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30 They had a crazy game against Breck, who was loaded with players like Blake Wheeler and the Fulton brothers. "They had all these kids that were committed D -III or D -I. Private school, you know, like Hill Murray is today," Stalock said. "Little ol' South St. Paul playing against powerhouse Breck. You know what I mean? Like, we had no chance in this game, yet we played them to a 3-2 loss." Why Minnesota Hockey Is So Special What Stalock misses most about his childhood is those close-knit friend- ships among teammates that grew up playing together from Squirts to high school. "I think that's what's so special about high school hockey," Stalock said. "You've played with the same group from when you're very young, so when you lose, it's so sad. 'This is it,' with this group. We've worked from Squirts to high school hockey, we've always been together and now it's done. That part is so hard. But I think that's what makes high school hockey so special. "With the tournament coming up, I think about that a lot this time of year. Kids should cherish it because you'll never get that sense of team again. Just once you get out of high school, it's hard because guys are liv- ing in different places and start their lives. But it's funny, you get together with these guys at a wedding or a bachelor party, it's story after story. I know it sounds so cliché, like every- body talks about, 'Oh, high school hockey,' but if you don't really expe- rience it, it's so hard to explain." Dream Come True Stalock went on to play three sea- sons at UMD and seven in the San Jose Sharks organization before fulfilling a dream by signing with the Wild as a free agent in 2016. He's in his fourth season with the franchise and third as Devan Dubnyk's back- up. While Stalock may be undersized for today's NHL goalie, he makes the game fun with his athletic, aggres- sive style and willingness to stray way out of his net to play the puck. It's special that Stalock can play NHL hockey at home in front of his parents, Cindy and Brian, his broth- er, Nick, and his many extended family members. "Every night is unbelievable. Every day. Going to practice here, all that stuff," Stalock said. "I remem- Russo's Rants M H J ON L I N E . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 2 0 "When you're winning, it's awesome. And when you're losing, the fans wear it, you wear it. Everybody goes through it together in Minnesota." Photos / Tom Sellwood, UMD Athletics, MHJ Archives ber in the early 2000s going to the Wild games and being like, 'Holy Cow, this would be so cool.' "You never think it's possible. Now to put the jersey on, you're playing for those 10-year-old boys and girls that want the Wild to win every game. I go on fishing trips and I go into the bars up in Northern Minnesota and you see how passion- ate these people are inside these lit- tle 20-seat bars. They got sports on. You can only imagine how excited they get when you win. You under- stand it now as a Minnesotan, what it's like to play for a professional team in Minnesota. "When you're winning, it's awe- some. And when you're losing, the fans wear it, you wear it. Everybody goes through it together in Minnesota. It's a different sports market. It's like no one under- stands what it's like to be a Minnesota sports fan, until you're in it, and obviously playing for it now, it's that much more. You're pressured, you want to win and you want to be the first team to bring a Cup home. It would be unbeliev- able what it'd be like here. People would be, it'd be nuts." Michael Russo writes for The Athletic. He's in his 15th season covering the Wild and 25th covering the National Hockey League. He co-hosts the Russo-Souhan Show on talknorth.com, co-hosts The Athletic Hour on KFAN-Plus (96.7-FM) and hosts the Straight From The Source with Michael Russo podcast on The Athletic and anywhere you get your podcasts. He can be heard weekly on KFAN (100.3-FM) and seen through- out the hockey season on Fox Sports North. Follow Russo on Twitter at @ RussoHockey. To subscribe to The Athletic at a 40 percent discount ($2.99 per month), go to theathletic. com/straightfromthesource. P R E S E N T E D B Y – Alex Stalock