Headline: Micheletti scores with Moose
Publish Date: 06/29/1994
Mark Miller
Staff Reporter
Former University of Minnesota hockey standout Pat Micheletti has
been hired by the Minnesota Moose of the International Hockey League.
Micheletti, who played for both Brad Buetow and Doug Woog during his
playing career, was named to the front office of the expansion club
on Monday.
``I'm excited,'' Micheletti said of the new position. ``I want to
help bring pro hockey back to the Twin Cities, and this is the way to
do it.''
Micheletti will serve the club in three different capacities: working
as the team's color commentator, running the youth hockey programs,
and assisting in season ticket sales.
He was the last of three Micheletti brothers to play at
Minnesota. Don Micheletti played from 1977-80, and brother Joe from
1974-77. Joe went on to play for the St Louis Blues in the National
Hockey League.
``He's a hockey guy, and he deserves to be in hockey,'' Woog said
about the news. ``I'm happy for him.''
Woog's first year as head coach at the University in the 1985-86
season was Micheletti's last. Despite the short tenure, Woog and
Micheletti both remember the early days when they were first getting
to know each other.
``He was an interesting person to deal with, because I had heard
stories about him,'' Woog remembers. ``He turned out to be one of my
all-time favorite guys.''
Micheletti remembered the early days with Woog as well, but not
without a smile.
``We had to find some common ground,'' Micheletti chuckled,
``but he was the best coach I ever played for.''
And speaking of all-time, the feisty Hibbing native is the holder of
a handful of records in the Gopher media guide, and second or third
in the categories he doesn't own.
The 1985 season was one of Pat Micheletti's finest. He made
All-America that year, led the team in scoring with 96 points, and
shares the record for the most assists in one game at five .
He also captured the John Mariucci Most Valuable Player award in
1984.
Another record Micheletti holds -- one that players are not fond
of bragging about -- is for the most penalty minutes in a season. He
sits atop the record books with 154 minutes from the 1984-85
season.
That may have led to the ``common ground'' he referred to
earlier when first getting to know his new coach.
Micheletti would have thrived in the NBA. He had a reputation as a
trash-talking pest when he was not scoring goals, and it usually
meant frequent trips to the penalty box.
``One of the highlights of that year was when Pat went six games
without a penalty,'' Woog mused.
Following his collegiate career, Micheletti played professional
hockey for the Minnesota North Stars and also overseas in Italy.
But then injuries to his knees cut his playing career short. He went
under the knife seven times for cartilage operations -- three in one
year. He finally decided to leave the ice. He stayed close to the
game he loves, surfacing in the broadcast booth and doing color for
Gopher hockey radio broadcasts.
Nowadays, Micheletti said the knee operations have put his knees in a
condition to only ``waddle'' when he laces the skates up. He said the
youth hockey program he will oversee may challenge the once-blazing
speed he used to terrorize the WCHA with.
``I will be lucky if I can keep up with those kids,'' he deadpanned.
Ron Minegar, vice president for business operations for the Moose, is
eager to let Micheletti do what he does best for the organization.
``Obviously, he had a successful career,'' Minegar began.
``We like his approach to hockey and tremendous knowledge of the
game. He's aggressive and bright, and we're hoping he'll bring to the
business side of the game what he brought to the ice.''
Micheletti said he would like to hear from pro hockey fans at his new
position at 26-MOOSE. Maybe he even has a few Doug Woog stories.
Carol S. White BITNET: c-whit@uminn1
University of Minnesota internet:[log in to unmask]
Office of the Registrar
(612) 625-8517 GO Gophers!!!
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