Lucia endorses McCain/Palin.

Good for University Gopher coach Don Lucia, I guess maybe I must have under estimated him, LOL... I love how some of these stuffed shirts are up set that a University of Minnesota coach would make a political statement. Incidently Minnesota is one of the more liberal states in the USA and the University of Minnesota is one of the more liberal campuses in the USA. I wounder if these people would have said the same thing if Lucia would said I am Obama/Biden supporter? I say good for Don Lucia...

Gopher Hockey Coach Endorses McCain At Rally
(WCCO) On the ice, Don Lucia's hockey teams have won two national championships. He is known as a coach who can motivate his players.

On Friday, Lucia was motivating once again, but this time the speech wasn't for his players -- it was for politicians.

"I want to extend a warm state of hockey welcome to John McCain and Sarah Palin," said Lucia while speaking at a McCain/Palin rally in Blaine, Minn.

At the McCain/Palin rally, Lucia, a native of Grand Rapids, made it no secret who he's voting for.

"From what I'm hearing this year, it sounds like John McCain and Sarah Palin have a power play going on in northern Minnesota," said Lucia.

The speech may have been a hit at Friday's rally, but with some hockey fans at the U of M campus, it landed the coach time in their penalty box.

Gopher fan Chelsey Kueffer thinks a coach at a publicly funded University should keep the politics to himself.

"When you are in our school colors and representing our hockey team, I don't think it is necessarily appropriate to come out with your political views," said Kueffer.

In a statement released Friday afternoon, the University said Lucia is practicing free speech and is speaking as an individual, not as a representative of the U of M.

Andrew LaValle is a hockey fan and an Obama supporter, but he agrees with the University that Lucia has every right to speak his mind.

"It's his right to. I mean I don't agree with it, but if other people can endorse Obama and support the Democrats, I don't see why he can't," said LaValle.

University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks was asked about Lucia's speech but declined to comment.