Gopher Hockey Fires Head Coach Bob Motzko

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Entering the 2025-26 season, the Minnesota Gophers men’s hockey team hadn’t finished below .500 since 2009-10.

The Gophers haven’t met their National Championship expectations for men’s hockey since 2003, but Bob Motzko’s 2025-26 Gophers’ 11-22-3 final record and .347 winning percentage was failure at which Dinkytown hasn’t seen in over 50 years — 1971-72 (.281).

Minnesota Gophers hockey fires head coach Bob Motzko

Thus, after 8 seasons, athletic director Mark Coyle decided the Bob Motzko era at the University of Minnesota was over. On Wednesday, reports broke that the Gophers were “mutually” parting ways with the 64-year-old veteran college hockey coach from Austin, MN.

Motzko finishes his tenure as Golden Gopher men’s hockey coach with an overall record of 172-104-24, to go with three regular season Big Ten crowns and one Big Ten Tournament Championship.

Under his guidance, Minnesota made two Frozen Fours and, in 2022-23, Motzko’s Gophers lost in the National Championship game 2-3 vs Quinnipiac in overtime.

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Before he was hired by the Gophers, Motzko coached 13 years at his alma mater, St. Cloud State University, where he won three regular season titles and on NCHC Tournament Championship (2018). The Huskies made the Frozen Four under Motzko in 2012-13.

If we’ve learned anything about Mark Coyle, it’s that he doesn’t remove a coach without having a plan to replace them. Given that women’s hockey coach Brad Frost was fired just yesterday, it’s likely he has a plan to completely renovate the Minnesota Gophers hockey programs in the coming days, weeks and months.

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