Honorees to be recognized Sept. 25 at
Grand Casino Arena during Wild-Stars game

MINNESOTA – Jon Bittner, the longtime Crookston coach who also served a decade as the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association’s Executive Director, has been named the winner of the MHCA’s Cliff Thompson Award for long-term outstanding contributions to the sport of hockey in Minnesota.

The Cliff Thompson Award, named for the former Eveleth coach who won five state championships, including four straight from 1948 to 1951, is the MHCA’s highest honor.

Bittner coached at Crookston for nearly three decades, leading teams to the Section 8 finals in 1987 and 1992, and was twice named the state’s Coach of the Year (1997 and 2002). He also coached at Hallock and Warroad. As an MHCA board member, he represented high school coaches on Minnesota State High School League committees that addressed the two-tier/two-class state tournament, added regular-season games and longer periods, among other initiatives.

The MHCA also announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2026:
– Matt Majka (Minnesota Wild)
– Mike Randolph (Duluth East/St. Thomas Academy/Northern Lakes)
– Greg Rajanen (Austin/Fridley/Anoka)
– Frank Senta (Rosemount/Lakeville/Burnsville)
– Lee Smith (Eden Prairie)
– Mike Taylor (Eagan)

Randolph’s 727 wins are the most in state history for a boys’ high school hockey coach. He and Smith met in one of the great state tournament games in 2011, a 3-2 triple-overtime victory for Eden Prairie.

“Jon Bittner’s impact on Minnesota high school hockey goes well beyond what he accomplished behind the bench. During his decade serving on the MHCA board, Jon was a tremendous advocate for high school coaches and helped guide our game through an important period of growth and change. His commitment to making high school hockey better across the entire state is exactly what the Cliff Thompson Award represents,” said MHCA Executive Director Dustin Vogelgesang.

Additional MHCA award winners:
– Dave Peterson Award (leadership in developing youth hockey): Thomas Johnson, Forest Lake assistant coach
– Bruce Johnson Award (promoting the association and the sport): Fran McDevitt, Minnetonka assistant coach and former Winona coach of 21 seasons
– Oscar Almquist Award (non-coaching contributor who has advanced opportunities for players and coaches): the late David La Vaque, longtime Star Tribune high school sports reporter, who passed away in July

Bittner, the Hall of Fame inductees and the other award winners will be honored Friday, Sept. 25, at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul between periods of the Minnesota Wild’s game against the Dallas Stars. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.

About the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association
The Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association (MHCA) is a statewide organization dedicated to developing Minnesota high school hockey coaches and players to their fullest potential on the ice, in the classroom and as citizens, and to promoting the full high school hockey experience through graduation. The MHCA also works to strengthen the community-based hockey model and advocates for high school coaches and players with government agencies and representative bodies that share its mission.