In 1994, UND took five weeks to land on Dean Blais (2025)

GRAND FORKS — The landscape was a bit different in 1994, when UND searched for a head hockey coach to succeed Gino Gasparini.

There was no transfer portal and fewer worries of players leaving school.

UND took its time to land on Dean Blais, a former UND assistant (1980-89) who was coaching high school in his hometown of International Falls.

The process lasted five weeks and involved a 13-person search committee.

The three finalists for the job — Blais, Minnesota assistant coach Mark Mazzoleni and Lake Superior State associate head coach Paul Pooley — interviewed on campus and had meetings with the public at the Chamber of Commerce.

Blais was named head coach on May 21, 1994.

"I told all three of them when they came in here (for interviews), that it would come down to a gut feeling on my part, and it did," athletic director Terry Wanless told the Herald at the time. "That's the way I arrived at the decision. Even though I liked all three very much, it boiled down to whom I felt most comfortable with. Dean Blais is the type of person I can work with, and who I feel can work with me."

Blais signed a one-year contract for $60,000. All UND contracts at that time were single year.

While Gino Gasparini was not a popular choice when he was hired, Blais had much more support.

"I think everyone knows I've been a loyal supporter of Gino over the years," said Ken Towers, a former Sioux Booster Club president. "I think Dean is a wonderful choice, and he certainly has a successful background with the Olympic teams, with UND and with high schools in Minnesota and North Dakota. I think Terry Wanless made a lot of people pleased with his choice of Blais."

Sean Beswick, a player at the time and a member of the screening committee, said: "Everybody (on the team) will be happy with him once they get a chance to meet him and know what kind of person he is. He was my choice, I know that. The fact that he's been here before, and knows what this program is about — the UND tradition — is important. I think everyone will come together on our team and we'll be on our way."

Blais ended up being a home run.

UND went 18-18-3 his first season and 19-18-1 his second season. Then, the program took off.

UND won the 1997 NCAA national championship in his third season. UND won another in 2000.

Blais also led UND to MacNaughton Cups as Western Collegiate Hockey Association champions in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2004.

In the 31 years since Blais took over, UND has only had a losing record once (2001-02).

Blais hired Scott Sandelin as an assistant coach in 1994. Sandelin won two NCAA national championships at UND, then landed the head coaching job at Minnesota Duluth, where he has won three more NCAA national championships.

Blais lost his assistant coaches after the 2000 national title.

He replaced them with Dave Hakstol and Brad Berry, who were his two successors.

UND is now searching for Berry's successor.

UND has opened the head hockey coaching job to exterior candidates for the first time since Blais' hire in 1994.

But this is a much different era.

It will not be a long, drawn-out process. With the transfer portal about to open to non-graduates, the Fighting Hawks are expediting this search.

Schlossman has covered college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the top beat writer for the Herald's circulation division four times and the North Dakota sportswriter of the year twice. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.