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Minnesota Hockey Announces 2017 HEP Essay Contest Presented By Park Dental

By Minnesota Hockey, 11/01/16, 12:15PM CDT

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Three Finalists Will Have Their Essays Showcased During Hockey Day Minnesota Broadcast

St. Paul, MN – November 1, 2016 – Minnesota Hockey, in partnership with Park Dental, announced today the topic for the 2017 Hockey Education Program (HEP) Essay Contest. Once again, Park Dental will be the presenting partner of the HEP Essay Contest, which is an annual tradition that encourages players to express their thoughts on what makes youth hockey in Minnesota a fun, unique and positive environment.

All registered Minnesota Hockey participants are encouraged to enter the contest by completing the following: “Playing in the State of Hockey is special because…”

The top three essays, as selected by the HEP Committee will be featured during the Fox Sports North broadcast of Hockey Day Minnesota on January 21, 2017. All three finalists will also be featured in Let’s Play Hockey magazine and have an opportunity to attend a Minnesota Wild home game this season. The contest winner will be selected among the three finalists and will receive a “dream day” experience on a Minnesota Wild gameday during the 2017-18 season. The “dream day” includes attending a Minnesota Wild morning skate, an hour of ice time at Xcel Energy Center and a group suite at a Wild game later that night.

The mission of HEP is to ensure a positive athletic experience for youth hockey players by integrating a progressive approach to skill development with coaching excellence and accountability through Fair Play. The three components of HEP are Skill Development, Education and Accountability.

“With our community-based system, Minnesota is the most unique place in the country to play hockey,” said Steve Morse, HEP Committee Chair. “This year’s contest will allow kids to share how special hockey in Minnesota has been in their lives, and why it’s so important to them.”

The winner of the 2016 HEP Essay Contest was Grace Sadura, a 10U player in the Minnetonka Youth Hockey association. Grace and her friends and teammates got to experience her “dream day” on Saturday, when the Minnesota Wild faced Dallas. In an outstanding display of what HEP is all about, Grace also invited last year’s other finalists – Kendra Distad of Burnsville and Landon Hale of St. Cloud – to attend her “dream day” as well. Grace’s winning submission from last year can be found here

Submissions will be accepted from October 31 through December 12. Original essays should be limited to 250 words or less, and should include the child’s name, hockey association, team/classification, address, phone number and email address. Submissions can be sent to:

Minnesota Hockey
Attn: HEP Essay Contest
317 Washington Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102

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