Every hockey fan in Minnesota and likely almost every hockey fan in the United States knows that Minnesota is considered the “State of Hockey”. Winters in Minnesota are cold and snowy, as most know, but as soon as it gets cold enough to make a nice clean sheet of ice, many kids can’t wait to lace up their skates and play some “pondie,” which is the new term for pond hockey these days. 

Many kids in Minnesota are basically born with a pair of skates attached to their feet, and it’s almost as natural to learn how to skate as it is to learn how to swim, since there are over 10,000 lakes in the state. If you’re driving outside of the big lights of the cities, chances are you’ll pass a few hockey rinks in backyards and parks. Many families construct their own rink and invite the neighborhood kids to play pickup games. 

It’s a favorite pastime for many, including my own family. I grew up on skates and played a lot of outdoor hockey with my cousins growing up. My uncle had his own outdoor rink that was a bit unique, as it had several trees in his yard that couldn’t be avoided and became random parts of the rink that worked as obstacles we had to learn to skate around, and made us better skaters, but also created great memories. In this article, we’ll look at why hockey and Hockey Day Minnesota are so important to the state, starting with bringing the community together. 

Minnesota Hockey Brings the Community Together

Being that hockey is so ingrained in many Minnesotans’ lives, it was only natural that they’d eventually come up with a “holiday” for it called Hockey Day Minnesota. It started in 2006 and just celebrated its 20th year. It seems like it’s been around a lot longer, and realistically, it probably could’ve started a lot earlier as well. For those who don’t know, Hockey Day Minnesota is exactly as it sounds: a day to celebrate Minnesota hockey, and the majority of the games are played outside.  

There are high school games, college, American Hockey League (AHL), and, of course, the Wild as well, and almost all of them are televised or streamed on the local FanDuel Sports Network channel for the entire state to enjoy. It really couldn’t get any more Minnesotan if it tried, and each year, a different city around the state gets to host this amazing event. 

Hockey Day is important because it brings together an entire community to help build the rink for the games to take place and to put on the event, as well as all of the hockey fans who attend. Many in the state look forward to this every year, and some make quite a trek to come see the hockey in person. Hockey started outside on lakes and outdoor rinks, and that’s how Hockey Day Minnesota started as well, to celebrate the game as it started, outside. The first few years were held on a local lake in the host city, and several have been held throughout the years, but most are held on a rink that was built by the community.

Families, friends, neighbors, and everyone get together to either watch or play, and some even have a Hockey Day party at their own house if they aren’t near where it’s being hosted. It’s a great day all over the state to get everyone together, and while it’s to celebrate hockey, it’s also a great time to spend with family and friends playing on the ice.

Minnesota Kids & Adults Alike Get Involved 

While there haven’t been a high number of NHL players who played on Hockey Day as high school players, there have been a number who have played in it over the years, like Nick Seeler, Jake Guentzel, and Casey Mittlestadt, among others. While that number isn’t very high, the number of former NHL players who come back to play in the alumni game is, and many are Minnesota natives.

Players like Zach Parise, Joe Mauer, Mark Parrish, Ryan Carter, and Dustin Byfuglien are just a few names that played in this year’s game. Players like Parise also had the chance to play in an outdoor NHL game thanks to the Stadium Series in 2016, as he missed out on the Wild’s Winter Classic in 2022. While the high school kids love to play on this day, the alumni love to come back and play outside too, just like when they were kids playing on the pond outside their house.