I'm sure there are far more qualified Gopher historians out there than I am,
but all-Minnesota thing has been going on for at least 30 years, and probably
longer.
 
Former Athletic Director Marsh Ryman was quite outspoken on the subject. In
fact, for many years dating back to the '50s, the Gophers wouldn't even play
Denver, which was very heavily Canadian. There have always been exceptions,
like Murray McLachlan, the fine Canadian goaltender in the mid-'60s, who kept
"Slapshot" extra Ron Docken on the bench. But even Glen Sonmor stuck with the
program while he was coach. So it goes back long before Beutow, Brooks and
Woog.
 
I've always thought it a bit hypocritical. When Notre Dame successfully
recruited Bill Nyrop around 1970, Gopher alumni told the Nyrops that Bill
would never get a job in Minnesota if he left the state to play hockey. Of
course, Bill's dad, Don, was president of Northwest Airlines at the time, and
wasn't exactly intimidated. And Bill ended up working out of the country in
Montreal, where he earned four Stanley Cup rings playing for the Canadiens.
Now he's a GM in that Florida hockey league.
 
Just a few thoughts on how I remember things.
 
Steve Klein