Pressure Mounting on Bob Motzko After Gophers' Sixth Sweep of the Season

Gophers hockey is in the middle of its worst stretch under Motzko.

Apr 15, 2025; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Prior to the game between the Minnesota Wild and Anaheim Ducks, Bob Motzko is announced as the head coach for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship by John Vanbiesbrouck (right). The ceremony was held at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Gophers men's hockey has failed to overcome its early-season struggles after getting swept for the sixth time last weekend against unranked Ohio State. They're guaranteed to finish the regular season under .500, and it will go down as one of the worst seasons in program history. So what does that mean for eighth-year head coach Bob Motzko?

Reviewing Motzko's tenure so far

Motzko replaced longtime head coach Don Lucia before the 2018-19 season. Minnesota missed the NCAA Tournament in Motzko's first season, and the following year was cut short due to COVID-19. He proceeded to make five NCAA tournaments in a row from 2020 to 2025. It marked the program's longest streak since 2000 to 2008.

The Gophers made back-to-back Frozen Fours in 2021-22 and 2022-23, but they failed to win a national championship. The 2023 title game ended devastatingly after losing to Quinnipiac in overtime, and it's a blemish that sticks out like a sore thumb on Motzko's resume.

Disappointing 2025 offseason

The reason Minnesota currently has a 10-18-1 record is because of its 2025 offseason. Last season's top five scorers — Jimmy Snuggerud, Connor Kurth, Matthew Wood, Oliver Moore, and Sam Rinzel — all left for the NHL. The NCAA gave Motzko and the Gophers a lifeline with players from the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) being eligible to play college hockey for the first time, but they didn't opt to use it, as one of the only top programs in the country that didn't add a player from that level.

Whether that was Motzko's decision or a lack of resources from the university is an answer we don't know. Ultimately, there are more avenues now than ever when it comes to quickly improving a roster in one offseason. The Gophers' biggest move was adding Omaha transfer Tanner Ludtke, who has objectively been a disappointment. With just 11 points in 24 games, Minnesota has been forced to rely on young players like LJ Mooney and Javon Moore to replace the scoring from last year's team.

Gophers' future

Between his success at St. Cloud State and Minnesota, Motzko has proved he can be one of the best coaches in college hockey. The question the Gophers need to answer is whether that era of the sport has passed him by. He will turn 65 years old in March, and college hockey continues to change significantly every season.

With promising underclassmen like Mooney and Moore, alongside an encouraging recruiting class coming to the program next season, there's plenty of reason to be excited about the future of Gophers hockey.

However, as long as Minnesota keeps losing games, the pressure will build on Motzko's shoulders.