Dave Peterson (ice hockey)

David Richard Peterson was born on January 5, 1931, in Superior, Wisconsin, to parents Hiram and Marie Peterson. Peterson was the son of a barber, his family had German, Irish, and Norwegian heritage, and moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota, when he was two years old. As a youth, he played ice hockey outdoors at a local park, and also played baseball and American football. Peterson attended Hamline University to play football, and earned a teacher's degree. He also played hockey at Hamline, and semi-professional hockey for per game. Peterson returned to the Millers for the 1952–53 season, now in the Central Hockey League, and later played for the Minneapolis Bungalows in the Minnesota Hockey League during the 1954–55 season. ==Minnesota high school coaching==

In 1953, Peterson began teaching business and coaching basketball at Braham, Minnesota, then moved to Minneapolis North High School in 1954. He also served as the school's first soccer coach, Peterson's teams at Southwest High School qualified for 14 Minnesota State High School League tournaments, including one state championship, one second-place finish, two third-place results, and one consolation championship. ==United States national coaching==

Peterson began working for the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS) in the mid-1970s, writing a manual on coaching goaltenders. He served as an assistant coach to Lou Vairo on the United States men's junior team at the 1983 World Junior Championships. As head coach of the United States men's team at Ice Hockey World Championships, Peterson led them in 1985, 1986, and 1987. He also served as head coach of the United States men's junior team which won its first IIHF World Junior Championship medal with a bronze in 1986, and a fourth-place finish in 1987. He later served as head coach for the US men's national team at the 1987 Pravda Cup. 1988 Winter Olympics hosted ice hockey games at the 1988 Winter Olympics.|alt=Winter panoroma of Calgary including the exterior of the Saddledome The AHAUS chose Peterson as head coach of the United States men's team for ice hockey at the 1988 Winter Olympics, when it desired a coach who was committed to the players and teaching, instead of furthering his own career. Peterson called the international media "dishonest, lazy and uninformed", and also stated "I have a tough time believing some of you have ever seen a hockey game". After the 1988 Winter Olympics, Peterson worked as the director of coaching and player development for AHAUS. He conducted coaching clinics across the nation, and wanted to change the perception that a player had to go to a college-preparatory school in the Eastern United States for better coaching. He also advocated more quality coaching time for youths, and to have two practices per game played. 1992 Winter Olympics hosted ice hockey games at the 1992 Winter Olympics.|alt=Winter panorama including the village skyline, surrounding mountains and ski hills USA Hockey chose Peterson as head coach for the United States men's team in ice hockey at the 1992 Winter Olympics. Despite the previous criticism, Art Berglund felt that Peterson deserved a second chance, and stated that "most of the criticism was unfair". Selection committee chairman Bob Fleming, stated that Peterson was chosen because he had more continuous international experience. The choice of Peterson as coach was criticized by Sports Illustrated, which wrote that teaching was Peterson's primary weakness, and reported that national team players compared the instruction they received from Peterson and his staff compared to coaching in college, instead of preparing them for a high-level games. The exhibition schedule for the 1991–92 season included 60 games, more practice time, and higher-caliber opponents. Peterson coached the national team in 21 games versus NHL teams, 14 versus the Canada national team, and eight versus the Russia national team. USA Hockey also had Peterson coached on public relations and dealing with the media. Patrick Reusse wrote in the Star Tribune, that Peterson later proved he could coach by leading a lesser-talented team to a fourth-place finish at the 1992 Winter Olympics. After the Olympics, Peterson worked as the director of coaching and player development for USA Hockey from 1992 to 1997. ==Personal life==

Peterson married Janice Amsden, a fellow Hamline physical education student, with whom he had four daughters. His remains were cremated and interred in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis. ==Honors and legacy==

Peterson received the John "Snooks" Kelley Founders Award from the American Hockey Coaches Association in 1993, in recognition of his contributions to coaching with the AHAUS and USA Hockey. He was inducted into the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1996. After Peterson's death, USA Hockey president Walter Bush said, "The sport of hockey has lost a true leader, a man who touched the lives of countless players, fellow coaches and friends during a remarkable career". Peterson was posthumously inducted into the Minneapolis Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016. and gives the Dave Peterson Award to a high school coach for leadership in developing hockey. ==Notes==