Movies and a dishonest cabbie helped lure Lou Nanne to Minnesota

Hockey legend Lou Nanne, who already has enough awards to fill a locker room, is adding another title to his collection. The former Gophers and North Stars standout will join the Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame in September in recognition of his color commentary and interview shows on radio and TV. In 2024, he retired from covering the boys hockey state tournament after 60 years behind the mic.

Nanne, 83, who also served as the North Stars general manager from 1978 to 1988, talked about life away from the ice during a phone interview earlier this month.

Q: This was the first year that you didn’t cover the state tournament. Did you miss it?

A: Not for five seconds. When I make a decision to do something, I’m usually comfortable with it. I was actually going to quit a year earlier. I had finished a 15-hour shift and was driving home around midnight when my car hit a pothole on Shepard Road. I had to drive 12 miles on a flat. I thought, “I came back from Florida for this? I’m done.” But then I thought, “Well, 60 is a nice number,” so I held off for a year.

Q: Growing up in Ontario, your family didn’t have a TV until you were 13. What did you watch when you finally got a set?

A: I loved Jackie Gleason. I never missed any of his shows. I watch a lot of TV. “Yellowstone,” “Landman.” I also love movies. That’s one of the reasons I came to Minnesota. When [former Gophers coach] John Mariucci was recruiting me, I didn’t know what Minnesota was. They put me up at the Nicollet Hotel, which didn’t have air conditioning. It was so hot, I slept in the bathtub with cold water. And I hated snow. I asked the cabdriver how much it snowed a year and he said, “Three inches.” While I was here on that recruitment trip, I went to nine movies in three days. So when I came back to Canada, I told my dad I had signed up. I mean, nine shows in three days and only 3 inches of snow? I’m going there. My first winter with the team, I wanted to strangle that cabdriver.

Q: Favorite all-time movies?

A: “The Godfather.” I love Mel Brooks. “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein.”

Q: Greatest hockey movie?

A: I know you expect me to say “Miracle.” That is the most inspirational. But the funniest one is “Slap Shot.” That’s also the closest to how the minor leagues really were.

Q: Are you a reader?

A: I’m a big reader. There are usually eight to 10 books by my bed. I also fly a lot and reading is how I pass the time. I like mysteries. I think I’ve read everything written by John Sandford. I like the Jack Reacher series and James Patterson.

Q: You wrote an autobiography, “A Passion to Win.” What’s another autobiography that you recommend to people?

A: One of the books I want my kids to read is “I Love Capitalism! An American Story” by Ken Langone. He started Home Depot. He’s got a similar background to me. He grew up Italian without much money. It’s a sensational book. I really want him to come here and have dinner with my kids. I hope it’ll happen.

Q: What are your favorite local restaurants?

A: Well, there’s Tavern 23, which I’m involved in. I like Bar La Grassa, Dario and Spoon and Stable. My office is next to Murray’s, which is the best steak house.

Q: Aside from anything involving hockey, what’s the greatest sporting event you’ve ever been to?

A: Even if you include hockey, I’d say the Kentucky Derby. I had a great week there about 15 years ago and I keep saying that I’ve got to get back. I keep telling [former Gophers basketball coach] Richard Pitino that he’s got to tell his dad that I’m coming to his suite there. I’ve been to the Indy 500 and I won’t go back. I can’t tell whose winning and it’s very noisy. But the Derby has the spectacle and the excitement of the race. I’ve followed horse racing for a long time. I have a picture of Secretariat in my home.

Q: Last thing. What’s something about yourself that might surprise people?

A: I hated cabins when I was a kid. The one my family had when I was growing up was only 9 miles from our house, but for me, that was going out of town and I couldn’t be playing ball. When my mother and father died, the lawyer gave us kids the cabin, but I said, “No, just give it to my brother and sister.” Now, I spend four days a week at a cabin in Balsam Lake, Wis., and I expect my family to be there whenever they can.