Joey Payeur
Keith “Huffer” Christiansen wasn’t turning cartwheels upon hearing the news of the honour being bestowed upon him by his alma mater.
For one thing, it’s probably slightly hazardous for a 72-year-old to be turning cartwheels.
But more likely it was the fact that, like his older brother, revelling in his own adulation simply would not be in keeping with family tradition.
The Fort Frances native and younger sibling of long-time Muskie assistant coach Ken “Kenno” Christiansen was humbled to learn Thursday that starting this year, the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs men’s hockey team will rename the Mike Seller Award—given to the team’s most valuable player honour each season—the Keith “Huffer” Christiansen Award.
“I was pretty surprised,” the soft-spoken Christiansen said from his home in Duluth.
“For sure, it’s a great honour.”
Christiansen won the award himself three times in 1964, 1965, and 1967 while being named the WCHA’s MVP in 1967, the Bulldogs’ first season officially recognized as an NCAA Division I program.
He led the team in scoring all four seasons he played (196 points in 102 career games) and became the first UMD athlete to ever have their jersey officially retired when his No. 9 went into the rafters in 1988.
He also was inducted as a charter member of the UMD Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991.
Christiansen grew up playing hockey and going to school in Fort Frances before moving to International Falls entering Grade 10 to play with the Broncos.
The highly-skilled forward played a huge role in the Broncos winning the 1961 state championship in his Grade 11 season.
“I didn’t know it at the time but [moving to the Falls to play] sure worked out for me in the end,” Christiansen chuckled.
“Joe Bolzan was the first one to come over, and then Ken went and then I went after.”
Christiansen was called by organizers of the U.S. Olympic team to join the group headed to Grenoble, France for the 1968 Winter Games.
“It didn’t work out because my [citizenship] papers got stalled,” he recalled.
“I came home and didn’t have much going on in the sport,” he added. “I had a quarter of college left and I already had a family.”
So Christiansen decided to step away from hockey for a full year, but never left the radar of those monitoring the national scene.
“I got called to go play for the 1969 U.S. national team, got my citizenship changed, and ended up playing in the next three world championship tournaments,” he recounted.
That led to his second chance at an Olympic berth in 1972, where his play spurred the U.S. to the silver medal in Sapporo, Japan—the first time the team had medalled at a Games held overseas.
“That Russian team we lost to ended up being made up mostly of the guys who went on to beat Canada in three of the first four games of the [Super Series],” noted Christiansen.
“There were no ‘professionals’ in Europe at that time, even though they were all professional calibre,” he added.
“[Meanwhile] we had probably the youngest team at the Olympics with a couple of 16- and 18-year-olds on the roster.”
With negotiations still ongoing regarding sending NHL players to the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Christiansen isn’t sure if having the boys from the “big league” representing their country at the Olympics—as has happened since 1998—is the way to go.
“I don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s fair and what’s unfair,” he conceded.
“But I know if I was the owner of an NHL team and paying someone $8 million a year, and he goes to the Olympics and gets hurt and it costs me a Stanley Cup, I might be a little upset.”
Christiansen went on to play two years with the Minnesota Fighting Saints in the WHA before finishing his professional hockey career with one season in Switzerland.
He then left the game behind and became a successful automotive salesman in Duluth for the next 30 years.
“Maybe I missed the boat but I never had the desire to coach once I was done playing,” Christiansen admitted.
“I don’t regret the decision.”
Christiansen will be on hand at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth this Friday when the Bulldogs unveil the new permanent home for the team’s five awards, as well as a display listing all UMD team captains and Bulldogs who have received various national honours.
He still has season tickets for the Bulldogs, and also sits on the team’s fundraising committee and its “Blueline Club” booster organization.
“The team has done really well,” Christiansen noted. “They’re ranked No. 1 in the country right now.”
Meanwhile, one of Fort Frances’ most famous hockey exports said it’s possible he could be here when the defending all-Ontario champion Muskies host the OFSAA ‘A/AA’ provincial championship March 21-24.
“I probably will come up,” he noted. “Maybe I’ll have to work on doing that.”
