Kevin Kurtt
The State of Hockey Players
- Details
- Last Updated on Thursday, 12 July 2012 17:31
By Kevin Kurtt
Let’s Play Hockey Editor
Pick up nearly any issue of Let’s Play Hockey and you’ll see various lists of Minnesotans in various levels of hockey.
Upon compiling those lists, it became incredibly clear the sheer volume of hockey players that Minnesota produces on an annual basis to numerous hockey leagues is staggering.
Without taking into account the thousands upon thousands of youth, high school, club and recreational hockey players that exist throughout the state, Minnesota develops an amazing number of elite hockey players.
From our calculations, there are 1,466 Minnesotans currently playing hockey at the pro, college and junior level in North America and Europe.
Pro Hockey Hotbed
- Details
- Last Updated on Thursday, 12 July 2012 17:31
As of December 13, 225 Minnesotans have played at least one game of professional hockey in the 2011-12 season
By Kevin Kurtt
Let’s Play Hockey Editor
On Dec. 8, the Minnesota Wild called up Houston Aeros forward Jeff Taffe to take the place of injured Devin Setoguchi in the lineup against the Los Angeles Kings. The native of Hastings, Minn., promptly tallied an assist just 24 seconds into his first shift as a member of the Wild.
Joining Taffe on the ice that night in Los Angeles were fellow Minnesotans Matt Cullen and Mike Lundin, marking the first time in franchise history that three natives of the State of Hockey played in the same game for the Minnesota Wild.
The Wild’s lineup that night was a microcosm of professional hockey today in North America and abroad. In fact, 225 natives of Minnesota have played at least one pro hockey game in the 2011-12 season. That number includes 205 men and 20 women. Three more Minnesotans are members of a professional franchise, but have not suited up due to injury.
For the current season, 43 Minnesota natives have played at least one game in the National Hockey League, while another 43 have suited up in the American Hockey League. Another 56 have played in one of the other minor hockey leagues in North America, bringing the total number of Minnesota natives playing pro hockey in the U.S. and Canada to 162.
College Bound
- Details
- Last Updated on Wednesday, 11 July 2012 20:09
By Kevin Kurtt
Let's Play Hockey Editor
From Nov. 9-16, thousands of athletes in numerous sports signed their name to a National Letter of Intent (NLI), fulfilling a dream of earning a scholarship to play Division I or II college athletics. That dream has become a reality for countless hockey players over the years in Minnesota and this season is no different.
You Might Be a Hockey Fan...
- Details
- Last Updated on Thursday, 12 July 2012 17:31
There are plenty of ways to tell if you are a hockey fan from the great state of Minnesota
By Kevin Kurtt
Let’s Play Hockey Editor
We’ve all seen the ‘You know you’re a Minnesotan’ lists that give us such truisms as ‘You thought Grumpy Old Men was a documentary,’ ‘Your local Dairy Queen is closed from December through February, ‘You know how to say Wayzata, Mahtomedi and Shakopee,’ and ‘You know all four seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter and Construction.’ We get these in our inbox, actually “get” the jokes and immediately forward them to our Minnesota friends and coworkers.
Now it’s time to dive deeper into one of the aspects of what it’s like to be Minnesotan – hockey. Whether you played the game, cheered from the stands or learned the sport from your kids, there are a multitude of ways you can tell if you’re a hockey fan from the great state of Minnesota.
Without further ado, you might be a hockey fan in Minnesota if …
Equipping the pros
- Details
- Last Updated on Thursday, 12 July 2012 17:31
Getting NHL players to use and wear certain equipment is big business for the hockey industry
By Kevin Kurtt
Let’s Play Hockey Editor
Last year, Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby signed the richest endorsement deal in NHL history when he inked what is believed to be a seven-year, nearly $10 million deal with Reebok. With other endorsement deals with Bell, Tim Hortons and Gatorade, Crosby is the NHL’s top-earner at $11.2 million, $9.0 million of which is salary.
