Sad news out of Madison on Thursday, as Todd Milewski of the Wisconsin State Journal reports that Jeff Sauer has died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 73.
Incredibly sad news this morning. Jeff Sauer has passed away from pancreatic cancer. He was 73. Anyone who met him was better for it.
— Todd Milewski (@ToddMilewski) February 2, 2017
Jeff Sauer was a head coach for 31 years from 1971-2002, spending 11 years at Colorado College before more famously serving as head coach at Wisconsin for 20 years.
Sauer amassed a 655-532-57 record over his career, ranking 10th all-time in terms of most wins by a college hockey coach. Sauer won two national titles as head coach of the Badgers in 1983 and 1990 and finished as national runner up in 1992. He also won a pair of WCHA league titles, and five WCHA playoff titles over his tenure with the Badgers.
Off the ice, Sauer was a colorful character whose love for the sport was immense. His presence will be deeply missed in the college hockey community.