University of Minnesota Athletics
Dean Blais Honored by USA Hockey
5/23/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS – Gopher Hockey alum Dean Blais has been honored by USA Hockey with the Distinguished Achievement Award, presented annually to a U.S. citizen who has made hockey his or her profession and has made outstanding contributions on or off the ice to the sport in the United States.
A native of International Falls, Minn., Blais was a four-year letter winner for the Maroon & Gold from 1970-1973 – recording 139 points (56 goals, 83 assists) in 124 career games. The forward led the Gophers in scoring as a sophomore and never finished lower than second on the team in points. As a freshman, Blais helped Minnesota claim the WCHA regular-season title before his sophomore campaign saw the Maroon & Gold capture the WCHA playoff title and advance to the NCAA title game in 1971. After three seasons playing professionally, Blais returned to the 'U' and began his coaching career as an assistant under Herb Brooks during the 1976-77 campaign.
From USA Hockey…
In a hockey life spanning some six decades, Dean Blais cut a wide trail of lofty accomplishments through every level of the game.
Lesser known but no less decorated as a championship player, Blais lifted trophies in high school, college and professional hockey as a hard-charging winger. Notable triumphs to be sure, but they became mere footnotes for Blais, whose career ascended highest behind the bench, as a championship coach. His most storied conquests came as head coach at the University of North Dakota, when he twice guided the Fighting Sioux to NCAA Division I men's national championships.
Blais will be forever revered as a college coach, but he proved his coaching keenness at much more than a single level of the sport. He won in high school hockey, both in North Dakota and in Minnesota. He won in junior hockey, leading Fargo to the USHL's Clark Cup Final. He won in international hockey, steering Team USA to a gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship. He even won at the NHL level, helping guide the Columbus Blue Jackets as an associate coach.
In all, Blais amassed 408 NCAA coaching victories, a total that placed him among the top 20 of all time. He is a two-time Spencer Penrose Award recipient as the top men's coach in NCAA Division I ice hockey and also a four-time WCHA Coach of the Year selection. He led the Fighting Sioux to three NCAA Frozen Four appearances (including two national titles) and guided the University of Nebraska Omaha to another. Blais also coached the U.S. National Junior Team in 1993 and 2012, and served on the U.S. Men's Olympic Ice Hockey Team coaching staff in 1992.
A native of International Falls, Minnesota, Blais capped his coaching career in 2017 with yet another winning college season – his 14th – before embarking on retirement with his wife, Jackie.