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Let’s not dance around it: Scott Sandelin is the first member of my new Legend Club. From this day forward, he’s not just Scott Sandelin — he’s Legendary Scott Sandelin. That word sticks for life. It isn’t a gimmick, it isn’t a throwaway line — it’s the most prestigious honor I can hand out in print. Few will ever wear it, and once you do, it never comes off.
Sandelin didn’t just stumble into this crown. He earned it the hard way: three NCAA championships (2011, 2018, 2019), 469 career wins to make him the winningest coach in Bulldogs history, and a perfect 11–0 mark in NCAA first-round games. His .759 NCAA tournament winning percentage is the best of any active coach in the nation. That’s not just a résumé — that’s folklore in motion.
But Legendary goes beyond the numbers. It’s about presence. It’s about shaping a program, a city, and a sport over decades. Since 2000, Sandelin has turned UMD into a national powerhouse, produced Hobey Baker winners and NHL regulars, and built a culture where his players thrive as much in the classroom as on the ice. He’s not just a coach. He’s the definition of what “Legendary” looks like in Duluth.
And here’s the twist: this honor will only be handed out once a month. That’s it. Twelve a year, no more. The fewer the names, the heavier the crown. This isn’t a game of volume — it’s a game of permanence.
When that word lands next to your name, you’ll feel it. You’ll hear it in the rink lobby, the coffee line, the corner watering hole: “Howie just called him Legendary.”
And so today, the tap falls on Sandelin. He’s the founding member, the inaugural lion, the first name etched into the roll call of the Howie's Legend Club. From now on, when he walks into Amsoil or down Superior Street, the whispers will follow: “There goes Legendary Scott Sandelin.”
The crown has been placed. Howie's Legend Club is open. Membership is for life — and each month, another Duluth name will join the circle.
Who’s next? You’ll know when the calendar flips.
Howie's Legend Club Roll Call
Founding Member (September 2025)
- Legendary Scott Sandelin — Winningest coach in Bulldogs history. Three NCAA championships. Builder of a powerhouse. First to wear the crown.
Membership Rules
- You don’t buy in.
- You don’t apply.
- You get tapped — and when you do, it’s forever.
Coming Monthly
One new name, announced the first Monday of the month. No warning. No nominations. Just that word stamped forever: Legendary.
