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10 Ways to Celebrate Minnesota's Hockey Day Holiday

By Minnesota Hockey, 02/03/16, 10:00AM CST

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Whether it is different languages, styles of cooking or social greetings, every region of the world has local customs and traditions. Minnesota is no different.

For instance, Minnesota has three “holidays” that may not be listed on any calendar of official state or national holidays, but nearly everyone refers to them as such because of how integrated they are into our state’s culture.

There’s fishing opener in May, where seemingly every other vehicle on the road is a truck pulling a boat trailer.

Then, you have the one time of year when blaze orange becomes more popular than leggings: deer hunting.

And of course, there’s the newest of the three holidays, Hockey Day Minnesota, which will celebrate its tenth year this Saturday, February 6th.  The event may have started off as a high school hockey game simply returning to its roots of outdoor hockey, but it has grown into an annual celebration of everything that has been and is the State of Hockey.

In honor of the tenth season of our favorite hockey holiday, here are ten ways to celebrate Hockey Day Minnesota 2016.

10. Head to the local rink. Whether it’s a practice or game, joining your squad at the rink may not be out of the ordinary, but any time you’re lacing up the skates on Hockey Day Minnesota, you’re adding to its legacy.

9. Take over Scottrade. This one goes out to all of our State of Hockey faithful that are living outside Minnesota’s borders. If you can’t make it home to celebrate, we hope you can convene in St. Louis and turn the Scottrade Center into a sea of red and green as the Wild take on the Blues.

8. Play a little knee hockey.  If you plan to stay indoors for Hockey Day Minnesota, making sure you have a good stock pile of knee hockey sticks, balls and a net are a must. There are few better ways than knee hockey to pass the time during commercials, and it’s a great way to let future hockey stars get a stick in their hands without having to endure the elements.

7. Enjoy #CawlidgeHawkey.  The Gophers, Mavericks and Bulldogs are all hosting home games on Saturday so there will be some great college hockey to watch. The Gophers host Penn State who could be in position to make their first ever National Tournament if they finish the season strong. The Verizon Wireless Center will host the top two teams in the WCHA as 18th ranked Bowling Green visits Mankato, and with all of the festivities in Duluth, Amsoil Arena should be a packed house as the Bulldogs will look to cap off a special day for its hometown fans with a win over Colorado College.

6. Tourney time. With over 70 youth hockey tournaments being held, this year’s Hockey Day Minnesota lands on the last major weekend for invitational tourneys this season. We hope all of the teams have a chance to order some pizza and enjoy the Hockey Day Minnesota coverage between games.

5. Support your local high school team.  While the matchups of Duluth Denfeld vs. Eveleth-Gilbert and Duluth East vs. defending Class AA champions Lakeville North offer plenty of intrigue at Bayfront Park, but there will also be 22 other boys’ high school games and a number of girls’ high school section games played on Saturday.

4. Organize a boot hockey game. Not a big skater but still want to hit the local pond?  Call your buddies and organize a game of boot hockey. Playing with a tennis ball and boots is a great equalizer and a fantastic way to get more people involved in pick-up games.

3. Front row seat to FSN. Fox Sports North (FSN) is the official channel of Hockey Day Minnesota. FSN will start its coverage at 9 a.m. Saturday morning and feature non-stop hockey until late in the night. They will broadcast four games including the two high school games at Bayfront Park, the Gophers and the Wild. In addition, FSN will highlight a number of outstanding hockey stories from the State of Hockey throughout the day. Don’t forget to share your photos and experiences all day long using #HDM2016 for a chance to be a part of their broadcast.

2. Play some shinny. Despite the stylish jerseys, high-tech equipment and frantic pace of today’s hockey scene, most hockey people still agree the game is meant to be played outdoors where it started. It doesn’t matter if you’re flying up and down the ice solo, playing a game of Hongo like they do in Duluth or a game of shinny. Heading out to the local pond or outdoor rink is one of the best ways to celebrate our state’s hockey heritage.

1. Make Duluth your destination. To get the true Hockey Day Minnesota experience, you really have to visit Bayfront Park in Duluth. It’s hard to explain how special of an atmosphere these hosting communities provide until you feel it yourself. The excitement of the day combined with decades of tradition and so many local nuances make an extremely memorable day for not only the players but everyone in attendance. Oh, and of course the scenery doesn’t hurt…


Photo by Tim Mlodozyniec

Most Popular

Whether it is different languages, styles of cooking or social greetings, every region of the world has local customs and traditions. Minnesota is no different.

For instance, Minnesota has three “holidays” that may not be listed on any calendar of official state or national holidays, but nearly everyone refers to them as such because of how integrated they are into our state’s culture.

There’s fishing opener in May, where seemingly every other vehicle on the road is a truck pulling a boat trailer.

Then, you have the one time of year when blaze orange becomes more popular than leggings: deer hunting.

And of course, there’s the newest of the three holidays, Hockey Day Minnesota, which will celebrate its tenth year this Saturday, February 6th.  The event may have started off as a high school hockey game simply returning to its roots of outdoor hockey, but it has grown into an annual celebration of everything that has been and is the State of Hockey.

In honor of the tenth season of our favorite hockey holiday, here are ten ways to celebrate Hockey Day Minnesota 2016.

10. Head to the local rink. Whether it’s a practice or game, joining your squad at the rink may not be out of the ordinary, but any time you’re lacing up the skates on Hockey Day Minnesota, you’re adding to its legacy.

9. Take over Scottrade. This one goes out to all of our State of Hockey faithful that are living outside Minnesota’s borders. If you can’t make it home to celebrate, we hope you can convene in St. Louis and turn the Scottrade Center into a sea of red and green as the Wild take on the Blues.

8. Play a little knee hockey.  If you plan to stay indoors for Hockey Day Minnesota, making sure you have a good stock pile of knee hockey sticks, balls and a net are a must. There are few better ways than knee hockey to pass the time during commercials, and it’s a great way to let future hockey stars get a stick in their hands without having to endure the elements.

7. Enjoy #CawlidgeHawkey.  The Gophers, Mavericks and Bulldogs are all hosting home games on Saturday so there will be some great college hockey to watch. The Gophers host Penn State who could be in position to make their first ever National Tournament if they finish the season strong. The Verizon Wireless Center will host the top two teams in the WCHA as 18th ranked Bowling Green visits Mankato, and with all of the festivities in Duluth, Amsoil Arena should be a packed house as the Bulldogs will look to cap off a special day for its hometown fans with a win over Colorado College.

6. Tourney time. With over 70 youth hockey tournaments being held, this year’s Hockey Day Minnesota lands on the last major weekend for invitational tourneys this season. We hope all of the teams have a chance to order some pizza and enjoy the Hockey Day Minnesota coverage between games.

5. Support your local high school team.  While the matchups of Duluth Denfeld vs. Eveleth-Gilbert and Duluth East vs. defending Class AA champions Lakeville North offer plenty of intrigue at Bayfront Park, but there will also be 22 other boys’ high school games and a number of girls’ high school section games played on Saturday.

4. Organize a boot hockey game. Not a big skater but still want to hit the local pond?  Call your buddies and organize a game of boot hockey. Playing with a tennis ball and boots is a great equalizer and a fantastic way to get more people involved in pick-up games.

3. Front row seat to FSN. Fox Sports North (FSN) is the official channel of Hockey Day Minnesota. FSN will start its coverage at 9 a.m. Saturday morning and feature non-stop hockey until late in the night. They will broadcast four games including the two high school games at Bayfront Park, the Gophers and the Wild. In addition, FSN will highlight a number of outstanding hockey stories from the State of Hockey throughout the day. Don’t forget to share your photos and experiences all day long using #HDM2016 for a chance to be a part of their broadcast.

2. Play some shinny. Despite the stylish jerseys, high-tech equipment and frantic pace of today’s hockey scene, most hockey people still agree the game is meant to be played outdoors where it started. It doesn’t matter if you’re flying up and down the ice solo, playing a game of Hongo like they do in Duluth or a game of shinny. Heading out to the local pond or outdoor rink is one of the best ways to celebrate our state’s hockey heritage.

1. Make Duluth your destination. To get the true Hockey Day Minnesota experience, you really have to visit Bayfront Park in Duluth. It’s hard to explain how special of an atmosphere these hosting communities provide until you feel it yourself. The excitement of the day combined with decades of tradition and so many local nuances make an extremely memorable day for not only the players but everyone in attendance. Oh, and of course the scenery doesn’t hurt…


Photo by Tim Mlodozyniec

Most Popular