One of the most legendary names in Minnesota high school hockey died Monday. Willard Ikola, who for 33 seasons guided the Edina Hornets to over 600 wins and eight state titles died at 92.
Known for his iconic hound's-tooth hat while on the bench, Ikola turned Edina into a hockey powerhouse. His 616 wins at Edina are now the fourth most in Minnesota high school hockey history.
Prior to his coaching career, Ikola was a goaltender for another hockey giant, Eveleth, from 1948-1950 where he helped them win three consecutive state championships. He played collegiately in Michigan and was on the 1956 U.S. Olympic team that won silver in Italy.
A statue was unveiled in his honor at Edina's Braemar Arena in 2020. Ikola retired from coaching in 1991 but remained active in the Minnesota hockey scene.
"Oh yeah, yeah, he was around all the time," remembers another Minnesota hockey legend, Lou Nanne. "I still like the fact if you go to Braemar Arena today, there's a parking spot there with his name on it just for him."
Ikola is a 1990 inductee into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, a 1992 inductee into the National High School Sports Hall of Fame, and a 2019 inductee into the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame.
"Sad to hear, whether anybody who knew him, he was just fine, fine individual, a wonderful person, an understanding guy, a kind guy," says Nanne. "Everybody that played for him seemed to love him, talk about him as a person more than anything else. Because that's what he was, just a great guy."
Nanne also talked about what made Ikola so successful.
"I guess his ability to connect with the players, get the respect, and get them to understand how they had to play and and challenge them to be their best," Nanne explained. "He got the best out of them. He was just a, you know, terrific and very successful coach."