While the Badgers hockey squad currently sits atop the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings, a former Badger great sits behind the WCHA scene here in Madison.
Former head coach Jeff Sauer, the all-time winningest coach in WCHA history, is no longer in the business of winning championships but has not left the game he loves. Having just returned from coaching a U.S. Team at the TUI Nations Cup in Germany, and currently an assistant to WCHA Commissioner Bruce McCleod, Sauer is still very involved with hockey.
Sauer does not plan to return to coaching, aside from temporary jobs like the recent second place finish in Europe and his help with a team from a school for deaf children in Chicago. After 20 successful seasons at Wisconsin, Sauer explained his new challenge in dealing with pros.
'It's different, these are professional players so its not like you're getting ready to play the Gophers or the Badgers. It's not the same type of intensity or enthusiasm with professional athletes. It's not like preparing a college team to play.'
Coming from some of the roughest, most physical hockey in the world, Sauer's appreciation for the finesse-style European game is somewhat surprising. As the NHL gradually adopts European rules, Sauer believes the professional game in the U.S. will improve but explained that its northern origins can be limiting.
'It's never going to surpass basketball, baseball or football, but that's just a given because it's a regional sport,' he said. 'It's not a national sport, even though we've got teams in different parts of the country. It's still not a national sport.'
Head football coach and Athletic Director Barry Alvarez is not the only legendary Badger coach to successfully transition himself to management. Sauer is currently an assistant to WCHA commissioner Bruce McCleod. Citing a chance to stay involved with hockey, Sauer has thrived in his new position.
'It's given me the opportunity to stay in the game, to stay close to the game without worrying about wins and losses, I sit upstairs in the press box and watch the games, I still coach in my mind, but I'm doing it for other reasons and its been very enjoyable,' Sauer said. 'I'd had enough time on the ice and behind the bench, this gives me the chance to stay involved in the game that's been all around me all my life but also a chance to give something back with the experience of being in the league over 30 years.'
Despite having won two national championships with Wisconsin in 1983 and 1990 and having won more games than any other WCHA coach, Sauer most vividly recalls experiences with players, 'in the college setting you are involved in every aspect of their lives, which is what I really enjoyed.'
Sauer explained that the life of a coach can be stressful, but the relationships built with players and other coaches are everlasting.
'I don't miss the games, I don't miss dealing with the press, I don't miss all of that type of thing, the only thing I do miss about coaching-and I knew this would happen- I just miss the day-to-day relations with players and the practice settings, and getting involved in their academics, their families, because that's really what its all about from a college coaching standpoint.'
