MNState0fHockey Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Then why call it the "hockey state"? First off, it's the State of Hockey. And you clearly don't understand the moniker. Explanation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokey the cat Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 First off, it's the State of Hockey. And you clearly don't understand the moniker. Explanation I understand it. It is Minnesota's inferiority complex coming out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MafiaMan Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 First off, it's the State of Hockey. And you clearly don't understand the moniker. Explanation I like the comparison with Michigan and Wisconsin...how about Massachusetts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNState0fHockey Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I like the comparison with Michigan and Wisconsin...how about Massachusetts? NHL players from MN: 233 NHL players from MA: 172 Mass has roughly 1 million more residents. They are probably the closest state to matching MN's hockey culture, but they still fall short in every category (youth participation, D1 players, and NHL players produced). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNState0fHockey Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I understand it. It is Minnesota's inferiority complex coming out. Inferior? At hockey? Inferior to which state(s)?? I'll wait. Substantiate your claims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MafiaMan Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 NHL players from MN: 233 NHL players from MA: 172 Mass has roughly 1 million more residents. They are probably the closest state to matching MN's hockey culture, but they still fall short in every category (youth participation, D1 players, and NHL players produced). Great stats - interesting stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNState0fHockey Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Great stats - interesting stuff. Funny thing is, Alaska probably leads the nation in number of players per capita (hard to know for sure because MN doesn't register their HS players with USA Hockey). I imagine if they had a bigger population, they would be a power house. Same with North Dakota. Top 3 state in players per capita. I have been contending for years that Michigan is overrated as a hockey state (especially in the last decade). Half the players produced as Minnesota and twice the population. I would easily rank North Dakota ahead of Michigan and probably even Mass. It's not the state's fault they don't have the population of Michigan or Mass. Just my $0.02. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andtheHomeoftheSIOUX!! Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 The thing with ND is we need to get the support for hockey increased in the western part of the state. Also, ND highschoolers aren't registered with USA Hockey either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andtheHomeoftheSIOUX!! Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Here is an article a few years old. http://slapshot.blog...state-by-state/ ND .709 Players per capita. MN 1.024 AK 1.235 Those are the top 3. Edit: Its hard to take these numbers seriously though considering what has already been noted (highschool numbers not included) plus the amount of mens league (beer league) players in both ND and MN who are not registered with USA Hockey. I'm sure Canada and other states are similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNState0fHockey Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 The thing with ND is we need to get the support for hockey increased in the western part of the state. Also, ND highschoolers aren't registered with USA Hockey either. I think North Dakota HS Hockey is about the only state that could possibly reproduce what Minnesota HS Hockey has. The hockey culture is there in North Dakota. People are just as hockey mad in North Dakota as they are in Minnesota. Even MN has it's hockey weak areas (Southern part of the state isn't as strong). I'm a big supporter of North Dakota HS hockey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNState0fHockey Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Here is an article a few years old. http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/where-hockey-is-growing-state-by-state/ ND .709 Players per capita. MN 1.024 AK 1.235 Those are the top 3. Yup. Only question is, how much of bump do MN and ND get when you include the HS players who aren't registered? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sodbuster Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Here is an article a few years old. http://slapshot.blog...state-by-state/ ND .709 Players per capita. MN 1.024 AK 1.235 Those are the top 3. Edit: Its hard to take these numbers seriously though considering what has already been noted (highschool numbers not included) plus the amount of mens league (beer league) players in both ND and MN who are not registered with USA Hockey. I'm sure Canada and other states are similar. Wow.....I'm surprises that we (ND) were that high! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MafiaMan Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I think North Dakota HS Hockey is about the only state that could possibly reproduce what Minnesota HS Hockey has. The hockey culture is there in North Dakota. People are just as hockey mad in North Dakota as they are in Minnesota. Even MN has it's hockey weak areas (Southern part of the state isn't as strong). I'm a big supporter of North Dakota HS hockey. I only wish the programs that are available now had been available when I was a kid growing up in SW North Dakota. Dickinson and Williston are basically newcomers to the hockey table in North Dakota (neither one had a program 20 years ago) and I even have a friend with kids in a program in Watford City. Watford City! I would love to see some new schools join the ranks of North Dakota high school hockey. Editor's note: Now that the Devils Lake Satans are no longer, the Dickinson Midgets is the coolest nickname this side of the Bismarck Demons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNState0fHockey Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I only wish the programs that are available now had been available when I was a kid growing up in SW North Dakota. Dickinson and Williston are basically newcomers to the hockey table in North Dakota (neither one had a program 20 years ago) and I even have a friend with kids in a program in Watford City. Watford City! I would love to see some new schools join the ranks of North Dakota high school hockey. Editor's note: Now that the Devils Lake Satans are no longer, the Dickinson Midgets is the coolest nickname this side of the Bismarck Demons. Great to see the growth! I grew up playing hockey in Eden Prairie, and when I was in high school we were a door mat. We were perennially destroyed by the likes of Bloomington Jefferson and Edina. A lot can change in time, and it's great to see programs mature Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MafiaMan Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Great to see the growth! I grew up playing hockey in Eden Prairie, and when I was in high school we were a door mat. We were perennially destroyed by the likes of Bloomington Jefferson and Edina. A lot can change in time, and it's great to see programs mature I'm sure you noticed then that Westwood Sports has closed their Bloomington store location...that sure says a lot about the changing demographics of hockey. The Lakevilles and Eden Prairies have over-run the Richfields, Kennedys, and Jeffersons of the metro area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokey the cat Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I'm sure you noticed then that Westwood Sports has closed their Bloomington store location...that sure says a lot about the changing demographics of hockey. The Lakevilles and Eden Prairies have over-run the Richfields, Kennedys, and Jeffersons of the metro area. You forgot Hat Trick Hockey on 66th st. in Richfield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MafiaMan Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 You forgot Hat Trick Hockey on 66th st. in Richfield. Hat Trick Hockey is still open though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNState0fHockey Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I'm sure you noticed then that Westwood Sports has closed their Bloomington store location...that sure says a lot about the changing demographics of hockey. The Lakevilles and Eden Prairies have over-run the Richfields, Kennedys, and Jeffersons of the metro area. Yup, the status quo has certainly changed. It's sad to see the dwindling participation numbers in some do the previously proud hockey communities. Rochester is one of the starkest examples. On the flip side, watch out for Prior Lake in future years. Absolutely HUGE youth participation numbers (along with Wayzata). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MafiaMan Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Yup, the status quo has certainly changed. It's sad to see the dwindling participation numbers in some do the previously proud hockey communities. Rochester is one of the starkest examples. On the flip side, watch out for Prior Lake in future years. Absolutely HUGE youth participation numbers (along with Wayzata). Yea, given the facilities they have access to in Prior Lake, I'd completely agree with you. It was 5-7 years ago that Jefferson hired a figure skating coach to work with the youth in order to re-build the program from the ground up. A grand idea, but I think the best days of Jaguar glory are behind them. Richfield has such great history as well...it's a shame to see Richfield Ice Arena renting out space to Edina's kids. Back on topic: Go RPI Engineers. Bring back the skating gear logo jerseys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krustyklown Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Great to see the growth! I grew up playing hockey in Eden Prairie, and when I was in high school we were a door mat. We were perennially destroyed by the likes of Bloomington Jefferson and Edina. A lot can change in time, and it's great to see programs mature Glad to see there is another on this site who appreciates the fact that Dickinson Public Schools hasn't given in to social engineering. As a Dickinson native and UND alumni, I am truly saddened that the 'Fighting Sioux' is no longer but happy that 'Midgets' remains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lgbnaf Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 And don't forget the bookstore the midget news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFG Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I don't consider St Cloud to be the 'Twin Cites metro' anymore than I consider Steele to be the 'Bismark metro.' St Cloud is considered part of the metro population, but it's the very edge of it (Stupid, I know). There are also two counties in Wisconsin that are considered part of the Twin Cities metro population. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNState0fHockey Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Regarding comments on the North Star College Cup. Attendance was obviously a concern, but I think most people expected that would be the case coming in. It is going to take some time for this Tourney to get a footing. As Bruce Ciskie wrote in his blog, the initial Beanpot tourney drew less than 10,000 fans. Regarding comparisons to the Beanpot, or the Great Lakes Invitational for that matter, I don't like the comparisons. I'm not upset people are making the comparisons, but I don't think it would be wise to try and model this tourney after those would be a mistake. For one, the Beanpot has decades of history and no matter how successful the North Star College Cup becomes, it will never match up to the Beanpot in terms of history and tradition. That's not to say the NSCC can't become something great and have great atmosphere and tradition. But it would be a mistake to try and copy something like the Beanpot that became great organically. I think people should be patient and let this tourney develop it's own history, traditions, and identity. In regards to attendance, like I said, it hasn't become an "event" yet. That will take time. Maybe 5+ years time. If they aren't patient with it, there is no way this tourney will be successful. They are trying to learn from feedback and make it a better experience. Lucia said in his radio show that he will be pushing for no shootout, but continuous overtime, in the championship game. That's a positive. I thought the event went well. Still lots of room for growth and improvement, but that's to be expected Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MafiaMan Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Attendance was obviously a concern, but I think most people expected that would be the case coming in. As Bruce Ciskie wrote in his blog, the initial Beanpot tourney drew less than 10,000 fans. Did Bruce Ciskie note that the initial Beanpot tourney was in nineteen freaking fifty two? That's 1952..over 60 years ago. I'd say that's an incredible draw for a first-ever hockey tournament back in those days. http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/2014/1/27/5345466/thoughts-on-north-star-college-cup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNState0fHockey Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Did Bruce Ciskie note that the initial Beanpot tourney was in nineteen freaking fifty two? That's 1952..over 60 years ago. I'd say that's an incredible draw for a first-ever hockey tournament back in those days. http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/2014/1/27/5345466/thoughts-on-north-star-college-cup Oh, I agree. Just saying, that tournament (and college hockey in general) have grown by leaps and bounds since then. Same is true with the MNHS Tourney. It didn't start out drawing 130,000+ fans for the weekend. Rome wasn't built in a day. My main point is, if the expectation for this tournament coming in is to be the Beanpot, this tournament is going to be a failure. It has to be given the time to grow and to become a tourney with it's own history and traditions. Anyone who thought this tourney would have instant atmosphere immediately came in with unrealistic expectations IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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