Former Wisconsin men’s hockey coach Jeff Sauer, along with one of his former players, defenseman Brian Rafalski, will be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in December.
USA Hockey made the announcement on Wednesday. This years class also includes two-time Olympian Karyn Bye Dietz (River Falls native) and longtime coach Lou Vairo.
Sauer spent 31 years as a college coach and won 655 games, seventh most all-time. He coached the Badgers for 20 years and won NCAA titles in 1983 and 1990. Most recently, Sauer guided the United States sled hockey team to the Paralympic gold medal.
Rafalski played for the Badgers in the late ’90’s and went on to win three Stanley Cups in the NHL, two with New Jersey and a third with his hometown Detroit Red Wings. He also played for the United States in three Olympics.
Bye-Dietz is a River Falls native. She helped the U.S. Olympic team win the gold medal in 1998. She played collegiately at New Hampshire from 1989-’93, totalling 164 points in 87 games. She played on the U.S. Olympic teams in 1998 and 2002.
Vairo served as head coach of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team and was an assistant on the 2002 squad.
Induction ceremonies will be held Dec. 4 in Minneapolis.
