Men's Hockey | 7/22/2020 4:30:00 PM
Recruiting was a little different in 1951.One day, Dick Meredith walked down the street from his home in Linden Hills to the old arena on Lake Street and Dupont to try out for the Minneapolis Millers. That's where he met John Mariucci.
"After we did some tricks — what they called 'fancy skating,' — Mariucci came up to me and asked what I was doing there," Dick said. "He said there's no reason you should be here because you'll make it at the 'U.' I always remembered that."
So Dick went over to the University and met with beloved coach Doc Romnes, tried out for the team and the rest is history.
One by one, his brothers followed. Bob came in 1952, Merv in 1955 and Wayne in 1957.
"We were like puppies following those guys," said Wayne, who retired in Florida after a successful business career in the toy industry. "We didn't know what we were supposed to be doing. We didn't have a lot of direction but our dad was a great cheerleader."
Then John came along nearly two decades later in 1976, when head coach Herb Brooks paid a visit to the Meredith household, hoping to lock up the final sibling.
"I remember it like it was yesterday, sitting down there in the basement with my dad (Loren). He was kind of like the king sitting at the end of the table. Herb's looking at him more than he's looking at me," said John, who's been with Liberty Mutual for 34 years.
"My dad said, 'If you want to do anything in this town, you go to the University of Minnesota, and you get an 'M.' If you got the 'M,' it opened doors for you business-wise. I believed in that and Herb basically said the same thing. You play here and you play tough, and you'll be able to deal with life's ups and downs."
All five brothers from Minneapolis Southwest came to the 'U.'
Dick won Olympic silver and gold medals for Team USA in 1956 and 1960, respectively. He was inducted into the 'M' Club Hall of Fame in 2015. Bob suited up for the Maroon and Gold from 1952-56 before getting married and joining the military. Merv spent some time with the Gopher Hockey team and the 1960 U.S. Olympic team before deciding to serve his country in the armed forces. Wayne was a defenseman at the 'U' from 1954-57 and went on to play for the 1964 U.S. Olympic Team. John was a part of the 1979 NCAA National Championship team.
Bob died from Leukemia in 1970 and Merv died in 2018. We caught up with Dick, Wayne and John to hear about their days wearing the 'M.'
Aura and Atmosphere
Dick enjoyed a successful debut season under the tutelage of Romnes and with linemates such as John Mayasich and Dick Dougherty. The next year, in 1952, John Mariucci took over the Gopher Hockey program.
"That really changed everything," said Dick, who worked for the North Stars for 20 years after his playing days. "You couldn't even buy a ticket. Even students with their passes could only go to one game on either a Friday or Saturday. That was the really beginning of something special over there. John Mariucci was in the spotlight and he was very entertaining to say the least. Things went on that you just wouldn't believe. It was a show."
"There's a character and a half," Wayne added about Mariucci. "He was tough, but certainly devoted. He didn't take any lip. And if you didn't play right, get in the back row. We had so many guys in the back row there wasn't anybody left to put on the ice."
But when wearing the 'M,' the games were secondary.
"The hockey was fun, but you kind of forget the games," John said. "There's a few things you remember, but there's just always that aura. The thing I remember more than anything is when you hit the ice in the old barn after warmups and you're ready for the national anthem. I still remember that almost better than the games. Just the excitement of hitting the ice and going as fast as you can and people are going crazy and hanging from the rafters."
Cherished Friends and Memories
John stays in touch with his old teammates, such as Jeff Teal and his fellow penalty killing specialists Dave Terwilliger and Steve Ulseth. Two seasons ago, he attended the 1979 National Championship team's 40th reunion.
"The appreciation that was shown for the team was really special," he said. "And seeing the guys — it was kind of like your wedding day. It was too short. It went by like a whirlwind but it was so great to see those guys. When you have success with a group of people, it bonds you for life. Those are people you trust."
Wayne patrolled the blue line with Gopher greats Larry Alm and Jim Westby. "They were (Minneapolis) South High guys. Excellent players and wonderful people." And after playing against Herb Brooks in the state high school championship in 1955, they became teammates both at the 'U' and in the 1964 Olympics.
But the longest-running friendship is between Dick and "Big John" Mayasich, who came to the 'U' together after facing each other in the state high school semifinal game, where Mayasich set a single-game state tournament record with 7 goals en route to Eveleth's fourth consecutive title.
"In those days, you never played outside of your conference — you never saw anybody else," Dick said. "We're playing two lines and Eveleth is playing a line and a half, and Mayasich never comes off the ice. That was the first time we had seen him. And then to go on to college and be such good friends and with our families. I talk to John a lot still — you know he gets lonely up there in Eveleth. He's a real class act."
Pride on Ice
Dick, Wayne and John still have Pride on Ice.
"It was very rewarding. It was a way of life," Wayne said. "I was having the best time playing hockey."
"I say 90 percent of my good friends are my hockey buddies," Dick said. "But there aren't too many of us left."
John wants the current group of players and alumni to preserve that Gopher Hockey tradition his brothers helped forge nearly 70 years ago.
"We want people to experience what we had," he said. "You know it's there and you know it has the potential. When alumni reach out, you know that they are similar to you and have the same values. That's what really perpetuates the alumni, the school, the athletics and everything else to have that higher standard. If you show passion and if you wear the colors proudly, people notice that."
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