Lou Nanne

Louis Vincent "Lou" Nanne (born June 2, 1941 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) is a retired Defenceman and general manager who has made significant contributions to hockey in the United States.

Early Life
Nanne grew up in Sault Ste. Marie where he played hockey with Phil Esposito and Tony Esposito. He moved to the University of Minnesota in 1960 where he played for the Minnesota Golden Gophers while studying business administration and was coached by the legendary John Mariucci. He was one of the biggest stars in American college hockey during the 1960s, and became an American citizen in 1967 which allowed him to play for the US Olympic hockey team alongside Herb Brooks. The team finished 6th at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble.

Pro Career
Nanne started his National Hockey League career with the Minnesota North Stars in 1968 after the Olympics. He would spend his entire career in Minnesota, playing 635 NHL regular season games for the Stars in 1968–78. A steady defenceman and sometime forward, he scored 21 goals in 1971–72 but was mostly known for his defensive, penalty killing abilities. Nanne frequently played for U.S. national team in 1976–77 as the North Stars usually failed to make the Stanley Cup playoffs, allowing him to participate in the 1976 and 1977 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments as well as the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup. Nanne served as the team captain or assisting captain in all of these tournaments (he also was captain of the 1968 Olympic team).

Post Career
Lou Nanne is probably best known for his career as a general manager and coach of the North Stars and for the United States Canada Cup entries. 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 and semifinals in 1984. Nanne also served as general manager of the United States team in the 1981 Canada Cup and 1984 Canada Cup tournaments. He finally resigned from the North Stars in 1988 due to health reasons.

Awards

 * WCHA First All-Star Team (1963)
 * WCHA Most Valuable Player (1963)
 * NCAA West First All-American Team (1963)
 * Lester Patrick Trophy (1989)
 * International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame
 * United States Hockey Hall of Fame