Forty-three years of meetings between two of the nation’s winningest high school hockey coaches ended Thursday night with a heartfelt hug at center ice.

There were smiles, a touch of sadness, a steady flow of jokes and some good-natured needling – a powerful concoction of emotions hanging in the air as Rochester Mayo’s Lorne Grosso and Albert Lea’s Roy Nystrom walked off the ice together, side by side, for the last time.

“He hugged me and I told him, ‘Roy, you said you weren’t going to hug me, now everybody’s watching,’ ” Grosso said with his trademark smirk.

Countered Nystrom: "I couldn't help it, I'm a hugger."

Rochester Mayo’s 3-1 victory at Albert Lea City Arena merely served as backdrop to the final matchup between coaches who were once linemates and roommates at the University of Minnesota. Coaches who rank No. 1 and No. 2 all-time in Minnesota in career victories (Grosso has 703; Nystrom 688). Coaches who rank No. 2 and No. 3 nationally in career wins. Coaches who, as Big 9 Conference foes for more than four decades, have faced each other roughly 100 times.

Coaches who, above all else, are the closest of buddies.

“It was an emotional day for me,” said the 73-year-old Grosso, who is retiring after this season.

Grosso prepared for the game by making sure his players knew the backstory to the good-natured rivalry between the coaches. He even came up with a team slogan heading into the matchup.

“I told my coaches, 'You tell these guys that our theme, our motto for this game is 'Beat Roy,' ” Grosso said. “So after after practice it was, ‘Beat Roy.’ They got off the bus it was, ‘Beat Roy.’ They went on the ice it was, ‘Beat Roy.’

“So they were pretty pumped up. It was fun to see that.”

Senior defenseman Nick Norby scored twice on power plays for Mayo. His goal with 5:46 remaining clinched the victory for the Spartans and bragging rights for Grosso.

“The last game between them after 43 years, it’s a big win for Coach,” Norby said. “He definitely wanted us to amp up our intensity. And because they were old linemates, he just loves playing against him and just loves beating him, more than anybody.

“He really wanted this one.”

After the starting lineups were announced and just before the puck was dropped, public address announcer Steve Ball spent a few minutes summarizing Grosso’s amazing career and the significance of the final meeting between the coaches.

Other than Ball’s comments, the hug at the end and a few stick taps from players as the two coaches walked off the ice, this game was much like the the dozens and dozens of previous meetings between the Grosso-coached Spartans and Nystrom-led Tigers.

“We battled them, we gave it all we got,” the 72-year-old Nystrom said. “They were just a little too strong for us.”

Nystrom won three state titles in his seven years coaching in North Dakota before settling in Albert Lea. He said one of his most memorable games with the Tigers came early in his tenure, his second or third game. Albert Lea traveled to Rochester and was throttled 9-0 by the Grosso-led Spartans.

“I thought, ‘Oh boy, what did I get myself into coming down here,’ ” Nystrom said.

Now Grosso can claim victory in the first and last meetings between the coaching legends.

“Now he has bragging rights -- for the rest of our lives,” Nystrom said with a smile. “And he ain’t going to let it go, either. Anytime he calls, I’m going to see his number, and I’m hanging up.”

Grosso and Nystrom followed their decades-long routine before the game, sitting side by side in the theater seats on the enclosed second floor of the arena as they swapped stories and shot the breeze.

They talked about everything from their days playing for Minnesota hockey icon John Mariucci at the University of Minnesota to the type of boots they wear and where they buy them. They talked about Nystrom’s days growing up in Eveleth and watching the Bears dominate state high school hockey in the 1940s and '50s. They talked about Grosso’s days as a kid in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and playing sports with neighbors and future NHL legends Phil and Tony Esposito.

Grosso, a big fan of Vince Flynn's work, wrote down the names of books he recommended for Nystrom to read. Nystrom taught Grosso how to do the “Iron Range Handshake.” They talked about some of their most memorable pregame speeches before heading downstairs and delivered their most recent renditions.

Then a game was played and hugs were exchanged. They met in the lobby for the last time, talked about designing “rotating, elevated benches” to give coaches a better view of the action.

Then Grosso had to go. Time to hop on the team bus and head home.

Beat Roy. 

He did it, one last time.


Lorne Grosso, right, says he has coached against longtime friend Roy Nystrom "a hundred times." Grosso is retiring this year and the two exchanged postgame pleasantries for the final time. Photo by Mark Hvidsten

First Report

Senior defenseman Nick Norby scored two power-play goals to help Rochester Mayo beat Albert Lea 3-1 on Thursday night at Albert Lea City Arena in the final game between longtime friends and coaching foes Lorne Grosso of Mayo and Roy Nystrom of Albert Lea.

The 73-year-old Grosso is retiring after this season, and his 703 victories is the most in state history. Tuesday’s meeting held special significance, given that Nystrom and Grosso played on the same forward line and were roommates at the University of Minnesota. Nystrom ranks second all-time among Minnesota coaches with 688 career wins.

The two estimate they have squared off 100 times as coaches, with the Big 9 Conference teams assured of meeting twice each season. Nystrom, who started his career coaching in North Dakota, has coached at Albert Lea for 43 seasons.

Just before the puck was dropped, the public address announcer spent a couple of minutes talking about Grosso’s career and the fact these former college teammates and roommates had a combined 1,391 wins and that this was their last meeting. The introduction ended with: "This will be the final faceoff between these two coaches. So let's play hockey."

Thanks to Norby, bragging rights for the final game go to Grosso. Norby’s goal came on a wrist shot from the point with 5 minutes, 46 seconds remaining with the Spartans on a 5-on-3 power play. He also scored a power-play goal in the second period on a well-placed wrister from the point.

Thomas Krause added an empty-net goal in the final minute for the Spartans, who improved to 10-7-0.

After the game at the end of the handshake line, Nystrom gave Grosso a hug, and the pair walked off the ice together side by side.

Austin Dulitz scored the lone goal of the first period for Albert Lea (5-9-0). Rochester Mayo beat the Tigers 6-2 in the teams’ first meeting this season.

Rochester Mayo sophomore goaltender Liam Claton stopped 20 of 21 shots, with several of those saves coming on a 5-on-3 Tigers' power play in the third period. Albert Lea goaltender Ben Witham made 35 saves on 37 shots.

For more on Grosso, click the links below:

More than 700 wins later, Mayo coach still savors that learning look, by the Star Tribune's David La Vaque

Coaching legends Grosso, Nystrom meet for last time, Two-Man Advantage post by Loren Nelson

Lorne Grosso at a glance: 49 years at Rochester Mayo, by the Star Tribune's David La Vaque

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