Lou Nanne
Encyclopedia
Louis Vincent Nanne is a retired ice hockey
defenceman and general manager
who has made significant contributions to hockey in the United States.
and Tony Esposito
. In 1960, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota
to play hockey for the Minnesota Gophers while studying business administration. At Minnesota, he would be coached by the legendary John Mariucci
and would become one of the biggest stars in American college hockey during the 1960s. In 1967, Nanne became an American citizen which allowed him to play for and captain the 1968 US Olympic hockey team, alongside future Miracle On Ice
coach Herb Brooks
, which finished 6th at the Winter Olympics
in Grenoble, France.
, Nanne started his National Hockey League
career in 1968 following the Olympics. He would spend his entire career in Minnesota
, playing 635 NHL regular season games for the North Stars through the 1977-78 season. A steady defenseman and sometime forward, he scored 21 goals in 1971–72 but was mostly known for his defensive, penalty killing abilities. Nanne played for U.S. National Team in 1976 and 1977 (years that the North Stars failed to make the Stanley Cup playoffs
), participating in the 1976 and 1977 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments and competing in the inaugural Canada Cup
in 1976. Nanne also served as National Team captain or assistant captain in both years.
and coach of the North Stars and for the United States Canada Cup
entries. He quickly rebuilt the North Stars into a contender after his playing career ended in 1978. The Stars would reach the Stanley Cup
finals in 1981, the semifinals in 1984, and would make it to the playoffs seven consecutive seasons (1979-80 - 1985-86). This winning run would see the North Stars average over 35 wins per season, and encompass the North Stars sole 40-win season and six of the organization's ten 35+ win seasons. In 1988, following two seasons in which the North Stars finished well below .500 and had consecutive 5th place finishes in the Norris Division
, Nanne would resign from the North Stars citing health reasons. Nanne also served as general manager of the United States team in the 1981
and 1984 Canada Cup
tournaments.
Walter Bush
, spearheaded the campaign to have Brooks named head coach of the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team leading up to the 1980 Winter Games
. Nanne, who had just been named the GM of the North Stars, offered Brooks the team's head coaching job -- but Brooks declined, saying that it was instead his goal to coach the Olympic team. After legendary Boston University
coach Jack Parker turned down the job, Nanne and Bush became involved in the Olympic Team selection process and pushed for Brooks to be named coach.
Nanne has two grandsons playing high school hockey. One, also named Lou, who plays hockey for Edina High School
, and another, Vinni Lettieri, who plays for Minnetonka.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
defenceman and general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
who has made significant contributions to hockey in the United States.
Early life
Nanne grew up in Ontario where he played hockey with PhilPhil Esposito
Philip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have...
and Tony Esposito
Tony Esposito
For the Italian musician, please see Tony Esposito .Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito is a retired Canadian-American professional ice hockey goaltender, who played in the National Hockey League, most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was one of the pioneers of the now popular butterfly style....
. In 1960, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
to play hockey for the Minnesota Gophers while studying business administration. At Minnesota, he would be coached by the legendary John Mariucci
John Mariucci
John Mariucci was an American ice hockey player, administrator and coach. Mariucci was born in Eveleth, Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota where he played for both the hockey and football teams. He was named an All-American in hockey in 1940...
and would become one of the biggest stars in American college hockey during the 1960s. In 1967, Nanne became an American citizen which allowed him to play for and captain the 1968 US Olympic hockey team, alongside future Miracle On Ice
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...
coach Herb Brooks
Herb Brooks
Herbert Paul Brooks, Jr. was an American ice hockey player and coach. He notably coached the United States' men's hockey team to a 4-3 upset of the heavily favored Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York on February 22, 1980...
, which finished 6th at the Winter Olympics
1968 Winter Olympics
The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble, France and opened on 6 February. Thirty-seven countries participated...
in Grenoble, France.
Pro career
Signing as a free agent with the expansion Minnesota North StarsMinnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
, Nanne started his National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
career in 1968 following the Olympics. He would spend his entire career in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, playing 635 NHL regular season games for the North Stars through the 1977-78 season. A steady defenseman and sometime forward, he scored 21 goals in 1971–72 but was mostly known for his defensive, penalty killing abilities. Nanne played for U.S. National Team in 1976 and 1977 (years that the North Stars failed to make the Stanley Cup playoffs
Stanley Cup playoffs
The Stanley Cup playoffs is an elimination tournament in the National Hockey League consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records...
), participating in the 1976 and 1977 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments and competing in the inaugural Canada Cup
1976 Canada Cup
The 1976 Canada Cup was an international ice hockey tournament held September 2–15, 1976, in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Quebec, Canada as well as in Philadelphia, United States. It was the first of five Canada Cup tournaments held between 1976 and 1991...
in 1976. Nanne also served as National Team captain or assistant captain in both years.
Post career
Nanne is arguably best known for his career as a general managerGeneral manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
and coach of the North Stars and for the United States Canada Cup
Canada Cup (ice hockey)
The Canada Cup was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The tournament was created to meet demand for a true world championship that allowed the best players from participating nations to compete regardless of their status as professional...
entries. He quickly rebuilt the North Stars into a contender after his playing career ended in 1978. The Stars would reach the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
finals in 1981, the semifinals in 1984, and would make it to the playoffs seven consecutive seasons (1979-80 - 1985-86). This winning run would see the North Stars average over 35 wins per season, and encompass the North Stars sole 40-win season and six of the organization's ten 35+ win seasons. In 1988, following two seasons in which the North Stars finished well below .500 and had consecutive 5th place finishes in the Norris Division
Norris Division
The NHL's Norris Division was formed in 1974 as part of the Prince of Wales Conference. The division moved to the Clarence Campbell Conference in 1981, with the Detroit Red Wings being the only member to remain from the previous season. The division existed for 19 seasons until 1993. The...
, Nanne would resign from the North Stars citing health reasons. Nanne also served as general manager of the United States team in the 1981
1981 Canada Cup
The 1981 Canada Cup was the second best-on-best ice hockey world championship and involved the world's top six hockey nations. Tournament games were held in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Ottawa. The Soviet Union defeated Canada in a single game final to win its first title, while Soviet...
and 1984 Canada Cup
1984 Canada Cup
The 1984 Canada Cup was a professional international ice hockey tournament played during the first three weeks of September 1984. The best-of-three final took place between Canada and Sweden, with Canada winning two games to nil...
tournaments.
Influence on the "Miracle on Ice"
Nanne, along with USA Hockey'sUSA Hockey
USA Hockey is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for amateur ice hockey in the United States and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The organization is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and has...
Walter Bush
Walter Bush
Walter L. Bush, Jr. is an American ice hockey administrator.In 1955, he helped start the Central Hockey League, which turned into one of the few successful minor professional hockey leagues of that era...
, spearheaded the campaign to have Brooks named head coach of the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team leading up to the 1980 Winter Games
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
. Nanne, who had just been named the GM of the North Stars, offered Brooks the team's head coaching job -- but Brooks declined, saying that it was instead his goal to coach the Olympic team. After legendary Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
coach Jack Parker turned down the job, Nanne and Bush became involved in the Olympic Team selection process and pushed for Brooks to be named coach.
Personal life
Since leaving his general manager positions, Nanne has been involved in Hockey broadcasting in Minnesota - most recently being the color commentator for the 2011 State Hockey Tournament.Nanne has two grandsons playing high school hockey. One, also named Lou, who plays hockey for Edina High School
Edina High School
Edina High School is a three-year public high school located in Edina, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The school was founded in 1949 and is the main high school in the Edina School District....
, and another, Vinni Lettieri, who plays for Minnetonka.
Awards
- WCHAWestern Collegiate Hockey AssociationThe Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....
First All-Star Team (1963) - WCHA Most Valuable Player (1963)
- NCAA West First All-American Team (1963)
- Lester Patrick TrophyLester Patrick TrophyThe Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League and USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to ice hockey in the United States. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, coaches, officials, and other personnel outside the NHL...
(1989) - International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of FameIIHF Hall of FameThe IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which was established by the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1997, when 30 individuals were inducted at the world championships in Helsinki...
- United States Hockey Hall of FameUnited States Hockey Hall of FameThe United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the rich history of the game in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and teams....