UNO hires its hockey coach

UNO delivered a clear message Friday by hiring Dean Blais as hockey coach, said the man who runs a powerful league the Mavericks are thinking about joining.

UNO is shooting for the stars. And it just landed one of the biggest stars in college hockey.

"You can talk about things, about doing this and doing that, but it all comes down to the actions you take in the end," said Bruce McLeod, commissioner of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. "They're not just talking, they're doing something. These people are darn serious."

Blais, who led North Dakota to two national championships and a runner-up finish in the span of five seasons, was introduced Friday as the Mavericks' second-ever head coach.

Trev Alberts, the new athletic director at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, pledged to maximize hockey's potential upon his hiring this spring and again last month when Mike Kemp moved from head coach to associate athletic director.

Blais, 58, signed a four-year contract with an annual salary of $250,000. Alberts said the deal includes nearly $100,000 of private support to pay the difference between Blais' salary and his predecessor's. Kemp received $154,771 in 2008-09.

"With Dean Blais as our head coach and Mike Kemp in his role, together we will do everything we can to make this a hockey program this community can be proud of," Alberts said. "We ask now that you partner with us. We need folks in those seats. I think we've made the commitment, and now we ask you to make a similar commitment to us."

At North Dakota, Blais inherited a sub-.500 team (11-23-4) in 1994-95 and three years later won a national championship.

"I've been in the business for a lot of years, and if you work hard and do things right, championships will follow," Blais said. "That'll be one of our goals right away, to win a national championship. Sometimes it doesn't happen the first year. Sometimes it happens in year two or three, and sometimes it doesn't happen. But I have a feeling it will happen."

UNO was 15-17-8 last season. Blais agreed the situation at his new school is similar to the one he inherited at North Dakota in 1994. Gino Gasparini had coached North Dakota for 16 years previously. Kemp coached UNO for 12.

"Both had been successful," he said. "I, hopefully, will raise it to another level. I'm not being egotistic at all, but that's why I'm here. I'm here to win."

Sources have said UNO also interviewed Princeton head coach Guy Gadowsky, Minnesota assistant Mike Hastings, Boston University associate coach David Quinn, Minnesota-Duluth assistant coach Steve Rohlik and at least one other candidate. Hastings used to coach the Omaha Lancers junior hockey team, and Quinn and Rohlik are former UNO assistants.

"I don't want to put anybody else down, because there are many coaches who could have done a terrific job," said McLeod, the WCHA commissioner. "But no one else has that résumé. He's the surest thing. What a coup."

The WCHA, which includes Blais' old school, North Dakota, wants to expand from 10 teams to 12 and has encouraged UNO to apply for admission. The Mavs have competed since their inception in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

CCHA Commissioner Tom Anastos also applauded the Mavs' hire.

"When they established the program, they did a terrific job and have shown an incredible commitment," he said. "They've enjoyed a lot of success. Now, with a coaching change, a change in administration and in athletic directors, it's a chance for them to once again make a statement to say how important hockey is to them. They did that in a big way."

For a sports fan, it's not much of a stretch to compare Blais' return to college coaching to Rick Pitino coming back to coach Louisville after leaving a national-championship basketball program at Kentucky for the NBA, or Nick Saban returning to coach Alabama after leaving a national-championship football program at Louisiana State for the NFL.

One difference is that Blais hasn't coached a college team since 2003-04, when he left for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League. Then, after serving as associate head coach and later in player development, Blais spent last year in the junior ranks as the head coach, general manager and part owner of the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League.

"Last year with Fargo, it got back to being a lot of fun again," Blais said. "This is another challenge for me, and one I'm extremely excited about."

Blais coached 10 years altogether at North Dakota, leading the Fighting Sioux to seven NCAA tournament appearances. He ranks ninth among all coaches in Division I history with a winning percentage of .679 (262-115-33), a mark that is second among active head coaches.

Kemp, the only coach in UNO hockey history, was 194-223-57 in his career. UNO has made one trip to the NCAA tournament, and attendance has faltered since the Mavs moved from the Civic Auditorium to the Qwest Center Omaha.

"With the vision and the dreams I've had since 1996, to now be able to turn it over with the confidence that I have is a big thrill for me," Kemp said. "I know he's going to take it to a height and level that it's never seen before."

• Contact the writer: 444-1027, rob.white@owh.com