Jim Harbaugh called Michigan to inform the school that, despite interviewing with the Vikings today, he will be returning to school for the 2022 season, sources tell ESPN. Michigan was, in the words of one source, “elated” to get Harbaugh’s decision.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 3, 2022

We do not know what caused the irreversible divide between Jim and top Vikings decision-makers during his interview today but you can read more about what he was up against heading HERE. All we know for sure is that Jim Harbaugh will NOT be the next Vikings head coach.

Vikings to Hire O’Connell

Once Harbaugh was out, the Vikings were down to three finalists. Left standing were Rams offensive coordinator – Kevin O’Connell, Rams defensive coordinator – Raheem Morris and Giants defensive coordinator – Patrick Graham.

That didn’t last long, however. According to Tom Pelissero (NFL Network), Kevin O’Connell will be the next head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. You can read more about him HERE.

The #Vikings are zeroing in on #Rams OC Kevin O’Connell as their head coach, sources tell me and @RapSheet. The deal can’t be finalized until after the Super Bowl.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 3, 2022

Source said Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell is now likely to be the #Vikings next head coach. The team can’t announce it until after the Super Bowl, but he’ll be the guy.

— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) February 3, 2022

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

“We’re going to dive into this head-coaching search and bring a partner to me and this organization that’s going to lead us to where we want to go,” Adofo-Mensah said. “We’ve had some initial conversations, but those have just been initial; obviously, we’re going to dive more into it as the week goes on.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

So let’s look at the current list of candidates, which started at eight but has since been both shrunk and expanded in the last few days. Most of these head coaching hopefuls have already been interviewed. But two of the hottest names are yet to conduct any virtual interviews that we know of. Each candidate below has a heat rating (HOTTEST, HOT, SPICY, WARM, COOL), which reflects the amount of chatter linking them to the Vikings job over the last few days.

Jim Harbaugh – University of Michigan Head Coach: HOTTEST (Formerly SPICY)

You cannot create a Minnesota Vikings head coaching candidate list over the last few days and not include Jim Harbaugh. This after famed (and very plugged-in) Michigan writer, John U. Bacon mentioned the possibility that he’d leave for Minneapolis if the job was offered. Bacon went a step farther on Thursday when he noted that the Vikings and Harbaugh have already been in communication.

Harbaugh was head coach with the 49ers when Adofo-Mensah was hired back in 2013 and would easily be the most newsworthy hire the Vikings could make. If they want to find their way onto ESPN more often, Jim would be the obvious choice.

UPDATE: The Vikings have reportedly (via ProFootballTalk.com) set up an interview with Jim Harbaugh making this a real possibility. READ MORE HERE.

Patrick Graham – New York Giants Defensive Coordinator: HOTTEST

Patrick Graham tops the list as the hottest candidate currently on the Minnesota Vikings’ short list of potential head coaching options because he’s the only candidate to schedule an interview AFTER new GM, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was hired. He’s set to interview for the first time on Saturday.

Source confirms #Vikings will have a virtual interview on Saturday with New York Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham for head coach. They have expanded their search field after eight candidates were interviewed prior to Wednesday’s naming of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as GM

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) January 28, 2022

Many are questioning the motives behind this scheduled interview given the Giants are a non-playoff team whose defense ranked 21st and 23rd in yards and points surrendered respectively. But Graham was one of two coordinators who Kwesi had on a “list of intriguing candidates” (see below) while going through the hiring process with the Vikings. It’s also important to remember that, back in 2006, Mike Tomlin’s Minnesota Vikings defense struggled during a 6-10 season before he was hired away by the Steelers to be their head coach. That worked out pretty well for them.

Kevin O’Connell – Los Angeles Rams Offensive Coordinator: HOTTEST

Kevin O’Connell is right next to Patrick Graham as a favorite to land the Vikings head coaching job. He was the other candidate named by Jeremy Fowler (ESPN) as someone who Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had on his list of intriguing coaching candidates..

O’Connell doesn’t call plays for the Rams offense. That’s Sean McVay’s job. But he’s been one of the most talked about head coaching candidates league wide throughout this hiring cycle. He has a relationship with the new GM (SF – 2016) and the Vikings interviewed him once over Zoom already, before Adofo-Mensah was hired. He’s also one of the only current finalists who coaches offense.

Rams OC Kevin O’Connell ia name to watch in Vikings search. He was on Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s list of intriguing candidates during GM interviews, and he acquitted himself well in Zoom call with the team.

Giants DC Patrick Graham also a name that came up (there’s a Yale connection)

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 27, 2022

DeMeco Ryans – San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator: HOT

DeMeco Ryans was the early favorite for a lot of fans and media members when the Adofo-Mensah hire was announced. That’s because the two were together in San Francisco for three years before Kwesi moved on to the Cleveland Browns in 2020. That was before Ryans’ defense completely shut down Aaron Rodgers last weekend in the NFC Divisional Round and sent the Packers home for the offseason.

DeMeco Ryans is still a top-three contestant but he has lost a bit of steam over the last day or two as Patrick Graham has jumped to the top of the list, with Kevin O’Connell also mentioned among national insiders. A couple of days ago on “Mackey and Judd (SKOR North)“, however, Darren Wolfson (KSTP) named DeMeco Ryans as one of three coordinators the Vikings could be interested in. He’s also the only candidate to be named by both Fowler and Wolfson.

Per @DWolfsonKSTP

He believes the 3 names to watch for the Viking’s head coaching position:

– DeMeco Ryans
– Kevin O’Connell
– Raheem Morris

— Vikings Central (@VikesCentral) January 27, 2022

Todd Bowles – Tampa Bay Bucs Defensive Coordinator: WARM

Todd Bowles is the candidate nobody wants but who continues to be mentioned as a real possibility. As of Thursday night, Bowles was the betting favorite at DraftKings.com to land the job. But odds for the next Vikings head coach have since been taken off their books, given all the uncertainty.

Raheem Morris – Los Angeles Rams Defensive Coordinator: WARM

Raheem Morris is the third name mentioned by Darren Wolfson in his last podcast appearance with Mackey and Judd (SKOR North) this week. But much like Ryans, chatter surrounding Morris has quieted over the last couple of days while O’Connell and Graham have climbed to the top.

Jonathan Gannon – Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Coordinator: COOL

Gannon was one of the original eight to interview for the Minnesota Vikings head coaching job a week ago. Since then, his prospects to actually land the gig have fallen off the proverbial cliff. Unless something changes and he finds his way back into the conversation, fans can cross him off as a likely option. He is interviewing for a second time in Houston, however.

Kellen Moore – Dallas Cowboys Offensive Coordinator: COOL

Kellen Moore entered the 2021-22 NFL season as one of the hottest young coaches in the NFL. He was a guy that many thought would’ve been off the table by this time in the offseason hiring cycle. He interviewed with the Vikings a week ago but chatter surrounding him has completely died ever since. Jerry Jones said today on Dallas radio that he expects Moore to be back as the Cowboys’ OC next season.

Former Candidates

Some of the one-time candidates for the next Minnesota Vikings head coach have either dropped out of the running or they have been hired elsewhere. Those names include:

• Nathaniel Hackett – Green Bay Packers Offensive Coordinator: Hired by Broncos
• Dan Quinn – Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator: Returning to Cowboys

If news drops that adds to this list or changes the heat-rating for any of the candidates already listed, this post will be updated.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Wilfs plan to move “deliberately”, “methodically”, “thoroughly” and “thoughtfully” (just some of the words Mark used) in hiring their next GM and then head coach, in that order.

"Both searches are starting right away, but the GM is going to be our first selection and then the GM will have input in the head coach." – #Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf pic.twitter.com/aeqPJjEnN2

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 10, 2022

#Vikings president Mark Wilf says they don't do things in a "knee-jerk fashion" and have been evaluating things. Said they were extremely disappointed in the football results this season.

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) January 10, 2022

#Vikings president Mark Wilf on hiring a GM first and perhaps not being able to get a hot coaching candidate: "We don't try to look at who's hot and who's cold." He said the candidate will have to meet their criteria and the search will be "deliberate."

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) January 10, 2022

Before the Vikings hire a new head coach, they will hire a new general manager, though both searches have started. Then, they’ll figure out what to do with Kirk Cousins and his $45 million cap hit next season. That way, their new GM can help hire an HC. Then, both can work together on what to do with Kirk. Mark said today that the Wilfs plan to “cast a wide net” in their search for a new GM. So by definition, that means they’d likely miss out on the first flurry of coaching hires.

Slow and steady wins the race

That might not be a negative. In many cases, the early run of hires end up being more hype than substance. Not only that, but waiting could give Minnesota Vikings’ brass time to look at candidates from more successful teams. Organizations were allowed to interview new coaching candidates two weeks ago, meaning teams like the Raiders and Jaguars, who started their searches then, could be closer to making a decision.

Inquiring teams can ask for permission to interview coaches whose seasons aren’t over but they won’t be able to complete the hiring process before then. With a month left before the playoffs are over, that eliminates much of the soon to be available talent pool.

Talked to a rep for a notable coordinator on playoff team Said coaches on teams who last long in playoffs could be hurt more now due to rule changes on when they can talk about jobs But said if #Vikings take time in search could get such a coach that other teams might not wait on

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) January 10, 2022

The Wilf family prides itself on being aggressive in their business dealings, but not knee-jerk. And Mark made it very clear on Monday that they’ll act the same way in their search for new Minnesota Vikings leadership. I expect to hear a bevvy of names who are tapped to interview for both openings over the next month but I wouldn’t be surprised if neither role is filled before Super Bowl Sunday, February 13.

Here is the full Mark Wilf interview.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Ben Johnson steam had been building all weekend and for good reason. The 39-year-old Minnesota Gopher alum and current Xavier assistant will be named the next head basketball coach at the University of Minnesota, per Jeff Goodman (Stadium).

Minnesota will hire Xavier assistant Ben Johnson, sources told @Stadium.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 22, 2021

Ben Johnson is a Minnesota alum. There were several other head coaches in the equation, but AD Mark Coyle opts to go with a locak guy with strong ties to the area. https://t.co/lG7Os0mZgr

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 22, 2021

Ben Johnson checks a lot of boxes for Mark Coyle. The biggest box seems to be his DEEP ties to the local recruiting circuit, especially AAU. He’s also an african american, which has become a point of emphasis during this process, and he captained the Gopher basketball team back in the early 2000’s. Johnson’s recruiting will have to be elite as he gains experience, however, because this is the first head job that Johnson has had at the college level and the Big Ten isn’t going to take it easy on him.

He will need to be surrounded by a good staff and will have to learn parts of the job on the fly. But if Ben can get some of these 4-star (maybe even 5-star) Minnesota kids to put on the maroon and gold after graduating high school, then the doubters will shut up quickly. Talent will bring wins and support.

Ben Johnson has a lot of pre-built relationships with the stacked 2022 local class, too. Most of which have not committed yet. Grabbing a commitment or two out of there early would certainly get his ball moving in the right direction.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

It’s March Madness and the Minnesota Gophers are done for the season. That sucks for a lot of reasons but it doesn’t mean we need to sulk in our maroon and gold depression while everyone else enjoys the dance. Beyond your office bracket pools and the millions of dollars being wagered this weekend, Gopher basketball fans are on the watch for their next men’s head basketball coach.

Lucky for us, most of the rumored candidates are coaching their current team in the NCAA Tournament this weekend. It’s a perfect time for Gopher fans to scout out their favorite possible replacement, as the competition heats up. There has been Minnesota steam behind all of these candidates. We’ll start with the best-seeded teams and move down.

Eric Musselman | Arkansas: 3-seed | vs Colgate (14) – 11:45 AM Friday

If I could have my pick of any rumored to be available head coach in the country, it would be Eric Musselman. This is a guy who wins everywhere he goes and his tenure at Arkansas has been no different. But this matchup vs Colgate, which is the second game of the day today, might be my favorite of the entire first round. The Colgate Raiders have only played 15 games this season and they have won all but one of them.

TeamRankings.com only has Arkansas winning 51% of the time when they run simulations and Colgate is actually my Cinderella team of the tournament. Read more on Musselman HERE.

Can’t wait for the Arkansas vs Colgate game at 11:45. Toothpaste U is my 2021 Cinderella but they have to get past Muss first…

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) March 19, 2021

Mike Boynton | Oklahoma State: 4-seed | vs Liberty (13) – 5:25 PM Friday

Mike Boynton’s name came out of nowhere to enter the Minnesota head coach candidate rumors. We’re talking about the dude who landed Cade Cunningham, who will be the 1st pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. I first saw Boynton mentioned as a possibility for Minnesota in an article out of The Athletic last week. And the deeper you look into Mike and his current situation, the more sense a move makes.

Oklahoma State is lucky to be competing in this tournament. They’ve been waiting all season long for discipline to be handed down by the NCAA for past recruiting violations. The process is sitting in appeals right now and that’s why OSU can compete in 2021. But 2022 will be a different story. And that’s why most expect Boynton to bounce after this season, along with Cade Cunningham.

Brian Dutcher | San Diego State: 6-seed | vs Syracuse (11) – 8:40 PM Friday

Everyone knows the story on Dutcher. If you want more, read HERE. Brian Dutcher is one of many Mountain West candidates whose name has floated around the Minnesota job. His dad, Jim Dutcher, had a decade-long stretch of success as Gopher head coach back in the 70’s and 80’s. Brian’s special Minnesota buyout of $1 million specifically written into his SDSU contract, compared to the $6+ million any other school would have to pay, shows his interest. The Gophers have always been Dutcher’s dream job and a lot of his family, including his aging father, are still in the Twin Cities.

But first, Dutcher is concerned with beating Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orangemen. San Diego is the higher seed in this game but they are only favored by three points.

Porter Moser | Loyola Chicago – 8-seed | vs Georgia Tech – 3:00 PM Friday

Porter Moser isn’t someone I have looked that deeply into but he is the favorite for others. Not only is he gettable, coaching at a mid-major school like Loyola Chicago, but he took that mid-major school to a Final Fucking Four in 2018. Think about that.

Moser’s squad in Chicago is 97-35 in their last four seasons and he will have his choice in a lot of Power-5 jobs should he want one. Georgia Tech came out of nowhere and won the ACC Tournament (after Duke dropped out). They’re hot but one of the most susceptible 9-seeds in the tournament.

Craig Smith | Utah State: 11-seed | vs Texas Tech (6) – 12:45 PM Friday

Another Mountain West coach with Minnesota ties, Craig Smith is a likeable and energetic guy that Minnesota fans would completely fall in love with. Read more on him HERE. Many have Smith as the favorite to land Pitino’s old job and if Coyle is looking for a dynamite hire at a bargain bin cost, Craig could very-well be the next head coach at the University of Minnesota. That would make for a lot of bald heads at the University of Minnesota Athletic Department.

Minnesota born Craig Smith, the Head Coach of Utah State, has his team dancing once again, this time as an 11 seed. The Aggies will face 6 seed Texas Tech. pic.twitter.com/A0Hb098mhz

— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN) March 14, 2021

Because they won the Mountain West Tournament in 2020 before everything was canceled by COVID-19, Smith has now qualified Utah State for the NCAA Tournament three times in three years. His record during that tenure is 74-23. Craig and his Aggies will have their hands full with Texas Tech today, however. Utah State is a 4-point underdog.

Dennis Gates | Cleveland State – 15-seed | vs Houston (2) – 6:15 PM Friday

Enjoy Dennis Gates while you can today. This game isn’t expected to be close. Houston is favored over Gates’ Cleveland State squad, by 20+ points. If the Vikings were to pull of an upset of this caliber, Dennis Gates’ stock would immediately skyrocket.

Gates, however, is only in his second year as a college head coach and that’s probably not the route Coyle wants to go (again) with this hire. But, after only winning 11 games all of last season, he turned the Cleveland State program around, went 19-7 in 2021 during a pandemic, and made the NCAA Tournament. That’s certainly worth something.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The team was forced to start its rebuild last offseason (WR/CB) and has some nice pieces in important spots, already. With the right changes, the turnaround in Minnesota could come much quicker than others normally would.

Find Offensive-Minded Head Coach

The first right change, is firing Mike Zimmer. In a lot of ways, 2020 has been out of Mike Zimmer’s control. He’s working with a young and inexperienced defense, in a shortened and pandemic-ridden season. It’s that reliance on defense and constant inconsistency on offense, however, that makes his departure so much more justified.

It’s too bad Kevin Stefanski was stolen from underneath our noses one season too early. Zimmer would’ve been fired already, if Stefanski were still available to take over. But, living in the past isn’t going to help us get where we need to be. Here are offensive coaches who are available and seem ready to lead their own NFL football team

Eric Bieniemy – OC – Kansas City Chiefs (Early Favorite)

Truth is you never know how good of a head coach somebody will be until they get the job. But logic suggests Andy Reid would only hire smart people and Patrick Mahomes has developed into an MVP quickly. So EB needs to get some credit. https://t.co/Rfyi2fsrcA

— Jeff Schultz (@JeffSchultzATL) October 15, 2020

Bienemy got his NFL start with the Minnesota Vikings, as Adrian Peterson’s running backs coach, before eventually taking the offensive coordinator position at the University of Colorado. In 2012, he joined Andy Reid in Kansas City and everything is history from there.

Now, Bieniemy is the hottest topic around head coaching conversations in the NFL. He doesn’t call the plays in Kansas City, but neither did Matt Nagy or Doug Pederson when they coached under Reid. Both guys now have NFL head coaching jobs, the latter of which has a Super Bowl title.

I don’t know much about Bieniemy but I’m not worried about his experience as a play-caller. Who says he even needs to call plays for the Minnesota Vikings? It’s about scheme and the ability to stay consistent year-in and year-out with those offensive schemes. That’s what we’ve been missing during the Mike Zimmer era in Minnesota.

Here’s what Reid had to say about Bieniemy during Super Bowl media day last year.

“His role is the same (as Pederson and Nagy),” Reid said Thursday leading up to Super Bowl Sunday. “He does all the stuff the other coordinators do — the game plans and so on. He’s the one (who) signals and calls the plays and in communication with the quarterbacks. He’s in every quarterback meeting, all the stuff all the other guys do.

Andy Reid on Eric Bieniemy

Brian Daboll – OC – Buffalo Bills (Dark Horse Pick)

I had no idea who Brian Daboll was until Stefon Diggs was traded to Buffalo. After some digging, I have to label him as the dark horse candidate. He’s worked under the most respected coaches in football, including Nick Saban, Bill Belichick, Eric Mangini and Andy Reid. They all rave about this guy’s smarts and work ethic.

He calls plays and works with quarterbacks. Not only does he work with them, he’s helped make Josh Allen into a good one. The Bills play on Monday Night Football this week and leading up to that game, Allen is 2nd in the NFL in passing yards (1,589) and TD passes (14). The Bills are also 8th in passing attempts (194), according to The Buffalo News.

Not only is he respected by colleagues and other coaches around the NFL, but his players love him too, especially Stefon Diggs.

“I’ve had a series of coaches, OCs, head coaches, position coaches, I’ve had some great guys, and he’s definitely at the top of the list as far as having a creative mind, and not necessarily being a players’ coach but understanding the game and understanding what works,” Diggs told reporters. “He lets guys play to their strengths and lets guys just be themselves.”

Stefon Diggs on Brian Daboll

Greg Roman – OC – Baltimore Ravens

Roman is a tough one… Whenever the Baltimore offense is clicking, he’s at the top of head coaching candidate lists. When it’s not, he seems to be the first one who gets the blame. Greg would be the complete opposite of Mike Zimmer because he often gets criticized in Baltimore for not running the ball enough… but how do you argue with keeping the ball in Lamar Jackson’s hands?

John Harbaugh calls him one of the best play callers in football.

“Nobody looks at the play-calling more than Greg Roman, who in my opinion is one of the best play-callers in the National Football League and has proven that.”

John Harbaugh on Greg Roman

Josh McDaniels – OC – New England Patriots

There isn’t much to say about Josh McDaniels that isn’t already known. He was the kid genius who ran the New England Patriots offense to multiple Super Bowls in the mid-2000’s.

Then, he got his first head coaching shot with the Denver Broncos…. and sucked. He eventually went back to New England with a new perspective on life. All of this happened nearly a decade ago, but until McDaniels gets his 2nd chance, he’ll always be in these conversations.

Lincoln Riley – HC – Oklahoma

Lincoln Riley is the young offensive minded head coach that a lot of teams are looking for, in 2020. From Sean McVay to Kyle Shanahan to Kliff Kingsbury, young high-flying coaches are all the rage. Riley is currently at the top of that college list of NFL candidates.

In his four seasons at Oklahoma, Riley owns a 38-8 record and you couldn’t ask for more consistency. He’s gone 12-2 in all three of his completed seasons and has also lost his bowl game in all three. In a shortened 2020, however, he’s 2-2.

Riley, like all of the college candidates, would be one of the riskiest hires for the Minnesota Vikings.

Other Candidates:

Byron Leftwich – OC – Bucs: I have to mention Leftwich because he is in every single blog and article written about future head coaches. If he’s the next great NFL Head Coach, then I’m all in. His offense has looked sluggish at times, early this season with Tom Brady at the helm. That will have to turn around for him to get serious consideration.

Arthur Smith – OC – Titans: Arthur Smith is very intriguing because he runs what is considered a “modernized” zone rushing scheme in Tennessee, where Derrick Henry has obviously flourished. If the Minnesota Vikings want to keep their offensive zone rushing attack, Smith is a perfect candidate.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota Wild has removed the interim tag from Head Coach Dean Evason, who becomes the 5th shotcaller in the organization’s 20-year history. This is a rather unexpected move for Bill Guerin and the front office, given the expanded playoff they are about to embark on. Such a return could have given them a great look at Evason, before pulling the trigger.

Apparently, they didn’t need to see anything more from the 1st-time NHL head coach.

i̵n̵t̵e̵r̵i̵m̵ Head Coach Dean Evason.

NEWS: The #mnwild has named Dean Evason its full-time Head Coach.

? » https://t.co/qSj8ZCNwEJ pic.twitter.com/G6EEnHOHEI

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) July 13, 2020

“I am very excited to announce that Dean Evason is our full-time head coach,” Guerin said in the team’s announcement. “Dean has done a fantastic job as our interim head coach and deserves the opportunity. I look forward to watching our team under his leadership going forward.”

Billy Guerin – Wild GM (via: The Athletic)

Dean Evason’s contract is reportedly for 2 years, according to Michael Russo (The Athletic). Guerin has loved what Dean has done, since taking over, especially “the detail, communication skills and fire” he brings.

Let’s drop the puck already

The NHL comes back on August 1 and the Wild will play their first game late on August 2. If Billy was sure about Evason, then this move makes a lot of sense. The world is full of unknowns right now and that includes the NHL, its teams and their players. Why not add some stability to the situation, if you’re the Wild and you know Dean Evason is your guy?

The Wild were really good after Evason took over. I love what Billy has done, too. From the outside looking in, this seems like a homerun. In Billy we trust.

Here is some reaction from around the Twitter world:

Good, happy to see Dean get the chance to be the full time coach. Also happy that they chose to not just go back and hire one of the same old coaches who has been around for a long time #mnwild https://t.co/MbJSyuKHxJ

— Zeke Boyat (@ZBwildnation_HW) July 13, 2020

Love this. The dude proved he deserved a chance, imo. https://t.co/A9iPLapKn3

— Robert (@roblo87) July 13, 2020

Must be nice to have the Interim label removed… https://t.co/qYhxU1UuTG

— Brandon Mileski (@BMileskiKFAN) July 13, 2020

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

I hope you’re happy, Duluth.

Your hockey team has become such a juggernaut that the NHL is now interviewing your head coach. Congratulations.

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Report: Minnesota Duluth's Scott Sandelin to interview for Anaheim Ducks' head-coaching job https://t.co/3Vm1ggzBFt

— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) June 2, 2019

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Scott Sandelin has coached the Bulldogs since 2000 and has led them to 9 NCAA Tournaments, 5 Frozen Fours, and 3 National Titles (2-straight + runner-up previousl year). Before Scott Sandelin? Well, UMD entered the WCHA in 1965 and had made it to 4 NCAA Tourneys before his arrival, though they did almost win it all back in ’83-’84…

And now, you will pay for all of that success as the NHL comes calling for your coach…

At St. Cloud State (where I cheer for college hockey) all you do is have REALLY good regular seasons, just to choke down a Big D during every NCAA Tournament. When you operate this way (although UMD’s D1 inception got a 25+ year head start), the NHL stays away, and instead; the other Maroon and Gold Minnesota hockey team comes scavenging. Because, that’s where you want to see your coach go.

It’s like the Packers hiring Mike Zimmer away from the Vikings…

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via GIPHY

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So anyway, congratulations UMD. You may have your championships but you are about to lose your coach…. was it worth it…?

Fuck…. I hate this post.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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