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MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM // FEBRUARY.2016 Minnesota's Premier Outdoor Hockey Events in 2016 Jan. 15-17: The Southern Minnesota Pond Hockey Championship in Fairmont reminds us that outdoor hockey isn't just for the northerners. Jan. 21-24: The North American Pond Hockey Championships makes Lake Minnetonka a winter destination, too. Jan. 28-31: Easily one of the biggest pond hockey tournaments in the country—if not the world— the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships on Lake Nokomis is fun for all involved. Competition level ranges from former pro and college athletes, to those who have never let the dream or fun die. Also that weekend in St. Cloud, the Minnesota Youth Foundation hosts the Granite City Pond Hockey Championships in an effort to make more athletic activities accessible to the area's youth. C arlie Lindgren, Feb. 6: Everyone's favorite outdoor event of the year, Hockey Day Minnesota heads north to Duluth's Bayfront Park along the shore of Lake Superior. Games featured include: • Duluth Denfeld vs. Eveleth-Gilbert • Duluth East vs. Lakeville North Also that same weekend, the 8th annual Anthony Ford Pond Hockey Classic hits the bluffs of North Mankato at Spring Lake Park. Feb. 13: The Belle Plaine Hockey Association hosts its 4th annual Pond Hockey Classic tournament to bring together youth and adult hockey in the community. Feb. 20-21: NHL finally gifts the State of Hockey with an outdoor game as the Stadium Series enters TCF Bank Stadium. Saturday will feature the Minnesota North Stars/Wild alumni against the Chicago Blackhawks alumni. On Sunday, the two present-day division foes faceoff in what is sure to be a fan favorite. Feb. 26-27: Red Bull Crashed Ice, the fastest downhill skating race in the world, returns to the Cathedral of St. Paul for the sixth straight year. Go check out the World Championship finale and this fantastic outdoor event unlike any other. 16 Alex Lyon Yale OVERHEARD OUTSIDE "Minnesota has the advantage of having so many outdoor rinks, ponds and lakes—kids need to use that. You need to put 20 kids on the rink with no coaches and just let them play. You want them to develop the ability to play different games and do different things, and the way we always learned that was on the pond with our buddies." "I remember playing on a little creek at a friend's house fairly often. One of my greatest hockey memories was playing on Baudette Bay for Hockey Day Minnesota my freshman year for Lake of the Woods. I played unstructured, open-skate style hockey every chance I could. Early on, I truly believe it gave me a solid foundation for understanding shooting dynamics and how a puck comes off a player's stick. As you progress to higher levels it becomes more of learning-by-studying notion, but as a youth, it was learning through enjoyment and osmosis." "Outdoor hockey is a good time to handle the puck, with nothing on the line excepting having fun. It allows you to develop your skills like stickhandling and skating and It allows you to try some different stuff. You have the puck on your stick much more and it's really just a lot more fun." Zach Parise Minnesota Wild "He skates it up out of the zone..." in Mountain Iron, Minnesota. (Photo by David Greedy and featured in Pond Hockey: Frozen Moments) EVENT FULL Scott Sandelin University of Minnesota- Duluth Head Coach