Kirt Bjork

Bjork was recruited to Notre Dame straight out of high school, beginning his college career in the fall of 1979. He put up pedestrian numbers as a freshman but saw a vast improvement in his second season. Bjork more than tripled his goal production despite the Fighting Irish finishing near the bottom of the WCHA.^[2] Bjork's continued improvement, as well as a move to the CCHA, helped ND produce one of its best seasons as they tied a program record for wins with 23. Notre Dame reached the first championship game in program history and were looking to become a major player in their new conference.

As a senior Bjork led the team in just about every offensive category. For the fourth consecutive year he increased his goals, assists and points but Notre Dame couldn't keep the puck out of the net. The team allowed 51 more goals than they scored in 36 games and dropped to 8th in the conference. Despite the team's decline, Bjork was named as an All-American and was the last bright spot for the program before a funding crisis caused a severe decline that lasted for over a decade.^[3]

After graduating, Bjork played for Alleghe in the Italian Hockey League, averaging nearly 4 points a game. He finished out the year with a brief appearance for the Adirondack Red Wings and then retired as a player.

Kirt's son Anders also played hockey at Notre Dame, spending three years with the program before embarking on an NHL career. A second son, Brady, began attending Notre Dame in 2020 but sat out the 2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kirt also had a nephew, Erik Condra, play at Notre Dame before pursuing a professional career that included several years in the NHL.