'Shock and disbelief': Bloomington-Jefferson hockey community mourns coach's death
Mike Ryan, the coach of Bloomington-Jefferson's girl's hockey team, was killed after an assault in a St. Paul bar over the weekend. (Jefferson High School Girl's Hockey)
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Bloomington-Jefferson community is hurting after the death of its girls' hockey coach.
Coach Mike Ryan was involved in a confrontation at a St. Paul bar Saturday, which resulted in Ryan falling down a flight of stairs and hitting his head on the concrete below.
Bloomington-Jefferson hockey community mourns coach’s death
The Bloomington-Jefferson community is hurting after the death of its girls' hockey coach. Coach Mike Ryan was involved in a confrontation at a St. Paul bar Saturday, which resulted in Ryan falling down a flight of stairs and hitting his head on the concrete below.
A St. Paul man was charged in his death, accused of delivering the punch that caused Ryan to fall.
Now, the community of Bloomington is coming together to remember the popular coach as things felt a little more empty at Bloomington Ice Garden Wednesday.
"Initially, I was in shock and disbelief," said Meghan Wendorf, a Jefferson hockey player. "I didn’t really believe it."
"I always wanted to do my best for him because he had a big impact on me and my hockey career," said Jayda Johnson, another player.
The husband and father’s death came as a shock to the tight-knit community.
"I couldn’t believe it. Especially, we all said, 'It’s not our Mike Ryan. It’s not our Mike Ryan,'" said Tom Saterdalen, a friend and former coach. "I’ve never seen him raise his voice against anyone. So yeah, it was a shock."
Saterdalen has known Ryan since he was a child, describing him as a skilled hockey player. They were a part of the same state championship team. Ryan was a college athlete, too.
What Saterdalen remembers most, however, is Ryan’s character off the ice.
"We lost a tremendous husband and father to his two girls," said Saterdalen.
There are signs of support around Bloomington as the community put their "sticks out" around the city.
They have also raised more than $100,000 through a GoFundMe page set up for the Ryan family.
"He just cared about everybody," said Steve Wendorf, the co-President of the Jefferson Girls Hockey Booster Club. "He wanted them to know he cared."