Longtime Gophers hockey announcer Frank Mazzocco retires
Frank Mazzocco (Courtesy: Gophers Athletics)
For the first time in more than 35 years, the University of Minnesota men’s hockey team won’t have Frank Mazzocco narrating its games when next season rolls around.
The longtime announcer announced his retirement on Thursday.
“In my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have put this whole thing together,” Mazzocco said in a statement released by the men’s hockey program. “It’s just been a wild run and I am really lucky. Gopher Sports Properties helped renew the fun in broadcasting and I am very appreciative of the last 13 years. I often call Wally (Shaver) and I the ‘Odd Couple’ but once we got on the air, we had the same ideas about how to do a game and that’s what made this job so much fun. The overriding best part was getting to know the players. You realize the quality of the recruits and the players, who are and have been in this Gophers’ program, are unbelievable.”
He was the TV play-by-play voice of Gophers hockey on Fox Sports North and Midwest Sports Channel for over 20 years before moving to the radio booth to serve as an analyst alongside Wally Shaver before the 2011-12 season.
“I will surely miss working with Frank,” Shaver said. “He is the consummate pro – always prepared and I don’t think anyone has the historical notes and statistics that he keeps. We were just like a marriage – we knew what each other was going to say and had similar thought processes as we covered the live action. I know Gopher fans have enjoyed his expertise over the years. He’s been such a big part of the program and certainly had a substantial impact on building Gopher awareness over the years.”
In a social media post, Mazzocco said he’ll miss the excitement of game days and the players and people he worked with but noted his “drive and curiosity are no longer strong enough to do the job the way it needs to be done.”
Mazzocco said he plans to turn his attention to his family and his photography business.