Lucia: “Do I plan on being back next year? As of today, yes.”

[BleedGopher]

per STrib:

Now the focus turns to Lucia and his future with the Gophers.

Lucia, who led the Gophers to NCAA championships in 2002 and ’03 and whose 457 victories are the most in program history, has one year remaining on a two-year contract he signed in October 2016. He’s making $612,500 this season, and it would cost the university $315,000 to buy him out of the remaining year.

“Do I plan on being back next year?” Lucia said. “As of today, yes.”

Lucia said he and athletic director Mark Coyle will meet and discuss his future, though the coach said that meeting was still to be scheduled.

“At the end of every year, we’ll sit down with Mark,” Lucia said. “We’ve had a lot of dialogue the last few years. We’re on the same page, and hopefully we’ll be on the same page moving forward.”

http://www.startribune.com/don-luci...ure-leading-gophers-hockey-program/477221653/

Go Gophers!!

 

[#2Gopher]

Well Don, you're not on the same page with many fans. If you're around next year, expect the attendance at the games to tank more yet. My Friday and Saturday nights watching the game fire has gone out along time ago.

 

[Slim Tubby]

Well Don, you're not on the same page with many fans. If you're around next year, expect the attendance at the games to tank more yet. My Friday and Saturday nights watching the game fire has gone out along time ago.

I live 3 hours north of the metro so getting to games in person has always been a challenge for me. However, since I was 6 years old, I always made sure that nothing would prevent me from watching the Gophers on TV every Friday and Saturday night. That has changed dramatically over the last 3-4 years and by the look of all the empty seats at the arena, apparently we're not alone, #2Gopher. Don has been a good coach for many years but the fire and passion has clearly left him. It's time to make a coaching change for the health of the entire program and that doesn't mean sliding Guentzel into his spot...Mike's part of the problem. If I was Coyle, I would target Gwozdecky, Sandelin and Motzko as my primary targets. I love Grant Potulney but I think he needs more seasoning before he's ready for the reins at the U. With all of the HS talent in the state, we should always be favorites to reach the Final Four. It's painful to admit but SCSU, UMD and Mankato have all surpassed the Gophers which is completely mind-boggling to me and certainly unacceptable.