Former Waterloo Black Hawk and current Michigan State University Director of Hockey Operations Dan Sturges died unexpectedly on Monday, according to MSU Athletics.
The Black Hawks share our deepest sympathies with the family, friends, teammates, and fans who cheered for Sturges, a member of Waterloo's 2004 Clark Cup championship team.
Sturges won a national championship at three different levels of hockey in the span of six seasons. Before arriving in Waterloo, he was among the youngest players on Team Wisconsin's 2002 U18 USA Hockey National Championship squad, along with future Black Hawks teammate Joe Pavelski. Simultaneously attending Verona High School, Sturges was a two-time Wisconsin All-State player at the high school level.
He made his Black Hawks debut in March of 2003, then skated for Waterloo fulltime in 2003/04, recording three goals and three assists in 43 regular season games. Two of Sturges' three goals were against the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Chicago Steel, so perhaps it should be no surprise that he found the net against them again during the playoffs. After being scratched from the first three games of the first-round series, Sturges scored to finish a must-win 4-1 decision in Game Four. He remained in the lineup for the rest of the Clark Cup playoffs, including a series-clinching Game Five victory in Chicago, right through Game Four against the Tri-City Storm three-and-a-half weeks later.
Waterloo's Clark Cup represented the Tier I National Championship of the United States.
Sturges closed his junior career with the Green Bay Gamblers in the fall of 2004, then moved on to Michigan State at the semester break, redshirting for the remainder of that winter. His father, John Sturges, had been a high-scoring forward for the Spartans during the 1970s. Although Dan did not approach John's 209 NCAA points, he was part of Michigan State's run to the 2007 NCAA title, recording a goal and five assists in 21 games that season. A season later, he also skated with his younger brother, AJ, who had joined the Spartans as a freshman.
After graduating with a degree in Psychology, Sturges remained close to the game as a high school and ACHA college coach, as well as a junior hockey scout. He rejoined the Michigan State program as a staff member in 2019.
"Dan Sturges was a beloved member of the Michigan State hockey family, and our entire community is stunned at this devastating news," said Michigan State head hockey coach Adam Nightingale in a statement Monday. "He was an adoring father and a devoted husband, and our hearts break for his wife Becky and their sons. As a player and later as a member of our staff, Dan loved being a Spartan and worked every day to make the program the best it possibly could be. His passion, dedication and impact will leave a lasting legacy."
Dan Sturges would have been 41 in May.
