Best known for playing on the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" Olympic men's hockey team, Rob McClanahan takes over as interim coach of the Blake boys' hockey team.
McClanahan was elevated from assistant coach after Greg May resigned as Blake's head coach to become director of operations for the University of Minnesota men's hockey team. May replaces another former Blake boys' hockey coach in John Hamre.
The Blake program, which two seasons ago opted-up to compete among the larger Class 2A schools, is considered on the verge of a breakthrough thanks to talented young players such as Tristan Broz and Joe Miller. Both players, who will be juniors this season, have verbally committed to the Gophers.
McClanahan (pictured above) reached the 1976 state tournament with Mounds View and won an NCAA championship in 1979 at Minnesota. A year later he earned a gold medal at Lake Placid and went on to play professionally for five seasons. He works for Craig-Hallum Capital Group, a trading and investment firm. His daughter, Sara, is a 2018 Blake alumna who play women's hockey at Dartmouth.
Blake activities director Nick Rathmann said a coaching search will begin in January 2020 with a plan to announce a coach in April. He called May (pictured below) "a close friend and someone I deeply respect. I'm very happy for him and I think the Gophers got a gem."
