Vintage Minnesota Hockey - History

John Russo had a stalwart youth hockey background in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, playing the tough American and Canadian leagues in the area.  In 1962, he became the first signed recruit for the renewed varsity program at the University of Wisconsin - that had been dropped from a school sport in 1938.  While at Wisconsin, he captained the team as it blossomed into one of the premier programs in the country.  John is a member of the U.W. Hockey Hall of Fame, along with his 1963-1964 teammates.

After additional schooling (MBA in 1970), he moved to Ames, Iowa where he not only helped coach the Iowa State University Team in the early 1970's, but also was instrumental in developing the Ames Minor Hockey Association.  John spearheaded the fund raising and construction of the new ice arena in Ames while he too served on the Construction Engineering faculty (ultimately its head), he also earned a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering.  Once moving to Minnesota in 1986, Russo put his "founders" genes into high gear.  He initiated the now famous Coaches Corner column in the Let's Play Hockey Magazine.  He also initiated the Russo Hockey Training Programs in the 1990's that provided innovative youth level "short interval" leg training that had been brought to the forefront by Olympic training coach Jack Blatherwick.

The most dramatic Russo creation came in 2001 when he initiated the Upper Midwest High School Elite League in Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota.  The league was formed to improve the quality of development of the top players in Minnesota, which in turn has improved the total high school hockey game.  A new "Minnesota Model" was envisioned. Minnesota has maintained its high school tradition, but in 2000 with game limits in place, dozens of players were leaving before graduation to play junior hockey.  At the same time, fewer and fewer were excelling at the pro and college levels.

The Elite League stopped the exodus by creating a pre high-school season of 24 games with the best 150 players in the Upper Midwest.  The success has been dramatic, with more Minnesota high school players now staying, and with NHL draft lists and Division I college rosters across the country now bulging with Minnesota players.  More than 50 scouts are not uncommon at Elite League games - and the early November Tournament annually drawing over 100 scouts from all parts of the US and Canada.  The "Minnesota Model" is now considered by many professionals to be the top developmental model in the world.

While in Minnesota, Russo also coached at numerous high schools for over 15 years including: Minneapolis South, Farmington and Breck; as well as a long stretch at Blake School - where John "tested" his often creative approach to the game.

Interestingly, John Russo does not make a living from hockey.  He has a very successful construction and engineering company as well as a property development company.  As John puts it "construction and engineering are my vocation and my love, but I've always had a passion for hockey.  It has taken me from a small blue collar town, to an exciting and rewarding life".