Weekend Preview: Mother Nature No Match for Hockey Day Minnesota
For most of the United States, news of an incoming polar vortex has sent families scrambling to grocery stores – leading to barren shelves everywhere – and caused the cancellation of games and sporting events several days in advance.
One of the events we intended to cover for the weekend of Jan. 23-25, the United States Hockey League Frosty Cup for 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U Tier 1 Boys teams in Dallas, was canceled several days ago out of concern for the safety of families traveling from around the country to participate.
But that’s not the case in Minnesota.
In Minnesota they just say, “Bring it on!”
The show must go on In the State of Hockey, even if that means braving the elements for games played in sub-zero temperatures on an outdoor sheet of ice.
While most Minnesota school districts canceled classes or moved to online classes for Friday, Jan. 23 because of dangerously cold conditions, the organizers of Hockey Day Minnesota would have none of that.
“Hockey Day Minnesota is on as scheduled this weekend,” organizers announced via social-media posts on various platforms. “This includes Friday’s Iowa Wild vs. Milwaukee Admirals game at 5 p.m. {CST}. Fans are encouraged to dress warmly with multiple layers and blankets. Heated tents and fire pits will be available throughout the complex for your comfort. We can’t wait to see you out here!”
Of course, the decision to trudge forward regardless of the conditions comes as no surprise in a state that needs a whole week to celebrate its designated “Hockey Day.” While Hockey Day Minnesota technically is Saturday, Jan. 24, the celebration of the sport for which the state is best known really began Jan. 17 at the United Heroes League complex in Hastings and runs through Saturday, Jan. 24.
Initially held in 2007 on a frozen river in Baudette, Minn., Hockey Day Minnesota more recently evolved into a four-day, long-weekend event before Hastings decided to take things to an entirely different level.
““It’s Hockey Week Minnesota,” Kevin Gorg, who has called Hockey Day games for Minnesota’s regional sports network almost since the event’s inception, told Jess Myers of the Pioneer Press. “It’s changed a lot, and it feels like every year the next city in line wants to out-do the previous one. It’s gotten bigger and better and they’ve learned what works; they’ve learned what fans are looking for and what types of experiences they want.”
The 20th anniversary of Hockey Day Minnesota is a seven-day outdoor hockey festival that features multiple games per day played by teams of all levels and ages on an outdoor rink that is surrounded by a temporary hockey village.
Since Jan. 17, which was labeled Premium Varsity Day and included four varsity high school games, more than 20 contests have been played on the outdoor sheet. The games have included local Mite, Peewee and Bantam teams, junior varsity and varsity high school boys’ and girls’ teams, teams of military veterans and NHL alumni. There also have been various social activities, open skates and other events on the outdoor sheet.
There were three “Local Hockey Days,” which included a Warriors game between Minnesota and Canada and a military matchup between the USA and Canada as well as youth games featuring “AA”, “A,” “B” and “C” level teams, high school contests and practices for the Iowa Wild and Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League.
Those two teams meet in an official AHL contest that kicks off this weekend’s activities Friday, Jan. 23, at 5 p.m. CST, leading into what officially is Hockey Day Minnesota on Saturday, Jan. 24. There also is a women’s college club hockey game between Iowa State and Minnesota-Duluth at 9 a.m. Friday, followed by a North American Tier 3 Hockey League junior contest pitting Granite City vs. Rochester at noon.
The Hockey Day Minnesota Saturday slate includes three varsity high school games starting at 9:30 a.m. and is capped off by a Hastings High School girls family skate at 7:30 p.m.
Hastings takes on Park in a girls’ matchup at 9:30 Saturday, followed by the Hasting boys vs. East Ridge at 1 p.m. and Rock Ridge vs. St. Thomas Academy boys at 4:30 p.m.
The Hastings boys (9-7-1) are ranked 30th among Minnesota Class A teams, according to the MHR Week 18 Rankings, while East Ridge (7-9-0) is the No. 28 AA team. Rock Ridge (10-9-1) is ranked 26th among AA schools, and St. Thomas (12-4-2) is fourth. On the girls’ side, Hastings (5-17-1) is No. 52 in the AA rankings, while Park (7-14-0) is No. 38.
The official conclusion of Hockey Day Minnesota is a National Hockey League matchup between the Minnesota Wild and Florida Panthers Saturday at 8 p.m. CST at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Friday’s AHL game marks just the 13th time in league history that team have played on an outdoor sheet. It’s possible that the temperature for that game could be the lowest on record for any outdoor professional contest, with temperatures expected to drop as low as -19 degrees before the wind-chill factor is even calculated. The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Cold Warning for Minnesota and Wisconsin until noon CST Jan. 23 and a Cold Weather Advisory through midnight.
The AHL matchup can be viewed online via FLOHockey.TV, with the FLOHockey production also available on PrimeVideo (U.S. only), Fubo (U.S. and Canada) and Bell Fibe TV (Canada only).
Saturday’s high school action from Hastings will be televised by FanDuel Sports Network North as part of the network’s 14 hours of continuous Hockey Day Minnesota coverage. FanDuel North also is airing the Wild-Panthers matchup. High school games played throughout the week were streamed by StribVarsity and still should be available for on-demand viewing.
The outdoor rink at the United Heroes League complex is located a few miles East of downtown Hastings. It is permanent, was built to NHL specifications and includes a giant video board. The rink has a larger capacity than the ones constructed at previous Hockey Day Minnesota host venues and is surrounded by heated tents where attendees can warm up, eat, drink and listen to an array of live musical acts.
Shane Hudella, founder of United Heroes League, has served as the chief organizer in Hastings. United Heroes League keeps military children active and healthy through sports while their parents serve the United States. The organization has helped more than 50,000 military families keep or start their kids in sports.
Hudella told Myers that attending previous Hockey Day Minnesota events in Warroad and Shakopee helped create the vision for the 2026 version.
“It’s Hockey Week in Hastings,” he said. “Warroad was great to learn some right ways to do things from a fan experience and from a rinkside perspective. Our VIP tent mimics theirs. We learned some things in their {fan} village for layout that really helped us out.”
The host complex is in a rural area that offers on-site parking for 2,000 to 2,500 vehicles, so spaces for cars can dwindle or disappear during high-traffic times. Carpooling or catching shuttle buses from Treasure Island Resort and Casino is recommended. There is a $20 per-vehicle fee to park on-site.
Shuttles have been running to and from the casino every 20 minutes throughout the week, and that will change to every 10 minutes Jan. 24. Service starts one hour before the day’s first game and concludes one hour after the final contest.
In addition to the rink, hospitality and entertainment areas at the complex, there is a lighted skating path nearby in the woods and an ice-coated miniature-golf course that requires use of sticks and pucks instead of putters and golf balls. There is no charge to skate on the trail or play golf.
Live music is scheduled from 9 a.m. CST until 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, and from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. Jan. 24.
Organizers are expecting more than 80,000 fans to have visited the venue by the conclusion of the week.
Hockey Day Minnesota was created in 2007 by the Minnesota Wild to celebrate the game that has helped Minnesota become known as the State of Hockey. The event is held in partnership with FanDuel Sports Network North, Minnesota Hockey and the local host community. All proceeds from the event go to support local hockey programs.
Previous host locations have included Baudette Bay (2007, 2008), Phalen Park (2009), Hermantown (2010), Moorhead (2011), Minnetonka (2012), Grand Rapids (2013), Elk River (2014), St. Paul (2015), Duluth (2016), Stillwater (2017), St. Cloud (2018), Bemidji (2019), Minneapolis (2020), Guidant John Rose MN Oval (2021), Mankato (2022), White Bear (2023), Warroad (2024) and Shakopee (2025).
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets to Hockey Day Minnesota events.
With the Frosty Cup canceled, our attention turns to the Calgary International Hockey Academy’s U17 Winter Classic for the weekend of Jan. 23-25.
The CIHA tournament began Thursday, Jan. 23, and runs through Sunday, Jan. 25, and includes some of the top U17 AAA Boys teams from Western Canada along with three US-based Tier 1 16U teams.
There are 24 participating teams grouped into six four-team pools. Round-robin pool play fills the daily schedule Jan. 23-24, with playoffs starting Saturday morning and championship contests scheduled for Sunday. Games are being played at Winsport Arenas in Calgary and Seven Chiefs Sportsplex in Priddis, Alberta.
The tournament field includes six of Western Canada’s top 10 teams, according to the Week 18 MHR Rankings, and 12 of the top 20.
STAR HOCKEY Academy from Washington state is the second-ranked 16U team in the Pacific District and 30th overall in the USA Tier 1 Boys rankings.
All games can be viewed live and on-demand via FLOHockey.
CIHA U17 Winter Classic Participating Teams
Pool A
#17 Calgary Royals
#5 CIHA
Coeur d’Alene Hockey Academy
#28 St. Albert Flyers
Pool B
#13 Calgary NWCAA Flames
#62 USA LA Jr. Kings
#30 USA STAR Hockey Academy
#23 Fort Saskatchewan Rangers
Pool C
#18 Okotoks Oilers
#6 RHA Kelowna
#37 Sherwood Park Squires
#25 Airdrie Avalanche
Pool D
#9 Calgary CNHA Northstars
#8 Edmonton SSAC
#30 South East Tigers
#31 Shawnigan Lake School
Pool E
#2 Edmonton CAC
#19 OHA Edmonton
#15 Red Deer North Star Chiefs
#54 Vancouver Island Royals
Pool F
#12 South Alberta Hockey Academy
#40 Edmonton KOC Centennials
#7 Calgary CBHA Bulls
#20 St. George’s School
CLICK HERE for CIHA Winter Classic schedule & results
CLICK HERE for CIHA Winter Classic standings
CLICK HERE for CIHA Winter Classic Playoff Bracket A
CLICK HERE for CIHA Winter Classic Playoff Bracket B
CLICK HERE for CIHA Winter Classic rosters and team stats
