University of Minnesota Athletics
The Fab Five: Men's Hockey Senior Class
3/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
What is one thing you wish you would have known coming in as a freshman?
Grant Potulny: I wish I would have listened to everyone who was a senior who said this stuff goes by so fast. Enjoy it because it's going to be over soon. When you're a freshman, you're like whatever.
Matt Koalska: Freshman year, you just go with the flow.
Jon Waibel: Even when you're a junior, you're like, oh, I still have a year left.
MK: And before you know it, it's senior night.
Joey Martin: Time goes by fast.
What does it mean to play Golden Gopher hockey?
MK: Everything. If you grew up playing hockey, you wanted to play for Minnesota. That's the bottom line. Watching it on TV when you're young and going to the games growing up, you wanted to be there.
Troy Riddle: It's been a dream come true.
JM: Living the dream.
GP: It means that every time somebody goes into the rink, they are going to see our picture on the walls and the banners that we hung. It means you're a part of the best hockey tradition ever. There's only a select fraternity that can say they wore the `M'.
What will you miss the most?
JW: Teammates. I won't even miss the hockey. I'll just miss the guys. You can always play hockey.
JM: I'll miss the guys.
GP: I will too. We'll miss hockey, but in 10 years we're not going to be talking about hockey probably. We're going to talk about, `Remember that time.'
TR: The jokes, pranks and stuff.
MK: Just more off-ice stuff you know. Some on-ice, but mostly off.
What will you miss the least?
GP: [Laughing] Bierman Building, for Dooley (Matt Koalska).
MK: Bierman as a senior student-athlete in your second semester.
TR: Coaches screaming.
JM: Practice.
GP: The training room. I spent enough time in there. Two years in a row in that training room.
JM: I might not miss Cal (Dietz, team strength coach) on Monday mornings either.
JW: Spring workouts.
GP: Yeah, 6:00 a.m. spring workouts.
JM: I won't miss 15 answering machine calls from the Koalskas.
Any advice you'd give to younger guys on team?
JW: Take advantage of every opportunity you get. Every little thing.
What is your favorite hockey moment or memory?
JW: Breaking my hand on the glass.
TR: Watching [Jordan] Leopold win the Hobey Baker. That was pretty cool.
GP: That was cool.
TR: Matty scoring the tying goal (against Maine in the 2002 NCAA championship game.) That was sick.
JM: Yeah, I'd have to say that. When I was running around the concourse, just going nuts.
MK: No big deal. It was just the first title in 23 years, you know. Winning it at home.
GP: Last year was kind of sick too how we won the (WCHA) Final Five.
TR: The rouser when we won the title our sophomore year.
MK: Or especially your first time.
GP: Oh, that was sick.
What do you want to say to the fans?
GP: It's cool when you go out there and you hear, Go Gophers, especially on the road.
All: Thanks. Thanks for your support.
How do you guys want to be remembered as a class?
JW: Respectable.
GP: I want people in 20 years looking at our picture in the locker room, going those guys were good. Those guys had a good run.
JM: Remember us as the guys that got it done.
GP: We looked at those guys from the 70's before we won them [the two NCAA titles] and we thought, `God, that would be awesome.' And now having our picture on the wall two years in a row, maybe three, they'll say `Those guys got it done.'
JM: Hey, what about Pauly [former member of the class of 2004, Paul Martin]?
GP: I bet someone talks to him every two days.
JM: He's still as much a part of this senior class as we are. He's still pretty much here. Here in spirit.
GP: We miss him.
JM: We'll give him a shout out.
SENIOR HABITS
Troy and Matt in the corner of the rink pre-game, before introductions.
"We always say stuff to each other if there aren't a lot of fans in the building yet. Is there a bantam game going on tonight or something?"
Grant skating around behind the net before introductions.
"I was just doing that to kill time. I hate just standing there."
Waibel is the last Gopher into the pregame huddle.
"I don't know why that is. I'm always just skating around."
Grant at the end of the line for the national anthem.
"I always stand to the left of the flag. I do it everywhere, even when we're away."
Joey always fixing his equipment after every shot he takes.
"I always adjust my shin guard or elbow pad. You can put in there that I like to walk around in the locker room in the buff, too."
Playing hacky sack before the games.
Troy: "Put in there, Troy is the best hacky sack player, by far."
Grant: "Woah, I dispute."
SENIOR POLL
Most popular: Matt Koalska. "St. Paul's next mayor."
Best hair: Joey Martin. "Nothing ever tops his perm and his suit together."
Most outspoken: Matt Koalska. "Talk first, think later."
Best shot: Grant Potulny's tips in front of the net.
Best skater: Troy Riddle. "Acceleration/Pro Edge."
Class clown: Jon Waibel.
Biggest nerd: Matt Koalska.
Nicknames:
Joey Martin - Big Red, Joe Dirt, Bob Vila.
Matt Koalska - Polish Prince, Dooley, Bernie, Tucksie, Ishmael, Slaw, Skinner, Moogsie.
Grant Potulny - Old Man River, Pops, Poppers, Big Daddy P, Big Pun, Misdemeanor.
Jon Waibel - Bobblehead, Marbles, Nick Lachey.
Troy Riddle - Rids, Twiddle, Chuck Sherman.
Written by Media Relations Student Assistant Courtney Walerius. She welcomes comments at gophers@umn.edu. The Class of 2004. You could say it's where it all began. During their four years, the University of Minnesota not only returned to the NCAA Tournament, but won championship titles in 2002 and 2003. The Golden Gophers also finished fourth or higher in WCHA standings all four years and won the 2003 WCHA Final Five Championship. The five members, Matt Koalska, Joey Martin, Grant Potulny, Troy Riddle and Jon Waibel, totaled 202 goals and 264 assists for 466 career points, through the end of the 2003-04 regular season. They have been one of the most productive classes in Minnesota history. But all that doesn't matter. What does is that they have been five guys who have stuck together and supported each other over the past four seasons, forming a band of brothers that will be connected past, present and future.
What is one thing you wish you would have known coming in as a freshman?
Grant Potulny: I wish I would have listened to everyone who was a senior who said this stuff goes by so fast. Enjoy it because it's going to be over soon. When you're a freshman, you're like whatever.
Matt Koalska: Freshman year, you just go with the flow.
Jon Waibel: Even when you're a junior, you're like, oh, I still have a year left.
MK: And before you know it, it's senior night.
Joey Martin: Time goes by fast.
What does it mean to play Golden Gopher hockey?
MK: Everything. If you grew up playing hockey, you wanted to play for Minnesota. That's the bottom line. Watching it on TV when you're young and going to the games growing up, you wanted to be there.
Troy Riddle: It's been a dream come true.
JM: Living the dream.
GP: It means that every time somebody goes into the rink, they are going to see our picture on the walls and the banners that we hung. It means you're a part of the best hockey tradition ever. There's only a select fraternity that can say they wore the `M'.
What will you miss the most?
JW: Teammates. I won't even miss the hockey. I'll just miss the guys. You can always play hockey.
JM: I'll miss the guys.
GP: I will too. We'll miss hockey, but in 10 years we're not going to be talking about hockey probably. We're going to talk about, `Remember that time.'
TR: The jokes, pranks and stuff.
MK: Just more off-ice stuff you know. Some on-ice, but mostly off.
What will you miss the least?
GP: [Laughing] Bierman Building, for Dooley (Matt Koalska).
MK: Bierman as a senior student-athlete in your second semester.
TR: Coaches screaming.
JM: Practice.
GP: The training room. I spent enough time in there. Two years in a row in that training room.
JM: I might not miss Cal (Dietz, team strength coach) on Monday mornings either.
JW: Spring workouts.
GP: Yeah, 6:00 a.m. spring workouts.
JM: I won't miss 15 answering machine calls from the Koalskas.
Any advice you'd give to younger guys on team?
JW: Take advantage of every opportunity you get. Every little thing.
What is your favorite hockey moment or memory?
JW: Breaking my hand on the glass.
TR: Watching [Jordan] Leopold win the Hobey Baker. That was pretty cool.
GP: That was cool.
TR: Matty scoring the tying goal (against Maine in the 2002 NCAA championship game.) That was sick.
JM: Yeah, I'd have to say that. When I was running around the concourse, just going nuts.
MK: No big deal. It was just the first title in 23 years, you know. Winning it at home.
GP: Last year was kind of sick too how we won the (WCHA) Final Five.
TR: The rouser when we won the title our sophomore year.
MK: Or especially your first time.
GP: Oh, that was sick.
What do you want to say to the fans?
GP: It's cool when you go out there and you hear, Go Gophers, especially on the road.
All: Thanks. Thanks for your support.
How do you guys want to be remembered as a class?
JW: Respectable.
GP: I want people in 20 years looking at our picture in the locker room, going those guys were good. Those guys had a good run.
JM: Remember us as the guys that got it done.
GP: We looked at those guys from the 70's before we won them [the two NCAA titles] and we thought, `God, that would be awesome.' And now having our picture on the wall two years in a row, maybe three, they'll say `Those guys got it done.'
JM: Hey, what about Pauly [former member of the class of 2004, Paul Martin]?
GP: I bet someone talks to him every two days.
JM: He's still as much a part of this senior class as we are. He's still pretty much here. Here in spirit.
GP: We miss him.
JM: We'll give him a shout out.
SENIOR HABITS
Troy and Matt in the corner of the rink pre-game, before introductions.
"We always say stuff to each other if there aren't a lot of fans in the building yet. Is there a bantam game going on tonight or something?"
Grant skating around behind the net before introductions.
"I was just doing that to kill time. I hate just standing there."
Waibel is the last Gopher into the pregame huddle.
"I don't know why that is. I'm always just skating around."
Grant at the end of the line for the national anthem.
"I always stand to the left of the flag. I do it everywhere, even when we're away."
Joey always fixing his equipment after every shot he takes.
"I always adjust my shin guard or elbow pad. You can put in there that I like to walk around in the locker room in the buff, too."
Playing hacky sack before the games.
Troy: "Put in there, Troy is the best hacky sack player, by far."
Grant: "Woah, I dispute."
SENIOR POLL
Most popular: Matt Koalska. "St. Paul's next mayor."
Best hair: Joey Martin. "Nothing ever tops his perm and his suit together."
Most outspoken: Matt Koalska. "Talk first, think later."
Best shot: Grant Potulny's tips in front of the net.
Best skater: Troy Riddle. "Acceleration/Pro Edge."
Class clown: Jon Waibel.
Biggest nerd: Matt Koalska.
Nicknames:
Joey Martin - Big Red, Joe Dirt, Bob Vila.
Matt Koalska - Polish Prince, Dooley, Bernie, Tucksie, Ishmael, Slaw, Skinner, Moogsie.
Grant Potulny - Old Man River, Pops, Poppers, Big Daddy P, Big Pun, Misdemeanor.
Jon Waibel - Bobblehead, Marbles, Nick Lachey.
Troy Riddle - Rids, Twiddle, Chuck Sherman.
Written by Media Relations Student Assistant Courtney Walerius. She welcomes comments at gophers@umn.edu.
