With the new year officially started that means Hockey Day Minnesota is nearly here. If you aren’t familiar with Hockey Day, it’s a yearly tradition where teams of all ages play outside typically on or near a lake. It’s been done in St. Cloud, Hermantown, Bemidji and others. This year it’s the 16th annual and it’ll be held in Mankato, MN at Blakeslee Stadium on January 22. 

It’s a great way to celebrate the culture of Minnesota and allow many older players to get back to their roots of growing up playing on ponds and outdoor rinks. Many NHL players grew up on outdoor ice and that’s why there are games like the Stadium Series and the Winter Classic. The Classic was just held in Minnesota on New Year’s Day this year. 

As much as I love Hockey Day, I do believe there are some things that could be done slightly different to make the day even better. The first being, televise the girls high school game. They have in past years but not every year. Second, have the college game be played outside at the location of Hockey Day every year. This year in Mankato it will be played outside as it should be. 

The last thing is the NHL game, it should also be played outside at the location of Hockey Day. Obviously, it’s hard to do that with the NHL’s schedule and rules but it should be strongly considered. If they can play the Stadium Series and the Winter Classic outside and it’s considered fair amongst the other NHL teams, they could make it so the Wild can have Hockey Day. It’s generally around the same time every year so it could work into the NHL schedule as a yearly thing. 

Something that may not be as doable but should be strongly considered is have it played on an actual lake. Understandably this can be difficult due to weather causing havoc with ice conditions and also trying to have bleachers and all the equipment on the ice could cause problems but I think it could be doable. 

The Stadium Series held games at Lake Tahoe but they were next to the lake and not actually on it, there was no actual ice on the lake at that time. In the month of January in Minnesota the lakes are typically frozen all the way across with several inches of solid thick ice. As long as it’s not a super large lake it could be doable and if it’s held close to shore, I would think it could be possible. 

I understand there are reasons they haven’t tried this, budgets, etc.; but I do think it’s something they could look into. I love the event so much and think it’s such an awesome thing but there’s always a chance to make it better than the previous year. If you’ve made it this far through this article and you’re wondering what the big deal is about playing outside, it’s a whole different experience and not just the cold. 

As a player who grew up playing outside, it is absolutely my favorite way to play the game. Feeling the air go by your face and your skate blades cut through smooth outdoor authentic ice, it’s like nothing you’ve ever felt before, coming from a hockey player who loves to skate of course. If you’ve skated before but never outside, try it. Obviously wait for a day that’s above zero otherwise you’ll be miserable but skating outside is so fun and relaxing. 

I bought my husband skates for Christmas this year and I can’t wait to get him on the ice. He isn’t necessarily a hockey fan, but he has tried skating. He did enjoy it, not nearly as much as me but he had fun and I’m so excited to get out on these nicer days with a rink just five minutes away from our house. To shorten this up, Hockey Day Minnesota 2022 is right around the corner and it’ll be a fun day full of outdoor hockey. If you get the chance, check it out, it is quite fun to watch everyone play outside, and if you’re able get yourself outside on a pair of skates.