Visvaldis Georgs Nagobads was a Latvian-born American physician.
35 Facts About George Nagobads
1.
2.
George Nagobads earned a medical degree from the University of Tubingen in Germany, then immigrated to the United States in 1951.
3.
George Nagobads served 34 years as the team physician for Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey and was a part of three NCAA Division I championship teams.
4.
George Nagobads served as the physician for the US men's national team at five Winter Olympics and was on the Miracle on Ice team which won the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
5.
George Nagobads's career was recognized with the Paul Loicq Award for contributions to international hockey, induction into the Golden Gophers Hockey Hall of Fame, and induction into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame as an individual and as a member of the US men's national team.
6.
Visvaldis Georgs George Nagobads was born on November 18,1921, in Riga, Latvia.
7.
George Nagobads played ice hockey and bandy as a youth in Latvia.
Related searches
Paul Loicq 8.
George Nagobads's father was the director of Riga City Gymnasium No 2, where he played volleyball and basketball.
9.
George Nagobads had completed two courses at the University of Latvia Faculty of Medicine, when he was called for Latvian National Armed Forces duty to work in a hospital on the front line.
10.
George Nagobads's family fled to Germany due to the Soviet re-occupation of Latvia in 1944.
11.
George Nagobads had lunch one day with a Christian minister who recommended moving to the United States where employment in the medical field was easier to obtain.
12.
George Nagobads worked as a hospital orderly while he learned English, then completed his surgical residency, then began working for student health services at the University of Minnesota in 1956.
13.
George Nagobads was recommended for the university's ice hockey programs by Ruth Boynton, the director of the student health service.
14.
George Nagobads served as the team physician for Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey for 34 years from 1958 to 1992, and was a part of three NCAA Division I championship teams.
15.
George Nagobads worked with several coaches for the Golden Gophers, including Herb Brooks, Glen Sonmor, Brad Buetow, and Doug Woog.
16.
George Nagobads considered Brooks to be family and stated, "I really appreciated the way Herbie always treated the players, and for me, he was just like my son".
17.
George Nagobads was the team physician for the Minnesota Fighting Saints in the World Hockey Association from 1973 to 1976, and the Minnesota North Stars in the National Hockey League from 1984 to 1992.
18.
George Nagobads served as the physician for the US men's national team at five Winter Olympics from 1968 to 1988, and at 15 other international tournaments from 1967 to 1990.
19.
George Nagobads was the physician for the US men's junior national team at five World Junior championships, and the US women's national team when established in 1990.
20.
George Nagobads was the chief medical officer for USA Hockey from 1984 to 1992, and sat on the safety and protective equipment committee since 1984.
21.
George Nagobads served on the International Ice Hockey Federation Medical Committee from 1990 to 2010, and assisted with programs to eliminate doping in sport.
22.
George Nagobads welcomed Jim Craig into his house, a goaltender who wanted to live with a family during national team training.
23.
George Nagobads stood beside Brooks with a stopwatch tracking the ice time for the players, and later joked that he never saw the game since he was focused on the watch.
24.
George Nagobads skipped the post-game celebration to complete injury reports for the players, when he was approached by players on the Soviet team who asked for translation assistance to buy Moon Boots for their wives.
25.
George Nagobads was known as the "hockey doc" during his 34-year tenure with the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team.
Related searches
Paul Loicq 26.
George Nagobads was made the namesake of the Dr V George Nagobads Unsung Hero Award in 1978, at the recommendation of Herb Brooks for annual recognition of a player on the team.
27.
George Nagobads was inducted into the Golden Gophers Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.
28.
George Nagobads was given a 100th birthday party luncheon, attended by former players of the Gophers, and others well-known in Minnesota hockey.
29.
George Nagobads was encouraged by his father to learn a foreign language, and became fluent in French and German by kindergarten age.
30.
George Nagobads had two daughters, and resided in Edina, Minnesota.
31.
George Nagobads was married to Velta Maria Nagobads until her death on September 12,2005.
32.
George Nagobads escaped by throwing his wallet away, then drove himself to the hospital where he received 18 stitches on wounds to his head.
33.
In November 2015, George Nagobads became an ambassador for the Kids First Fund and contributed to fostering safe environments for abused children worldwide.
34.
George Nagobads died on March 31,2023, at age 101, in Edina, Minnesota, and was interred with his wife in Crystal Lake Cemetery in Minneapolis.
35.
George Nagobads was remembered by former Gopher player and US men's national junior team coach Murray Williamson who wrote, "A gentleman beyond reproach who touched the lives of literally thousands of young hockey players at the youth, collegiate, international and Olympic levels over the past 65 years".