I’ve had a bad week: fell into a lens grinding machine and made a spectacle of myself. Not the first time, so easier to take. But sometimes making a spectacle out of oneself is a good thing, can have a positive effect. Steve Freeman, the spectacularly successful UWRF Men’s Hockey Coach, for example.

Coach Freeman, to what do you attribute your great success coaching men’s hockey at UWRF: Twenty-seven seasons as coach, all-time leader in games won, named coach of the year 14 times, WIAC champions 13 of past 17 seasons, named NCHA Coach of the year in 1999 and 2003, won the NCAA national championship in 1994.

“It takes quality student athletes,” Freeman responded, “so recruiting is the key to success at the college level; you need great coaches on your staff like Sean Roadhouse, Michael Smits, and Bob Ritzer before them. Of course, you must have a passion, obsession for the game. I believe the most important ingredient for a coach is being a good teacher. Plus, beautiful UWRF and Hunt Arena is a huge selling point.”

What hockey playing experience did you have in HS?

“I played hockey up through the ranks, youth, high school, Junior A, and college. I loved the game.”

What happened next? Trace your progress.

“In college I started to help out coaching with some youth teams, later took an assistant high school coaching job. The head coach quit, and I became a high school coach. We were able to have a lot of success, with winning teams, league championships, and a state championship. From there I became a head coach and general manager in the United States Hockey League, which led to college hockey.”

Talk about your years as assistant coach at UWRF.

“Dean Talafous was a brand new head coach who came from the Minnesota Gophers to UWRF and brought me in as his assistant. With my USHL background I had a relationship with those coaches throughout the league, which was really important for recruiting. Coach Talafous was a tremendous hockey man and taught me a great deal. We got it going really well, played in four Frozen Fours in a row, and won a National Championship. Dean moved on to a Division I program, and I became head coach of UW-River Falls.”

Who are your assistant coaches and what are their roles?

“Our Assistant Coach is Sean Roadhouse; wow, he is a good one, a tremendous recruiter, great technical knowledge of the game, and truly super in his player development skills. Michael Smits is our Director of Hockey Operations and does a little bit of everything and is very valuable to our program.

“Bob Ritzer was my assistant for 24 years (now retired) and was so important to our success and a great friend!”

Does your success make recruiting easier?

“The sustained success for so many years has helped our reputation in the hockey world and that was of course built even before I arrived, great former coaches with tremendous players. So, the history of success certainly is a positive in recruiting.”

Is there support for your program from other coaches or administrators at UWRF?

“I believe the coaches of UW-River Falls are very supportive of each other, but obviously very consumed with their own programs. The lack of financial support is really a challenge that we deal with.”

How about community support?

“Community support from our area has been great, with the excitement of the speed and physical nature of the game and our beautiful facility The Falcon Center, fan support is super.”

How important is weightlifting?

“Strength and conditioning is a standard and necessary part of college hockey. It’s very important because of the explosive speed of our game and size and strength of today’s athletes, plus of course injury prevention.”

Is your team more or less experienced compared with those of other years?

“This year’s team has nine or 10 new players in the lineup most games. There is an adjustment period to college hockey’s style of play, learning advanced hockey systems, and competing against grown young men. But there is some strong talent, so the future’s bright.”

Has this year’s team surprised you in any way?

“Yes, a slow start was a bit of a surprise. We truly out-played and out-chanced almost every team we had on our schedule early, with a couple exceptions, but didn’t get the results we were after. And of course, you can’t foresee injuries, losing a few of our top guys early on for the remainder of the season. So we’ve had to make adjustments and add some new details in our systems of play. It does open opportunity for other players to play, grow, and develop.

“I’ve been coaching at UW-River Falls much of my adult life, it’s a great spot. We’ve won 14 different championships, been Coach of the Year 14 times, and I have been inducted into the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame. River Falls has treated me well. I love this place.”

Speaking of love, according to a Polish proverb, “The greatest love is a mother’s, then a dog’s, then a sweetheart’s.” Not sure where hockey and UWRF fit in.