Lou Nanne

Nanne grew up in Ontario where he played hockey with Phil and Tony Esposito. In 1960, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota to play hockey for the Minnesota Gophers while studying business administration. At Minnesota, he would be coached by the legendary John Mariucci and become one of American college hockey's biggest stars during the 1960s. He is still the only defenseman to win the WCHA scoring title he accomplished in the 1962–63 season.^[1] In 1967, Nanne became an American citizen which allowed him to play for and captain the U.S. national team, alongside future Miracle on Ice coach Herb Brooks, which finished 6th at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France.

Lou Nanne turned down a $8000 contract offer from the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks in 1963 after graduating from university, noting that he made three times as much money in his current job working as a salesman for Harvey Mackay's envelope manufacturing company.^[2] Nanne finally started his National Hockey League career in 1968 following the Olympics. He would spend his entire career in Minnesota after signing a free agent contract with the expansion Minnesota North Stars who had acquired his rights from the Blackhawks. He played 635 NHL regular season games for the North Stars through the 1977–78 season. A steady defenseman and sometime forward, he scored 21 goals in 1971–72, but was mostly known for his defensive, penalty-killing abilities. Nanne played for American national team in 1976 and 1977, and the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup. Nanne also served as national team captain or alternate in both years.

Nanne also played minor pro league hockey for the Rochester Mustangs and Cleveland Barons.

After retiring Nanne became the general manager and coach of the North Stars. With an infusion of notable players from the merger with the Cleveland Barons and through the draft, he quickly rebuilt the North Stars into a contender after his playing career ended in 1978. The Stars reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1981, the conference final in 1984, and made the playoffs seven consecutive seasons (1979–1986). This winning run saw the North Stars average over 35 wins per season, encompassing the North Stars sole 40-win season, and six of the organization's ten 35-plus-win seasons. In 1988, after two seasons in which the North Stars finished below .500 and had consecutive fifth-place finishes in the Norris Division, Nanne resigned from the North Stars citing health reasons, and left the organization entirely in 1991.^[3][4][5][6] Nanne also served as general manager of the U.S. national team in the 1981, 1984, and 1987 Canada Cup tournaments.^[7]

CBS Sports and NHL Network enlisted his services to provide color commentary of their hockey telecast when the Minnesota North Stars were not involved. In 1979, he called Game 2 of the 1979 Challenge Cup and Stanley Cup playoff games on NHL Network alongside play-by-play man Dan Kelly.^[8] One year later, he called Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders on CBS, where was worked with two play-by-play men Kelly (who called the first, third, and overtime periods) and Tim Ryan (who called the second period).

Starting in 2019, he served as the rotating color commentator for Minnesota Wild broadcasts on Bally Sports North, alternating in that role with Wes Walz and Ryan Carter.^[9]

Nanne, along with USA Hockey's Walter Bush, spearheaded the campaign to have Herb Brooks named head coach of the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team leading up to the 1980 Winter Games. Nanne, who had just been named the General Manager of the North Stars, offered Brooks, who was then the head coach at the University of Minnesota, the North Stars' head coaching job. Still, Brooks declined, saying that it was instead his goal to coach the Olympic team. After legendary Boston University coach Jack Parker turned down the head coach position of Team USA, Nanne, and Bush became involved in the Olympic Team selection process and pushed for Brooks to be named coach. Brooks did later coach under Nanne in Minnesota during the 1987–88 season, but was fired following a 19–48–13 season.^[10]

Nanne had been the TV color commentator for the Minnesota State High School Boys Hockey tournament since 1964, a total of 60 years.^[11][12] His last year calling the tournament was in 2024.^[13] Nanne opened "Lou Nanne's Steakhouse" in Edina, Minnesota in March 2016.^[14] It has since been renamed Tavern23 as a tribute to Nanne's jersey number.

His son Marty Nanne, was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the eighth round of the 1986 NHL entry draft.^[15] Nanne's grandson Vinni Lettieri plays in the NHL, and his other grandson Louis Nanne was drafted in the 7th-round of the 2012 NHL entry draft by the Minnesota Wild.

Regular season and playoffs

More information Regular season, Playoffs ...

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1960–61	University of Minnesota	WCHA		30	4	12	16	52		—	—	—	—	—
1961–62	University of Minnesota	WCHA		22	4	11	15	37		—	—	—	—	—
1962–63	University of Minnesota	WCHA		29	14	29	43	30		—	—	—	—	—
1962–63	Rochester Mustangs	USHL		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	Rochester Mustangs	USHL		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Rochester Mustangs	USHL		—	14	21	35	—		—	—	—	—	—
1965–66	Rochester Mustangs	USHL		24	23	22	45	4		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	Rochester Mustangs	USHL		24	11	12	23	8		—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	United States National Team	Intl		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		2	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		41	2	14	47	—		—	—	—	—
1968–69	Cleveland Barons	AHL		10	1	2	3	8		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Memphis South Stars	CHL		3	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		74	3	20	23	75		5	0	2	2	2
1970–71	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		68	5	11	16	22		12	3	6	9	4
1971–72	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		78	21	28	49	27		7	0	0	0	0
1972–73	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		74	15	20	35	39		6	1	2	3	0
1973–74	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		76	11	21	32	46		—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		49	6	9	15	35		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		79	3	14	17	45		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		68	2	20	22	12		2	0	0	0	2
1977–78	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		26	0	1	1	8		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				635	68	157	225	356		32	4	10	14	8

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International

More information Year, Team ...

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1968	United States	OLY		7	2	2	4	12
1976	United States	WC		10	1	3	4	26
1976	United States	CC		5	0	2	2	6
1977	United States	WC		10	2	2	4	19
Senior totals				32	5	9	14	63

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• WCHA Most Valuable Player (1963)
• Lester Patrick Trophy (1989)
• University of Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame (1994)
• United States Hockey Hall of Fame (1998)
• Inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2004^[16][17]
• National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (2022-23)
• Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame (2023)
• Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame (2025)