Do you ever wonder why Minnesota is called the State of Hockey? Here's why.
Do you ever wonder why Minnesota is called the State of Hockey? Here's why.
Hockey in Minnesota is a big deal, just ask anyone from Minnesota. In fact, they call it the State of Hockey. They don't call it that because of all the Stanley Cups they have won as an NHL team but they call it the State of Hockey because of many other things.
Last night Edina won the Boys High School Class AA Championship 2-1 over Chanhassen. The game was played at the Xcel Energy Center, which is home to the Minnesota Wild.
The arena can hold 18,300. Last night there were 20,346 people packed into the arena to watch a High School Hockey game. The whole tournament was played at the Xcel Energy Center. From Wednesday to Saturday, there were many games.
16 total games were played across four days. The total attendance was 140,442 which was a tournament record. Let's put this in perspective.
Across the NHL last night there were 13 games played. The Class AA State Championship game ranked second in attendance. Here's a list below.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Montreal Canadiens, 21,105
Edina vs Chanhassen Boys High School Hockey 20,346
Calgary Flames at Florida Panthers, 19,358
Philidelphia Flyers at Tampa Bay Lightning, 19,092
Edmonton Oilers at Buffalo Sabres, 19,070
Winnipeg Jets at Vancouver Canucks, 18,954
Chicago Blackhawks at Washington Capitals, 18,573
Detriot Red Wings at Vegas Golden Knights, 18,401
Dallas Stars at Los Angeles Kings, 18,145
St. Louis Blues at New York Rangers, 18,006
Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins, 17,850
Nashville Predators at Columbus Blue Jackets, 17,602
Ottawa Senators at San Jose Sharks, 17,008
Carolina Hurricanes at New Jersey Devils, 16,514
It's the State of Hockey because of that. More fans were packed into an arena to watch a Minnesota High School Hockey game than many other NHL games across the World.
The Women's Basketball Big Ten Tournament was going on in Minneapolis. Iowa's Caitlin Clark, who just set a Big Ten Tournament scoring record last night and is one of the most popular basketball players ever, was about ten miles away from the Xcel Energy Center. Yet a High School Hockey game had a higher attendance.
It's the State of Hockey because of its rich history of Hockey but also the number of NHL players this State produces. There are currently 53 players in the NHL today who were born in Minnesota. The next closest is Michigan with 37, Massachusetts with 28, and New York with 27.
Not only does the Tournament go viral for their attendance and buzz surrounding the tournament but there is a Hockey Expo which sits next to the arena. It is the World's Largest Hockey Consumer Show which goes from Friday to Saturday.
It's where vendors across the World come and showcase their hockey products for fans to purchase. It attracts social media stars like the On The Bench crew, Pavel Barber, Swaggy P, and many others.
The tournament is also a tradition where if you score, you skate all the way down to your student section and celebrate in front of them. In a Quarterfinal game between Cretin Derham Hall and Centennial, Max Anderson scored to tie the game 3-3 in the third period and pulled off a Selfie Stick Celebration which blew up all over social media.
An article written by Barstool Sports which has over 5 million followers on social media platforms like Twitter claimed it to be one of the better goal celebrations.
The State High School Hockey Tournament is special. It's what every kid in Minnesota dreams to compete in. 16 to 18-year-old boys playing in front of over 18,000 fans inside the same NHL arena that their favorite team plays in.
Last night the Edina Hornets won the Class AA Championship. They did it with Curt Giles as their head coach. Giles played 14 years in the NHL, 12 of them with the Minnesota North Stars.
Josh Harding is the Hornets' assistant coach. He spent eight seasons in the NHL as a goaltender and played all eight with the Minnesota Wild.
Former Wild player and possibly soon-to-be Hall of Fame forward Eric Staal was in attendance. Current Wild player and Minnesota native Vinni Lettieri was also there as the MSHSL honored his grandfather Lou Nanne before the game.
Nanne has spent the last 60 years involved in calling the tournament games and has been one of the many reasons why the tournament has been and will be so special.
Minnesota is the hockey Mecca of the United States and last night's attendance records just add to the many reasons why.
"Coming from out East, High School hockey used to be very similar to Minnesota, but now it's not as much," Wild head coach John Hynes said. "I think it's a special thing in the state of Minnesota. Being able to play for your school and in front of your teammates, there's something special about that.
"I do recognize the value and I think it's just, even in the state of Minnesota, to have the pride in the high schools and amount of fans that come to the games - it's hopefully something that is always going to be here."
Oh and how could I forget about the All Hockey Hair team? One of the best traditions of all.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi-Kx-bjqis[/embed]