[1] Lucia is best known for his 19-season tenure as head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's hockey team (1999–2018).
[5] Lucia graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1981, where he played defense for the school's hockey team.
This illness, combined with a growing number of college hockey players taking their talents to the NHL, led Lucia's Gophers to a 17–18–2 record during the 2009–2010 season.
In the summer of 2013 Minnesota joined with 5 other schools to form the Big Ten's ice hockey division.
The Gophers won the inaugural regular season title and advanced all the way to the National Championship game where they fell to Union.