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MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM // DECEMBER.2016 FINAL BUZZER 1-on-1 with Lou nanne 30 LOU NANNE IS AS SYNONYMOUS WITH HOCKEY IN MINNESOTA AS A SHEET OF ICE. Born in Ontario, Canada, he made Minnesota his second and permanent home after joining John Mariucci and the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers in 1960. From General Manager of the Minnesota North Stars to being a color commentator for the Minnesota State High School Boys Hockey tournament, Lou has been involved with the game in this state and beyond at every level. We sat down with Lou to talk about the late Walter Bush Jr., Olympic hockey's future and hockey's most important skill. Minnesota Hockey Journal: We lost a big part of the hockey family with the passing of Walter Bush Jr., in September. When was your first intro- duction to Walter? Lou Nanne: I knew Walter from when I was playing at the University of Minnesota. Walter was a big hockey fan and I just remember how interested he was in hockey. He was involved with USA Hockey in 1965 and they asked him to send a U.S. team to Russia for a couple of exhibition games. He called me up and asked if I would join them and I did. His involvement with my hockey career was intertwined all the way through. MHJ: What did Walter mean to you and to hockey in general? LN: Walter's been such a good friend of mine for so many years. He was such a big force in USA Hockey and really getting opportunities for American players. And he was so involved in women's hockey. He was the real architect behind women's hockey being in the Olympics. For me, I've had so many interactions with him at so many different levels with the North Stars, amateur hockey, USA Hockey, internation- al hockey; it was always enjoyable and something I'll always cherish. He was just fun to be around. He was as loveable as anybody you'd want to meet and was as caring, too. He really, really was concerned about the individuals he worked with and the people he worked for. When I gave his eulogy at his funeral I ended by saying the man was a giant. It's not what awards you gain for yourself, it's how you've done things for other people and he has done so much it's hard to chronicle them all. In that sense, he was a giant. MHJ: You and Walter both played a role in getting Herb Brooks in as head coach of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team. That was a time when amateur play- ers were competing in the games as opposed to players from the National Hockey League. Do you think it should go back to that? Should NHL players be in the Olympics? LN: I would rather [NHL players] not partici- pate. I'd rather the college kids and the ama- teur kids have the opportunity to play in the Olympics. I don't like to see the League shut- down for a couple of weeks during the season. I think, to me, it's a big drawback. I had the good fortune of [playing in the Olympics as an amateur player] and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. To me the Olympics are different than the Stanley Cup. I think we've got the Stanley Cup and we've got the World Cup [for NHLers] that I'd like the Olympics to be different. MHJ: Speaking of college, recruiting ages for college teams seem to be getting younger and younger; your thoughts? LN: I think it's sick. I can't agree with the fact that they have to get these kids in 9th or 10th grade committing to schools. The lower you go in age, the easier it is to make a mis- take. Kids need time to mature and develop physically. They do that at different times and different rates. I think because they're [recruiting] younger, you're getting situations when schools don't live up to their commit- ment because as they see the guy develop, they maybe haven't developed the way they thought and are thrown aside. I think it's better for all involved to just wait until junior year [of high school] to make selec- tions. There will be fewer mistakes, less commit- ments that aren't honored and I think overall it will be better for the players, better for the schools and better for the coaches. Let them play and develop. I think it's more fun for the kids and less pressure for the schools that way. MHJ: Speaking of development, what's one hockey skill players should never forget? LN: You can't play hockey if you can't skate. Skating is the most important thing you have to have. You have to be able to skate and you have to be able to think the game. You've gotta be smart. You can develop shooting skills, you can develop quickness, you can develop check- ing and physical play, but if you can't skate and you can't think the game, you can't play. Read the full Q&A with Lou Nanne at minnesota- hockeyjournal.com. By JESSI PIERCE I HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE OF [PLAYING IN THE OLYMPICS AS AN AMATEUR PLAYER] AND IT WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE. MANY COLLEGE KIDS WOULD GET THE CHANCE AND IF THEY USE PROS, THEY'LL NEVER GET THE CHANCE. LOU NANNE