His team was voted the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten a day earlier by his coaching colleagues, but Bob Motzko wasn't leaping to grab the bouquet.
"I'd sure like that if that were the case in March," the Gophers men's hockey coach said Tuesday. "This is November, and we haven't played a game yet. I always thought coaches polls to pick a season are silly, but I know it's tradition and I know it's for fans."
The status bestowed on his team is a compliment, though, for what it accomplished last season and what it returns. The Gophers finished 16-14-7 but went on an 8-1 stretch from late December to early February. They advanced to the Big Ten tournament semifinals, which were wiped out by COVID-19, and return nine of the top 10 scorers and all three goaltenders from that team.
"It's, 'Tag, you're it,' " Motzko said of the Big Ten coaches' pick. "We can't hide that we've got a good hockey team returning. We still have another big step to take, though. If we get off to a start like we finished last year, we'll be in a good spot."
Still, Motzko knows the balance throughout the Big Ten won't make for an easy route to the title for any team. Penn State, the defending regular-season champion, was picked to finish in last place by the coaches. That's for a team ranked ninth in both major national preseason polls, highest among Big Ten teams.
"In the Big Ten, all seven teams think they can win the league," Motzko said, "and all seven teams have a chance."
Under the knife
Motzko was asked if he took up any hobbies during down time during the extended offseason. No, he said, but he did undergo knee replacement surgery.
"I got a new knee, which is something that I put off for five years, and I finally had time to do it," he said.
