BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. -- As coaching jobs go, Mark Strobel had it pretty good.
He was a top assistant, working alongside a good friend, at an ascending men's hockey program inside a major conference.
So why, in one brief phone call, did Strobel decide to pull up stakes?
Why did he walk away from Ohio State, where he was an associate head coach, to accept the same position at Big Ten Conference rival Wisconsin?
Why did he leave the coaching staff of Steve Rohlik – the two attended the same Minnesota high school, were recruited to the same college program and followed similar career paths – to move to Madison?
The answer, like Strobel, is straightforward and uncomplicated.
"It's where my heart has always been," he said.
It was announced Tuesday that UW coach
Tony Granato has hired Strobel as an associate head coach, effective July 1.
Strobel fills the void created June 13 when Don Granato, Tony's younger brother, left to become an NHL assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks.
It's easier to embrace the mechanics of the move when you know that Granato, Rohlik and Strobel all played for the Badgers, wore the "C'' as captain – Granato in 1986-87, Rohlik in '88-90 and Strobel in '93-95 – and all have their degrees from Wisconsin.
So when Granato called Rohlik and asked for permission to speak with Strobel, Rohlik understood.
And when Strobel sat down with Rohlik, told him he'd been offered the job and would be leaving, again, Rohlik understood.
"It's a special place, that's all I can say," Strobel said of UW. "It's family to me."
Tony Granato, fresh off his first season as coach at his alma mater, used words like "charismatic" and "energetic" to describe the newest member of his all-UW staff.
Granato said Strobel would be highly compatible with associate head coach
Mark Osiecki, a defenseman from 1987 to '90, and director of hockey operations
Shane Connelly, a goaltender from 2005 to '09.
"He's a guy you want to be around," Granato said of Strobel. "Every time you see Mark Strobel you see a happy, energetic, passionate guy that loves life, loves hockey, loves the Badgers and has always been a big part of our program.
"He's a phenomenal person, a great coach, who's going to add a lot to our program.
"He's one of those guys you meet one time and you feel like you've known him your whole life."
Granato took a moment to acknowledge the work of his brother, who managed the transition last spring while
Tony Granato and Osiecki finished out their previous coaching stints in the pros.
"What he did in one year here is going to last a lot longer than the one year from the recruiting side of things and all the commitment that he had,"
Tony Granato said of Don.
Granato also thanked
Barry Alvarez, the UW Director of Athletics, for his continued support of the program.
Strobel, a defenseman, played three seasons at UW alongside his twin brother, Mike, a winger. They attended Hill-Murray High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, the same program that produced Rohlik.
The Strobels also played two seasons with winger Rob Granato, Tony's younger brother, with Mark Strobel and Rob Granato serving as co-captains in 1993-94.
"I've never left Wisconsin," Mark Strobel said. "I can't give Wisconsin back enough to what it gave to me.
"It changed my life. When you're that passionate about something it's a natural fit. For me, I just feel like I'm one of the luckier guys in the world today."
Strobel spent the last two seasons working at Ohio State. Prior to that, he had relatively brief coaching stints with Colorado College (1998-99), Minnesota-Duluth (2000-04) and Nebraska-Omaha (2002-04).
The time spent between those coaching assignments saw Strobel work selling medical devices while serving on the board of directors of the W Club – the lettermen's organization for UW – and spending time raising gift funds to build LaBahn Arena.
Strobel said he was elated to hear from Granato at the outset of his coaching search.
"I felt like 22 years of hard work and the journey that I've been on literally all came to fruition in one phone call," Strobel said.
Strobel's career at UW is bookended in angst and motivation.
The six-time national champion Badgers lost to Lake Superior State 5-3 in the NCAA title game when he was a freshman in 1992. He was a senior in 1995 when Michigan eked out a 4-3 win in the regional final, leaving UW one step short of a Frozen Four assignment in Providence, Rhode Island.
"I felt there was a lot of unfinished business here," Strobel said.
"I didn't want to be a player here that failed and didn't uphold the tradition. To me, coming back as a coach, those are things I'll preach.
"Make an impact while you are here. Make a difference while you're here. Be better than you thought you'd ever be. That's what I have to push these kids to do."
Strobel was introduced to UW players during a meeting Tuesday afternoon at the Kohl Center. His message to them in the coming weeks echoed one of his former UW coaches, Mike Kemp.
"To whom much is given, much is expected," Strobel said. "I think that's certainly what our mission statement could be here.
"It is about championships. It is about winning on and off the ice."
Strobel said he had high expectations for his work going forward.
"I'm going to work as hard as I can every day to serve these kids, serve this community and serve this program to the best of my ability," he said.
