• Ritzer, Bob - 2026

Bob Ritzer was born and raised in Eagle River, Wis., where he played youth hockey for the Eagle River Recreation Assn., and high school hockey for Northland Pines High School in the historic Eagle River Dome, the oldest enclosed ice sheet in the State of Wisconsin.  Ritzer was twice the team captain and was named to the first All-Conference Team in 1978.

After high school, Ritzer played for the USHL Green Bay Bobcats from 1979-1982 and was the team captain during the 1981-1982 season.  From there, Ritzer made his way to Superior where he played for Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame Coach Gary Harker for four years.  During his collegiate years, he was a top 5 scorer in each of those years.  He was UW-Superior’s Male Athlete of the Year and earned all NCHA honors in 1985 along with being team co-captain.  He was the team’s Most Valuable Player in 1985 and was named to the NAIA District 14 and WSUC all-conference teams.  Ritzer earned his undergraduate degree in 1986.

Following his collegiate career, Ritzer became the assistant hockey coach at Superior Senior High School from 1986-1987.  Leaving Superior, Ritzer became the assistant coach at St. Mary’s Springs High School from 1986-1988 and then head coach in the 1988-1989 season.  During the period 1980-1989, Ritzer also worked at the Eagle River Summer Hockey School.  Ritzer left the coaching profession in 1989 and became the first Arena Manager at the Superior Ice Arena, a position he held for eight years.  During that time, he also served as an Assistant Coach at St. Scholastica in Duluth and was the coordinator for the WAHA Bantam Elite Camp and for the Wisconsin Selects AAA Hockey Program.  Ritzer was a USA Hockey coaching assistant director at clinics in Omaha, St. Louis, Superior, Eagle River and Hudson.

Ritzer returned to the coaching ranks and became the Assistant Coach at River Falls for the next 23 years before retiring in 2020.  During that time, he oversaw recruiting, helping to lead the Falcons to an impressive overall record 404-230-60 and 11 WIAC Regular Season Championships and one WIAC Commissioner’s Cup in 2015. Since his retirement, Ritzer has continued his dedication and commitment to hockey at various levels in Eagle River including youth, high school and Juniors.  He and his wife Laura reside in Eagle River.