Vintage Minnesota Hockey - History

Vintage Minnesota Hockey Take:

For the 17th annual edition of Hockey Day Minnesota (HDM) - the City of Lakes & Legends turn to shine in the National spotlight for Minnesota's beloved day/week turned to the city that Francis Xavier 'Moose' Goheen put on the map with his legendary play with the mighty St. Paul Athletic Club sextet in the early 1920's - it was only fitting some 100 years later HDM would be hosted in Goheens home-town of White Bear Lake, held in Polar Lakes Park Township.  The city and on-site sight(s) were all amazing from the official entrance that had adorned affixed Christian Hockey sticks signed by youth players, to retro restored original Aldrich Arena zamboni that was parked within the hockey village for fans to take pictures alongside, to large HDM ice sculpture logo & a fun HDM puck sponsorship wall - that will reside within the historic WBL Hippodrome Arena, to the festivities surrounding the day - including a now seemingly annual tradition large heated tent with vendor sales & on-site live sound(s) entertainment with bands rocking in the background while hockey ensued on the frozen refrigerated rink, sounds of hardened pucks banging off frozen dasher boards, and a sound that you could definitely feel - that stopped HDM visitors in their tracks, was with each home and away goal, from EVERY game played a nearby goal cannon fired off with each goal that sounded, and felt like a stick of M80 was exploding - many people were stopped in their tracks that were new visitors to HDM in White Bear, even clenching their chests with breath taken away saying aloud "Oh my, what was that"! Something that wasn't new to HDM, was of course the usual smell(s) from the busy vendor trailers making warm food for hungry cold HDM fans, to extremely large on-site wood buring crackling fire pits adjacent to rink where many frozen hearty Minnesota natives stood shoulder to shoulder warming up before watching hockey outdoors - that has become so accustomed to fans and visitors alike that yearly make the trek to each host community within Minnesota and taking the smell of HDM camp fire smoke filled clothes back home.

White Bear Lake didn't disappoint! 

For the grand finale, the public school Bears donning retro throwback jerseys, faced off against their fiercest rival in private school Pioneers from Hill-Murray, who additionally came dressed for the occasion wearing throwback 1980's Pioneers kelly green & gold uniforms with faux Cooperalls that had a vintage Civic Center tournament feel circa 1983.  With only minutes remaining in the game, and home-town Bears leading the game the 'party seemed to have begun too soon' and the pyrotechnic on-site fireworks lighted the sky with fans reveling to ask; 'what is happening' with only a minute left to play in regulation.  Once the smoke cleared the ice and stands, and veteran Pioneer Head Coach Bill Lechner rallied his squad to "stay in the game, calm down" - the Pioneers hit the ice with an extra attacker and empty net when Hill-Murray senior Brady Ingebritson scored off a rebound to tie the score, then later notched the game-winner in overtime as Hill-Murray upset the home-town Bears 3-2 – who were at the time ranked No. 9 in the state in Class 2AA.