In the wake of a season-ending 3-2 overtime loss to Colorado College last Thursday night, UW athletic director Pat Richter and the men’s hockey program will continue their quest in finding a replacement for UW head coach Jeff Sauer.
Sauer, who has coached the Badgers since the 1982-83 season, announced his retirement back in January and steps down after compiling a 489-305-46 record throughout his 20-year tenure at UW.
The search for a new coach, which began immediately after the retirement announcement of Sauer, is expected to pick up speed this week, with the conclusion of the hockey season last Thursday. A decision could come as early as this week.
Among possible candidates for the vacant coaching position are many former UW players and current assistants.
Former Badger and current U.S. National Team Developmental coach Mike Eaves has recently emerged as a possible replacement and met with Richter early last week. Eaves, who is Wisconsin’s all-time leading scorer, appears to be one of the front-runners as the search for a new coach enters its final stages.
Another strong candidate in the eyes of Richter is former Badgers captain and current American Hockey League coach Don Granato. Granato has spoken with Richter on more than one occasion about the possibility of coaching the Badgers and has made quite an impression on the UW athletic director.
In addition, current assistant coaches Pat Ford and Mark Johnson also met with Richter earlier this year and remain in the hunt for a future head coach.
Richter has also spoken with former players Steve Rohlik and Mark Osiecki about the coaching vacancy, as well as junior hockey coach Jeff Jackson.
While most of Richter’s attention this past weekend has been toward the men’s and women’s basketball teams competition in the NCAA tournaments, his focus is expected to shift to making a decision about the future of the Badgers hockey program.
Richter, who said he wouldn’t make a decision until the conclusion of the season, has been contemplating the different possibilities, acknowledging the strengths of each candidate, and is expected to make a decision as soon as this week.
