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Regardless of what happens/happened, he had an awesome career with a lot of great HS players that went through that program. The 2000 ER team that was Paul Martin's sr year may go down as one of the best HS teams not to win the state tourney and probably the best HS team in MN history not to MAKE the tourney.

slyer wrote:hard to believe this late in the season, is it health related

School boards don't investigate teachers/coaches for "health" reasons.

slyer wrote:hard to believe this late in the season, is it health related

It's not...
Tony's a good man and a good coach....but it's over.

slyer wrote:hard to believe this late in the season, is it health related

Gotta wait & see - it's ALL speculation at this point.

Kinda miss the exciting games with ER. MHD & ER played eash other 10 times between '91 and '09, either in Sections or at state, with 6 ending in overtime (including that classic 8AA Championship in St Cloud in '94 that ended in the 4th overtime)

Maybe those games would've been shorter if there hadn't been so much whining ! lol

Tony Sarsland is a great man and a great hockey coach. I have had the privilege of knowing him and learning a lot about the game of hockey from him. He has given more to the game of hockey then anyone I know. His passion for the game and the players are second to no one. He is an excellent skating teacher and two of my kids are lucky to have learned from this great man. You will be missed Sars, sad day for elks hockey.

time for a change, maybe the wrong way though. he will be missed, arena will be quiter

hard to believe this late in the season, is it health related

No its not. But will not elaborate either as it will eventually make it to the locals through official sources.

Nice guy. Liked him, child did STP with him last summer and liked his style of coaching.

STRIB story

http://www.startribune.com/sports/p.../139108924.html

Tony Sarsland, whose tumultuous reign as the boys hockey coach at Elk River High School included a state title, resigned Friday effective immediately amid a School District investigation.

The investigation means that Sarsland is on paid administrative leave from his duties as social studies teacher at VandenBerge Middle School pending what investigators learn, said district spokesman Casey Mahon.

Mahon would say only that Sarsland's resignation was for "personal reasons." He would not discuss the nature of the investigation.

It came the day school staff interviewed up to 20 hockey players as part of an investigation that began Monday, Mahon said. He declined to elaborate on what precipitated the inquiry beyond saying that the district felt an obligation to follow up on "some issues'' that had come forward.

A telephone message was left for Sarsland at his home seeking comment on his resignation.

Junior varsity coach Ben Gustafson was named interim coach to finish the season. The team’s next game is Saturday at home against Maple Grove.

In the past 15 seasons, the Elks have earned six trips to the state tournament -- winning it all in 2001 -- and claimed 12 conference championships.

But in Sarsland's nearly three decades at Elk River, the program has been under the microscope for everything from the coach's ability to control his anger, to the players' rough style of play to accusations of recruiting.

During a 1998 game, Sarsland threatened to break the nose and jaw of player Joe Bailey, an off-the-handle move that got him suspended for four games and nearly cost him his job.

To keep his job, Sarsland had to work with a sports psychologist and attend anger management sessions.

Two assistant coaches resigned after a political battle erupted in Elk River during Sarsland's suspension.

Three transfers from nearby Buffalo played on Elk River's state title team. In 2003-04, his team had transfers from Park Center of Cottage Grove, Andover and St. Michael-Albertville.

In a 2004 interview with the Star Tribune, Sarsland said, “I have a lot of critics out there, I understand that. All I ask is that they walk a few miles in my shoes.’’

A handful of NHL players have come out of Elk River under Sarsland’s guidance, most notably Paul Martin.

Sarsland played hockey and got his degree at St. Cloud State University before starting his teaching and coaching career (assistant in football and hockey) in 1970 at Hallock High School in northwestern Minnesota.

Stops at Columbia Heights and Beloit (Wis.) preceded his landing a job teaching and coaching hockey at Elk River in 1985.

Nice guy. Liked him, child did STP with him last summer and liked his style of coaching.[/quote]

Great person and coach as he cares deeply for his town, school and kids. If they play hockey for him or not.

Feel for he and his family.

"During a 1998 game, Sarsland threatened to break the nose and jaw of player Joe Bailey, an off-the-handle move that got him suspended for four games and nearly cost him his job."

That's the type of behavior I always associate with being a "nice guy" and "great coach." You don't learn from your past you are deemed to repeat it.

Pioneerprideguy wrote:"During a 1998 game, Sarsland threatened to break the nose and jaw of player Joe Bailey, an off-the-handle move that got him suspended for four games and nearly cost him his job."

That's the type of behavior I always associate with being a "nice guy" and "great coach." You don't learn from your past you are deemed to repeat it.

I spoke to a parent from Elk River and she said that Tony was out of control at their game last Saturday. Tony was screaming at the boys when they were down by 3 goals after 7 shots on goals. The first 2 shots on goal were goals. Tony screamed at his boys throughout the entire game. Something must have happened on the bench because during a time out, all the Elk River parents quickly stood up and were looking at their bench.

This information is second hand and may not be the cause but it appears when things like this happen, it's usually a knee jerk reaction taken by school officials who listen to these parents whose kids are thin skinned after they've been scolded for not playing well.

I'm sure the school district for Elk River likes the same attention it received when their football team was all over the news from their hazing incident. If this is the case, it would appear the coaches in the Elk River school district need some additional training, etc.

I have a feeling that if screaming by a coach required "additional training" for the coaches then you and your buddies could count the number of coaches in the metro who don't need this training on your hands and toes.

Obviously seriously threatening a player isn't something we want our coaches doing, but making a tongue in cheek threat is probably something done daily around the state.

Not here to condemn or defend, but it sounds like more information needs to come out before we jump to conclusions.

it'll be interesting tonight against maple grove, hopefully they play good it will be different with no sarsland behind the bench

slyer wrote:it'll be interesting tonight against maple grove, hopefully they play good it will be different with no sarsland behind the bench

Well, they certainly did play well...beating Maple Grove 5-3.

Ben Gustafson has been "groomed" to be the next coach for a couple years now, looks like he'll be stepping up sooner than expected.

It'll be interesting to see what comes out of this. "Player complaints" led to the investigation and I'm torn with that. Part of me hopes that they are just unfounded baloney, but that would be sad in the fact that they caused Sars to step down. But obviously I don't want them to be founded either. Like I said, it'll be interesting.

EREmpireStrikesBack wrote:
It'll be interesting to see what comes out of this. "Player complaints" led to the investigation and I'm torn with that. Part of me hopes that they are just unfounded baloney, but that would be sad in the fact that they caused Sars to step down. But obviously I don't want them to be founded either. Like I said, it'll be interesting.

From the post above ("Something must have happened on the bench because during a time out, all the Elk River parents quickly stood up and were looking at their bench."), it seems like something alarming and visible may have happened on the ER bench.

Yeah from what it sounds like it is unfortunate that one kid and his parents can cause one of the best coaches to resign. Unfortunately the one kid will have no punishment.

Hscout000 wrote:Yeah from what it sounds like it is unfortunate that one kid and his parents can cause one of the best coaches to resign. Unfortunately the one kid will have no punishment.

Do you know what happened to this "one kid?" Are you seriously trying to place blame on a kid for coming forward after possibly being a victim? I have no idea what happened with the ER coach, and maybe you do, but your comment comes across all wrong.

Hscout000 wrote:Yeah from what it sounds like it is unfortunate that one kid and his parents can cause one of the best coaches to resign. Unfortunately the one kid will have no punishment.

I don't know what happened and who did what, but this comment seems very off to me (as written).

Punish a victim?

Let's wait until more info comes out (if and when it does) before we start calling for the "punishment" of a teen-aged student.

I don't know what happened. Frankly, I don't care. As an outsider who follows hockey I know Tony was/is a good coach. I'll tell you my favorite moment and what I'll remember most....

FSN was broadcasting a HS game in which Tony did the pre-game interview. Brandon Martell, a former Sarsland player, who had committed to the U of M was trying to get forced out of his scholarship. Tony had the guts to stand up for his player, get it out in the open what Lucia was trying to do, and he blasted the U of M in the process.

I loved that. And I can assume that the Martell family appreciated his loyalty.

Hscout000 wrote:Yeah from what it sounds like it is unfortunate that one kid and his parents can cause one of the best coaches to resign. Unfortunately the one kid will have no punishment.

Not true. The true information will come out, but not from me, not here. All I can say is that IT WAS NOT a player or parent from the team that caused this, but came from outside the team.

It's always interesting people making comments of things they don't have a clue about. Why not wait to hear the truth before make judgment.

It's disappointing to me as a parent of a player, that this couldn't have been handled at the end of the season without the circus. Sars, love him or hate him, he is Elk River hockey and always stood for his players. My son loves him as a coach and a person and he will truly miss him at the rink in his final days as an Elk.

Tony believed and demanded discipline and accountability in his players. He was old school and sometimes would cross the line, which rubbed some people wrong. But if you talk to most of his players or former players, they would say Sars would do anything for them and he loved them. Don't make comments based on your perception or the medias perception of Sars.

I wish the best for Tony and his family and hope to see him at the rink sometime again.

CBOO wrote:

Tony believed and demanded discipline and accountability in his players. He was old school and sometimes would cross the line, which rubbed some people wrong. But if you talk to most of his players or former players, they would say Sars would do anything for them and he loved them.

Don't know anything about what happened, but this paragraph kind of says a lot. It's possible that he realized he had crossed the line of which you speak a little too far, and realized it and held himself accountable by resigning, rather than being suspended as a coach during an investigation, which would cause a lot more distraction and be harmful to the team.

Don't know anything about what happened, but this paragraph kind of says a lot. It's possible that he realized he had crossed the line of which you speak a little too far, and realized it and held himself accountable by resigning, rather than being suspended as a coach during an investigation, which would cause a lot more distraction and be harmful to the team.[/quote]

Like you said you don't know anything about what happened so you should stop there.

Quite possibly with the end of the year he did not want any distraction for his team?

Let the truth roll out, like you said you don't know.

CB00 wrote: It's always interesting people making comments of things they don't have a clue about. Why not wait to hear the truth before make judgment.

If you've been around high school sports long enough you know that it is a very rare incident where the truth does come out, which is fine, people have a right to privacy. Most times it's just rumor or one side of the story that comes out. Those that do fight it in the court of public opinion usually lose anyhow due to the nature of high school sports coaches contracts being year to year and the fact they can be let go without much if any cause.