Dean Blais | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
International Falls, Minnesota, U.S. | January 18, 1951||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
Position | Forward | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for | Dallas Black Hawks (CHL) | ||
NHL draft |
68th overall, 1971 Chicago Blackhawks | ||
Playing career | 1973–1976 |
Dean Charles Blais[1] (born January 18, 1951) is an American ice hockey coach. He was the head coach of the University of North Dakota men's hockey team, head coach of the Omaha Mavericks, the men's team of the University of Nebraska Omaha, and also head coach of the United States men's national junior ice hockey team. He led Team USA to a gold medal in the IIHF 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Saskatoon, Canada, held in late December 2009 through early January 2010.[2]
He is the former associate coach of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets. He led the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux (now Fighting Hawks) men's hockey team to NCAA Division I championships in 1997 and 2000. Blais also has two other appearances in the Frozen Four, the semifinal round of the NCAA tournament—with North Dakota in 2001 (losing in the championship game) and Omaha in 2015 (losing in the semifinals). Blais also led the 1990 Roseau Rams to a Minnesota State High School Hockey Championship.