Curt Giles No. 4 jersey to be retired ahead of tonight's Bulldog Hockey game
Room in the Amsoil Arena rafters will have to be made as University of Minnesota Duluth Athletic Hall of Famer Curt Giles is honored tonight as his jersey No. 4 will be retired.
Giles, who played for the Bulldogs from 1975-79, joins Keith Christiansen, Brett Hull, Bill Watson and Glen “Chico” Resch in Bulldog immortality as the only players to be retired by the program.
Curt Giles sported the captaincy "C" during his final two seasons with the Bulldogs
“It’s a great honor,” Giles said. “It’s a great honor to be chosen to join the likes of those players. Anytime you have the ability to be honored like this is very humbling.”
The two-time captain was twice recognized as a National Collegiate Athletic Association I All-American and made the Western Collegiate Hockey Association first team in his junior and senior campaigns (1977-78 and 1978-79). In his four-year tenure with the Bulldogs, Giles generated 171 points (36 goals and 135 assists) and 1.20 points per game, a record that still stands amongst Bulldog defenders.
In his NHL career that spanned 14 seasons, Giles spent most of his playing days with the Minnesota North Stars that included brief outings with the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues. The Bulldog alum racked up 895 points and 22 points in 103 playoff appearances.
Captaining the North Stars in his final two seasons with them, Giles helped lead the former Minnesota team to two Stanley Cup Final appearances in 1981 and 1991. The Pas, Manitoba native also helped Canada secure a silver medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics.
Although his banner will hang from the Amsoil rafters, Giles said he remembers just how electric a DECC crowd could be.
“I love the DECC, the DECC was one of those places where the crowd was right on top of the ice and you could tell there was just a ton of great fans in the facility,” Giles said. “It was a great place to play and we always had great fans at UMD and in Duluth.”
Giles has been at the helm of one of Minnesota's most prestigious high school hockey programs in Edina High School for the last 18 seasons. As head coach of the Hornets, Giles has led his prep team to three Minnesota State Class AA championships in 2010, going back-to-back in 2013 and 2014.
“It’s been a lot of fun, I love the coaching concept and I love the coaching aspect of the game,” Giles said. “We have a great program and we have great kids so I’m very fortunate to stay in the game. I’ve taken a lot of things I learned from UMD and the coaches there and the guys I’ve played with and instituted a lot of that into Edina hockey.”
No. 4 is currently worn by freshman defender Dylan Samberg. Following his collegiate career with the Bulldogs, Giles old No. 4 will no longer be an option for UMD players to wear.
Photos courtesy of the UMD Athletic Dept.