Health & Fitness
Former St. Louis Park Hockey Head Coach Headed to Hall of Fame
Keith Schafer coached the Orioles from 1980-83 and Wayzata for many years before that. He will be recognized on March 8.
Keith Schafer, who was St. Louis Park boys hockey head coach for three seasons from 1980-83, is one of four new inductees into the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame. He will be inducted on March 8 at a banquet during the state tourney.
Schafer played at Wayzata, graduating in 1952, and was head coach of the Trojans for many years before coming to Park. Former coach Chuck Pfannenstein recruited him to come to Park when Pfannenstein stepped down in 1980.
His 81-82 squad was a very competitive team, which sent five players on to juniors and college: John Haugen and Dan Gionet to St. Olaf, Cory Goddard and Dale Yohnke to St. Scholastica, and Keith Savaire to the USHL. They won two Section 6 playoff games before losing to undefeated Lake North Champion Wayzata, 1-0.
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For more information on other inductees or tickets, please visit www.mnhockeyhub.com and click on the coaches tab.
Schafer is the third member of the SLP community to be enshrined in local halls of fame recently. Long-time athletic director Lefty Wright and Norm Kragseth were inducted into the Minnesota State High School League Hall of Fame in the spring of 2011.
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Wright was inducted for his time as a hockey, track and cross-country star at Park, and his time as AD. Kragseth was inducted for being a NFL referee and long-time resident whose kids starred at Park. He earned an amazing 22 letters at Duluth Central High School in the late '40s before playing football at D1 Northwestern.