Bob Motzko won’t return as University of Minnesota coach
One of the longstanding head coaches in college hockey is on his way out of the Twin Cities.
On Wednesday, the University of Minnesota and men’s hockey head coach Bob Motzko announced they’ve agreed to mutually part ways.
Thomas O. Moe Director of Athletics Mark Coyle announces University and men's hockey coach Bob Motzko have mutually parted ways. We thank Bob Motzko for eight seasons of leadership and for the role he played in restoring our tradition of excellence. 🗒: z.umn.edu/b5uf
Athletic director Mark Coyle revealed that the program will immediately begin a nationwide search for the program’s next leader.
Motzko stated that it was time for a change.
“This was my 42nd year in coaching,” Motzko said in a release. “At this stage in my career, now is the right time for new leadership. I have dedicated 14 years to this program as a head coach, assistant coach and student. I am grateful for every minute of it. In addition to working with so many incredible student-athletes, it was great to see the arena full again and the passion restored to our program.”
The announcement comes after an abysmal season for the Golden Gophers. The team entered the 2025-26 campaign after reaching the NCAA Men’s National Tournament in each of the past five years. However, after losing the likes of Jimmy Snuggerud, Matthew Wood, Sam Rinzel and more after last year’s stunning first-round exit, Minnesota failed to recover. The team posted a record of 11-23-3, the most losses in program history since the 1997-98 campaign and the fewest wins in over half a century.
The team finished sixth in the seven-team Big Ten Conference and was swatted by Gavin McKenna and Penn State in the first round of the conference tournament.
Motzko has been a mainstay on the D-I coaching scene for decades. Along with being an assistant at Minnesota under Don Lucia from 2001 to 2005, the Austin, Minn. native was the head coach at St. Cloud State for 13 years before returning to Minneapolis. During his time with the Gophers, he guided the program to at least a share of three Big Ten regular-season championships, as well as a conference tournament championship in 2021. Minnesota made it to the Men’s Frozen Four in 2022 and 2023, losing to Quinnipiac in the national championship game in the latter.
In eight seasons behind the bench, Motzko led the team to a 172-104-24 record.
A number of NHLers played under Motzko during his time with the program. Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild), Jackson LaCombe (Anaheim Ducks), Matthew Knies (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Logan Cooley (Utah Mammoth) are just a few of the names that played at “The U” over the past several years.
The decision comes a day after it was announced that the Gophers’ women’s hockey head coach, Brad Frost, was fired after a disappointing quarterfinal exit last weekend in the NCAA Women’s National Tournament. Frost had been running the program for close to two decades, leading the team to four national championships.
Motzko has also been part of the coaching staff for the United States at the IIHF World Junior Championship. In addition to being an assistant coach in 2014, he was the head coach of the team that won gold in 2017 and bronze the following year. He was tabbed as the head coach of the Americans this past year in Minnesota, where the squad unceremoniously bowed out in the quarterfinals.