Sault-born hockey legend retires from broadcasting after 60 years

“Sweet Lou from the Soo” has called his final game in the State of Hockey.

Sault-born hockey legend Lou Nanne has retired from the broadcast booth after a 60-year run with the Minnesota state high school hockey tournament.

The former Minnesota North Stars defenseman and U.S. men’s national team general manager has been the voice of the popular AA championship tournament for generations of players.

He was just 22 years old when he called his first Minnesota state hockey tournament in 1964.

Now 82, Nanne tied the bow on a long but fulfilling chapter in his life when he called his final championship game between Chanhassen and Edina at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Saturday.

"It's a big decision, but it's the right decision at the right time," Nanne told a reporter with Kare11.com. “Sixty years later, I never felt like I worked a day. So that's what's good about my life!"

Widely regarded as a broadcasting icon, Nanne has witnessed thousands of players compete in one of Minnesota’s biggest tournaments.

But some were more notable than others.

He provided colour commentary during a game for his son Marty in the 1984 state tournament.

Nearly three decades later, he was on the broadcast for two of his grandsons’ tournament games.

Now a great-grandfather and husband to Francine for 61 years, Nanne leaves behind a legacy that many fans in Minnesota say will never be matched.

“I don’t think anybody has been more impactful than Lou Nanne,” one man told Kare11.com.

“Lou Nanne is the state of hockey in Minnesota, and it will never be the same after he retires," another said.

Born in Sault Ste. Marie in 1941, Nanne discovered his passion for the sport early and grew up playing with familiar local icons like Phil and Tony Esposito.

Later becoming a U.S. citizen, Nanne was an all-American player at the University of Minnesota from 1959 to 1963.

He began an illustrious international career when he captained the U.S. Olympic team in 1968 before leading the U.S. men’s national teams in 1975 and 1977.

Nanne was appointed general manager of the U.S. teams in the 1981, 1984, and 1987 Canada Cup tournaments, as well as the 1994 IIHF world championship.

Following the 1968 Olympics, Nanne joined the North Stars and spent his entire career in Minnesota, totalling 72 goals and 167 assists for 239 points in 11 seasons.

Nanne also served as North Stars GM and retired from that role in 1990 to pursue business interests.

He was enshrined into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998 and the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2004.

Nanne has also been a long-time member of the Sault Ste. Marie Hockey Hall of Fame.