High school sports offer passion and excitement to rival the college and professional levels. Historical records are another matter.
To cover their posteriors, journalists use phrases such as "believed to be" as a preface when referring to such records. Translation: We know there's a chance this data could need updating, and we hope the right person will notice. The right person noticed this week when we ran a story headlined "200 times 2: Andover coach Melissa Volk joins the 200-win club." A smaller headline said, "It's not crowded in there. Tracy Cassano of Minnetonka is believed to be the only other member."
We believed wrong.
There are three female coaches of Minnesota high school girls' hockey teams with 200 career victories. The one we missed: Amber Hegland.
And what a miss. Hegland got there first, recording victory No. 200 on Jan. 13, 2018. And her 248 career victories rank first.
Stick tap for Benilde-St. Margaret's coach Kevin Gray for recognizing Hegland, his humble friend and coaching colleague.
"There is no need to make a big deal about it," Hegland wrote in a text message. "Coaching has never been about me. It's always been and always will be about getting kids to understand their true potential and learn skills to help them to find success."
Hegland earned "M" Club Hall of Fame honors at the University of Minnesota for her hockey and softball careers. She was a co-head coach of the Wayzata girls' hockey program and later coached at Maple Grove. She stopped coaching in 2020 after taking an administrative position in the Osseo-Maple Grove School District.
She currently serves as a Minnesota Whitecaps assistant coach and occasionally joins Gray on the Red Knights bench.
"There are so many great people who are coaching," Gray said. "But no one holds a candle to her integrity. She understands this isn't about hockey but developing young women."
