University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

The Alaska Nanooks Department of Athletics officially announced the fourth inductee into the Nanook Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018, which includes former Alaska Nanooks hockey coach Don Lucia.

Lucia, who hails from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, was the first official assistant coach for the Alaska Nanooks hockey team as they transitioned from an NCAA Division II program to Division I. After lettering as a defenseman at Notre Dame, Lucia was hired by former Alaska head coach Ric Shafer to help mold the Nanooks into a competitive collegiate program prior to the 1981-82 season. 

Lucia served as Shafer’s assistant from 1981-85, with the duo amassing an overall record of 64-45-1.

Following the 1984-85 season, the Alaska Nanooks moved on from an NCAA Division II independent program to a Division I team in the now-defunct Great West Hockey Conference. Despite Shafer continuing to lead the Nooks into their new endeavor, Lucia made the move to the University of Alaska Anchorage to serve as the assistant coach for the Seawolves from 1985-87.

After Shafer’s resignation in the spring of 1987, Lucia returned to Fairbanks to become the Alaska Nanooks hockey program’s third head coach. In his first season as bench boss, Lucia lifted the Nooks to a 20-9-2 season in NCAA play, eventually claiming the program’s first and only conference title. Furthermore, Lucia was also named the GWHC’s Coach of the Year.

In the 1988-89 season, Alaska moved out of the GWHC and into the status as a D-I Independent. Lucia stayed on as head coach for the Nanooks for a total of six seasons (1987-93), earning an overall record of 99-97-19 and an NCAA record of 85-93-7.

Through his tenure, Lucia made monumental moves for the program, including the transition to play at the Carlson Center instead of the Patty Ice Arena and lobbied for the Nanooks to be included in the now-defunct Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA).

Additionally, Lucia recruited some of the all-time greatest players in Alaska Nanooks hockey history including Steve Moria, Keith Street and Doug Desorcie.

Following the 1992-93 season, Lucia moved on to become the head coach at Colorado College (1993-99) and eventually, the University of Minnesota (1999-2018), where he recently resigned. Lucia has gone on to collect two NCAA National Championships (2002, 2003), four regular season titles (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) and four NCAA Coach of the Year recognitions.