"Coach Ike" is a slightly over life-size bronze figurative portrait that depicts the legendary Edina hockey coach Willard Ikola.
The statue honors his hockey career as both player and coach. The nods to his time as a goalie include one foot resting on an oversized hockey puck and the other on tubular steel that represents the top of a goal along with an Olympic hockey pin on his lapel. As a coach, he’s depicted in his signature hat and holding a line card just like he did at games.
The Artist
Nick Legeros graduated from Edina High School, Gustavus Adolphus College and has a Masters of Fine Arts degree from the University of Minnesota. For more than 20 years he was an Artist-in-Residence and instructor at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts. He also taught at Metropolitan State University, Breck Schools and the Edina Art Center. Legeros’ work is prominent across Minnesota include a statue of Goldy Gopher for Coffman Union, Sid Hartman for the Target Center and in Edina "Dreams Take Flight," "The Glamorous Days of Flight" and "Reflection of Me."
Funding
The fundraising effort, spearheaded by the Ikola Cup Foundation and done through the Edina Community Foundation, raised $68,000 from 112 private donors.
