He could have been bitter. He could have been angry. He could have taken his puck and gone home.

But that wasn’t Jeff Sauer’s way.

When Sauer was eased out as the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey coach after 20 tremendously successful seasons, he could have fired back at school administrators or quietly faded into the background knowing full well his prominent place in college hockey history was secure.

Instead of lashing out or curling up into a ball, however, Sauer expanded his hockey horizons and added to his legacy in the 15 years following what was officially called his resignation from UW. His dual passion for hockey and people made him even busier in retirement than he was while leading the Badgers to 489 victories and two NCAA championships from 1982 to 2002.