Lou Nanne

Lou Nanne
Born	(1941-06-02) June 2, 1941 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Right
Played for	Minnesota North Stars
National team	United States
Playing career	1963–1978

Louis Vincent Anthony Nanne (born June 2, 1941) is a Canadian-born American former National Hockey League defenceman and general manager. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame and of the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame.

Early life

Nanne grew up in Ontario where he played hockey with Phil and Tony Esposito. In 1960, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota to play hockey for the Minnesota Gophers while studying business administration. At Minnesota, he would be coached by the legendary John Mariucci and would become one of the biggest stars in American college hockey during the 1960s. He is still the only defenseman to win the league scoring title which he accomplished in the 1962–63 season. In 1967, Nanne became an American citizen which allowed him to play for and captain the U.S. national team, alongside future Miracle on Ice coach Herb Brooks, which finished 6th at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France.

Playing career

Signing as a free agent with the expansion Minnesota North Stars, Nanne started his National Hockey League career in 1968 following the Olympics. He would spend his entire career in Minnesota, playing 635 NHL regular season games for the North Stars through the 1977–78 season. A steady defenseman and sometime forward, he scored 21 goals in 1971–72, but was mostly known for his defensive, penalty killing abilities. Nanne played for U.S. national team in 1976 and 1977, participating in the 1976 and 1977 Ice Hockey World Championships and competing in the inaugural Canada Cup in 1976. Nanne also served as national team captain or alternate in both years.

Nanne also played for the Rochester Mustangs and Cleveland Barons.

Post-playing career

Nanne is arguably best known for his career as a general manager and coach of the North Stars and for the U.S. Canada Cup entries. With an infusion of notable players from the merger with the Cleveland Barons and through the draft, Nanne quickly rebuilt the North Stars into a contender after his playing career ended in 1978. The Stars reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1981, the conference final in 1984, and made the playoffs seven consecutive seasons (1979–1986). This winning run saw the North Stars average over 35 wins per season, encompassed the North Stars sole 40-win season, and six of the organization's ten 35-plus-win seasons. In 1988, after two seasons in which the North Stars finished below .500 and had consecutive fifth-place finishes in the Norris Division, Nanne resigned from the North Stars citing health reasons. Nanne also served as general manager of the U.S. national team in the 1981, 1984 and 1987 Canada Cup tournaments.

In 1980, CBS enlisted the services of Nanne to provide color commentary of their telecast of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders. Nanne worked alongside play-by-play men Dan Kelly (who called the first and third periods as well as overtime) and Tim Ryan (who called the second period).

Influence on the "Miracle on Ice"

Nanne, along with USA Hockey's Walter Bush, spearheaded the campaign to have Brooks named head coach of the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team leading up to the 1980 Winter Games. Nanne, who had just been named the General Manager of the North Stars, offered Brooks the North Stars' head coaching job, but Brooks declined, saying that it was instead his goal to coach the Olympic team. After legendary Boston University coach Jack Parker turned down the head coach position of Team USA, Nanne and Bush became involved in the Olympic Team selection process and pushed for Brooks to be named coach. Brooks did later coach under Nanne in Minnesota during the 1987–88 season, but was fired along with Nanne following a 19–48–13 season.

Personal life

Nanne has been the color commentator for the Minnesota State High School Boys Hockey tournament since 1964, a total of 51 years. His son, Marty Nanne (born October 16, 1967), was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the eighth round of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. Nanne has three grandsons playing junior ice hockey or high school hockey. One, also named Lou, played for Edina High School before passing up his senior season to play for the Penticton Vees. He had signed to play hockey for the University of Minnesota, but decommitted and instead attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in 2012, but never played professionally. Tyler Nanne, who was drafted by the New York Rangers in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, was a member of the Edina High School team that won consecutive Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournaments in 2013 and 2014. He played at Ohio St for 1 year, then transferred to the University of Minnesota. Nanne's granddaughter, Erin, works for the Minnesota Wild. Their cousin Vinni Lettieri, whose father Tino, was a goalie for the 1986 Canadian World Cup soccer team, played for Minnetonka High School before joining the Lincoln Stars and is now a member of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. Nanne opened "Lou Nanne's Steakhouse" in Edina, Minnesota in March 2016. It has since been renamed Tavern23 as a tribute to Nanne's jersey number.

Awards and honors

Award	Year
All-WCHA First Team	1962–63
AHCA West All-American	1962–63

• WCHA Most Valuable Player (1963)
• Lester Patrick Trophy (1989)
• International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame
• United States Hockey Hall of Fame

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1960–61	University of Minnesota	WCHA		30	4	12	16	52		—	—	—	—	—
1961–62	University of Minnesota	WCHA		22	4	11	15	37		—	—	—	—	—
1962–63	University of Minnesota	WCHA		29	14	29	43	30		—	—	—	—	—
1962–63	Rochester Mustangs	USHL
1963–64	Rochester Mustangs	USHL
1964–65	Rochester Mustangs	USHL			14	21	35
1965–66	Rochester Mustangs	USHL		24	23	22	45	4		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	Rochester Mustangs	USHL		24	11	12	23	8		—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	United States	Intl
1967–68	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		2	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		41	2	12	14	47		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Cleveland Barons	AHL		10	1	2	3	8		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Memphis South Stars	CHL		3	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		74	3	20	23	75		5	0	2	2	2
1970–71	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		68	5	11	16	22		12	3	6	9	4
1971–72	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		78	21	28	49	27		7	0	0	0	0
1972–73	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		74	15	20	35	39		6	1	2	3	0
1973–74	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		76	11	21	32	46		—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		49	6	9	15	35		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		79	3	14	17	45		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		68	2	20	22	12		2	0	0	0	2
1977–78	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		26	0	1	1	8		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				635	68	157	225	356		32	4	10	14	8

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1968	United States	OG		7	2	2	4	12
1976	United States	WC		10	1	3	4	26
1976	United States	CC		5	0	2	2	6
1977	United States	WC		10	2	2	4	19
Senior totals				32	5	9	14	63

Coaching record

Team	Year	Regular season						Postseason
		G	W	L	T	Pts	Finish	Result
MNS	1977–78	29	7	18	4	(45)	5th in Smythe	Missed playoffs

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
• Gopher Hockey History Player Info