Sad news, folks. Lou Cotroneo, a real legend in the world of high school hockey, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 93. Lou, who was from St. Paul, was a big part of the St. Paul Johnson’s state championship team in 1947. He coached at Johnson for 20 years, and from 1964 to 1973, he was the head coach, leading the Governors to seven appearances in the state tournament. They were runners-up in 1964 and 1967. After his coaching days, he kept the hockey spirit alive by refereeing games at all levels until the mid-1980s. He even worked as a goal judge for the Minnesota North Stars for seven seasons and was part of the Minnesota Wild as a media host. In 1993, he was part of a group that tried to bring the North Stars’ home games to St. Paul. Lou once said, “I think some of the better hockey fans I’ve met over the years are people on the East Side. A lot of them, you’ll never get to know their names. They’re not corporate people, but they’re hockey people.” A funeral to honor this hockey icon will take place on Nov. 21 at the Church of the Assumption in St. Paul.
Remembering Lou Cotroneo: A Hockey Legend
