PWHL and NHL players wrapped up the 10th and final season of Minnesota's Da Beauty League, a summer league for elite players to come together for a cause.
For Minnesotans, hockey never really has an off season. The sport is engrained in the state's culture.
But when it comes to pro leagues, unfortunately the NHL and PWHL have an off season, which makes it difficult for fans to catch their favorite players during the summer.
But for years fans haven’t had to venture far to catch names like TJ Oshie, Zach Parise, Nate Schmidt, or Brock Nelson, playing for a summer league out of Edina, Minnesota, called Da Beauty League.
“We were at Original Pancake House. We were talking about this [league] for baseball, and then we [thought] we could do that in hockey” said Da Beauty League co-founder Josh Schaub.
Schaub made a call to his buddy and NHL Agent Ben Hankinson, who said he had been thinking of a similar idea.
A few calls later a summer hockey league in Minnesota was born.
The first game debuted in summer of 2015, but owners Hankinson and Terry Moore found it difficult to draw players.
The league’s name was the first to the drawing board.
Originally named the Minnesota Summer Pro Hockey League, Hankinson felt it was “too boring”.
Name ideas were scrawled out on a white board in Hankinson’s office, with names like Red Light League, Red Lamp League, and finally one that stuck, Da Beauty League.
The name beauty came from their kids, young hockey players who wouldn’t stop calling their friend “beauties”.
To add to the unserious nature of the league, they added “Da” to the front, and it has stuck ever since.
The rest came from there.
2016 NHL all-star John Scott became a face for the league, with his now iconic photo of him celebrating after scoring a goal during the all star game, serving as a logo for the league.
The league's trophy, the “John Scott Cup” , is also named after the famed all-star. A beer keg turned grill, plastered with photos of previous years champions. The league has a fun and beer league feel to it.
“Bill Guerin’s best buddy makes [the grills], so they made one for John Scott, and sent it to me as his agent. I showed it to the guys and we said we had to steal it. So we called John and we said we’re going to keep this cup and we’ll get you another one” Said Hankinson
And so the John Scott cup was born, along with the rest of his legacy engrained in the league.
The name and likeness is what originally got players to come check out what the league was all about.
“A lot of players heard the name Da Beauty League, specifically Zach Parise, and he said “what is this beautician league you guys are starting? Tell me about it”, it really didn’t make a lot of sense” said Hankison.
But this season marks Da Beauty League's tenth and final season.
“I think a big part of [why it’s the final season] it is because it’s 10 years, it's a nice round number. It's been a ton of fun, but it is a lot of work. It’s a league, and there's just so much stuff [to it].” said Hankinson and Schaub
Da Beauty League has ingrained itself in the hockey world as more than just a league.
With its numerous charity partnerships, Da Beauty league has brought in money for charities like United Heroes League, which puts kids of active military personnel and veterans in sports, or special hockey Minnesota, an adapted, stand up hockey program designed for athletes of all ages and abilities.
It has even given female hockey players a chance to train and play in the off season with the addition of women's hockey in 2024, something not many leagues similar to Da Beauty League have done.
“The women have been a huge [success]. It’s really cool to see towards the end of the second game, new fans come in just to see the women, which is really awesome,” said Hankinson.
Da Beauty League’s style gives fans access to players unlike during the regular seasons. Kids line the exit of Braemar arena in hopes of getting their favorite player’s autographs or pictures with the pros.
“The access to heroes that this league has given, there is just floods of kids outback getting autographs, people trying to sneak in [to games], and EA was considering putting us in [the NHL games], we have become part of the fabric of hockey” said Schaub.
Its clear that Da Beauty league is leaving behind a legacy that is hard to top, with many leagues similar to Da Beauty League popping up, many have failed to be as successful as Da Beauty League has been in its 10 year run.
But it’s not just the hockey that has the lasting impact, it's the charity and fan first mentality that has helped Da Beauty League to where they are today.
“I hope the legacy we leave is the feelings we gave people, and the charity and benefits we gave everyone,” said Schaub.
