MOORHEAD — Some parts of my job keep me up at night. This is one of them, but in the best possible way.
I’m thrilled to share that my friend Brian Cole and I — with the backing of The Forum — are writing a book, and we’re pretty darn excited about it.
If you don’t know Brian, let me introduce you. He modestly calls himself “the baldheaded orchestra teacher,” but that hardly covers it. He’s a force of nature. Along with directing Moorhead’s Horizon Middle School orchestra, he’s also the author of the beloved school history book
“
If you want to know anything about Moorhead schools, Brian is your guy.
Brian Cole, an orchestra teacher in Moorhead, discusses working on a new book on the history of Moorhead Area Public Schools on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. Cole is standing in a small room of Horizon Middle School that has become a collection point for donations of Moorhead school memorabilia.
Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum
So naturally, when the idea of a book about Spud hockey started creeping into my brain shortly after the boys won the state title in March, he was the first person I called.
Now, I’ll admit, my family isn’t exactly what you’d call a hockey household. My kids graduated from Moorhead, but they spent most of their time with another Moorhead Public School force of nature, Rebecca Meyer-Larson, and her speech and musical theater programs.
My girls also skated with the Red River Valley Figure Skating Club. So I spent countless hours at the Moorhead Sports Center watching my daughters twirl beneath the towering hockey banners that heralded impressive seasons and the alumni who’ve played for the NHL.
recall covering the Spuds in 1992 and 1993, when they finished second and third at state,
marking the start of a string of near misses that included an eight-year streak of second-place finishes without claiming the top spot, until this year.
The incredible thing is, many of those boys from the ’90s are now the dads of 2025 — watching their sons bring home the first-place trophy they once chased.
Moorhead team members celebrate with the championship trophy after the win over Stillwater in the Minnesota boys hockey state 2A tournament championship game on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
David Samson / The Forum
How is that not a book?
But it’s not just a book about this year’s championship. It’s a book about the roots of the program in 1964–65, when hockey was just a way to stay in shape for football. The boys played outdoors in brutal conditions and often had to shovel and maintain the rinks themselves.
It’s about how far they — and the city — have come.
It’s about the launch of the girls’ program in 1995 and the early struggles for recognition and respect. Some of that struggle came from reporters (yes, including us) who didn’t always give the Spud girls as much attention as the boys. We hope this book helps right that wrong and celebrates the impressive program they’ve built.
Moorhead team members celebrate their win over Roseau in the Minnesota Section 8-2A girls championship game on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Thief River Falls, Minn.
David Samson / The Forum
We’ll also highlight Moorhead’s adaptive hockey team — an inspiring new chapter in the Spud hockey story that opens the sport to more athletes than ever.
We’re calling it “ONWARD MOORHEAD! An Illustrated History of MHS Spud Hockey 1965–2025.”
The goal is to have it out in time for the holiday shopping season.
Yes, the pace has been intense — hence the sleepless nights — but the journey has been a joy, thanks to the incredible support from former players, coaches, cheerleaders, fans and families who have shared stories and
with us.
Dozens of people have dropped off photos, scrapbooks and stories for the Spud hockey history book. Moorhead schools also have an archive.
Contributed / Moorhead School archives
One of our biggest regrets? We simply don’t have space for every story or photo even though the book is pushing 250 pages and will be a beautiful hardcover keepsake.
(One quick note, we’re still lacking a few photos and memories from the girls’ teams. If you have any pictures or stories — on the ice, off the ice, hanging out, celebrating, or just being teammates — we’d be so grateful if you could send them our way. Just include a brief description of who’s in the photo and what’s going on. Please ensure that everyone in the photo approves of its publication. Email them to me at tracy.briggs@forumcomm.com.)
What will it cost? Well… I’m a writer, not a math whiz, but we’ll share the details as soon as we can. In the meantime, there’s a way to help make this book affordable for all Spuds fans. A few sponsorship spots are still available, and every bit of support helps offset production costs. This is truly a labor of love; we’re not looking to profit, just to make it happen. Interested? Reach out to Erin Mayer at emayer@forumcomm.com.
I can’t tell you how many times Brian and I have read your memories or dug into old clippings and gotten chills. What began with a coach sketching his own jersey designs and frostbitten players shoveling snow-covered rinks has grown into one of the most respected programs in the ‘State of Hockey.’
The first Spud jersey from 1965 was designed by the coach Chuck Watson.
David Samson / The Forum
Stay tuned for updates on how to get your copy.
We might be a bald-headed orchestra teacher and a figure skating mom, but we’ve fallen in love with this program — and we’re on a mission to create a book that lives up to its legacy.
I’ll sleep when it’s done.
Tracy Briggs has more than 35 years of experience, in broadcast, print, and digital journalism.