More than anything, Minnesota capturing the 2002 NCAA Championship was a realization of numerous dreams and goals for the players and coaches on the Golden Gopher squad. It was the culmination of years of hard work and unwavering focus on the ultimate goal of becoming a national champion. Although the work toward achieving the dream of winning it all began long ago, the true run to the NCAA title began shortly after Minnesota lost to Maine in the 2001 East Regional. To make their dream possible, the Maroon and Gold would first adhere to a regiment of running, weightlifting and, ultimately, team-building in order to become equipped to earn the program's fourth national crown.
"You have no clue how much we put in," Pohl said. "We came in and lifted and ran four nights a week all summer."
It was that offseason dedication which provided a natural segue to the 2001-02 campaign. Once the season began, the Golden Gophers' sights were set on winning the national championship. They knew that achieving their dream was now within reach.
"If you could write a fairy tale, that's how it would end," Leopold said about winning the national championship.
Growing up, it was their dream. Playing high school hockey, it was their dream. Donning the Maroon and Gold for the first time, it was their dream. Working in the offseason, it was their dream. Opening the season, it was their dream. Stepping onto the ice for the national championship game, it was their dream.
The Golden Gophers realized that dream. And it couldn't be any sweeter.
"It's unbelievable," Koalska said. "You can't get anything better. All year long and right from the get-go, winning the national title has been on our minds. There's never been a better feeling."
"At the start of the year, this was all we talked about. I'm so proud of our players," Lucia added. "Their dream was to hang a banner and they hung the big one tonight."
"I still have chills all over," freshman Judd Stevens said. "This is beyond anything I had ever dreamed about."
"Dreams do come true," Leopold said. "You find that out in a short amount of time."
Midway through the season, Lucia and a local newspaper reporter sat down for a meal at a Chinese restaurant. After lunch, Lucia opened the fortune cookie with a fortune that read, "You're about to go on a thrilling ride." The cookie was right.
And what a ride it was.
"It's time to call us the 2002 national champions.
-- Head Coach Don Lucia
The 2002 NCAA Champions: #1 Adam Hauser, #3 Jordan Leopold, #5 Jon Waibel, #6 Judd Stevens, #9 Johnny Pohl, #10 Paul Martin, #11 Erik Wendell, #12 Jerrid Reinholz, #13 Keith Ballard, #14 Chad Roberg, #15 Mike Erickson, #16 Nick Anthony, #17 Garrett Smaagaard, #18 Grant Potulny, #19 Matt DeMarchi, #20 Joey Martin, #21 Troy Riddle, #22 Jeff Taffe, #23 Dan Welch, #24 Matt Koalska, #25 Pat O'Leary, #26 Nick Angell, #27 Barry Tallackson, #28 Brett MacKinnon, #29 Jake Fleming, #31 Travis Weber, #33 Justin Johnson.
Written by Men's Athletics Media Relations Intern Kevin Kurtt
