Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Gamblers Name Eric Rud Head Coach

Press Release

Former USHL Player of the Year to lead the Gambers in 2010-11

The Green Bay Gamblers have named Eric Rud (pronounced rude) as Head Coach and General Manager, becoming the fifth head coach in team history. Rud has spent the last five seasons on the coaching staff at St. Cloud State University, helping the men's program to a 105-74-24 record over that span.

"I'm excited to be the head coach for an outstanding organization like the Green Bay Gamblers. The USHL is a great league and I am proud to be a part of it," said Rud. "Green Bay is a great family town and that was a big part of it for me," added Rud who has a wife and three children.

Rud has prior experience in the USHL as both a coach and player. He served as assistant coach for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders for two seasons (2002-04) and was responsible for recruiting several players who were part of the RoughRiders team that captured the Clark Cup during the 2004-05 season.

The native of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota played two seasons (1991-93) in the USHL for the Des Moines Buccaneers. The defenseman tallied 81 points (21g, 60a) in 96 regular season games. Rud was named both the USHL Player of the Year and USHL Defenseman of the Year following the 1992-93 season and was also a part of the Bucs team that won the Clark Cup during the 1991-92 campaign.

Rud went on to a four-year career at Colorado College. He earned honors as the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and earned all-league honors in his final two seasons at CC. He helped lead the Tigers to the Frozen Four as a junior and senior - including an appearance in the NCAA championship game in 1996. Rud appeared in 168 consecutive games as the Tigers won WCHA regular season titles in 1994, 1995, and 1996 and posted a 111-43-14 record during his collegiate career.

Following his playing days at Colorado College where he earned a bachelor's degree in psychology, Rud played five seasons professionally, scoring 131 points (34g, 97a) over 319 games.

Rud served as an assistant coach for his alma mater during the 2004-05 season, helping the Tigers win a share of the WCHA title with a 19-7-2 league record (31-9-3 overall). CC also went on to win its NCAA regional and gained a berth in the 2005 NCAA Frozen Four.

Rud has also been actively involved with USA Hockey. In 2009, he served as head coach of the USA U18 Select Team at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in Piestany, Slovakia. In 2008, he coached the USA U17 Select team at the Five Nations Tournament in Prievidza, Slovakia.

"The process was difficult because we had an unbelievable pool of candidates applying for this job, but the easy part was saying 'yes' to Eric Rud," said Gamblers President Brendan Bruss. "He exemplifies Gamblers Hockey with great character and we're confident he'll be an outstanding coach."

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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