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Cliff Thompson Award - List of Past Recipients

Given for "long term outstanding contributions to the sport of hockey in Minnesota," this award is given in memory of Cliff Thompson.  As the coach in Eveleth, Thompson was the only man ever to coach teams to four consecutive state championships (1948-51) and the list of his former players reads like a "who's who" in Minnesota hockey. Winners of this award are listed in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.  (1991 was the first year of the MHCA Hall of Fame Induction Banquet. The first inductions into the Hall of Fame were the Cliff Thompson Award winners from 1977 until 1991)

Year Coach School/Affiliation
1977 Rube Gustafson St. Paul Johnson
1978 Oscar Almquist Roseau
1979 Larry Ross International Falls
1980 Willard Ikola Edina
1981 Al Maki Farmington
1982 Rube Bjorkman Warroad
1983 Dennis Rolle Thief River Falls
1984 Glenn Rolle Duluth East
1985 George Perpich Hibbing
1986 Gene Sack Rochester
1987 John Mariucci University of Minnesota
1988 David Peterson Minneapolis Southwest
1989 Leo Goslin Orono
1990 Carl Carlson Minneapolis Washburn
1991 Ronald Castellano Babbitt-Embarrass
1992 John Neihart St. Paul Johnson
1993 Al Godfrey Hopkins Eisenhower
1994 Dave Hendrickson Virginia
1995 Charles "Lefty" Smith South St. Paul
1996 Lou Cotroneo St. Paul Johnson
1997 Dudley Otto Owatonna
1998 Bill Frantti St. Cloud Tech
1999 Gordy Genz Roseville
2000 Jerry Peterson Bloomington Kennedy
2001 Tom Osiecki Burnsville
2002 John Matchefts Eveleth
2003 Jim Baxter Minneapolis West/Ely
2004 Herb Brooks St. Paul
2005 Rod Magnuson St. Paul
2006 Bill Halbrehder North St. Paul
2007 Roger "Bud" Leak Minnetonka
2008 Jim Pohl Red Wing
2009 Tom Saterdalen Bloomington Jefferson
2010 Lyn Ellingson Grand Rapids
2011 Jeff Whisler Hill-Murray/Mahtomedi
2012 Bart Larson Edina West/Edina
2013 Jake McCoy Richfield
2014 Terry Skrypek Hill-Murray
2015 Doug Woog South St. Paul/University of Minnesota
2016 John Bianchi Bloomington Jefferson
2017 Lorne Grosso Rochester Mayo
2018 Roy Nystrom Albert Lea
2019 Bruce Johnson Robbinsdale Armstrong
2020 Mike Thomas
2021 Russ Welch
2022
2023

John Mayasich and Cliff Thompson Eveleth High School