Jon Bittner, who coached boys’ hockey at Hallock, Warroad, and Crookston and served a decade as the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association’s Executive Director, has been named the winner of the MHCA’s Cliff Thompson Award for long-term outstanding contributions to the sport of hockey in Minnesota.
Born and raised in Duluth, Bittner graduated from Duluth East and later from the University of North Dakota. He played senior hockey for the Hallock Bruins and the Grand Forks Wheat Kings before starting his high school coaching career as an assistant at East Grand Forks.
Bittner coached at Crookston for nearly three decades, retiring after the 2009-10 season. His teams reached the Section 8 finals in 1987 and 1992, and the 1987 team’s 19-4 record is the best in school history. He was named the state’s Coach of the Year twice, in 1997 and 2002.
Bittner was inducted into the MHCA Hall of Fame in 2000 and received the Bruce Johnson Award in 2005. As the Section 8 representative on the MHCA board, he represented the state’s high school coaches on Minnesota State High School League committees that addressed the two-tier/two-class state tournament, added regular-season games, longer periods, and re-sectioning, among other initiatives. He also expanded the locations of MHCA clinics and broadened the association’s Hall of Fame and awards.
The Cliff Thompson Award is named for the former Eveleth coach who won five state championships, including four straight from 1948 to 1951.
“Jon Bittner’s impact on Minnesota high school hockey goes well beyond what he accomplished behind the bench. During his decade serving on the MHCA board, Jon was a tremendous advocate for high school coaches and helped guide our game through an important period of growth and change. His commitment to making high school hockey better across the entire state is exactly what the Cliff Thompson Award represents,” said MHCA Executive Director Dustin Vogelgesang.
The MHCA also announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2026: Matt Majka (Minnesota Wild), Mike Randolph (Duluth East/St. Thomas Academy/Northern Lakes), Greg Rajanen (Austin/Fridley/Anoka), Frank Senta (Rosemount/Lakeville/Burnsville), Lee Smith (Eden Prairie) and Mike Taylor (Eagan). Other award winners are Thomas Johnson (Dave Peterson Award), Fran McDevitt (Bruce Johnson Award) and the late David La Vaque (Oscar Almquist Award).
Bittner and the other honorees will be recognized Friday, September 25, at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul between periods of the Minnesota Wild’s game against the Dallas Stars. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
About the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association
The Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association (MHCA) is a statewide organization dedicated to developing Minnesota high school hockey coaches and players to their fullest potential on the ice, in the classroom and as citizens, and to promoting the full high school hockey experience through graduation. The MHCA also works to strengthen the community-based hockey model and advocates for high school coaches and players with government agencies and representative bodies that share its mission.
