Career
Known as the "Masked Marvel" due to the flight goggles he wore to protect his glasses, Bjorkman was considered one of the finest hockey players of his era. Bjorkman"s High School coaching career began at Greenway High School in Coleraine, Minnesota. His 1962 team competed in the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament, making him one of the few who have participated in the tournament as both a player and coach.
His first college coaching season (1963–1964), at RPI, culminated with his team finishing third in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships.
Following that season he was hired as the Head Hockey Coach at the University of New Hampshire where he would spend four years prior to accepting the position at the University of North Dakota. In 1982 Bjorkman was honored by the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association when he was named the recipient of the Cliff Thompson Award, given for long term, outstanding contributions to the sport of hockey in Minnesota.
In 1997 The American Hockey Coaches Association recognized Bjorkman with the John "Snooks" Kelly Founders Award. Named after the famed Boston College coach, this award honors those people in the coaching profession who have contributed to the overall growth and development of the sport of ice hockey in the United States.
1963-1964 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Head Coach
1964-1968 University of New Hampshire - Head Coach
1968-1978 University of North Dakota - Head Coach
1980-1983 Warroad, Minnesota High School - Head Coach.