Derek Plante, who has served as a University of Minnesota Duluth assistant men's hockey coach for the past five seasons, has resigned from that position for personal reasons.
"The opportunity to play and coach as a Bulldog has been a special part of my life, said Plante, whose resignation is effective this Friday (June 26). "It has been a great experience to work with and learn from head coach Scott Sandelin. While I will miss being part of the program every day, I'm excited to spend more time with my family. It has been an honor to be a part of the development, maturation and success of the UMD hockey players. I will always be a Bulldog and look forward to supporting coach Sandelin, the team, staff and entire UMD Athletic Department in the future."
Plante, 44, joined the coaching staff at his alma mater on June 9, 2010 and ten months later helped lead the Bulldogs to their first-ever NCAA national championship. During his tenure at UMD, the Bulldogs have qualified for three NCAA playoff berths while transitioning from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. In August 2014, Plante served as the head coach for the U.S. Under-18 Select Team at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in Slovakia and Czech Republic where he directed his troops to a third-place finish. He handled an assistant coaching role with Team USA at that international eight-team event the previous season.
"I sincerely appreciate the passion, efforts and contributions Derek gave to our hockey program the past five years," said Sandelin. "It has been a pleasure to coach with Derek and want to wish him and his family all the best."
A native of Cloquet, Minn., Plante starred with Bulldogs for four years and as a senior in 1992-93 was named a Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist, a first team All-American, the USA Hockey Male Athlete of the Year, and the WCHA Player of the Year. He closed out his collegiate playing days with 219 points on 96 goals and 123 assists in 138 outings, which currently puts him in a tie for second place on UMD's all-time scoring charts while his career points per game average (1.58) is the fourth best mark in program history. Chosen UMD's Outstanding Senior Male Athlete for 1992-93, Plante went on to enjoy an eight-year National Hockey League career with Buffalo (1993-99), Chicago (1999-2000), Dallas (1998-99 and 1999-2000) where he won a Stanley Cup, and Philadelphia (2000-01).
Inducted into the UMD Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009, Plante and his wife Kristi (a former softball and basketball standout with the Bulldogs) have three sons -- Zam (10), Max (9) and Victor (7).
A search for Plante's replacement will begin immediately.
