The University of Vermont is a long way from Minnesota, but the head coach of that state's most prominent hockey team has impressive roots in the State of Hockey. Todd Woodcroft is heading into his third season as the head coach of the Catamounts after landing two of the higher-profile players from Minnesota prep hockey last season in Prior Lake star Alex Bump and 2022 Mr. Hockey winner Max Strand from Roseau. Woodcroft came to UVM after two decades in various coaching roles in the NHL, including getting his start with the Minnesota Wild as a video coach in the early days of the franchise. He joined Mick Hatten and Jess Myers from The Rink Live to talk about the high-quality competition in Hockey East, all he learned from Jacques Lemaire during his Wild days and just how often a real Vermonter heads to Ben & Jerry's for some Cherry Garcia.
TIME STAMPS
:30 Taking over an NCAA Division I program in the middle of a pandemic in 2020
2:00 After 20 years working in the NHL, why become a college hockey head coach?
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4:20 How he got to Minnesota and got to work for the the Wild and what it was like being a video coach in 2000
9:00 What it was like working for Jacque Lemaire and a couple of great stories about him
14:20 Why he thinks Hockey East is the best conference in college hockey and the state of the Catamounts
19:55 How he's recruiting and getting some of the top talent in Minnesota
26:00 His brother Jay coaching the Edmonton Oilers
28:00 What it was like working in the KHL
31:00 Ben and Jerry's ice cream
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