Throughout the year we will be catching up with former players and coaches who were formerly affiliated with Alaska Hockey. Many Nanooks are still involved in the sport all around the globe and are continuing to follow their dreams.
In our first installment, we feature former head coach Guy Gadowsky, who served as Alaska's bench boss for five seasons from 1999 to 2004.
His first two seasons at the helm saw a rebuilding mode for the program, but during the 2001-02 season Gadowsky led the Nanooks to a 22 wins, which tied the most wins in program history and most in the two decades they played in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Also in that year, Gadowsky led Alaska to its first-ever trip to CCHA quarterfinals at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
In his final two seasons at the helm, he notched 15 and 16 win seasons to complete his five-year career in Fairbanks with 68 wins, including 50 CCHA victories.
After a seven-year stop at Princeton, where he guided the Tigers to a pair of NCAA Championship appearances and a program-record 22-win season in 2008-09, he was named head coach of the new Penn State hockey program on April 24, 2011. Last season, in PSU's first season playing hockey, his Nittany Lions went 13-14-0 as an independent and they will compete as a member of the Big Ten this year.
Now, let's take a look at what Coach Gadowsky had to say about his past career at Alaska and his career going forward.
Q: Talk about your experience with the Alaska hockey program and how it prepared you for where you are now.
A: Absolutely tremendous experience for both me and my family. (I got married while in Alaska and our first 2 of 3 children were born in Alaska).
I was very fortunate to arrive at a time when the community was really hungry to get behind the Nanook hockey program. Tim "Goldie" Bauer went hard to work really increasing and enhancing our booster club and it seemed to spark even more support from all over the community.
We already had great coaches: Tavis MacMillan, Kirk Patton, and strength coach Mike Curtin. Coach Brian Renfrew, Equipment Manager Randy Pommenville, and Office Manager Shawn Head also soon joined our staff, and Bruce Cech continued to be a great ambassador to the program, so we certainly had all the personnel to create a great atmosphere.
Athletic Director Randy Pitney, who hired me, was very generous in his time and knowledge as to how to navigate through the University and community, and that proved to be extremely valuable. He didn't tell me what to do or how to do it, but offered a result that would be positive and let me work to get there. He was very supportive to that vision, which obviously provided continuity to our whole program.
So all the pieces were in place and we had great players that were extremely committed. Not sure if they arrived here that way but once Mike Curtin got a hold of them we had a team of warriors and that really enhanced our demeanor and attitude on the ice. So with the success we had on the ice and the hunger from the community, sitting back and getting to come along for the ride was a lot of fun!
I certainly learned a ton about the game of college hockey, management, and what it takes from administration, staff, and community to be successful. Mr. Pitney was patient with me in the mistakes I made, so I had to opportunity to make a lot of them and learn a ton in the process.
Q: What was your favorite moment while in Fairbanks and a part of the program?
A: Three moments really stand out for me:
One was when we beat Ferris State to go to Joe Louis for the first time. We had a Whiteout in the arena with fireworks and the atmosphere was beyond tingling. Even the Chancellor was dressed in all white. At the end of the game everyone was so pumped. I will never forget the hug I got from Tavis on the ice right after the game.
Another was coming back from down 3-2 to UAA in the second game of the Governor's Cup in Fairbanks (they won the first game) with 34 seconds left in the game and beat them 5-3. It was a very important game, the Carlson Center was bonkers and it was the most amazing finish that I have ever been a part of.
Which leads to the third favorite moment, completing that Governor's Cup victory at Anchorage to win our third in a row in a shootout with Ryan Lang scoring the winning goal and Keith Bartusch stopping the final shot. A lot of people came down from Fairbanks and it was a tremendous feeling.
Q: What do you miss most about coaching here?
A: Definitely the friends my wife and I became so close to and the "hockey town" atmosphere.
Q: What does being a Nanook mean to you?
A: Extremely proud to say I'm a Nanook. It means I'm part of a great hockey community and a great community of character.
Q: How much of a role did your experience with the Alaska Nanooks play into you following your career path?
A: 100%. If I didn't love the experience so much in Fairbanks, I certainly wouldn't be doing what I'm doing now.
Q: Talk about what you do now professionally. What are the perks of doing what you do and what it means to you that you've made a career in hockey?
A: I really enjoy coaching college hockey and am trying to use all I have learned at UAF and other stops to build a successful program at Penn State.
Q: How often are you able to watch/keep up with the program?
A: I love watching the success of Coach Ferguson and the team. I got to see them play in Worcester in the program's first ever NCAA Tournament appearance, which I felt very fortunate to see in person. I try to keep up with Cecher as much as I can after our games are played in the East, but if I can't listen to him I always look at the Nanook scores.
Q: The Nanooks are beginning a new era in the WCHA this season. What do you see as the advantages of them joining a new conference with the teams they'll face on a nightly basis? How does Alaska match up with some of the new competitors in your opinion?
A: This is a great move for UAF. Love to see the conference rivalry with UAA and it should be a lot better travel. I think the Nanooks are poised to be a leader in the conference.
Q: What message would you like to send to the Alaska Nanooks fans?
A: Please keep supporting the program the way you have because it makes the feeling of being a part of it so special. I will always be proud of my Nanook heritage, thank you so much for allowing me to live it.
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