Bianchi Carries On Family Name
Article reprinted courtesy of Fargo Forum and reporter Eric Peterson.
MOORHEAD – When he was nearly 3 years old, Steve Bianchi was riding a tricycle near the edge of his family's driveway in Bloomington, Minn., and was struck by car.
As part of of his rehabilitation, Steve's father, John Bianchi, put his son on ice skates.
"What was rehab, turned into a family passion," said Steve, who went on to become a standout hockey player at Bloomington Jefferson and also played college hockey for Notre Dame and Providence. "Hockey became a passion in our family."
The Bianchi name became synonymous with Jefferson hockey success during the 1980s and 1990s. John was a longtime assistant for coaching legend Tom Saterdalen, who guided the Jaguars to five state titles. John had a son play on each of those state championship teams: Steve, Tony and Joey.
The Bianchi name has spread its roots into Moorhead. Mario Bianchi, Steve's son, is a freshman forward for Concordia men's hockey team. Mario ranks second on the team with seven goals through 17 games.
"I knew the name and I knew that there was a lineage there," Cobbers head coach Chris Howe said. "And all those (Bianchis) were smart hockey players. ... I know (Mario) can play."
John is from Mountain Iron, Minn., and didn't play hockey in high school but instead football, basketball and baseball. He played baseball in college at Bemidji State and never envisioned coaching hockey after he graduated from there.
Steve's accident, however, changed that path. Steve suffered a broken leg and had extensive abrasions on his body. He was in traction for months after the accident, and then used skating to help in his recovery. Steven pushed a wooden school chair across the ice to help keep his balance.
"The skating helped because it was fun for him to go outside," said John, who added Steve initially had a difficult time walking after he got out of his body cast.
When Steve was a second-year squirt, the team needed a coach and John decided to help out even though he had limited hockey knowledge. Saterdalen liked the way John interacted with the kids, and that led to John joining Saterdalen's staff.
John was an assistant hockey coach for Jefferson from 1974 to 1995.
"I did things I never, ever believed I would do," said John, who helped coach multiple sports at Jefferson and also filled administrative roles. "Coaching hockey was one of them."
Unlike his grandpa, Mario was immersed in hockey from a young age. He lived in Duluth, Minn., from kindergarten through third grade and played most of his games outdoors. Mario remembers how bitterly cold it could get playing on outdoor rinks and how at times he couldn't stay warm enough no matter how many layers he wore underneath his gear.
"I would always wear a thin, knit hat under my helmet," Mario said with a laugh. "I would never adjust my helmet size so it was like really snug. After 10 minutes, you would get the worst headache ever and you would have it the rest of the time."
Despite some of the comfort issues of playing outside, Mario relished those outdoor hockey games while he was in Duluth.
"That probably made me love hockey," Mario said. "I was with my school friends and we were all on the same team. ... I think it added more of a fun play aspect to it."
Mario played high school hockey at Holy Angels in Richfield, Minn., and then spent parts of two seasons in junior hockey before coming to Concordia, which has been a good fit.
"Mario is loving it," Steve said.
Mario also has two sisters who are accomplished hockey players: Isabel, is a senior at Holy Angels and, Luci, is a freshman at Jefferson.
"They became hockey freaks, too, watching Mario," Steve said with a laugh.
"We've been blessed," John said. "More good things have happened than tough things."