Lou Cotroneo Obituary – Death: Former Johnson High School Hockey Coach, Lou Cotroneo Dies At 93
Lou Cotroneo Obituary; Lou Cotroneo unexpectedly passed away. He was declared deceased on October 7, 2023, a Tuesday. After hearing of his untimely demise, he left behind many broken hearts. All of us who had the pleasure of getting to know him during his life will always miss him.
Mourning the death of Lou Cotroneo yesterday at the age of 93. He was such a wonderful man and played a big part of the life of Johnson High School on the East Side of St. Paul. He attended JHS in the late 40’s and later joined the school as an Assistant Hockey Coach and then stepped into the job of Head Coach and led countless Johnson High School boys in winning many championships over the years. He also played a big part in our family when our brother, Mike Crupi, was killed in an automobile accident during his time playing for the Johnstown Jets, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Mike’s Dad had passed away by this time and Lou stepped up to help the family at the wake and his funeral. I would run into him from time to time and just a couple of years ago, he stopped by to visit me. Turned out, we lived about a half a block away from each other in Oakdale. Peace be with you Lou!!
Who was Lou Cotroneo?
Lou was a kind man who deeply cared for the students at St. Paul’s East Side Johnson High School. After graduating from Johnson High School in the late 1940s, he worked as an assistant hockey coach before taking over as head coach and coaching numerous Johnson High School boys to multiple championships throughout the years. He had been Mr. Hockey for a long time.
Legendary in the St. Paul hockey community, especially at JHS, he started as the backup goalie for the 1947 Governors team that won the state championship. He went on to coach the team for 20 years, ten of those as head coach, and during that time Johnson appeared in seven state tournaments.