Bob Motzko

Robert Giles Motzko
Current position
Title	Head coach
Team	Minnesota
Conference	Big Ten
Record	136–71–17 (.645)
Biographical details
Born	March 27, 1961 (age 63); Austin, Minnesota
Alma mater	St. Cloud State
Playing career
1979–1980	Austin Mavericks/Waterloo Black Hawks
1979–1980	Dubuque Fighting Saints
1983–1987	St. Cloud State
Position(s)	Forward
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1986–87	St. Cloud State (assistant)
1986–91	North Iowa (USHL)
1991–1992	Miami (assistant)
1993–1994	Denver (assistant)
1994–1998	Miami (assistant)
1999–2001	Sioux Falls (USHL)
2001–2005	Minnesota (assistant)
2005–2018	St. Cloud State
2017–2018	US Men's National Junior Ice Team
2018–present	Minnesota
Head coaching record
Overall	412–263–66 (.601)
Tournaments	12–11 (.522)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
	2013 WCHA Champion; 2014 NCHC Champion; 2016 NCHC Tournament champion; 2018 NCHC Champion; 2021 Big Ten Tournament champion;
Awards
	2× WCHA Coach of the Year (2006, 2007); 2× Herb Brooks Coach of the Year (2014, 2018); 3× Big Ten Coach of the Year (2020, 2022, 2023); Spencer Penrose Award (2023);

Robert Giles Motzko (born March 27, 1961) is the head coach of the University of Minnesota men's hockey team in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he had previously served as Assistant Coach in 2001–05.^[2] He was previously the head coach of the St. Cloud State Huskies from 2005 to 2018. During his time at SCSU, he was named the WCHA Coach of the Year in 2006 and again in 2007.

In 2014, he was named the inaugural NCHC Herb Brooks Coach of the Year. In 2018, he won the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year for the second time. He guided the Huskies to six WCHA Final Five appearances (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013), three NCHC Frozen Faceoff appearances (2015, 2016 and 2018), eight NCAA Division I tournament appearances (2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018), and one NCAA Division I Frozen Four appearance in 2013.^[3]

Playing career

Waterloo and Austin

Motzko played for the Waterloo Black Hawks and the Austin Mavericks in the 1979–1980 season. That year, he had 16 goals, 10 assists, and 19 penalty minutes.

Dubuque Fighting Saints

In the 1980–1981 season, Motzko played for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League where he had 20 goals and 16 assists. That year, he helped the Saints win the Anderson Cup and the Clark Cup.^[4]

St. Cloud State

Motzko played for St. Cloud State University (SCSU) from 1983–1987. He was a two-year varsity letter winner for the SCSU hockey team from 1984–86.^[5]^[3]

Coaching career

St. Cloud State

Motzko began his coaching career in 1986–87 as an assistant coach for the legendary Herb Brooks at SCSU – and also worked with former SCSU head coach Craig Dahl.

North Iowa

Motzko served as general manager and head coach of the USHL's North Iowa Huskies from 1987 through 1991. In 1989, Motzko led the North Iowa squad to a United States Junior A national championship and was named that year's USHL Coach of the Year.

Miami University and Denver

In 1991, Motzko was named associate head coach at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he helped lead the RedHawks to a Central Collegiate Hockey Association title and an NCAA tournament berth in 1992–93. He served for one season as an associate head coach at the University of Denver from 1993–94, before returning to Miami University in 1994.

Sioux Falls Stampede

Motzko was named general manager and head coach of the USHL's Sioux Falls Stampede in 1998. He led the Stampede to a 77–31–6 record in the team's first two seasons in the USHL, and in 2000, he was named the USHL General Manager of the Year.

University of Minnesota

Motzko served as a men's hockey assistant coach at the University of Minnesota and was part of two NCAA Division I national championship teams in 2002 and 2003, and helped the Gophers win WCHA playoff crowns in 2003 and 2004.

Return to St. Cloud State

Motzko became the head coach at his alma mater, St. Cloud State, in 2005. In 2013, his contract was extended through the 2020–2021 season.^[6]

On March 26, 2010, Motzko led the Huskies to their first NCAA Tournament win in the West Regional at Xcel Energy Center. SCSU earned a 4–3 victory in double overtime against Northern Michigan University. The victory snapped an eight-game losing streak in the tournament for SCSU. St. Cloud fell in the West Regional Championship game to the University of Wisconsin the next night.

In the 2012–2013 season, Motzko led SCSU to a WCHA regular season championship, the Huskies' first regular season conference title. Though they secured the #1 seed, the Huskies shared the MacNaughton Cup with the University of Minnesota. On March 30–31, 2013, Motzko led the Huskies to a pair of NCAA Tournament victories over Notre Dame (5–1) and Miami University (4–1) at Huntington Center (Toledo) to advance to the first Frozen Four in school history. St. Cloud fell to Quinnipiac University in the Frozen Four on April 11, 2013, at Consol Energy Center.

In the 2013–14 season, Motzko led the Huskies to the inaugural NCHC regular season championship. Unlike in the 2012–13 season, the Huskies held the Penrose Cup alone. On March 29, 2014, Motzko led the Huskies to a win over Notre Dame (4–3 OT)in the NCAA tournament West Regional at Xcel Energy Center to advance to the Regional Championship for the second straight year, but fell to the University of Minnesota 4–0.

In the 2015–16 season, Motzko led the Huskies to a school record-tying 31 victories as well as the first NCHC conference tournament championship in school history, defeating the Duluth Bulldogs 3–1 in the Frozen Faceoff title game on March 19, 2016. The victory also gave Motzko and the Huskies their fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth, also tying a school record; they would fall to Ferris State University (5–4 OT) in the NCAA West Regional at Xcel Energy Center.

In the 2017–2018 season, the Huskies won their second Penrose Cup as NCHC regular season champions. They also qualified for the national tournament as the overall #1 seed.

United States men's national junior ice hockey team

In 2017, Motzko becomes head coach of the US national junior ice hockey team. He led them to the United States fourth-ever gold medal in the IIHF World Junior Championships.^[7]

Return to Minnesota

On March 27, 2018, Motzko was named the 15th head coach of the University of Minnesota, following Don Lucia's resignation.^[8]

Head coaching record

College

Statistics overview
Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
St. Cloud State Huskies (WCHA) (2005–2013)
2005–06	St. Cloud State	22–16–4	13–13–2	6th	WCHA runner-up
2006–07	St. Cloud State	22–11–7	14–7–7	2nd	NCAA East Regional semifinals
2007–08	St. Cloud State	19–16–5	12–12–4	t–4th	NCAA East Regional semifinals
2008–09	St. Cloud State	18–17–3	13–13–2	6th	WCHA first round
2009–10	St. Cloud State	24–14–5	15–9–4	3rd	NCAA West Regional Final
2010–11	St. Cloud State	15–18–5	11–13–4	t–8th	WCHA first round
2011–12	St. Cloud State	17–17–5	12–12–4	6th	WCHA quarterfinals
2012–13	St. Cloud State	25–16–1	18–9–1	t–1st	NCAA Frozen Four
St. Cloud State:		162–125–35	108–88–28
St. Cloud State Huskies (NCHC) (2013–2018)
2013–14	St. Cloud State	22–11–5	15–6–3–0	1st	NCAA West Regional Final
2014–15	St. Cloud State	20–19–1	11–12–1–0	6th	NCAA West Regional Final
2015–16	St. Cloud State	31–9–1	17–6–1–1	t–2nd	NCAA West Regional semifinals
2016–17	St. Cloud State	16–19–1	10–13–1–0	5th	NCHC first round
2017–18	St. Cloud State	25–9–6	16–4–4–1	1st	NCAA West Regional semifinals
St. Cloud State:		114–67–14	69–41–10–2
Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big Ten) (2018–present)
2018–19	Minnesota	18–16–4	11–10–3–0	3rd	Big Ten semifinals
2019–20	Minnesota	16–14–7	9–8–7–4	T–2nd	Tournament cancelled
2020–21	Minnesota	24–7–0	16–6–0	2nd	NCAA West Regional Final
2021–22	Minnesota	26–13–0	18–6–0	1st	NCAA National semifinal
2022–23	Minnesota	29–10–1	19–4–1	1st	NCAA Runner-Up
2023–24	Minnesota	23–11–5	13–7–4	3rd	NCAA West Regional Final
Minnesota:		136–71–17	86–41–15
Total:		412–263–66
National champion Postseason invitational champion Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion

Personal life

Motzko, a native of Austin, Minnesota, Bob and Shelley have had three children, a daughter, Ella, and two sons Mack and the youngest Beau.

On July 24, 2021, Mack died at the age of 20 from injuries sustained in a single car accident in which he was a passenger in Orono, Minnesota.

References

^ "Bob Motzko Year-by-Year Coaching Record". U.S. College Hockey Online. 1996–2014. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
^ According to GopherSports.com, in a press release on March 27, 2018.
^ ^a ^b "St. Cloud State University website". Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
^ "Bob Motzko". hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
^ "Bob Motzko". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
^ "Men's hockey: Motzko signed with SCSU through 2021". April 1, 2015.
^ "Bob Motzko". Team USA Hockey. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
^ "Bob Motzko takes over Gophers hockey, says he'll 'work tirelessly to make those people proud'". Star Tribune.

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Mike Hastings	Spencer Penrose Award 2022–23	Succeeded by Greg Brown
Preceded by George Gwozdecky Don Lucia	WCHA Coach of the Year 2005–06 (with Don Lucia) 2006–07 (with Jamie Russell)	Succeeded by Jamie Russell Troy Jutting
Preceded by Award Created Andy Murray	Herb Brooks Coach of the Year 2013–14 2017–18	Succeeded by Dave Hakstol Brett Larson
Preceded by Steve Rohlik	Big Ten Coach of the Year 2019–20 2021–22, 2022–23	Succeeded by Tony Granato Adam Nightingale

[seasons-1] "Bob Motzko Year-by-Year Coaching Record". U.S. College Hockey Online. 1996–2014. Retrieved January 7, 2018.

[2] According to GopherSports.com, in a press release on March 27, 2018.

[stcloudstate.edu-3] "St. Cloud State University website". Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. Retrieved 2010-06-16.

[4] "Bob Motzko". hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 16, 2023.

[5] "Bob Motzko". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 16, 2023.

[6] "Men's hockey: Motzko signed with SCSU through 2021". April 1, 2015.

[7] "Bob Motzko". Team USA Hockey. Retrieved July 16, 2023.

[8] "Bob Motzko takes over Gophers hockey, says he'll 'work tirelessly to make those people proud'". Star Tribune.

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v t e St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey
Playing venues	J. C. Brown Athletic Field (1931–1972) St. Cloud Municipal Athletic Complex (1972–1989) Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (1989–present)
Head coaches	Ralph Theisen (1931–1932) Ludwig Andolsek (1932–1935) Robert DePaul (1935–1936) Walter Gerzin (1936–1937) Benedict Vandell (1937–1938) George Lynch (1938–1942) Roland Vandell (1946–1950, 1951–1952) Ray Gasperline (1950–1951) George Martin (1952–1953) Brendan McDonald (1953–1954) Jim Baxter (1954–1956) Jack Wink (1956–1968) Charlie Basch (1968–1984) John Perpich (1984–1986) Herb Brooks (1986–1987) Craig Dahl (1987–2005) Bob Motzko (2005–2018) Brett Larson (2018–Present)
Seasons	1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	NCHA (1981–1987) Independent (1987–1990) WCHA (1990–2013) NCHC (2013–present)
Rivalries	Minnesota
Culture & lore	North Star College Cup
All-time leaders	Ryan Lasch (183 Points) Mark Hartigan (86 Goals) Dávid Hrenák (82 Wins)
Frozen Four appearances	1987 2013 2021
NCAA Tournament appearances	1987 1989 2000 2001 2002 2003 2007 2008 2010 2013 2014 2015 2016 2018 2021 2022 2023
Conference Tournament titles	WCHA: 2001
Hobey Baker winners	Drew LeBlanc (2013)
St. Cloud State University St. Cloud, MN

v t e Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey
Playing venues	St. Paul Hippodrome (1923–1934) St. Paul Auditorium (1932–1950) (occasionally) Minneapolis Arena (1925–1950) (primary arena) Williams Arena (1950–93) 3M Arena at Mariucci (1993–present)
Head coaches	I. D. MacDonald (1921–23) Emil Iverson (1923–30) Frank Pond (1930–35) Larry Armstrong (1935–47) Doc Romnes (1947–52) John Mariucci (1952–55, 1956–66) Marsh Ryman (1955–56) Glen Sonmor (1966–71) Ken Yackel (1971–72) Herb Brooks (1972–79) Brad Buetow (1979–85) Doug Woog (1985–99) Mike Guentzel (1996) Don Lucia (1999–2018) Bob Motzko (2018–present)
Seasons	1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	WCHA (1951–1958, 1959–2013) Big Ten (1958–1981, 2013–present)
Rivalries and trophy games	Minnesota Duluth North Dakota St. Cloud State Wisconsin Mariucci-Bessone Trophy with Michigan State Mariucci-Renfrew Trophy with Michigan
Culture & lore	Mariucci Classic North Star College Cup
All-time leaders	Statistical leaders John Mayasich (298 Points) John Mayasich (144 Goals) Kellen Briggs (84 Wins)
National championships	1974 1976 1979 2002 2003
Runner-Up Finishes	1953 1954 1971 1975 1981 1989 2014
Frozen Four appearances	1953 1954 1961 1971 1974 1975 1976 1979 1981 1983 1986 1987 1988 1989 1994 1995 2002 2003 2005 2012 2014 2022 2023
NCAA Tournament appearances	1953 1954 1961 1971 1974 1975 1976 1979 1980 1981 1983 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2012 2013 2014 2015 2017 2021 2022 2023 2024
Conference Tournament titles	WCHA 1961 1971 1974 1975 1976 1979 1980 1981 1993 1994 1996 2003 2004 2007
Notable players	Aaron Broten Neal Broten Kellen Briggs Mike Crowley Tim Harrer Jordan Leopold John Mayasich Pat Micheletti Todd Richards Robb Stauber
Hobey Baker Award winners	Neal Broten (1981) Robb Stauber (1988) Brian Bonin (1996) Jordan Leopold (2002)
University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN

Playing career

Waterloo and Austin

Dubuque Fighting Saints

St. Cloud State

Coaching career

St. Cloud State

North Iowa

Miami University and Denver

Sioux Falls Stampede

University of Minnesota

Return to St. Cloud State

United States men's national junior ice hockey team

Return to Minnesota

Head coaching record

College

Personal life

See also

References