Longtime U hockey assistant Guentzel leaves

Mike Guentzel, a Gophers men's hockey assistant coach for 14 seasons, resigned on Friday to pursue his dreams of becoming a head coach while at the same time maybe having more family time.

"My decision was a culmination, personally and professionally of where I'm at," said Guentzel, 45. "Eventually, I'd like to be a head coach. That's one priority and always has been.

"I also have one son playing college hockey. And when I sat in the stands last week in Denver for the [Frozen Four], it was the first time I saw him play all season long."

Ryan Guentzel just completed his freshman season playing forward for Notre Dame, which lost to Boston College 4-1 in the NCAA title game.

Mike and his wife, Sally, have two other hockey-playing sons: Gabe, 19, and Jake, 13.

Gabe played for the Sioux Falls Stampede, which recently was eliminated in the USHL playoffs. He came home Friday from a college visit to Bowling Green. "I saw him play seven, eight times this year," Mike Guentzel said.

Jake plays youth hockey in Woodbury.

"I've been coaching [at Minnesota] for 14 years," Mike Guentzel said. "That's almost half my [professional] life. I need to get out and see if anything else is out there. I don't know if I will be coaching in college, high school or Bantams next until I look and pursue it."

A defenseman for the Gophers from 1981 to '85, Guentzel was hired by former coach Doug Woog in 1994 after eight years as a coach and GM in the USHL. Guentzel worked primarily with the blue-line corps after Don Lucia was hired as coach in 1999.

"Obviously we will miss Mike," Lucia said. "He was a very important member of the staff and did a terrific job.

"... There is not anybody who loves [hockey] more than Mike. He had great passion and he related well to players."

Guentzel coached five All-America defensemen, including Jordan Leopold, who won the Hobey Baker Award in 2002. Leopold, now with the Colorado Avalanche, is one of five NHL defensemen this season who were coached by Guentzel.

"It would be easy to say the pinnacle of my career was winning championships in consecutive years" in 2002 and '03, Guentzel said. "But it's the relationships you have with all the guys. Today I saw Keith Ballard [now with the Phoenix Coyotes] in the weight room.

"Those guys text-messaging me, calling me, asking how it's going, wishing me good luck or congratulating me. Those things for me are the highlights -- the friendships I made. When you win a championship, you hold a trophy for a little while. Relationships last forever."

Today, Lucia is headed to Florida, where the WCHA and American Hockey Coaches Association are holding their postseason meetings. Lucia said Guentzel's timing will enable Lucia to discuss potential replacements this coming week.

Guentzel's immediate schedule is a little more open: "[Today] I have to coach my son's youth baseball team."

Jake is probably thrilled.