Bob May (ice hockey)

Robert H. May (June 8, 1927 – July 20, 2014) was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach most well known for his brief tenure at North Dakota where he won the program's first National Champion in 1959.[1]

Bob May
Biographical details
Born(1927-06-08)June 8, 1927
Sprague, Manitoba
DiedJuly 20, 2014(2014-07-20) (aged 87)
Plymouth, Minnesota
Playing career
1949–1951North Dakota
Position(s)Defenceman
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1954–1955Wayzata High School
1955–1957Roosevelt High School
1957–1959North Dakota
1959–1960Minneapolis Millers
1974–1981Wayzata Checkers
1994–1996Wayzata High School (girls)
Head coaching record
Overall44–17–2 (college)
Tournaments3–1
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1958 WIHL Champion
1959 NCAA National Champion
Awards
1981 UND Athletic Hall of Fame
2002 UND Athletic Hall of Fame
2013 MGHCA Hall of Fame

Career

May played for North Dakota for two seasons in the early 1950s and was named captain his final year. After graduating May turned to coaching, first leading Wayzata High School then Roosevelt High School before he was named as the bench boss for his alma mater.[2] His first season brought incredible success as the Fighting Sioux won their first conference title and reached the 1958 NCAA Championship game. The next year the WIHL was dissolved but that didn't stop May's team as they were again invited to the tournament only this time they were able to take home the Trophy, the programs first.[3]

May left the program to become the coach of the Minneapolis Millers for a year before he entered dental school.[4] He became the team dentist for the Minnesota North Stars in 1968 and served in that capacity until 1983. In 1974 he became the coach of the newly formed Wayzata Checkers girls ice hockey team and led the team for its first seven seasons. In that time his team won a state title, three national titles and took first place in the 1979 Friendship Tournament held in Helsinki. Later in life he was brought back to Wayzata High School the second time to coach the first two seasons of the girls ice hockey team. He was able to help the squad to a conference championship in his second year.

Dr. Bob May served in the Army, reaching the rank of Colonel. Over the course of his life May wrote four books, including; "The Hockey Drill Book," "The Hockey Road: From High School, to College, to Pro," and "Girls Hockey in Minnesota; Where To Go From Here?". May was twice inducted into the North Dakota Athletic Hall of Fame, in 1981 as an individual and in 2002 as part of the championship team. He was also a charter member of the MGHCA Hall of Fame in 2013.

Personal life

Bob May died in 2014 at the age of 87 from pulmonary fibrosis. He was survived by his wife Beverley and their daughters Jan and Cathy.

Head coaching record

College

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
North Dakota Fighting Sioux (WIHL) (1957–1958)
1957–58 North Dakota 24–7–115–5–0t-1stNCAA Runner-Up
North Dakota: 24–7–115–5–0
North Dakota Fighting Sioux (Independent) (1958–1959)
1958–59 North Dakota 20–10–1NCAA National Champion
North Dakota: 20–10–1
Total:44–17–2

      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

  1. "Legendary coach Dr. Robert May passes away at 87". UND Sports. 2014-07-21. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  2. "UND's first title-winning men's hockey coach dies". InForum. 2014-07-21. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  3. "Bob May Year-by-Year Coaching Record". USCHO.com. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  4. "DR. BOB MAY". MGHCA. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
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