Warroad had jumped ahead early and went on to win the game 6-2, avenging a game two weeks earlier when Roseau won 3-2 in overtime in Roseau. As I sat there, looking at this enormous video screen 20 feet away, a fellow stepped in front of me, looked out from under a knit cap and over a graying goatee and said: “John Gilbert. Do you remember me?”

I had to admit that I didn’t recognize him.

“Neal,” he said. “Neal Broten.”

You’ve got to be kidding! Here was one of my favorite hockey players ever, and I didn’t recognize him. We had a nice conversation. He came up from the Twin Cities area to visit his dad and mom, Newell and Carol, who still live in Roseau.

That was one of many conversations I had, including one with David Christian, who also drove up from the Twin Cities for Hockey Day Minnesota. The crowds for the event were very good, as the temperature hovered in the mid-20s. My wife, Joan, and I drove up Friday, hoping to arrive in time to see the Roseau-Warroad alumni game, which would hinge on which side could round up the most alums. Roseau alums whipped Warroad alums, 6-2.

On the 4 and a 1/2-hour drive up from Duluth to Warroad, we tuned in KDAL radio to hear Bruce Ciskie’s broadcast of the UMD-Wisconsin women’s WCHA game at AMSOIL Arena. Wisconsin won a close game, but I was astounded to notice that Ciskie has adopted a style in which he gives the time on the clock — “11:30 of the second period” — as the official time of the game. He didn’t say time remaining, which would have legitimized it, but he just gives a time and the period, which is totally disconcerting to a listener like me, who wants to know the score and the remaining time. (When I got back, I asked Ciskie when he started doing that, and he said, “I hate doing math.” Huh?)

We got to Warroad and checked in, making friends with the beautiful little owner’s dog, Bentley. After trying, but failing, to get over to the end of the alumni game, Joan and I went over to Izzy’s, which used to be owned by Izzy Marvin, but which still sells the best hamburger in town. Like every other establishment in town, Izzy’s was jammed.

A group of young players periodically cleared ice buildup from the outdoor rink. (MHM Photo / John Gilbert)

Picture-perfect Hockey Day
It was a nearly perfect three days in Warroad last weekend, which was the ideal time for moderate temperatures and the lack of the usual January snowing, blowing and freezing in this little Canadian border town on the Southwest tip of Lake of the Woods. The organizers did a fantastic job of laying out the outdoor rink on the high school football field, which had one end zone right up against the Marvin Event Center. That center became our gathering spot for everything from watching hockey games to eating a steady flow of different foods supplied throughout all three days for anyone fortunate enough to have a VIP or media pass.

As a long-term resident of the pampered life of a sportswriter, I’ve grown to appreciate all the various press boxes I normally visit while watching games. No such luxury this time, so I spent much of it standing outside to shoot photos from in front of the windows of the event center. That was where I watched the very impressive Warroad girls high school team, ranked No. 2 in Class 1A, lose 4-3 to big and powerful Class 2A-foe Lakeville North, a team that has a good shot at making the state tournament.

The Warroad teams paid tribute to their heritage, and to the achievement of gaining the continued use of the term “Warriors” after numerous politicians had tried to get them to drop the name. Saturday started with the indigenous drum band playing an opening tribute that was quite an emotional attraction. And the Warroad players wore jerseys that had “Kaabekanong Ogichidaag” emblazoned on their chests. That, in Oglala Sioux, means “Warroad Warriors,” somebody said.

Another person said it was a modernized term for “War in the Road,” which dates back to the 1800s, when the warring factions of different tribes fought their battles on the road leading into Warroad. Probably for the rights to the many huge walleyes waiting for fishermen out on Lake of the Woods. The area tribe made a deal with the city of Warroad to give them the land on which to build their new school back in the early 1900s, and the agreement included a deal that assured the school would keep the name “Warriors” as a tribute to the Native Americans.

There were games for all age groups, from youth to college, and included some high school attractions. One of those attractions came in men’s hockey when Concordia College (Moorhead) came from behind to beat a strong St. Olaf team 4-2 with three third-period goals in a Division III classic.

There were also video tributes to Henry Boucha, who died in September, and continuing tributes to the Marvin family, which runs various industries, including the huge window-building plant that is the area’s largest employer.

Wayzata skated past Moorhead 5-2 in a boys high school feature. (MHM Photo / John Gilbert)

The Warroad girls high school team is coached by David (Izzy) Marvin, who has brought them to prominence and state championships. Izzy’s dad is the late Cal Marvin, who owned a resort and was general manager and coach of the Warroad Lakers, who won Canada’s Allen Cup for Senior Men’s teams.

“Other small towns that start girls programs need to do what Warroad has done,” Izzy said. “And that is to get behind the girls program. When we started, Cal got behind the girls program, and when Cal was behind something, not many people chose the other side.”

Perfect explanation for Cal’s influence and for the Warroad girls’ success.

Wrapping up the weekend
After watching and shooting photos at games such as the Wayzata boys powerhouse whipping Moorhead 5-2 in one of several other high school games, it was time for the Warroad-Roseau boys high school weekend highlight. I was prepared to head back outside to get a spot for shooting photos. However, the two rows of standing sites ahead of the event center were elbow to elbow, with the grandstands on both sides of the football stadium also jammed, as a crowd possibly approaching 5,000 filled every spot.

That’s what sent Joan and me back inside and over to the huge video screen for the Bally Sports North telecast.

As the second period ended, the sun was going down and it felt a little chillier, and I suggested to Joan that since we were watching on the big screen, we could hustle back to the hotel and catch the third period and maybe the Wild-Anaheim finale on BSN in our room. So we took off.

We got to the hotel in time to see the third period of the Warroad-Roseau game. But for some unknown reason, the connection between BSN and the motel had quit and despite scrolling through every station in the guide, we never found the end of the game. Nor did we find the Wild game, although we tried hard enough that we were too tired to go out seeking a late dinner, and we settled for crackers and cheese that we had brought with us.

When we were through with our snack/dinner, I tried scrolling through one last time — and there we found the Wild-Anaheim game! Just in time to see the Wild collapse into their bye-week swoon.

We slept well, got up Sunday morning and started our return trip in the test-drive Prius I was driving for my automotive column. We wanted to get back in time for the NFL championship games in the AFC and NFC, so we thought a quick breakfast at McDonald’s would be best, grabbing a couple bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches. We pulled into the drive through and were informed they quit selling those at 10:30 a.m., and it was already 10:40 a.m.

So we took off, heading east on Hwy. 11 for Baudette, another Lake of the Woods town. Passing through, we saw Alice’s Restaurant, where an impressive waitress named Ashley took care of our orders for Denver omelettes, whole wheat toast and… some of the worst coffee this side of instant.

But it got us home, after a fantastic Hockey Day Minnesota weekend in Warroad. Next year, the extravaganza will be in Shakopee. The following year, it will move to Hastings. Both of those cities will have a major challenge trying to live up to the high-bar setting of Warroad, which remains “Hockeytown, USA.”

The post Friends Boost HDM appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

William Howard Taft had just been elected President of the United States.

The Titanic was three years away from its ill-fated voyage in the Atlantic; and the University of Minnesota, which had been playing its hockey games on frozen Como Lake in St. Paul, was amid a nearly 20-year hiatus from competition.

But just a stone’s throw from the Canadian border, high school hockey teams from Warroad and Roseau were squaring off against one another for the very first time.

So, the origins of one of Minnesota’s greatest sports rivalries commenced long before official record-keeping began in the mid-1940s.

“Why would people say it’s the best rivalry? I think because everybody has something in the game,” said Larry Olimb, Warroad native and 1988 Mr. Hockey Award recipient. “In Warroad, everyone’s part of the hockey community, and Roseau is the same way. Then just being so close to each other, and being so competitive over the years.”

The U.S. Olympic team, as well as the NHL, have reaped the benefits of this far-north region of Minnesota.

But both hockey havens have perhaps shined brightest in youth and high school competition, regardless of the era.

“In 1999, my senior year, we won a double-A state championship,” Mike Klema said, looking back on the rivalry.

Klema, a Roseau native, went on to play four years at Yale, and is now vice president in the Roseau Youth League and coaching his two Mite-aged sons.

“I just looked back at it from my experience thinking what a great, great run of teams that Roseau and Warroad produced in the 90s,” he said. “And that’s not to shortchange any other decade, because obviously, going back to the 40s, Roseau and Warroad have had really strong histories.”

Past and present, the names are synonymous with Minnesota hockey: Marvin and Christian; Oshie and Nelson; Bjorkman, Boucha and Broten.

Both communities have consistently produced great players and even greater play on the ice.

“No matter if one program has a lot more talent than the other a certain year it doesn’t matter,” said Gigi Marvin, a Warroad native and three-time Olympian for Team USA. “It seems like everything goes out the window and you just play on character and heart and passion and so it’s a lot of fun.”

Rivalry by number
The towns are just 26 miles apart, with the population of Roseau eclipsing that of Warroad, 2,712 to 1,810 respectively.

By the numbers, as they pertain to hockey, Roseau holds the edge as well, with a series record of 107-71-5 since 1945. The two schools battled on 30 occasions throughout the 1960s, the most of any decade.

Roseau has 34 appearances in the boys’ state high school tournament, with seven championships. Two of those titles were won in Class 2A, after the advent of the two-class brackets.

Warroad has made it to the tourney 24 times, bringing home four Class 1A titles.

In the years before the 1991-92 season, schools competed in the single-class system. For Roseau and Warroad, that meant only one team would emerge from the Section 8 region and head to the state tournament.

“By the time we’re done playing each other in high school, we’ve probably played each other 30, 40 times,” said Bill Lund, a Roseau native who was part of the Rams’ 1990 state championship team.

Lund played his college hockey at St. Cloud State and later skated four seasons for Lake Charles in the Western Professional Hockey League.

“Back when we were squirts, we’d play them four times every year, all the way through,” Lund recalled. “And then obviously, in summer hockey, they used to come over to our camp.

“For a couple of weeks in the summer we got along. In the winter, we didn’t get along so well.”

The animosity was tempered for Lund after college when he played on Cal Marvin’s storied Warroad Lakers Senior A team.

“It was Roseau and Warroad guys along with a bunch of other guys playing for the Allan Cup up in Canada,” Lund recalled fondly. “It was one of the best memories ever, playing those two years with the Warroad Lakers.”

Talent throughout the decades
One common theme – regardless of era – rises above the battles: Players who competed in the rivalry still carry an appreciation for the level of competition and how it only raised their game.

“The thing about that rivalry is both teams are usually really good every year. So, that’s what makes it even better,” said Hampton Slukynsky, Warroad’s 2023 Goalie of the Year who now plays with the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League.

“I think with having two really good teams in northern Minnesota, it makes it a lot more competitive. You want to be better than Roseau, if you’re from Warroad. Or if from Roseau, you want to be better than Warroad.”

Last season, Warroad had the unique distinction of not only having the Goalie of the Year in Slukynsky, but also Mr. Hockey Award recipient Jayson Shaugabay on their roster as well. The pair led the Warriors to Class 1A runner-up finishes the past two seasons.

For Shaugabay, the rivalry ranks as the pinnacle in his accomplished amateur career.

“Leading up to the Roseau-Warroad game has always been the most exciting time in my life,” Shaugabay said. “Even when I was 5 years old watching or, until I got to play in it, it was the most anticipated two games of the year.

“It’s pretty much just like playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the high school version and it’s just so fun.”

Ready for Hockey Day
Warroad is primed for the three-day event, which has far surpassed earlier incarnations in size and scope.

That excitement is no doubt taken up several notches this January when Hockeytown USA hosts Hockey Day Minnesota.

“Back when it started in Baudette, Minnesota, it was mainly just a game,” said Tad Palmquist, Hockey Day Minnesota co-chair. “Now it’s an entire village. So, it’s everything. We added everything from a big snow hill for the kids to sled down. We’ve added a mini version of the skate path we have on the river.”

The village will also feature exhibits honoring Warroad’s rich hockey history and that of the region. A tribute to Cal Marvin and his Warroad Lakers legacy will highlight the event, as will a ceremonial puck drop in tribute to Henry Boucha, who died on Sept. 18, 2023.

But Palmquist is quick to point out that the weekend will highlight not only Warroad but the entire region, including Hockeytown’s favorite rival.

“We know it’s hard to get the Hockey Day way up north like this, especially in a rural town like Warroad,” he said. “So we want to celebrate all the local towns and obviously Roseau being a key part of that.”

While Warroad will travel to Roseau for their first meeting of the season at the historic Roseau Memorial Arena on Jan. 9, the main event will face off on Jan. 27, for a Hockey Day Minnesota showdown no one will soon forget.

“One thing about our rivalry is it’s not always bitter,” Palmquist said. “On the ice, it’s bitter, maybe. But it’s also built on respect.

“And a lot of these people end up being friends along the way.”

The post The Rivalry appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

This is the 18th Hockey Day Minnesota, and it makes you wonder what it took those who make such decisions so long before going to the northernmost reaches of the state to select Warroad as the host. The town population is about 1,800, which is only a percentage of those inside Warroad Gardens, the perfect indoor arena that fills up for every home game of the Warroad Warriors.

The town also boasts some of the greatest iconic players of Minnesota’s long hockey history, and is half of the state’s most intense hockey rivalry. The other half is Roseau, which is about 20 miles to the west of Warroad. Travel five miles east to find Baudette, another small town that would rather boast about its walleye fishing than its hockey. 

Warroad, located on the southwesternmost tip of Lake Of The Woods, a huge, sprawling lake that stretches into Canada and houses various resorts and cabins and countless of the delectable-eating walleyes, would never shrug off its fishing heritage, but it also would never let it intrude on its love of hockey.

If you go back in the annals of state hockey, you find legendary names such as Max Oshie, the Marvin family, brothers Gordon, Roger and Billy Christian, Henry Boucha, Alan Hangsleben, Gopher All-America Larry Olimb, and on up to the modern era, when T.J. Oshie of the Washington Capitals and Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders carry the torch for Warroad’s current presence in the NHL.

The Marvin family owns Marvin Windows, the largest employer in the area and the builder of classic windows and doors for home building. Cal Marvin, meanwhile, managed the Warroad Lakers, a senior men’s team that lured outstanding ex-college stars to Warroad to work, make a living and play for an amateur team that was the only American senior team to win Canadian amateur senior championships.

The Christian Brothers ran the Christian Brothers Hockey Stick factory, which once filled the stockrooms of all the top area Division I colleges. They played at North Dakota, and the three brothers all played together on the National and Olympic teams including the 1960 gold-medal U.S. Olympic team that beat the Russians and won Gold at Squaw Valley, Calif.

So, the subtle highlight of Hockey Day Minnesota, with games televised by Bally Sports North, is that there are great high school games. That includes the 4:30 p.m. Saturday-afternoon battle between the Warroad and Roseau boys’ teams. But at 8 p.m. Friday, there will be a Warroad-Roseau alumni game — which could be a classic, depending on who can round up more alumni.

Otherwise, an almost constant flow of strong high school games, a men’s college game with Concordia College-Moorhead facing St. Olaf, a high-ranking Wayzata-Moorhead boys’ high school game, plus high school girls’ varsity and JV games will run throughout the days on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The climax is supposed to be the Saturday night game with Anaheim facing the Wild at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. 

UMD women’s team in midst of tough stretch
All of that doesn’t mean the college hockey teams entering both the men’s and women’s stretch drives are relaxing for the weekend. Hardly.

“Every weekend feels like playoff hockey,” said Maura Crowell, coach of the Minnesota-Duluth women’s hockey team. “I’m lucky to have 20 players who can play at such a high level.”

The Bulldogs are in the midst of a tough couple of weekends. They traveled to Ohio State to face the No. 1 Buckeyes and lost 3-0 and 1-0. That means for the month of January, the Bulldogs lost 2-1 and tied 2-2 at No. 8 Quinnipiac, then swept Bemidji State with a pair of shutouts before suffering the two shutout losses at No. 1 Ohio State. Instead of a rest, the Bulldogs are back home at AMSOIL Arena to take on No. 2 Wisconsin.

“I’m happy with how we’re playing, especially last Saturday night, when we lost 1-0,” Crowell said. “I thought Saturday night was one of the best games of the year. Ohio State is No. 1 — by far, in my opinion right now — and we’re No. 7. I’ll take that for now.”

Crowell’s optimism has infested her players, who seem to have shrugged off the obvious fact that you don’t win many when you get shut out for a whole weekend.

“We played one of our best games Saturday at Ohio State,” said Bulldogs senior forward Clara Van Wieren. “It was good to see us implementing all the things our coaches have been telling us.

“Yes, I’d love to get into a high-scoring game, but the WCHA is so tough, and there are such good goalies that it’s hard to score.”

UMD’s women are 10-8 in the WCHA, fifth behind Ohio State (17-1), Wisconsin (14-4), Minnesota (12-5-1) and St. Cloud State (10-7-1), and being pursued by the rest of the league, Minnesota State-Mankato (4-14), Bemidji State (2-16) and St. Thomas (2-16). The Bulldogs are buoyed by the fact that after losing 3-0 at Wisconsin on Dec. 1, they upset the Badgers 3-2 the next night, but that second game has also probably caused Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson to circle this weekend’s dates.

College men’s hockey teams with their own Hockey Days this weekend
UMD’s men also return home this weekend after a weird series at Western Michigan. The Bulldogs broke open a tight 2-1 game Friday by scoring five third-period goals for a 6-3 win in a rare outburst, with all four lines contributing for a team that has had trouble getting any goals. The Bulldogs lost 5-2 the following night.

In the NCHC men’s race, St. Cloud State (7-2-3) is tied with North Dakota (7-4-1) for first place, with Denver (8-3-1) third. St. Cloud State is home against seventh-place Omaha this weekend, while a major showdown series has Denver at North Dakota. Minnesota-Duluth, sixth with a 4-7-1 record, is home against eighth-place Miami.

“They’re a big, heavy team,” UMD coach Scott Sandelin said of Miami. “When we played in their building, we were ready one night, and not ready enough the other. They’re a good hockey team, and we’ve got to approach them that way. They’re behind us, and we want to keep them there.”

Minnesota teams stand 1-2-3 atop the CCHA, with upstart St. Thomas first at 10-6, followed by Bemidji State (8-7-1), and Mankato (8-5-1). With a light slate this weekend, Mankato is at home against Northern Michigan with a chance to rise.

Minnesota has struggled to move into contention in the Big Ten, and this weekend may be the Gophers’ turning point. Standing third with a 7-4-3 record, the Gophers play at second-place Michigan State (10-2-2) for two games, while first-place Wisconsin (10-2) plays at fifth-place Michigan (4-6-1).

Not all of Minnesota’s teams are celebrating Hockey Day Minnesota, but they might as well be.

The post Warroad Is Focus For HDM appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

With a heavy heart, this story is how Henry convinced me to do a special issue on his beloved Warroad community, and the making of one of my all-time favorite special issues featuring Warroad hockey. I also want to share my last in-person visit with Henry as we discussed faith and the spiritual side of life for hours.

Henry’s death on Sept. 18th, 2023 left a void in the hockey world that will never be filled. Henry and his legend was bigger than life. Henry may have passed on, but his legend will always be with us. 

I met Henry more than a decade ago, when we had booths next to one another at the Let’s Play Hockey trade show.  That was fortuitous because wherever Henry went it, he attracted a crowd. By the end of that weekend, Henry and I had developed a friendship that continued up until his passing. 

MHM Photo.

Henry and I had a love of hockey that went beyond the ice. He was always promoting the game and those who played it.  

About seven years ago, I met Henry at the grand opening of the Royal Club in Lake Elmo where he was helping sell real estate. Henry had invited me to the event and said he had something else he wanted to share with me. 

When I got there, Henry started right in with the Warroad hockey idea and told me we really needed to go to Warroad and put together a special issue. I initially liked the idea but told Henry I needed to see if it was even possible to do a whole magazine on such a small town of less than 2,000 people.

I reminded Henry that Warroad is a six-plus-hour drive from the Twin Cities, and I didn’t have a lot of spare time to go and look. I asked, how did he plan on getting me up there?

Henry said he would fly me up, on the Marvin Windows plane that next week, so I could take a look for myself. He also said he would help me get the stories and the sponsors to make this a reality. The next week, I was called by a Warroad Hockey Town USA person, letting me know that I had a seat reserved for early Saturday morning, and to catch the flight in Bloomington at the Signature Aviation terminal.

 I arrived at 5 a.m. for the flight out of the private terminal at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where I was about to hop on a private jet with some of the greatest names in Minnesota hockey. In the terminal were past and present prominent NHL players who were heading up to play in the annual Warroad Celebrity Golf Tournament.

I looked at the scene and thought it would be best if I boarded as the last person on the plane, sitting wherever the open seat was. I boarded the plane and looked to find the open seat that was next to Lou Nanne. I put my briefcase down on the seat next to Nanne, and he politely told me no, that seat was taken by Neal Broten. Nanne then hollered to the back of the plane: “Brot’s get your butt up here.” I looked and saw Broten get up from the rear of the plane, and now figured that would be my seat in back. As I got to the back of the plane, I sat face-to-face across from Ryan Suter, who was sitting next to Tony Hrkac, a previous Hobey Baker winner for the University of North Dakota.

With the seating arrangements now figured out, I was on my way to Warroad for an epic day. I had a few copies of the magazines and gave both Suter and Hrkac copies. They were impressed with the magazine, and we talked about my trip and what it took to make a magazine happen. Suter gave me his cellphone number; he wanted to advertise a product he was bringing to market.

When the plane landed, we all jumped into cars that were waiting for us, and it was onto the course for the day’s festivities. At the Warroad Estates Golf Course,  I met all of the legends of Warroad hockey, as well as many other hockey celebrities.   

By the end of the day, I knew why this town of less than 2,000 people really needed to have a special edition and was accurately called Hockeytown USA. Now it was time to get back with Henry and figure out the details.

I met with Henry that week to discuss the next steps. He said that if I drove him up he would take care of everything else. About a month later, we were both back in Warroad to get down to business to capture the story on what makes Warroad Hockeytown USA. 

I had heard some stories on the wilder side of Henry. He knew when it was time to work, when it was time to kick back and when it was time to have some fun. I saw this while living with him that week. 

We started by settling in for a week at a condo on the Warroad Estates Golf Course. From there, Henry took me around town daily, showing me the rich hockey history and life in Warroad. Henry made the morning calls and had people lined up, opening doors of opportunities for stories or sponsors, and then relaxed in the evenings taking in a grandson’s football or granddaughter’s volleyball game.

True to his word, all of this came true. Henry’s love for his hometown and his presence made it easy to get people on board with content or as an advertiser. We worked hard getting the stories and sponsors. With Henry’s help and persistence, we did in a week what typically takes a team of writers and ad sales people a month or more to do. By the end of the week, we had more than enough content to do a complete magazine, with enough sponsors to create a 100-page magazine.

That Saturday night, it was time to celebrate a successful week. Henry said we needed to go out to one of his friends’ who was having a surprise 50th birthday party. We had a blast. When they gave the birthday grandpa some small sticks of dynamite, it made a lasting memory, hearing the sizzle as the wick burned and then the blast, each time they went off. As the designated driver, we stayed late, then closed down the local bars, and made it back to the condo around 2 a.m. for a late-night steak dinner that Henry had planned earlier in the day.

After this magazine was produced and on the shelves statewide, I got a call from Henry, saying we needed to really promote this. I asked what did he have in mind? A week later, I found myself with Henry on the radio of the north, 100,000-watt WCCO AM and Sports to the Max with Mike Max. Henry glowed as he spoke for 45 minutes on his hometown and the sport he loved. He shared the stories that we covered in the magazine and then about his own career. My time on the air was about three minutes to Henry’s 42, which was appropriate for the show.

I am so thankful for all the time I spent with Henry. Up until very recently, Henry and I met at various events and hockey games and helped each other out where possible. Prior to the Covid mess, I helped him with some of his book signings and he helped me at our charity golf tournament or our banquet to honor lifetime achievers in hockey. We also went to watch some pro and high school hockey games together.

Henry Boucha at his book signing. (MHM Photo)

Henry had a deep spiritual side to him that few knew about. Besides our love for hockey, I think one of the reasons we enjoyed each other was he was a very spiritual person and knew my faith in Christ was real to me. I enjoyed sharing spiritual thoughts with Henry. He loved his Creator and had a reverence for life. I would call Henry on occasion to get his take on something in the wild I had just seen. He always had a spiritual explanation.

The last time I was with Henry was when he invited me over several months ago for a steak lunch. Henry shared that his heart was now in rough shape and the danger of surgery was almost as bad as his condition. The doctors at Mayo Clinic told Henry that they did not want to operate.  

We spoke for hours about life and death and all that was going on in the world.  

I shared my Christian faith with him, we agreed about the Creator, but Henry wasn’t convinced Jesus was the only way. After several hours of a very deep conversation, I told him I had to get going to go to see my mom and dad for dinner. Henry asked if I could call my parents to see if he could go with me.. My parents were thrilled to have Henry over for dinner, where they talked hockey for a few hours. On the way back to his home we continued our discussion on the afterlife.    

The Minnesota Hockey Magazine Warroad Special Edition would not have happened without Henry. He not only introduced me to the stories but also the sponsors, who all jumped on board in making this happen.

The link to the magazine Henry helped bring to life is below. To view the magazine, click on the cover and scroll to flip the pages. By reading this magazine, you will find out what makes Warroad Hockeytown USA and is a go-to source for the locals.

We all have Henry to thank for keeping these stories alive.  

Minnesota Hockey Magazine for Nov. 2017 (volume 6, issue 2)

The post My Friendship with Henry Boucha appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Simply click HERE to begin your FREE digital subscription.  

Enjoy!

The post MHM January 2018 Mike Randolph Special appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Warroad is HOCKEYTOWN USA because of Cal Marvin.  Cal Marvin and his Warroad Lakers Senior Men’s Hockey Club were the cornerstone of modern day hockey in Warroad.  Cal was the guy who made it all happen.

Cal Marvin was born August 29, 1924, the youngest of the five boys and second youngest child of George and Almina Marvin.  George Marvin had arrived in Warroad from Canada, after learning the grain business, and came to manage the Canadian Grain Company’s elevator, lumber and fuel interests.  When the expected shipping center didn’t materialize, Marvin stayed and bought a lumber business. Through many innovations this is now a highly successful business, known as Marvin Windows, which now employs over 5,000 people worldwide.

While his three brothers Bill, Jack, and Tut worked to build the Marvin Company, Cal took a different route.

The early years, Cal Marvin, Wes Cole and Les Lightning

In the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George Bailey is given the opportunity to see what would have happened if he was not around in his local community. Similarly, Warroad certainly would not be the same without Cal.  

Dick Roberts, who grew up just a few houses from Cal, knew him well.  “Cal Marvin was full of energy, a go to guy, full of ideas; his mind was always working and for his whole life Cal would get things done.  He didn’t like to take no for an answer.”

Cal enjoyed his youth and loved sports. After graduating from Warroad High, Cal went off to Carleton College where he soon discovered that college was not his calling.  

With the war in full force, he felt led to join the Marine Corps and went off to San Diego for training.  He then served in the South Pacific fighting against the Japanese in Saipan.  When the war ended, Cal came back to his hometown; where instead of going into the family business he became a successful businessman in the resort and hospitality industry.  This gave him time in the winter, and soon Cal became a fixture in the Warroad hockey fabric.  

When Cal came back from the war, he wanted to help the community as it had no rink.  The Warroad Pioneer reported on March 8, 1945 that, “Marine Private Cal Marvin revived the sport here this winter while home on furlough from active duty in the South Pacific.”

Cal and a few helpers flooded a rink on the schoolyard, and with the rink now in place, and Max Oshie as a star player, he was able to start up the Warroad High School team.

Warroad gets an Arena – the building of the Castle on the Corner

In Cal’s mind, what Warroad needed more than anything else, was a place to play hockey indoors.  Dead or alive, he was committed to seeing this through.  While serving in WWII, his love for the game was off the charts, and if he had not made it back from the war, he had named the Warroad Arena Fund as the beneficiary of his $10,000 life insurance policy.

Cal was now ready to begin to put together the group that would plan and start the work needed to make his dream come true.  With his good friend Dick Roberts, Cal and Dick called a meeting to put together a small group that would become the members of the Warroad Memorial Arena Association.

On the invitation list was 35 business owners from Warroad.  It was not an easy sell.  Warroad had few sidewalks, no library, and the roads were in poor shape.  Many in the community felt the ice arena was not where the funds should go.  

Cal led the way for a fundraising effort to build the first indoor rink, his “Castle on the Corner.”  Cal was able to raise the funds through bingo nights, benefit auction sales, variety shows, raffles and other fundraisers, and by 1947, he had raised $9500.00 in the Warroad Arena fund.  

Cal proved his critics wrong, as this money that was spent to create an arena was one of the seeds in the ground that put Warroad on the map, not just locally and in Canada, but throughout the hockey world.

With the support of the community, the blueprints from the University of North Dakota rink and a volunteer force ready to go, the plans for the arena were now in motion.  With local carpenter Ed Christian scaling back the plans, it was now time to get the building started.  Christian would later see his three boys Gordon, Roger and Bill play in this building, and in time all three would represent the USA as Olympians.

Ginny, Bill and Roger Christian all wearing the USA Jersey

Cal would miss only a short bit of the entire project, but he had a good excuse.  His marriage to Beth took place that summer.  He flew to his wedding and, after honeymooning for two days, returned to his project.  This lifestyle didn’t stop Cal and Beth from enjoying each other’s company, as winters are cold and long in Warroad, and they somehow managed to have 12 children.

With the arena built, it was now time to fill it up with hockey players, with practices and games for all ages. Mike Marvin saw firsthand his father’s devotion to the game.

“Dad wasn’t one of those who just loved hockey at the level that he was at, but he wished success for everyone, at every level,” Mike Marvin said. “That is evidenced by his 40-some years as president of our youth hockey organization; with all the countless meetings that he sat through.  Dad fought to build the arena and he fought to make the hockey programs successful.”

In the Beginning- the birth of the Warroad Laker hockey

Warroad Lakers First Hockey Team

In the summer of 1946, Cal wanted to get a senior hockey team in Warroad.  In order to do so they needed to have uniforms.

“Cal and I planned a dance in a local seed house,” Roberts said. “The dance was very well attended by the people in town.  We raised $1300.00 that night which at that time, was a lot of money for the complete uniforms”.   

With uniforms now in hand from the fundraising dance in the summer of ‘46 by Cal and Roberts, it was time to organize.

The Warroad Lakers Hockey Club started in 1946 -1947 when Warroad pharmacist E.J. Holland called a meeting to organize a men’s team that would play in the States-Dominion League against teams from Northwest Minnesota, including teams from Hallock, Crookston, Roseau and Thief River Falls.

Led by Cal Marvin, this group of hockey players from Warroad would take their game to Grand Forks and started the University of North Dakota program.

The Birth of UND Varsity Hockey

The following year, with Cal Marvin leading the charge, they would bring the University of North Dakota varsity program to life.  Marvin felt strongly he could make a solid college team and asked Red Jarrett, the UND Athletic Director, to give them a chance to bring players into the University of North Dakota and start a varsity program.  Marvin followed through, getting the players and, with the help of Jarrett scheduling games, started the varsity hockey program at UND.

In the first year as a UND varsity team, they traveled by train out to play mighty Michigan, defeating them in front of few fans by a 6-5 score.  The Wolverines would rebound the next night, and in front of a full house, beat UND sending them back for the long train ride home.  

When the team arrived back in Grand Forks, at 7:30 a.m., in well below zero weather, they were greeted by Jarret and the university band, after becoming the first UND sports team to ever beat a Big 10 team in any sport.

With a limited college schedule, the players would often head home for the weekend to play for the Lakers, against the local competition from around the Northwest.

Cal Marvin and the Lakers

The Warroad Lakers may have been the greatest amateur club to ever play the game of hockey.  The Lakers dominated the sport.  Showcasing talent with speed, skill and toughness, the Lakers would beat national and Olympic teams.

The Lakers didn’t start hockey in Warroad, but hockey in Warroad would not be the same without them.   The club has not played a game in 20 years, but it is during the 50 years they played that Warroad became known as HOCKEYTOWN USA.  

Cal Marvin’s name was synonymous with the Warroad Lakers.  As the leader of the Lakers, Cal was known for his ability to get the guys needed to be a winning team, and then manage their ice time.  In addition, for 50 years, he was loved by the guys who played for him.  They knew he cared and would do whatever he could to help them out.

“Dad’s commitment to hockey and the Lakers was so unwavering,” Cal’s son Mike said. “But the same commitment that he had for the Lakers Hockey Club is the same commitment that he has for his family.  And I don’t just mean our family.  I mean his brothers, his cousins, his nephews, everyone.”

This was not beer-league or no-check hockey.  This was intense, 60-minute stop time, full-contact hockey.  It was common to play with pain, and if you weren’t prepared to play, you would be leaving worse than you arrived.

How good was the Warroad Lakers Senior Men’s Hockey Club?

In 1960, the U.S. Olympic team traveled to Warroad, only to get beaten by the Lakers. This wasn’t the first time the Lakers beat a U.S. national squad. In 1958 they did it not once, but twice.

Lakers playing Team USA

Later, that 1960 U.S. team would take the Olympic gold medal in Squaw Valley with Warroad players Roger and Billy Christian on it.

Not only did Bill and Roger Christian play on the first U.S. team to ever take the Olympic gold medal, but for many seasons, they also played for the Lakers.   

U.S. National Team and Olympian players that donned the Warroad Lakers jersey included the likes of John Noah, Dan McKinnon, Gordon Christian, Roger Christian, Bill Christian, Sam Grafstrom, Dayton Grafstrom, Myron Grafstrom, Bob Lund, Jim Stordahl, Henry Boucha, Blaine Comstock and David Christian.  Cal Marvin also coached the 1958 team and was manager of the 1965 U.S. National team.

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David and Bill Christian- played together as Lakers

Interestingly enough, the United States has never won a gold medal in the Olympics without a member of its team being from Warroad.  

“One of the nicest testimonies about my dad Cal and the Lakers was something that Chris Imes said after he had played for the Olympic team and then came to Warroad and played for the Lakers in the playoffs,” Mike Marvin recalls. “Imes told Virg Foss, of the Grand Forks Herald, ‘You know Virg, I’ve been on a national championship college team and I’ve played in the Olympics, but I’ve never had so much fun as playing for Cal Marvin.’”

Besides representing their country, the Lakers had numerous players who played or coached in the NHL, including Clarence Schmidt, “Sugar” Jim Henry, Ed Kryzanowski, Bill Juzda, Allan Hangsleben, Henry Boucha, Dave Christian, Bob Johnson (coach), Howard Walker and Chad Erickson.

Mike recalls overhearing Billy Lund, who played professionally in Texas say “Cal, we’re getting paid and we’re playing, but it’s not like Laker hockey.  That was so much fun.’”

Five Lakers are now members of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, including Cal Marvin, Bill Christian, Roger Christian, Henry Boucha and David Christian.  I know of no other amateur hockey club that can make these claims.

The largest challenges that Cal and the Lakers ran into were from being too successful.   Over the course of 50 years, the club played in many leagues, but soon wore out their welcome, as team owners refused to allow them in their league.

The Lakers saved the best for last.  With Cal’s son David as player-coach, the Lakers became the only senior team ever to win the treasured Allan Cup in a three-peat, winning the title back-to-back-to-back. In its final season, the team made it to the finals but a banged up squad came up short.

“There wasn’t anybody who wanted to win more than Cal…no one,” David Marvin recalled. “Yet, he could handle a loss.  He’d always be in your corner.”  

John Hanson, who played on all three of the Allan Cup championship teams, said “Cal recruited guys that were extremely competitive.  We always wanted to win, practices or games, we played to win.”

The Lakers and Cal Marvin are no longer with us. Cal lived a wonderful life not only doing what he loved, but leaving Warroad with a rich, historic legacy that contributes to its HOCKEYTOWN USA fame.

David and Cal Marvin with Allan Cup

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Henry Boucha has been labeled as the most electrifying player in Minnesota hockey history.

Also skilled in football and baseball, Boucha starred for five years at both defense and center for the Warroad High School hockey team. A tall, powerfully-built native American, an Ojibwe, Boucha led Warroad to the 1969 state tournament, where he was injured in an emotionally-charged 5-4 overtime final loss to Edina—one of the all-time classic games in “tourney” history.

“He was the most colorful hockey player ever to come out of Northern Minnesota,” said Warroad coaching legend and fellow Hall of Fame enshrinee Cal Marvin. “When he played, it was so special that he brought people out of the old folks home to come and watch him play. He did it all. He was one of a kind”

Boucha went on to play for the 1972 silver medal winning U.S. Olympic team, and at just 19, he signed with the Detroit Red Wings.

After two years in the Motor City, Boucha “came home” when the Minnesota North Stars acquired him. But his career was tragically curtailed in his third NHL season when he suffered an eye injury on Jan. 4, 1975 against Boston.

He would come back to play for the WHA’s Minnesota Fighting Saints in 1976, and then again in 1977 with the Scouts and Rockies of the NHL, but couldn’t overcome his eye injury. He retired from the game after that at just the age of 24.

Boucha would go on to play for his hometown Warroad Lakers, and then give back by donating much of his time to helping advance various Native American causes.

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When Kenora, Ont., won the Stanley Cup in 1907, it may have launched hockey in northern Minnesota. Warroad, Minn., and Kenora are at opposite ends of Lake of the Woods, one of the best fisheries in North America.

Warroad, the only American port on Lake of the Woods, is located at the southwest corner of the lake while Kenora is 90 miles northeast of Warroad by water through a maze of 14,600 islands.

The Warroad area was rich with timber and fish and those industries started shipping goods to eastern markets in the late 1890’s. By the early 1900’s several fisheries and sawmills sprang up all around the lake. They hauled the fish and timber to Kenora until the Canadian Railroad came around the southern end of the lake to Warroad.

They say that one of the first questions young George Marvin — eventual founder of Marvin Lumber & Cedar Company — asked when he stepped off the train in Warroad from Winnipeg was, “Does anyone play hockey here?” He may have been one of the few that knew something about hockey. It was about the time when hockey started to develop as a winter sport.

Baseball was popular in the summers but people needed something to do in the winters with more time on their hands so they took up ice skating and hockey. They skated on the Warroad River and on an outdoor rink with a warming house they built in town near the Warroad School.

With other Canadians moving into the Warroad area, people like pharmacist, and former Winnipegger, Ed Holland played, encouraged and supported hockey. Soon after, other area communities started making outdoor rinks and communities were able to play games against each other and the rivalries began.

Above is a picture of the early Warroad team and them playing outdoors on the Warroad River. Notice the rink with the high planks around the rink to prevent wind and the pucks going over the boards.

The Minnesota State High School Tournament didn’t start until after World War II but Warroad had been playing hockey in hockey leagues decades before. Other communities like Thief River Falls, Crookston, Grand Forks, Roseau and many other Canadian communities competed in leagues and tournaments during that time.

Pictured above is the 1940 Warroad High School team. It was the first year the school came out with a High School Annual. All games were played outside near the school. Fans stood on snow banks around the rink and, when they got cold, went in and warmed up along with the players in the outdoor warming hut that had a wood stove. The Warroad Memorial Arena was not built until 1948.

When Warroad played in the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament in 1948, they drove to Minneapolis/St. Paul with parents or whoever had a car, riding in several different cars which took all day. Most kids were in awe of the big city as they came from poor families and had never been to a city before.

Aside from the high school team, Warroad had a senior men’s team that participated in leagues in the area. Some players were able to play on both teams if they wanted, prior to changes in the Minnesota high school rules.

Later, Cal Marvin, Ginny Christian, Sam Gibbons, Bob May among others from Warroad attended the University of North Dakota. North Dakota didn’t have a team so Cal and the rest of the players went to the Board of Regents and requested that they allow the boys to represent the University and play a few other college teams.

The team was well represented with talent and won most of their games. The university started to support the team and the rest is history. Richard Roberts who is picture above with the 1940 Warroad team attended and played hockey for the University of Minnesota; he was a captain during his time as a Gopher.

After college, Cal Marvin returned to Warroad and took over the Warroad Town Team from Ed Holland. Cal was instrumental in fundraising to build the first Warroad Memorial indoor arena. It was built with the help of volunteers and was operational in 1948. The rink was covered and later they added locker rooms. It had natural ice until the late 1970’s when they added artificial ice and a Zamboni. We skated in the old Warroad Gardens from December until the warm up and ice went out in March.

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