The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation has named “Miracle on Ice” and three- time Gophers national championship coach Herb Brooks its 2011 Legend of Hockey recipient. Brooks will be honored along with the 2011 Hobey Baker Award winner at the Hobey Baker banquet June 23 in St. Paul. Ticket information is available at www.hobeybaker.com.
Mary Spalding, a basketball season ticket holder since 1945, was recognized at Saturday’s home Gophers game against Michigan. Spalding has had tickets longer than any Gophers season basketball customer, according to an athletic department email.
Former Gopher Clyde Turner, a starter on the 1972 Big Ten basketball championship team, is the new executive director of the Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis.
At the request of Sports Headliners, Mr. Basketball chair Ken Lien provided his rankings of the best prep boys teams in 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A. His top five in big school 4A are Hopkins, Chaska, Eden Prairie, Osseo and Eastview. St. Paul Johnson is No. 1 in 3A followed by Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Minneapolis Washburn, Hill-Murray and DeLaSalle. The top five in 2A are Plainview-Elgin-Millville, Braham, Perham, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown and Moose Lake-Willow River. Minnesota Transitions is No. 1 in 1A followed by Maranatha Christian, Sebeka, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa and MACCRAY.
Minnesota tennis author Jim Holden emailed that he was in Memphis last week to watch a major tournament where Rochester’s Eric Butorac and partner Jean-Julien Rojer lost in the men’s doubles finals. Holden praised their play and gushed about rising star Milos Raonic who lost in the singles finals to Andy Roddick. “Mark my words, he will be in the top 10 in a year,” Holden wrote. Holden is the author of Tennis in the Northland, a comprehensive history of boys high school tennis in Minnesota.
A golf panel, including University of Minnesota golf director John Harris, will be featured at the C.O.R.E.S. luncheon in Bloomington on Thursday, March 10. C.O.R.E.S. members can make reservations by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. C.O.R.E.S. is an acronym for coaches, officials, educators, reporters and sports fans.