Playing, coaching and now owning: Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau has officially done it all.
Along with his wife, Crystal, the two purchased an ownership stake in the Minnesota Blue Ox. The team will join the United States Premier Hockey League next season, which is a tier-3 junior hockey team.
The Blue Ox are the 16th team in the USPHL, and were awarded the franchise earlier this year.
Dan Myers of NHL.com notes the Boudreaus’ son Brady will even be a goaltender for the team.
“Coaching the Wild will be my day job,” Boudreau said to Myers. “My wife will be doing a lot of it. I’ll be interested in the results, but I probably won’t get a chance to see them play too often.”
The Blue Ox will play their home games in Coon Rapids at the Coon Rapids Ice Center starting this fall. Their season opener is on Sept. 16, with the home opener set for Sept. 22.
The USPHL has teams across the nation, with the Blue Ox playing in the Midwest West division. It includes other teams from across the State of Hockey.
Most players in the league go on to play NCAA Division III hockey – as 182 players did last year.
Charlie Coyle of the Wild played in the league, and so did Jack Eichel and Jimmy Vessey.
