HOME ICE:
Parade Ice Garden
DISTRICT:
PRESIDENT:
Tim Hanson
3
Storm
NICKNAME:
747
2019-20
REGISTRATION
NUMBERS:
M H J O N L I N E . C O M | N O V. / D E C . 2 0 2 0
12
of
STATE
HOCKEY
Minneapolis
State of Hockey Spotlight
WHY THEY'RE AWESOME
Minneapolis' rich hockey history stretches back more than 100 years.
The walls of Parade Ice Garden in Minneapolis tell the stories of NHL play-
ers, highlight the achievements of former Olympians and offer young skaters a
glimpse of how hockey has transformed in the City of Lakes.
"I think it's eye-opening to the kids, the parents and to all the people that
come into Parade and look at the Minneapolis Hockey Hall of Fame," said Tim
Hanson, president of the Minneapolis Hockey Association. "There's really a
deep history that's there."
That history serves as an inspiration to more than 700 young skaters that suit
up for the Minneapolis Storm—a flourishing program that's been welcoming a
record number of players in recent years.
But that wasn't always the case.
In the 1980s, community-based hockey programs in the city started losing
players to other growing suburban areas.
"That was about the time when hockey was dying in the city," Hanson said.
"People were moving out. Kids weren't there."
What used to be eight associations in Minneapolis eventually dwindled down
to just two—Southwest and Washburn. The two merged in the fall of 2008 to
form Minneapolis Hockey.
"There were maybe 300 hockey players between the two of them, but
the merger between the two associations was really when the bulk of the
Photos / Minneapolis Hockey Association
by Elizabeth Boger
