Willard John Ikola(born July 28, 1932) is an American retiredice hockeyplayer andhigh schoolboys' hockey coach. Born inEveleth, Minnesota,a powerhouse in hockey (owning seven state high school championships, including the very first Minnesota state hockey tournament in 1945,[1]and producing six members of US Olympic hockey teams[2][3]) he began playing hockey as a young boy, eventually going on to play in the1956 Winter Olympicsand coaching high school for over 30 years.
| Willard Ikola | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ikola from 1952Michiganensian | ||||||||||||||
| Born |
July 28, 1932 Eveleth,Minnesota,U.S. | |||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | |||||||||||||
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb) | |||||||||||||
| Position | Goaltender | |||||||||||||
| Caught | Left | |||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1950–1958 | |||||||||||||
|
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
Early life
editWillard Ikola was born in Eveleth, a small town in northern Minnesota that had one of the state's most respected youth hockey programs. Ikola got his start playing hockey as a boy in Eveleth. He soon took up the position ofgoaltender,the latest in the line of exceptional goalies produced by Eveleth that includedFrank Brimsek,Mike Karakas,andSam LoPresti.[4]
Ikola is ofFinnishdescent. His brotherRoy Ikolawas also an ice hockey goaltender.[5]
Hockey career
editIkola started at goalie his freshman year atEveleth High School.He was the losing goalie in the state semi-finals and third-place game. Ikola was undefeated the next three years, helping the Eveleth boys' hockey team win three consecutive state championships (1948–1950) in the last three years of his high school career.[4]He went on to play with theInternational Hockey Leagueteam, theDetroit Auto Club(1951–1952).[citation needed]After less than a year in the IHL, Ikola went to play in theNational Collegiate Athletic Associationat theUniversity of Michigan.Although he only played two seasons as a Wolverine, during his time at the University of Michigan, Ikola played on two NCAA championship teams in 1952 and 1953.[4]
After college, Ikola joined theUS Airforce.In 1955, while still serving in the Airforce, Ikola joined the United States Olympic hockey team, where he would play in the1956 Winter OlympicsinCortina, Italy.[4]Ikola helped the US hockey team earn asilver medalas well as being named outstanding goalie of the games. Ikola, alongside former Michigan teammateJohn Matchefts,became the first Michigan medalist in the Winter Games. Although the hockey team lost thegold medalto theSoviet Union,they beat the hockey powerhouse Canadian team in the semi-final round for a chance at the gold. At that time, professional hockey was still developing in the United States, and all of the players on the US Olympic team were college-level players, while other teams like Canada and the Soviet Union were composed of professional players.
After playing a few more seasons with the US Olympic team, Ikola retired from playing hockey in 1958. However, he did not leave the sport completely. Ikola left his job as an Air Force instructor inCaliforniaafterUniversity of Minnesota hockeycoachJohn Mariuccirecommended Ikola take up aP.E.teaching and coaching position for theEdina-Morningside High Schoolboys' hockey team, where he became one of the most successful high school coaches in history.[4]
High school coaching career
editAs head ice hockey coach atEdina High Schooland Edina East High School inEdina, Minnesota,Ikola compiled a 616-149-38 record, which is third-best in the nation and the 2nd most wins by any coach in the state of Minnesota.[6]During his 33-year career (1958–91), Ikola's teams won 22 Lake Conference championships, 19 section titles, and eight state championships. Fifteen of his teams won more than 20 games (out of approximately 25 to 30 games per season), and he had only one losing season; his first year as a coach. During his high school coaching career, Ikola was named Minnesota high school hockey coach of the year six times.[7]
Famous for his trademarkhoundstoothhat, Ikola was modest when speaking of his coaching record. "I never scored a goal or prevented one either," he said. "All the credit for our success belongs to the kids."
Although he retired from coaching in 1991[4]he still stayed active in hockey by becoming a scout for theNHL'sNew York Islanders.[2]
Awards and honors
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-MCHLSecond Team | 1951–52 1952–53 |
|
| NCAAAll-Tournament Second Team | 1953 | [8] |
| IIHF1956 Winter Olympicsbest goaltender | 1956 |
Hall of fame inductions and honors
edit- 1990 -United States Hockey Hall of Fame[4]
- 1990 - TheJohn Mariucci Award,awarded by theAmerican Hockey Coaches Association[9]
- 1990 - TheUniversity of Michigan Hall of Honor[10]
- 1992 -National High School Sports Hall of Fame[1]
- 1997 - Edina Athletic Hall of Fame.[2]
- 2019 -Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^First MN State Tournament
- ^abcEdina High School Hall of Fame
- ^Eveleth Hockey History
- ^abcdefghRippel, Joel (October 31, 2019)."Willard Ikola: Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Class of 2019".Star Tribune.RetrievedDecember 29,2019.
- ^Ruskeeahde, Jukka."Yhdysvaltain jääkiekkoseurat, maajoukkueet ja niiden amerikansuomalaiset"(in Finnish).Finnish Society of Ice Hockey History.RetrievedAugust 26,2021.
- ^Winningest Record in State of Minnesota
- ^High School Coaching Career
- ^"NCAA Frozen Four Records"(PDF).NCAA.org.Retrieved2013-06-19.
- ^John Mariucci Award
- ^The University of Michigan Hall of Honor
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics fromEliteprospects.com,orThe Internet Hockey Database