USA Hockey Magazine

NOV/DEC 2025 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 37 W H AT I S T H E E D G E ? To play with fire or "an edge" means com- peting at a maximum level without crossing a line. "If you're going to play the sport and you're going to succeed in it, there's no question we do a great job developing talent," Motzko said. "But it also comes with: You have to play the sport with an edge, and you can't go overboard on it." Growing up in Austin, Minn., Motzko played with an edge in three different sports. That's what all the athletes did back then, often in pickup games. He worries that early specialization in one sport and a societal trend away from competition is hurting play- ers when it comes to playing with fire. "The best edge is the first one to five wins. How many times did we do that as a kid, or then you've got to win by two? You've got to develop that toughness, that edge in winning," Motzko said. "I know sometimes people want to hand out yellow ribbons for being competitive. But you've got to have an edge in winning and in small games is where you can really develop that." S O M E A R E B O R N W I T H I T When asked how he coaches players to exhib- it that fire, Motzko can rattle off a long list of former players he coached that had the "edge" from the day they arrived on campus. "Many of our players, they have an edge, they come with it," Motzko said, while also mentioning Brock Faber, currently with the Minnesota Wild, as one of those players. I like it when they take it to the top of the edge, but you can't go over." Those players show the next wave how it's done, and eventually—hopefully—there's an entire team full of players that play that way. "It is a skill that you have. Some are born with it and some inherit it," Motzko said. "But unfortunately, some of the ones that fail just don't find that edge. They still have a great experience, but they don't make it to a level where they all want to try to get to." T H E O N E S Y O U R E M E M B E R Perhaps the most rewarding experience for a coach is when they can guide a player search- ing for that fire to have it more consistently. "The biggest thing is if they show it to you one time, you know they have it. Then it's just keep rewarding them," Motzko said. "If they can get on that page, and then more consistently show it and you keep reward- ing that and they reward themselves with maybe more playing time, maybe they get more points, where the light bulb comes on. So there's a lot of that that goes on for all of us coaches that we could continually put them in those high pressure or competitive situations." Motzko mentions Huntsville, Alabama, native Nic Dowd, who has gone on to play more than 500 NHL games, as someone who developed that edge along the way. "We watched him grow (at St. Cloud State) and find that edge through his career. It comes at different levels," Motzko said. "Those are the ones you remem - ber, not just because they were good. What made them good was they played on the edge." T H E K E Y T O C O A C H I N G Combine enough players who inherently play with an edge with enough players who follow their lead and grow, and you will prob- ably have a lot of really good players. "Like I've always said, I'm a really good coach when I've got really good players," Motzko said. "And that's what we try to sur- round ourselves with." One of the most talented teams Motzko has ever been associated with was the 2001-02 Gophers team that broke Minnesota's 23-year NCAA championship drought. Motzko was an assistant coach on that team and still remembers many of those players fondly even if —or especially because—they were constantly testing the limits of the edge. "We had to put a fire out almost weekly with those guys," Motzko said. "We still talk about those stories when we're together." P PHOTOS BY Getty Images; University of Minnesota k Bob Motzko is in his eighth season as head coach of the University of Minnesota men's hockey program. Bob Motzko If you're going to play the sport and you're going to succeed in it, there's no question we do a great job developing talent. But it also comes with: You have to play the sport with an edge, and you can't go overboard on it." BE THERE! Get Your World Juniors Tickets: U26KSqzZe9c VIDEO | BOB MOTZKO ON THE MAGIC OF WORLD JUNIORS

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