EAGLE RIVER – For more than four decades, Ed Roethke was a driving force behind hockey in the Menomonie area, helping establish the sport at the youth level, guiding the development of the Menomonie High School program and later contributing to the hockey program at UW-Stout. His coaching career spanned from mites to college players and more than 1,000 games, making his influence on generations of local hockey players difficult to overstate.

That legacy will be recognized when Roethke is inducted into the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame, Sept. 12 in Eagle River.

Roethke was born in Minneapolis, where he played youth hockey before playing high school hockey at Minneapolis Edison High School. He and his wife moved to Menomonie in 1971 so he could complete his undergraduate degree at Stout State University, now UW-Stout. After earning his degree, Roethke began his teaching career at Menomonie High School in 1972.

Menomonie High School
Roethke became the first head coach of the Menomonie High School hockey program in 1980. He remained in that position for 16 years, coaching 326 games, and was named Big Rivers Conference Coach of the Year in 1988.

The program’s early success was built in large part on players Roethke had coached at the youth level. His first group of youth players won WAHA Squirt C state championships in 1975, Bantam B state championships in 1979 and Midget B state championships in 1980.

That group went on to Menomonie High School and became the school’s first WIAA hockey team. A second generation of players, who were mites when the first group was playing bantam hockey, helped establish the foundation for Menomonie’s eventual WIAA state championship in 1991.

During his 29-year teaching career, Roethke also coached football, track and cross country. He was the head track coach for seven years, the head cross country coach for 10 years, an assistant football coach for two years and assistant track coach for two years.

Building Menomonie Youth Hockey
Roethke’s influence on Menomonie hockey began even before the high school program was established.

In September 1972, a group of people, primarily from Stout, met to discuss creating a youth hockey program for Menomonie-area children. Roethke contacted WAHA Registrar Don Clark, who provided the materials necessary to establish a WAHA local association.

Forty-four players initially signed up, ranging from mites through bantams. Roethke coached many of those players as they progressed through the program. Because many of the youth coaches were Stout players, Roethke often found himself coaching every team when the association traveled.

The program eventually became the Dunn County Hockey Association, with Roethke serving as its first president for several years. He also served as vice president and scheduler for the Western Wisconsin Indianhead Hockey League.

Roethke coached in the DCHA from 1972-85, helping establish a youth program that would eventually feed directly into the Menomonie High School program.

UW-Stout
Roethke’s coaching career eventually extended to the college level. He served as an assistant coach for the UW-Stout club hockey team from 1988-91.

After retiring from teaching, Roethke returned to UW-Stout as the team’s goalie coach under Terry Watkins. He coached two All-American goaltenders and numerous other players who earned all-conference honors. His teams advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament in 2008 and 2009, including the Frozen Four in 2009.

Roethke retired from coaching in 2011, concluding a career that included coaching players from mites through college and more than 1,000 games.

Roethke also served his country in the Army National Guard. Roethke continues to reside in Menomonie. He and his wife, Sue, who passed away this spring, have two children, Ed and Leigh, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

The Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame event in Eagle River includes a golf tournament, banquet and the induction ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 12. All events are open to the public, but ADVANCE RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. Questions about tickets can be directed to John Hack at 218-391-2301 or by email to [email protected].