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30 // SEPTEMBER 2017 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM k WHEN COREY MILLEN FIRST S ET F O O T o n t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Minnesota campus as a student-athlete in the fall of 1982, he could go to a brand- new stadium called the Metrodome to watch the Golden Gophers play football. By the time he completed his college degree this spring, the Metrodome had been reduced to rubble, three years prior. Lots of students take more than four years to finish their degrees. Not all of them take nearly 35 years to get the diploma. But Millen had quite a few excused a b s e n c e s a l o n g t h e w a y. H i s f o u r years of college hockey—in which he put up 119 goals in 149 games, placing him in the top three offensively all- time among Gophers—were twice interrupted by stints with the U.S. Olympic Team in the 1984 and 1988. He played parts of eight seasons in the NHL, and another seven seasons of pro hockey in Europe. And he'd coached successfully at the Junior level for several seasons. But as he turned 50, the Cloquet, Minn., native's thoughts of his coaching future kept returning to college hockey. And to work at that level, he knew he needed to return to the classroom. "It was the path of least resistance," Millen said. "I wanted to get in the col- lege game or at least have that window open and you need a degree." He had been enrolled in Minnesota's General College program in the '80s, when he helped lead the Gophers on a trio of trips to the NCAA Frozen Four. That program was long gone by 2016, so Millen would need more than 30 credits to complete a degree in rec- reation, park and leisure studies. The school's degree completion program for athletes meant that the scholarship Millen received back in the early days of the Reagan administration would still cover his tuition. In the meantime, Gophers coach Don Lucia helped Millen find a pretty cool part-time job. W h i l e L u c i a w a s g u i d i n g t h e Gophers to a fourth consecutive Big Ten title and a top seed in the NCAA tournament last winter, Millen was by his side, working with the team as an undergraduate assistant coach on the ice and in the locker room. It was a win-win for everyone. "I can't say enough about Corey 's contributions last year," Lucia said. "He had a very heavy workload to finish his degree, and he still made a point of being at every game and practice and making himself available whenever he was needed." Rather than assigning Millen a spe- cific role, Lucia gave his newest coach the freedom to contribute where he saw fit. "I didn't have a specific role, but Don and the staff were certainly good about including me and asking my opinion quite often," Millen said. "As a staff, we'd bounce things off each other. On the ice I'd pick and choose times to help out with the boys. I had to find my way a little bit, but that was part of the learning." T h e c l a s s r o o m p a r t o f t h i n g s , Millen admits, was often a challenge. Technology, and the campus, have both changed greatly in his 30-some Gopher Great Returns To Campus To Impart Knowledge On Next Generation Of Players While Settling Some Unfinished Business ACT ACT Class EVEN AFTER 35 YEARS, COREY MILLEN REMAINS ONE OF THE LEADING SCORERS IN GOPHER HOCKEY HISTORY. ///////////////////// By Jess Myers PHOTO S COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA ; GETTY IMAGES