FEBRUARY.2016 // MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM
05
The hockey world
mourned the loss of
two of the greatest
minds and voices the
game has ever known
with the passing of Bob
O'Connor and Glen
Sonmor this winter.
"To love the game is the great-
est of all." O'Connor, known
simply as "O.C.," uttered this
statement plenty throughout his
life. A long-time Edina resident,
O'Connor held Coach-in-Chief
roles with both USA Hockey and
Minnesota Hockey. He served as
the assistant coach to the 1984
U.S. Olympic team and on the
1991 and 1992 U.S. National
Junior Teams. While
his coaching tech-
niques were notable at
the national levels, the
majority of his work
was done in grassroots
hockey. O'Connor was
widely involved in high
school hockey, serving as Edina
High School's head coach for 18
years and helping out the Edina
Youth Association as well. His
knowledge and passion earned
him recognition from USA
Hockey three times with the USA
Hockey Builders Award (2014),
Walter Yaciuk Award (1997) and
the Wm. Thayer Tutt Award
(1990). The resource library at
the USA Hockey offic-
es in Colorado Springs,
Colo., bears his name.
Like "O.C.," Sonmor
was a man with a vast
knowledge of the game.
T hough Canadian-
born, Sonmor became
an icon on coaching benches in
Minnesota. He succeeded the
legendary John Mariucci and led
the University of Minnesota from
1966-1971. In that time, he com-
piled a 77-80-6 record, a WCHA
championship (1970) and an
NCAA runner-up finish (1971).
In 1970, Sonmor was named
the WCHA Coach of the Year.
After his time at the U of M, he
went on to coach the
Minnesota Fighting
Saints of the World
Hockey Association
(1972-73 and 1976-
77) before coaching
the Minnesota North
Stars for four seasons
(1979-1983). In each of those four
seasons, Sonmor led the North
Stars into the playoffs, includ-
ing Minnesota's first Stanley
Cup Final appearance in 1981, in
which the North Stars lost in five
games to the New York Islanders.
In 2006, Sonmor was the recipient
of USA Hockey's Lester Patrick
Trophy for his outstanding service
to hockey in the U.S.
Hockey LoSeS two LegenDS
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