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Former Gophers hockey star charged with 4th DWI in Minnesota

Troy Riddle starred for the Gophers from 2000 to 2004 was a captain as a senior.

Joe Nelson

The 2002-03 Minnesota national championship team. Troy Riddle is pictured in the front row, second from the right.
The 2002-03 Minnesota national championship team. Troy Riddle is pictured in the front row, second from the right. / University of Minnesota

Troy Riddle, one of the stars on the back-to-back Minnesota Gophers men's hockey national championship teams in 2002 and 2003, has been charged with a fourth drunk-driving offense after being stopped by authorities in December.

According to felony DWI charges filed December 17, 2024, Riddle was arrested on December 13 after an officer with the Maple Grove Police Department encountered him in a drunken state after he was followed by a concerned citizen.

Police were alerted to Riddle by a caller who reported a man trying to buy cigarettes with a medical card, with the caller claiming Riddle "could barely walk" at a gas station located near Grove Drive and Elm Creek Blvd., according to the criminal complaint.

The charging documents reveal that the caller followed Riddle until Riddle parked at an apartment complex, at which point police arrived at the scene. Riddle was accused of driving on the wrong side of the road, and officers documented Riddle's "bloodshot watery eyes, slurred speech" and how he "smelled of an alcoholic beverage."

Police asked Riddle to exit his vehicle, at which point Riddle "appeared to hide something with his right hand," the complaint states. Officers also said they saw Riddle "put two empty shooter bottles of Pink Whitney into the center console before he got out."

Two unopened shooters of Pink Whitney (vodka) were also found in his right coat pocket.

After being taken to the Maple Grove Police Department on suspicion of DWI, Riddle performed a breath test that registered 0.19, more than double the legal limit of 0.08 in Minnesota.

Riddle has previous DWI convictions from March 2016, January 2020 and May 2020, according to court documents.

Riddle, currently the head coach of the Marquette University men's hockey team, which plays at the Division II level, played for the Gophers from 2000 to 2004 and was a captain during his senior season in 2003-04.

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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Joe Nelson has more than 20 years of experience in Minnesota sports journalism. Nelson began his career in sports radio, working at smaller stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before moving to the highly-rated KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. While there, he produced the popular mid-morning show hosted by Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen. His time in radio laid the groundwork for his transition to sports writing in 2011. He covers the Vikings, Timberwolves, Gophers and Twins for On SI.

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