Rube Bjorkman

Rube Bjorkman
Sport(s) Ice hockey
Biographical details
Born (1929-02-27) February 27, 1929
Roseau, MN, USA
Alma mater University of Minnesota
Playing career
1948 US Olympic Team
1948–1951 Minnesota
1951–1952 Saint Paul Saints
1952 US Olympic Team
Position(s) Forward
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1961–1962 Greenway High School
1963–1964 Rensselaer
1964–1968 New Hampshire
1968–1978 North Dakota
1980–1983 Warroad High School
Head coaching record
Overall 224–234–11 (.489) [college]
Rube Bjorkman
Medal record
Men’s Ice Hockey
1952 Oslo Team

Rubin Eugene Bjorkman (born February 27, 1929) is a former head coach of the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey men's team. A graduate of Roseau, Minnesota High School where he led his team to a State Championship in 1946, Bjorkman was a member of the US Olympic teams in 1948 and 1952 (silver medalists).[1] He was a three-year letter winner at the University of Minnesota. Known as the "Masked Marvel" due to the flight goggles he wore to protect his glasses, Bjorkman was considered one of the finest hockey players of his era.

Career

Bjorkman's High School coaching career began at Greenway High School in Coleraine, Minnesota. His 1962 team competed in the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament, making him one of the few who have participated in the tournament as both a player and coach.

His first college coaching season (1963–1964), at RPI, culminated with his team finishing third in the NCAA Championships. Following that season he was hired as the Head Hockey Coach at the University of New Hampshire where he would spend four years prior to accepting the position at the University of North Dakota. In ten seasons with the then Fighting Sioux Bjorkman became the least successful coach in the history of the program. He only had two winning seasons, no team titles or awards of any kind and is the only coach to have a losing record in his time with the team. Typifying how poor his results were, the year after he left the Fighting Sioux posted their first 30 win season, were the WCHA champions for the first time since 1967 and finished the season as the national runner up.

In 1982 Bjorkman was honored by the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association when he was named the recipient of the Cliff Thompson Award, given for long term, outstanding contributions to the sport of hockey in Minnesota. In 1997 The American Hockey Coaches Association recognized Bjorkman with the John "Snooks" Kelly Founders Award. Named after the famed Boston College coach, this award honors those people in the coaching profession who have contributed to the overall growth and development of the sport of ice hockey in the United States.

Coaching career

College Head coaching record

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Rensselaer Engineers (ECAC Hockey / Tri-State League) (1963–1964)
1963–64 Rensselaer 18–8–0 12–6–0 / 1–3–0 t-6th / 3rd NCAA Third Place Game (Win)
Rensselaer: 18–8–0 12–6–0 / 1–3–0
New Hampshire Wildcats (ECAC-2) (1964–1966)
1964–65 New Hampshire 6–14–0 6–9–0
1965–66 New Hampshire 11–12–0 11–5–0
New Hampshire: 17–26–0 17–14–0
New Hampshire Wildcats (ECAC Hockey) (1966–1968)
1966–67 New Hampshire 18–7–0 5–4–0 7th
1967–68 New Hampshire 22–7–0 7–6–0
New Hampshire: 40–14–0 12–10–0
North Dakota Fighting Sioux (WCHA) (1968–1978)
1968–69 North Dakota 18–10–1 15–7–0 3rd WCHA West Regional Semifinals
1969–70 North Dakota 14–5–1 12–13–1 5th WCHA East Regional Semifinals
1970–71 North Dakota 14–17–2 10–15–1 7th WCHA East Regional Finals
1971–72 North Dakota 21–14–1 18–10–0 3rd WCHA Second Round
1972–73 North Dakota 17–17–2 13–15–2 7th WCHA First Round
1973–74 North Dakota 10–23–1 8–20–0 10th
1974–75 North Dakota 6–28–2 4–26–2 10th
1975–76 North Dakota 15–21–0 12–20–0 t-7th
1976–77 North Dakota 19–19–0 16–16–0 5th WCHA First Round
1977–78 North Dakota 15–22–1 13–19–0 t-5th WCHA First Round
North Dakota: 149–186–11 121–161–6
Total: 224–234–11

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

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