Minnesota high school, college and Olympic hockey star John Mayasich has been named the 1995 winner of the Legend of College Hockey Award.

The honor is presented each spring to an individual who has made substantial contributions to college hockey. He led the Golden Gophers in scoring during each of his four seasons at the University of Minnesota and finished as that program’s all-time leading scorer — a distinction he still holds today with 144 goals and 154 assists for 298 points in 111 games. Mayasich earned All-American honors in 1954 and 1955, and helped Minnesota to Western Intercollegiate Hockey League (forerunner to the WCHA) titles in ’53 and ’54, and appearances in the NCAA title game during those same seasons. Minnesota’s annual Outstanding Student-Athletic Award bears his name.

Mayasich came to Minnesota in 1951 after helping his Eveleth (Minn.) High School team to four consecutive state titles and a four-year record of 58-0. He still holds Minnesota state records for tournament points (career, tournament, game and period), goals (career, tournament, game and period), consecutive games with a goal (12) and hat tricks (seven).

He learned the finer points of hockey on the many neighborhood outdoor rinks around Eveleth.

Along with his outstanding prep and college careers, Mayasich was a member of nine U.S. Olympic and U.S. National teams, winning a gold medal in 1960 (at Squaw Valley, CA) and a silver medal in 1956 (at Cortina, Italy).

Inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976, Mayasich currently lives in the Twin Cities area and serves as president of KSTP radio, a division of Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc.