The Minnesota Midshipmen

Five hockey-playing Minnesota natives are challenging themselves on and off the ice at the United States Naval Academy

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The Hockey Doc: Facial lacerations

Details: Last Updated on Tuesday, 16 April 2013 15:48

By Dr. Rob LaPrade
http://drrobertlaprademd.com

Question: I cut my chin when my helmet rode up on my face in a game. I used a butterfly band-aid to close it but was told later that I should have gone to the doctor to have it sutured. What is the proper treatment for this type of cut?

Answer: From the advice you received about having the cut sutured, it sounds like you sustained a laceration which went down into the deeper layers of the skin. We tend to separate out dermal (skin) injuries into how deep they go through the layers of the skin in terms of making further recommendations.

The Invincibles: Gophers complete perfect season

Details: Last Updated on Tuesday, 16 April 2013 19:15

Click here for a PDF of this week's cover of Let's Play Hockey.

The University of Minnesota women’s hockey team entered the 2012-13 season as defending NCAA Champions, the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation and the owner of an eight-game winning streak. Expectations were lofty for this group of Golden Gophers ... just not NCAA-record-breaking, undefeated-season, 20-shutouts, a-100-point-scorer, outscoring-opponents-by-more-than-four-goals-per game, three-Patty-Kazmaier-Award-finalists kind of lofty expectations.

Are the Gopher women growing girls’ hockey?

Details: Last Updated on Wednesday, 27 March 2013 19:55

By Aaron Paitich

The Gopher women’s hockey team capped off an historic season on Sunday, beating Boston University 6-3 for their second-consecutive NCAA National Championship and extending their NCAA-record winning streak to a stunning 49 games. They completed the perfect 41-0-0 season.

Is their unprecedented success and star talent impacting girls’ youth hockey in Minnesota? Absolutely.

Why elephants can’t skate

Details: Last Updated on Wednesday, 27 March 2013 19:48

By Jack Blatherwick
Let’s Play Hockey Columnist

If elephants could speak, they’d explain why they can’t skate like humans – but more importantly, why most summer training programs are inadequate for hockey. They’d demonstrate some anatomical differences between elephant hip joints and those of humans. One of the differences (explained in the next paragraph) allows humans to skate fast. That same anatomical difference helps an elephant support tons of weight. Consequently, elephants can’t skate, and humans need hip replacements after carrying extra pounds for a few years.

Minnesotans and the 2013 Hobey Baker Award

Details: Last Updated on Wednesday, 27 March 2013 19:44

By Kevin Hartzell
Let’s Play Hockey Columnist

Congratulations to the four Minnesota natives that have been recognized as final 10 candidates for the 2013 Hobey Baker Award, presented annually to the year’s top college hockey player. No other state or province has more than one, so Minnesota’s four is quite impressive. All four of these Minnesota natives are, in my opinion, serious contenders to win the award and also legitimate candidates to play in the NHL – which makes this a very special group indeed. The four finalists are Quinnipiac goaltender Eric Hartzell (White Bear Lake), North Dakota forward Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie), St. Cloud State forward Drew LeBlanc and Nebraska-Omaha forward Ryan Walters (Rosemount).

Basics for handling faceoffs

Details: Last Updated on Wednesday, 27 March 2013 19:41

By John Russo
Let’s Play Hockey Columnist

Note: This will be one of the articles (Chapter 5: Position Development) in John Russo’s soon-to-be published new book “Best of Coaches’ Corner – 26 Years.” Watch for it in 2013.

Winning or losing the battle of faceoffs can mean winning or losing games in which two teams are pretty evenly matched. Of course, success at the end faceoff circles is more critical because they can result in scoring chances. But neutral zone faceoffs also determine which end the puck ends up in right afterwards and so these also influence goal scoring on a more broad basis.